Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Thoroughbred. Overview of the Nexus 5 from LG and Google - BBC News

In the fifth of the account “nexus” vision embodied reference modern smartphone one of the largest IT-companies in the world, Google. Like its competitors, here screen with a resolution of Full HD, heavy duty quad-core processor, 2 GB of RAM. Different price – only 18 000, while the other flagships in the past year were worth at the start of sales of 25 or 30 thousand. Is Android-standard ideal smartfonostroeniya simultaneously, or is it rather a demo platform for the new OS and tools for application developers figured Vesti.Haytek.

Specifications

  • Display: IPS, 4.95 inch diagonal, 1920 x 1080 pixels (445 dpi)
  • Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, 4 core, 2.26 GHz
  • Graphics: Adreno 330, 450 MHz
  • Memory: 2 GB of RAM, 16 or 32GB of built-in, support for microSD cards no
  • Contact: 3G/4G, dual-band WiFi 802.11b/g/n/ac, GPS / GLONASS, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC
  • SIM-card: micro-SIM
  • Battery: removable, 2300 mAh, wireless charging
  • Platform: Android 4.4
  • Dimensions: 137.9 by 69.2 by 8.6 mm
  • Weight: 130 grams
  • Case Material: Plastic
  • Colors: White, Black

Design, ergonomics
“Just smartphone” – I want to say, first picking up a Nexus 5 from Google and LG. Perhaps the only characteristic that is typical for smartphones Nexus rounded upper and lower ends. The rest – a soft touch back cover with rounded edges, slightly tapered flat rib, headphone jack on the top and bottom microUSB – this is exactly what “just a smartphone”.

However, I can not say that the Nexus 5 – ugly device. Just his beauty lies in the simplicity of it, in simple, straight lines and rounded, with a simple, but very comfortable housing material. Monolithic body and perceived strong, sturdily built. If desired, using a hefty force, you can hear faint creaking, but overall impression of materials and workmanship is excellent. All kind Nexus 5 tries to show: the flagship smartphone today – it’s not a luxury, but an essential everyday tool.

And Nexus 5 – the best thing that ever happened to “near-5-inch” smart phones in terms of ergonomics. Engineers have managed to reduce the width and thickness of the shell (the key parameters in terms of ease of use with one hand) to 69.2 mm and 8.6 mm, respectively. As a result, the device easier to use than any of the actual flagship devices of the same class, including LG G2, Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One (Nexus he was 5, but thicker and eventually inconvenient) or Xperia Z1. First I (man long spoiled compact iPhone) was really convenient to use the device on Android. Perhaps it’s not only in size but also in form as well as in the materials through which smartphone is very safe and comfortable in the hand.

well implemented and the power button / lock (at the top right edge), and the volume control (on the left edge) – they are made of special ceramics, pressed easily and clearly long to find their touch is not necessary. Still need to mention LED for notifications under the screen. “Out of the box,” he trained just flash white when you receive an SMS or a letter, but with special applications (eg, Light Flow) can change color depending on the type of alert.

Overall though Nexus 5 – this is not the most beautiful smartphone with a screen diagonal of about 5 inches, but definitely one of the most comfortable. Appearance unit is fully capable to touch the strings in the shower geeks and advanced gadgets fans, but ordinary consumers are likely to seem boring. Just Google, seem to think that the appearance of the machine must not distract the user from the main – and use Android applications.

screen, camera, sound
Nexus 5 has a display with IPS-matrix resolution of 1920 by 1080 pixels (Full HD) and a diagonal of 4.95 inches (density about 445 pixels per inch). Subjectively it is slightly worse than the HTC One (less black depth, less deep color), but it is better Galaxy S4 or, especially, Sony Xperia Z. The display has a large margin of brightness and (to test the hypothesis in practice given the weather conditions in Moscow) should read well even in the sun.

Nexus 5, as well as last year’s model of the “reference” Google Phone, equipped with an 8 megapixel camera. Details about the size of the sensor manufacturer does not report, but apparently (such as “noise” of pictures taken indoors), it is small. But the camera is much better learned to correctly identify colors, automatic white balance is almost always exhibit correctly. Rassharivaniya for social networking with the Nexus 5 photos are fine, but the other flagship smartphones (eg, iPhone 5s, Galaxy S4 or Nokia Lumia 1520) are able to provide a higher (especially for clarity, and shooting in low light) picture quality settings for default. Yet sometimes there are unexplained trouble focusing, even overcast day on the street.

have claims to the actual application “Camera”. 5 on the Nexus difficult to correctly build the frame – on the screen when shooting a picture is displayed in 16:9 aspect ratio, and is actually being done in 4:3, that is, the top and bottom of the final frame appears that when shooting in “finder” did not fall. The interface fotonastroek with “arc” menu seems to me one of the most successful on Android-smartphones.

Another “trick” camera Nexus 5 – mode HDR +. Like other smartphones in chambers, made a few shots in a row, which are then combined into a final image of higher quality. Usually pictures are taken at different exposures in order to work out well and bright and dark areas of the frame. In the “Google Phone” is HDR found another application – made better in low light, and because of this fuzzy image. But honestly, any difference in the definition of frames between the normal mode and HDR + 5 on the Nexus I have not found. Perhaps, the results can be more successful in the case of other frames or shooting conditions. I should add that in the mode of HDR + Camera relatively Nexus 5 (Competitors) long starts, ie catch “the same” photo moments becomes more difficult.

Video Full HD (there are options 720p and 480p) Nexus 5 removes mediocre – with trembling optical stabilization copes badly, and when a large number of moving objects in the picture (snow) or panning shot begins to “stutter”. In less than Full HD, resolution of the problem is not so noticeable. Back in the Nexus 5 has a function called “slow motion” – the device takes photos at the selected interval (0.5 seconds), combining them into a video. You can, for example, removal blossoming flower or a sunset. Just do not forget to fasten your smartphone on a tripod.

With a gallery of pictures taken with the camera Nexus 5 can be found on this page. In suitable conditions it is possible to get great shots, but in practice the conditions are too often inappropriate. Competitors like iPhone 5s, Galaxy S4 or Nokia flagships rather shoot in different conditions, they run faster than the camera, and remove them not 1080p video “stutters”. If Google wants to make a smartphone for ordinary people, not just for geeks and Android-application developer, then the camera had to be taken seriously. There is hope for any improvement in future firmware updates.

delivery of voice during a call Nexus 5 cope perfectly well, but the sound built-in speaker (he was hiding under one of holey grids in the lower end of the body) leaves much to be desired – it’s not too loud, very “flat “crackling and, worse than that of many competitors. According to another tradition unkind Nexus lacks support for FM-radio.

filling performance
In terms of “hardware” Nexus 5 – a close relative of the “flagship” LG, smartphone G2, but the “twins” could not call them. Both devices use the same computing platform: 2.26-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon chertyrehyaderny 800 with 2 GB of RAM and Adreno 300 graphics clocked at 450 MHz. So far, Russia has officially sold a model with built-in support on the 16 GB, but the “gray” suppliers can be found and a 32-gigabyte version.

Through this gland smartphone remarkably smoothly and quickly draws the Android interface and runs applications. Other manufacturers that still can not get tired to develop your own skins for Android, have not been able to achieve such a performance interface.

In tests (which lately faith less) smartphone demonstrates not leading, but still great performance, just above the Galaxy S4, but somehow less than “kin” LG G2 with the same processor:

Nevertheless, Nexus 5 in actual use – very quick and smart in terms of speed and smoothness of the interface at least as leaders rankings AnTuTu – Galaxy Note 3 and Sony Xperia Z Ultra.

fast can be (at least theoretically) and work on the Internet with the cellular connection – Nexus version 5, officially delivered in Russia, domestic support ranges LTE, that is, communication is possible at speeds of “fourth generation” .

But the battery is not very impressed – the battery capacity of 2300 mAh can satisfy appetites quad chip and large bright screen a relatively short time. With moderate use – a half-hour conversation, half an hour of correspondence by mail and instant messengers, a few hours of music, hours surfing on Wi-Fi – the device is discharged in the evening to 40 percent. But if you’re going to watch a movie, the battery is hardly enough for more than four or five hours.

Software Features – new in Android 4.4
Nexus 5 – the first smartphone on the market, “out of the box” running on the latest version of Android, 4.4 (the name of transnational chocolates selected Google as a code name for the new operating system, we will not mention the principle – we do not pay). No radical differences in the Android 4.4 from 4.2 and 4.3 predecessors not, however small innovations as a result of changing the user experience, quite a lot.

Google does not radically, but significantly changed the operating system interface. The designers, apparently, the goal was set to cause the user a feeling of lightness and spaciousness – the status bar and system buttons become transparent, “facilitating” home screen. Application developers the opportunity to implement them in full-screen mode when any interface elements disappear from view, and before the user’s eyes can only content.

Google Now now – at one swipe from the main screen, it’s easier than pushing the button “Home” and pull up as before. But if you are used to fill the screen to the left of the main icons and widgets have to readjust. SMS messenger integrated with Hangouts, and “Telephone” – rewrite. It all looks now like this:

Nice and modern, but in the “Telephone” distressing failure of flip-style interface with swipe panels (favorites, dialer, recent calls). Function rooms with recognition firms knows about Google, Russia still does not seem to work – the number of one of Moscow’s largest auto dealers appeared unfamiliar system. The application itself seems nedodumali, navigate it – complicated. Let us hope that in future updates it will bring to mind.

With Hangouts + SMS combine different story. In theory, a great idea – to integrate communication (of Hangouts can now even initiate a regular phone call) in one application. by analogy with iMessage on devices Apple. That’s just why sending SMS sent starts a new conversation rather than continuing existing Hangouts-correspondence? As a result, if a lot of communication by SMS, in the conversation list will mess.

Purchase conclusions

Nexus 5 is a very attractive package. 18,000 rubles – for 2000 is less than the cost in Russia Nexus 4 sales at the start, and after a year the ruble lost ground slightly, ie in terms of absolute price is even lower. Of course there are a few “but” – the lack of microSD or at least 32 GB version in the official sale, discreet design, unpredictable camera, some conflicting interface solutions in Android 4.4. But for 18,000 with an official guarantee personally I see no reason not to close on all of this, having a modern, powerful and very easy smartphone with “purebred” Android and the prospect of the first to receive fresh version Android.

So, to sum up the review of Nexus 5.

Pros

  • Flagship Smartphone mid-end model costs
  • Excellent screen
  • The latest version of Android and guaranteed upgrade
  • supersonic speed interface
  • Clean “Google Experience” – “Experience Google”

Cons

  • Unpredictable camera
  • Mediocre battery life

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