Friday, 30 October 2015

From iPhone 6S to Nexus 5X. My Thoughts.



Prior to getting the 6S, I was a pretty diehard Android/Nexus user. I got the 6S because I wanted to change things up a bit and really liked the build quality of the new iPhones. However, of all the phones I went through, the Nexus 5 was my absolute favorite. It was a simple, solid, reliable phone. It just had a few draw backs. The camera was pretty terrible, the battery life was sub-par and the screen size was just a bit too small.

Luckily, Google solved all these problems with the release of the 5X. So I placed my order last week and the phone arrived on Tuesday. I've had a few days to compare it directly with my iPhone 6S, so I figured I'd provide some thoughts.

Size
I've read reviews that say the 5X is a weird size that doesn't feel right in the hand. I have to disagree with that. The size is rather perfect, if you ask me. The iPhone 6S is just a tad small and almost feels "too small" in the hand. Meanwhile, the 6S+ is way too big, like the Nexus 6 was. With all that in mind, I find the 5X to be the sweet spot in size.

Build Quality
Anyone who has a recent Macbook Pro or Macbook knows how well Apple builds their products. The 6S falls right in line with that expectation. The build quality is exceptional and tough to beat. Compared to that, you'd think the 5X's plastic build would feel cheap. However, like the Nexus 5, Google found a way to make their plastic phone feel like a very solid higher-tier phone. I like the 6S and 5X builds equally, in different ways. Some people mentioned that the 5X felt "light". However, when I hold them each in different hands, the weight difference between the 6S and the 5X is negligible at best.

Screen
The iPhone 6S screen is the clear winner, stock for stock. Out of the box, the 5X screen looks like s*** in comparison, there is just no denying that. The color temperature and color depth is terrible on the 5X. Side by side the Nexus 5X screen is just too warm and washed out. However, as Nexus owners should know, some simple RGB color tweaks with a custom kernel is all that is necessary to remedy that. So the fix for this will be available in short time.

Finger Print Reader
The finger print reader on the 6S is very good. I find it to be accurate and fast. With that in mind, I had relatively low hopes for the one on the 5X. However, I am happy to say that I am VERY pleasantly surprised by how accurate/fast the 5X finger print reader is. It's as fast/accurate/consistent as the one on the 6S is and I'd actually argue that the finger print reader on the 5X is a tad bit snappier.

Camera
Anyone who follows camera comparison reviews knows that the camera on the 6S gets great results when compared to other high end Android phones with top quality cameras. And most know that Nexus phones have never been known for having a quality camera. However, things have finally changed with the 5X. When I take sample pictures with both phones, for comparison sake, the 6S and 5X tend to produce the same high quality photos. However, in low light, the 5X still falls short to the 6S. But even the low light pictures from the 6S are nothing to write home about.

Overall, I am very happy with the 5X and, aside from the bad screen coloring on the 5X, I can't think of anything that I miss about the 6S. Google did a great job with this phone and I anticipate that I have finally found the phone that I will keep for at least the next 12 months, rather than changing it up seemingly every 3-4 months.



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