Smartphone has become a need for everyone today, as it severs the purpose of a computer to a certain extent. However, finding a mid-range Smartphone that comes bundled with features is a tough job. In order to provide a high-end mid-range phone, Google launched Nexus 4, which made a huge entry and was successful. Google yet again came up with its next model of Smartphone named Nexus 5. It comes with advanced features and functionalities within the price bracket of Rs. 29,000 in India. Google has made all possible alterations, in terms of display, features, processor, storage capacity and operating system. It is one of the best Smartphones available in the market today.
Google Nexus 5 - Design and Display
The Nexus 5 comes in a bar form factor with curved edges and has a sleek as well as classy design. It weighs approximately 130 grams and measures 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm, which makes it easy to carry. is equipped with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 and has a polycarbonate plastic body with matte finish and has a smooth touch. This phone does not come with some striking components as it has porthole-shaped earpiece on the front. The camera screen is slightly above the rest of the body along with the Nexus logo, which is imprinted on the back of the body that lends altogether a different look. Coming to the display, this phone from Google boasts of a 4.95 inch IPS display, which is a technology used for LCD screens. This type of display ensures precise and steady viewing from all angles without any distortion. The screen resolution of 1080p offers magnificent pixel density and delivers crisp and clear images. However, in comparison to Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2, the colours are not that bright.
Google Nexus 5 - Hardware and Connectivity
Google’s Nexus 5 has the lock button and volume rocker buttons on the side made of ceramic material, which is rarely found on phones. Furthermore, the speakers are placed at the bottom near the micro-USB port. A drawback of this is that you should be careful while holding the phone so that you don’t block the speaker grilles. The microphone and headphone jacks are placed at the top, the micro-SIM card slot is near the lock button and the volume rocker is on the left hand side of the phone. It sports an 8 MP camera on the rear with LED flash and a 1.3 MP secondary camera in the front panel. Along with the secondary camera, you can find sensors and that porthole-shaped earpiece on the front panel. It supports e Qi wireless charging standard like the previous model.
For connecting this phone with compatible devices, there are Bluetooth v4.0, NFC (for Google Wallet and Android Beam), dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, DLNA, SlimPort and USB OTG for connecting flash drives and keyboards. It also comes with LTE but it is not up to the mark. It comes in two different configurations, one is the D820 for North America with nine-band LTE (bands 1/2/4/5/17/19/25/26/41, which offers support for Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T, as well as Canada and a few random networks in Asia, Africa and South America) along with quad-band GSM/EDGE, CDMA 800/1900 and seven-band DC-HSPA+ (bands 1/2/4/5/6/8/19, which essentially cover a majority of networks outside North America). The other is the D821, which comes with six-band LTE (bands 1/3/5/7/8/20), quad-band GSM/EDGE and six-band DC-HSPA+ (bands 1/2/4/5/6/8).
Google Nexus 5 - Processor and Operating System
This Smartphone from Google is powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor and Adreno 330 GPU for enhanced visibility and graphics quality. It is equipped with a 2 GB RAM for smooth functioning. It runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, which is a notable update on Google’s mobile operating system. This new OS is more efficient and user-friendly. It also works efficiently on low-end devices that have a minimum RAM of up to 512 MB. This all new operating system comes with new features and applications for users, which can be easily downloaded from the app store as well as some of these also comes pre-loaded on Nexus 5.
Google Nexus 5 - User Interface and Google Now
Google Nexus 5 that runs on Android 4.4 KitKat comes with additional features, which makes the user interface more attractive. However, at your first glance, you might not find any difference but it is not identical with its older versions. It also makes use of compressed version of Roboto for the app menu and home screen fonts. When you see the home panel, there is not just a single panel but it adds up to more than 22 panels that you can choose from. Even in the application menu a number differences can be noticed. Instead of a black background, Nexus 5 has wallpaper at the background where gird icons are being displayed. The need of widgets and for changing the home panel, wallpaper, etc, you will need to long-press on the home screen. Even the navigation and the status bar does not have black colour, rather has a transparent cover that displays the wallpaper underneath the app menu and home screen. The screen lock system in this phone is same as Android 4.3.
Although, Google Now was introduced with Jelly Bean, its utility has exponentially increased with KitKat. Now, you can simply turn on the Google Now feature and you'll be taken to the standard Google Now panel immediately you swipe to the right from the main home panel. This feature enables you to send voice commands to the phone without touching it. However, it cannot be turned on or turned off while the screen is locked.
Google Nexus 5 - Essential Applications (Hangouts, Phone and Email)
The Hangouts app is among the most talked about apps of Google that integrates SMS and MMS messages into the app. This application enables you to have all the conversations at one place but it is not possible to fuse Hangouts conversations and text messages in a single thread. The phone application has also been modified, wherein; the main screen features the most frequently called contact. There is also a facelift in the Email app.
Other Features of Google Nexus 5
Besides the major features and applications mentioned above, the Nexus 5 also comes with some other advanced features. QuickOffice comes pre-loaded on this phone along with Screen recording and sensor batching. It also comes with features like Closed Captioning, a new Location Settings tile in the Quick Settings pull-down menu, IR blaster support, a built-in Device Manager and two new Bluetooth profiles (HOGP and MAP). This phone runs on a 2,300mAh battery, which lasts for up to 12 hours with a single charge.
The Google Nexus 5 is indeed bundled with advanced features and functionalities. It is a feature-rich phone and is high on performance. The camera as well is quite good along with an internal memory of 16 GB, which is sufficient for storing data. It is one of the best mid-range phones available in the market, today.
Google Nexus 5 - Design and Display
The Nexus 5 comes in a bar form factor with curved edges and has a sleek as well as classy design. It weighs approximately 130 grams and measures 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm, which makes it easy to carry. is equipped with scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass 3 and has a polycarbonate plastic body with matte finish and has a smooth touch. This phone does not come with some striking components as it has porthole-shaped earpiece on the front. The camera screen is slightly above the rest of the body along with the Nexus logo, which is imprinted on the back of the body that lends altogether a different look. Coming to the display, this phone from Google boasts of a 4.95 inch IPS display, which is a technology used for LCD screens. This type of display ensures precise and steady viewing from all angles without any distortion. The screen resolution of 1080p offers magnificent pixel density and delivers crisp and clear images. However, in comparison to Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG G2, the colours are not that bright.
Google Nexus 5 - Hardware and Connectivity
Google’s Nexus 5 has the lock button and volume rocker buttons on the side made of ceramic material, which is rarely found on phones. Furthermore, the speakers are placed at the bottom near the micro-USB port. A drawback of this is that you should be careful while holding the phone so that you don’t block the speaker grilles. The microphone and headphone jacks are placed at the top, the micro-SIM card slot is near the lock button and the volume rocker is on the left hand side of the phone. It sports an 8 MP camera on the rear with LED flash and a 1.3 MP secondary camera in the front panel. Along with the secondary camera, you can find sensors and that porthole-shaped earpiece on the front panel. It supports e Qi wireless charging standard like the previous model.
For connecting this phone with compatible devices, there are Bluetooth v4.0, NFC (for Google Wallet and Android Beam), dual-band 802.11ac WiFi, DLNA, SlimPort and USB OTG for connecting flash drives and keyboards. It also comes with LTE but it is not up to the mark. It comes in two different configurations, one is the D820 for North America with nine-band LTE (bands 1/2/4/5/17/19/25/26/41, which offers support for Sprint, T-Mobile and AT&T, as well as Canada and a few random networks in Asia, Africa and South America) along with quad-band GSM/EDGE, CDMA 800/1900 and seven-band DC-HSPA+ (bands 1/2/4/5/6/8/19, which essentially cover a majority of networks outside North America). The other is the D821, which comes with six-band LTE (bands 1/3/5/7/8/20), quad-band GSM/EDGE and six-band DC-HSPA+ (bands 1/2/4/5/6/8).
Google Nexus 5 - Processor and Operating System
This Smartphone from Google is powered by 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 (MSM8974) processor and Adreno 330 GPU for enhanced visibility and graphics quality. It is equipped with a 2 GB RAM for smooth functioning. It runs on the latest Android 4.4 KitKat, which is a notable update on Google’s mobile operating system. This new OS is more efficient and user-friendly. It also works efficiently on low-end devices that have a minimum RAM of up to 512 MB. This all new operating system comes with new features and applications for users, which can be easily downloaded from the app store as well as some of these also comes pre-loaded on Nexus 5.
Google Nexus 5 - User Interface and Google Now
Google Nexus 5 that runs on Android 4.4 KitKat comes with additional features, which makes the user interface more attractive. However, at your first glance, you might not find any difference but it is not identical with its older versions. It also makes use of compressed version of Roboto for the app menu and home screen fonts. When you see the home panel, there is not just a single panel but it adds up to more than 22 panels that you can choose from. Even in the application menu a number differences can be noticed. Instead of a black background, Nexus 5 has wallpaper at the background where gird icons are being displayed. The need of widgets and for changing the home panel, wallpaper, etc, you will need to long-press on the home screen. Even the navigation and the status bar does not have black colour, rather has a transparent cover that displays the wallpaper underneath the app menu and home screen. The screen lock system in this phone is same as Android 4.3.
Although, Google Now was introduced with Jelly Bean, its utility has exponentially increased with KitKat. Now, you can simply turn on the Google Now feature and you'll be taken to the standard Google Now panel immediately you swipe to the right from the main home panel. This feature enables you to send voice commands to the phone without touching it. However, it cannot be turned on or turned off while the screen is locked.
Google Nexus 5 - Essential Applications (Hangouts, Phone and Email)
The Hangouts app is among the most talked about apps of Google that integrates SMS and MMS messages into the app. This application enables you to have all the conversations at one place but it is not possible to fuse Hangouts conversations and text messages in a single thread. The phone application has also been modified, wherein; the main screen features the most frequently called contact. There is also a facelift in the Email app.
Other Features of Google Nexus 5
Besides the major features and applications mentioned above, the Nexus 5 also comes with some other advanced features. QuickOffice comes pre-loaded on this phone along with Screen recording and sensor batching. It also comes with features like Closed Captioning, a new Location Settings tile in the Quick Settings pull-down menu, IR blaster support, a built-in Device Manager and two new Bluetooth profiles (HOGP and MAP). This phone runs on a 2,300mAh battery, which lasts for up to 12 hours with a single charge.
The Google Nexus 5 is indeed bundled with advanced features and functionalities. It is a feature-rich phone and is high on performance. The camera as well is quite good along with an internal memory of 16 GB, which is sufficient for storing data. It is one of the best mid-range phones available in the market, today.