Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Overview of the smartphone Google Nexus 5X: standard is not for everyone – BBC News

Every year since 2010, the Google co-operation with one or another smartphone maker produces machine line Nexus – with flagship features and the latest version of the platform for Android. This year these came just two phone – Nexus 6P from Huawei, more and more expensive, and the Nexus 5X from LG, pokompaktnee and cheaper. The latter has already started to be sold in Russia. I used the Nexus 5X as the main smartphone for the last week and is ready to share his impressions.

Outside: design, usability, screen

Nexus 5X – the device is very modest. If his predecessor Nexus 5 somehow stood out because of characteristic rounded upper and lower ends of the body, the novelty is a classic rectangle with rounded corners. The characteristics of a very small: symmetric lattice of spoken and mono “music” speaker at the top and bottom of the screen, a metal ring around the fingerprint sensor on the back, slightly protruding camera lens and the same size modules flash and laser auto-focus.

tactile device is also not impressive, plastic is perceived quite cheap, especially black, of the shell . White back cover rough to the touch, with a tough, strong pressure when something squeaks inside. In general, the smartphone felt even more modest than the Nexus 5 at the time. Nothing extra – only what you need.

From the point of view of convenience everyday use Nexus 5X need to know the following. Firstly, it is not quite as comfortable in the hand as the Nexus 5 with its 4.95-inch screen. The extra 3 mm wide body (inevitable fee increased to 5.2-inch diagonal screen) no no yes and make themselves known, text typing with one hand on the device is less convenient . But, secondly, fast and impeccably triggered fingerprint sensor seriously accelerates the unlocking device. Moreover, the sensor on the rear panel is uniquely convenient to use than the front (iPhone, Samsung Galaxy S6).

Third, to see the time and displayed on the lock screen notifications, you do not press any buttons. Just take the phone in hand, or pull out of his pocket, and screen for a few seconds, turn on itself, in the “eco” black and white – a function that is present at last year’s Nexus 6, called Active Display. Finally, the camera on the phone is locked, you can activate a simple gesture, twice turning the wrist. Yes, even the power button and volume rocker – they are now not ceramic, and plastic, and are located near the right edge of the machine to such placement had to get used.

Display Nexus 5X with a resolution FullHD (1920 by 1080 pixels) and a diagonal of 5.2 inches looks better than the predecessor – contrast to the above, a deep black color, other colors are much richer , but the brightness if desired can be unscrewed so that the image will be seen without problems in the sun. For me, the value of all turned out to be a comfortable 50%. This smartphone copes with automatic control of lighting depending on the light, without making the picture too bright nor dark nor too dark to light.

Inside: performance, battery, camera

A glance at the table of characteristics Nexus 5X enough to understand – directly compete with modern devices flagship smartphone from Google and LG is not going . The amount of RAM (2 GB), and built-in storage (16 or 32 GB) are not changed in comparison with the Nexus 5. pozaproshlogodnie not changed and the “party line” in relation to a memory card and additional SIM – they are not supported.

The processor is a step lower than the Nexus 6P – six-core Snapdragon 808 instead of a top-eight-810 st. And that’s fine, because there is no problems with overheating, but the difference in performance can be seen except in the synthetic tests. Recall, the system-on-chip Snapdragon 808 consists of two computing clusters – on the quad Cortex-A53 cores with 1.4 GHz and a dual-core 1.8 gigahertz on Cortex-A57. Last incurs the most CPU-intensive tasks, such as working actively in the games. Below are screenshots and graphics AnTuTu benchmark test Epic Citadel (at maximum graphics settings).

Graphics Snapdragon 808 – chip Adreno 418 – about a quarter of a powerful solution used in the Nexus 5. In practice, I did not see problems in any of the current games , although benchmarks show that the Nexus 5X far champion and a couple of tens of percent less productive, than the flagship smartphone Samsung and Sony.

One of the main disadvantages of Nexus 5 was a weak battery that lasts from morning until evening only at the economical use with the active same smartphone grow “tail” in the form of an external battery after dinner. The capacity of the built-in lithium-polymer battery Nexus 5X – 2700 mAh, and the operating system Android 6.0 «Marshmallow» has the function Doze, reduces the cost of the battery in standby mode.

As a result, although not becoming record for autonomy, Nexus 5X ceased to be a source of constant worry . After removing the device from the charger at 6 am to noon, I usually had left about 50-60% of the battery, returning home in the evening 4-5 – about 15-20%. And I use the smart phone all the time very active, for all except for games and video. With continuous playback video at 75 percent brightness of the display device “live” until the battery about 7 hours.

In any case, connected to the machine an external battery or recharge the car on the way home, I could not – because of the absence in the arsenal of a suitable adapter or cable USB Type-C. One of the major technological innovations in the Nexus 5X and 6P – use Connector USB Type-C instead of the traditional microUSB . His only advantage at this stage, until the standard has not become more widespread – the ability to stick symmetrical plug any party.

The protocol data is old, USB 2.0. It comes with charger and cable with USB Type-C at both ends. That is, without making additional purchases, you can recharge the Nexus 5X only with supplied charger and cable , and synchronize your smartphone with your computer via a cable, most likely, will not be at all (of course, if you do not have one Laptops from this collection).

But the charge that comes with a powerful and fast – although the official support QuickCharge 2.0 it does not have, in fact, the smart phone is fully charged in just half an hour. 20 minutes while enough to fill an empty battery to 30 percent And if get hold of the appropriate cable, you can recharge by Nexus 5X other devices, the same Bluetooth-headset – USB-port controller supports it. It is also possible to connect external storage protocol OTG , but the problem is still the same – find the right cable or adapter to the USB Type-C.

The camera in the Nexus 5X much better than the Nexus 5 , and at this price is quite competitive. Used 12.3-megapixel (4032 x 3024 pixels) Sony IMX377 sensor size 1 / 2.3 “with a very wide aperture (f / 2.0) lens and quite large (1.55 microns) pixels, but no optical image stabilization. It is, recall, there was a like the Nexus 5 (but the camera the less mediocre does not become), and at the Nexus 6 / As the flagship LG G4 for focusing in Nexus 5X responsible corporate laser module.

Slightly changed interface of the camera – in Video capture mode (supported, if desired, and shot in 4K) can pass a simple swipe across the screen (before this gesture was used to view the last photo). Menu options – options for shooting photosphere, panoramas, emulation effect “bokeh” and transition settings – there by pressing knopki- “hamburger.” Not the most elegant solution for the camera – applications to use that speed is the most important, but consistent with the principles of design Android.

Sample photos taken with the camera Nexus 5X (click the image to open it full size):

The quality of these and other images, you can explore, by clicking this link (Google Photos). Overall, compared with the Nexus 5 dramatic improvements there. At the same time, the results of shooting in twilight or just in the room is not as good as the leaders in this field – iPhone 6s and top devices Samsung – Nexus 5X lacks clarity. This camera can not praise for high dynamic range photos, they almost never look white, especially when taken with the included mode switch HDR +, look great, and the results of the macro. But such gloomy weather, which was in Moscow for the last week, even made the day the photo appear too dark.

In the HDR + more taken with different exposure images are superimposed on each other to produce the final image, which is equally well designed and bright and dark areas. With HDR +, however, there is one big problem – to shoot and save pictures out unacceptably long time to two or three seconds. It is hoped that this – unpleasant feature of our test sample, carrying on himself the words “not for sale».

Android 6.0

Google does not hesitate to give the next version of its operating system Android right next sequential number – 6.0. However, I personally do not believe that the innovations and improvements actually typed on the whole unit. This, of course, not 5.1 or 5.2, but not 6.0. Introduced a year ago, “material design” is still here, and sometimes even became even more beautiful due to redraw animations, all transitions in the interface smoothly, and power consumption is reduced.

However, one of the main pieces of the new OSes – Quick context search Now on Tap – works only when the smartphone is set to English as the language of the interface. In this case, you can simply holding down the “Home” in the application to get information from search engine that is relevant is happening on the screen. For example, if the song plays, the smartphone will display a card with information about her and the title, if the open contact – try to “dig” in the network information about it.

On the other innovations in Android 6.0 we have already mentioned, large call them can not be curious refer to the already published our text.

Purchase conclusions

Indeed, Nexus 5X there is nothing superfluous. He embodies the way in which, according to Google, is to be a modern Android-smartphone with a maximum capacity for a minimum of money. For fans of pure Android, dreaming of the first to receive all updates of OSes, not come up with anything better. Compared with the Nexus 5 is radically improved camera, and increased battery life and performance is at a level more than sufficient for the vast majority of users.

The problem is that specified as the maximum price of 16 strips gigabyte version of the Nexus 5X in any search engine for shopping, we will see a lot of interesting devices for the same or less money. Compact (screen from 5 to 5.2 inches) of devices that do not bother to “clean» Android and calmly relating to third-party add-ins buyer Interface look due to the “expensive” and more advanced design features much more attractive.

The same 7 of Honor Huawei provides with the price tag per 10 000 less than the same things, and moreover metal housing and a half times the amount of RAM, support for cards microSD, a more capacious battery and the camera is also very good. Official Samsung Galaxy S6 has fallen in price to the level of 36-37 000 rubles – that is, paying for 1-2 thousand rubles more than the Nexus 5X, you can buy a device with premium materials of the shell, QHD-screen, improved camera and more productive more comfortable in the hand. HTC One M9 will also be released only a couple of thousand more, and still have Lenovo Vibe Shot and Vibe X2, Sony Xperia Z3 / Z3 + and plenty of informal “Chinese” faster to adopt the premium features in the design of the leaders of the market.

In short, at the current price at the ” officials’ in Russian only trump Nexus 5X the competition – actual and promptly updated version of Android. In which the majority of consumers who want a high-quality and good-looking smartphone, alas, do not care. Make a choice in favor of Nexus 5X harder still because of the decision Google (LG in this case, it had to meet the requirements of IT-giant) to use a connector USB Type-C. Yes, for them the future, but at least you put in the box adapter to the usual USB, to relieve the buyer from having to look almost not represented is the market cables and adapters with the new connector.

So, to sum up the review of Nexus 5X – another Android-reference from Google and LG.


Pros:

  • Clear, relevant and timely updated version of Android
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  • Excellent screen and the camera
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  • Fast and convenient fingerprint reader
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Cons :

  • USB Type-C, which accessories to buy yet very difficult to
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  • Do not the most compact and convenient device with a screen diagonal of
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  • undistinguished, “budget” looks and body materials
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  • No support for memory cards microSD
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