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The Nexus wars! Google Nexus 5X vs Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5: specs comparison

posted by Paul K. / Sep 29, 2015, 1:22 PM

The Nexus wars! Google Nexus 5X vs Nexus 6 vs Nexus 5: specs comparison

It has finally been announced – a Google Nexus that goes back to its 5" roots (5.2" to be exact), made again by LG. A lot of you may have felt disappointed by the Nexus 6 of 2014 due to its very niche class – a gargantuan, 6" phablet. Well, its time to rejoice, as Google has decided to right the wrong and gave us another compact, vanilla Android-toting handset – the Nexus 5X.

So, the Nexus 5X got quite the facelift when compared to its spiritual predecessor – the 2013, LG-made Nexus 5, and certainly looks nothing like 2014's Nexus 6. Naturally, the new handset's hardware will be ahead of the others, especially the aging Nexus 5. But how do they look when compared side-by-side? Well, let's check them out!

Google Nexus 5X vs Google Nexus 6 vs Google Nexus 5

Display

Display size

5.2 inches

6.0 inches

5.0 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

1440 x 2560 pixels

1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density

423 ppi

493 ppi

445 ppi

Technology

IPS LCD

AMOLED

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

70.04 %

74.03 %

70.89 %

Colors

16 777 216

Camera

Rear

Yes

Main camera

12.3 megapixels

13 megapixels

8 megapixels

Hardware Features

Laser autofocus

Optical image stabilization, Autofocus

Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI)

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.0; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.55 μm

Aperture size: F2.0

Aperture size: F2.4; Focal length: 30.4 mm; Sensor size: 1/3.2"

Flash

Dual LED

LED

Software Features

Touch to focus, Face detection, Self-timer, Geo tagging, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, HDR, Panorama, Night mode, Scenes, Effects

Face detection, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, HDR, Panorama

HDR, Panorama, Face detection, Burst mode, Scenes, ISO control, White balance presets, Touch to focus, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging

Video recording

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (30 fps)

1920x1080 (Full HD) (30 fps)

Features

Video calling

Optical image stabilization, Video light

Front

5 megapixels

2 megapixels

1.3 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

1280x720 (HD)

Design

Dimensions

5.79 x 2.86 x 0.31 inches (147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm)

6.27 x 3.27 x 0.40 inches (159.26 x 82.98 x 10.06 mm)

5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 inches (137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59 mm)

Weight

4.80 oz (136 g)

6.49 oz (184 g)

4.59 oz (130 g)

Materials

Back: Plastic

Resistance

Splash

Biometrics

Fingerprint (touch)

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 MSM8992

Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 APQ8084

Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974

Processor

Hexa-core, 1800 MHz, ARM Cortex-A57 and ARM Cortex-A53, 64-bit

Quad-core, 2700 MHz, Krait 450

Quad-core, 2260 MHz, Krait 400

GPU

Adreno 418

Adreno 420

Adreno 330

RAM

2 GB LPDDR3

3 GB LPDDR3

2 GB LPDDR3

Internal storage

32 GB

64 GB

32 GB

OS

Android (8.1 Oreo, 8.0 Oreo, 7.1 Nougat, 7.0 Nougat, 6.0 Marshmallow)

Android (7.1 Nougat, 7.0 Nougat, 6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop)

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2, 4.4)

Battery

Capacity

2700 mAh

3220 mAh

2300 mAh

Talk time

20.00 hours

24.00 hours

17.00 hours

Stand-by time

17.5 days (420 hours)

13.8 days (330 hours)

12.5 days (300 hours)

Internet use

LTE

8 hours

Wi-Fi

9 hours

Music playback

75.00 hours

60.00 hours

Video playback

10.00 hours

Cellular

CDMA

800, 1900 MHz

GSM

850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz

UMTS

800, 850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz

LTE (FDD)

Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 17, 18, 19, 20, 26, 28

Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 19, 20, 28

Bands 1, 3, 5, 7, 8, 20

LTE (TDD)

Bands 38, 40, 41

Bands 41

Data

LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSPA, HSUPA, UMTS

LTE-A Cat 6 (300/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s

LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS

Multimedia

Screen mirroring

DLNA, Wireless screen share, SlimPort, TV-out

Shopping information

MSRP price

$ 429

$ 399

Options

12 Comments

1. o0Exia0o

Posts: 903; Member since: Feb 01, 2013

It may just be me, but I think that the Nexus 6 wins out over the N5X. I kind of feel like the other than the N6's processor it is still a stout device. Of course there are those who don't like the 6" screen too...

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 1:27 PM 5

2. kefalin

Posts: 292; Member since: Feb 08, 2015

the Nexus 6 isanther categary,5X is smarthone,N6 is phablet. it might win in some ways,but they do not compete each other.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 1:43 PM 2

4. o0Exia0o

I was referring to the comparison above that is featured in this article.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 1:46 PM 1

3. megaSUNNY

Posts: 88; Member since: Jun 26, 2012

I don't know about others but i still think and can see that Nexus 6 was very well built. It still looks modern though it is a big device...

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 1:44 PM 2

5. frankg

Posts: 172; Member since: May 14, 2014

From these 3, the Nexus 6 looks the best....

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 2:14 PM 0

6. b0wzer

Posts: 103; Member since: Feb 07, 2014

I wanted to upgrade from my Nexus 5 to the 5x, but it seems there isn't much reason to. Maybe better off waiting for the SD820 next year.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 2:15 PM 0

9. baldilocks

Posts: 1423; Member since: Dec 14, 2008

No LED notification light and also no dual speakers. Let down for sure.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 2:58 PM 0

11. RebelwithoutaClue

Posts: 5473; Member since: Apr 05, 2013

Both Nexus phones have a notify led:http://www.androidpolice.com/2015/09/29/the-nexus-5x-does-have-a-true-rgb-notification-led-just-like-the-6p-but-its-missing-from-the-spec-list/

posted on Sep 30, 2015, 3:15 AM 0

7. Orion78

Posts: 146; Member since: Mar 27, 2014

Wtf is up with the Nexus 6 hate? You act like everyone didn't like the size. Plenty of people bought the phone so just stop with that nonsense. What a crappy article. PA is garbage. They need a complete overhaul. Lol

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 2:39 PM 0

8. baldilocks

5X doesn't have dual speakers or an LED notification light? Those were two of the reasons I was going to get one.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 2:55 PM 0

10. Awalker

Posts: 1957; Member since: Aug 15, 2013

I'm surprised by that considering the size of the bezels.

posted on Sep 29, 2015, 3:46 PM 0

12. tokuzumi

Posts: 1757; Member since: Aug 27, 2009

I'm curious what the real world performance differences will be between the Nexus 5 and the 5X. While my Nexus 6 "destroys" my 5 in benchmarks, in real world usage, the Nexus 5 opens applications quicker than the Nexus 6. If I could use my Nexus 5 on Verizon, I would. The only reason I have the 6 is because it works on Verizon.