Nexus 5

[MartynVRS]

Nexus 5 now on Play Store. Really need a new phone and this may be it. Just want something that works, supports the latest apps and has a battery that doesn't die after 3 phone calls.

 

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_5_black_32gb

[Crank]

Ordered mine as soon as it hit the Play Store. 

My wife has the Nexus 4 and it is brilliant, plus it has the bonus of zero bloatware and updates on the day they launch

[gadgetman]

I so want a 32gb,but SWMBO would have my knackers in return

[MartynVRS]

I have a HTC Desire now on a Virgin SIM Only deal. I presume though the Nexus will be Micro Sim. Can mine be cut down to fit or is it too risky?

[David 8]

I have a HTC Desire now on a Virgin SIM Only deal. I presume though the Nexus will be Micro Sim. Can mine be cut down to fit or is it too risky?

 

 

 

I've cut one before now, but I did have one to use as a guide 

[BJB540]

I have a HTC Desire now on a Virgin SIM Only deal. I presume though the Nexus will be Micro Sim. Can mine be cut down to fit or is it too risky?

 

Easy to do or virgin will change it for free.

 

I'm chucking my HTC one in for one of these shortly

[dobbey]

Me too, my One X is just out of contract now and this looks like the perfect replacement

[Chappers.]

I had (albeit briefly) the HTC One but after having two faulty handsets got my money back and went for the Nexus 4 (SIM free)  - so pleased that I did, it's an amazing phone really (especially for the price). I love the lack of bloatware and everything just "works" and works very quickly (still faster at loading apps etc than the Xperia Z1 in real world usage), plus it syncs in nicely with my Nexus 7 tablet.

 

My existing contract expires next week so I'm about to go onto a SIM only plan as there are no other handsets out there that would tempt me away from the Nexus at the moment. The wife's phone contract expires in January so I might treat myself to the Nexus 5 in the new year and pass my N4 to her on a SIM only plan. At least Google have finally released a 32GB version!

[MartynVRS]

My Nexus 5 turned up today. Excellent service too as I only ordered it Saturday afternoon and it was here from Ireland by 9am. Only now ordered the microSIM from Virgin but first impressions are very good. It's very fast, faster than my Nexus 7 tablet which has slowed a lot lately.

['daiking']

Nexus 5 now on Play Store. Really need a new phone and this may be it. Just want something that works, supports the latest apps and has a battery that doesn't die after 3 phone calls.

https://play.google.com/store/devices/details?id=nexus_5_black_32gb

I see you have a Nexus 4 too.

Edited 4 November, 2013 by 'daiking'

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

My wife has the Nexus 4 and it is brilliant, plus it has the bonus of zero bloatware and updates on the day they launch

 

Massive plus IMO, not keen on all the manufacture added crap. 

 

I've cut one before now, but I did have one to use as a guide 

 

Same here, got a old one and used it to chop round. Thought I'd ****ed it by trimming the gold bit but it was all good. 

 

My Nexus 5 turned up today. Excellent service too as I only ordered it Saturday afternoon and it was here from Ireland by 9am. Only now ordered the microSIM from Virgin but first impressions are very good. It's very fast, faster than my Nexus 7 tablet which has slowed a lot lately.

 

Excellent, get a little review up when you can (and anyone else who has one)

 

I'm in two minds what to get at the moment. I have had iPhones all the time until last year, the mrs has my cast offs and she had the 4s. After a few months it packed up, only 15 months old. I got ****ed off (the 3, 3s were fine after years but the 4 started playing up at the 18 month mark), I dont mind paying £500 for a phone but expect it to last more than a year and a bit. Anyway, when the 4s died I wasnt going to buy another iPhone so I looked around and a mate said he had a Nexus 4, brand new for £40 less than retail. Bought it expecting it to be a bit naff, bloaty android stuff etc etc but I have been very impressed. Quick, smooth, rarely crashes and everything works well. It is a little too big though, when I hold a 5s I realise how nice it is in your hand. 

 

So I'm torn, get the Nexus 5 and live with the size, get a iPhone 5s, pay through the nose for it or the outside choice is the Sony Z1. Looks nice, good spec, good price but will it be full of bloat from Sony and too big? Dunno lol. *scuttles off to look for a group test*

[MartynVRS]

If Yodel actually manage to find my house I should have my micro SIM today so I'll do a review. Won't be in detail but more a first impression and a comparison to the HTC Desire. It maybe an old phone but will help show how much it's moved on in just 3 years.

[ColinD]

I was tempted by the Z1, but only tempted, if one o2 member of staff had shown an inclining of interest I'd have it.

/selfish treat mode off

 

They didn't so I don't... Cannot bring myself now to drop 500 on a phone so this is an ideal candidate.

 

I'll be leaping from a samsung i9000...

[Neo_VR]

Ill await some proper reviews of the N5 before making a decision... Im disappointed by the small battery.

 

Also would like to see if the LG G2 gets KitKat, as im swaying towards that at the moment, the devs should be able to get a N5 image running on it quite easily.

[MartynVRS]

The SIM isn't in it but was on Wifi all day yesterday. Had no problems with battery even with messing about with it most of the day and I've only had to charge it because I wanted to make sure it was fine for my morning alarm. 

['daiking']

The SIM isn't in it but was on Wifi all day yesterday. Had no problems with battery even with messing about with it most of the day and I've only had to charge it because I wanted to make sure it was fine for my morning alarm.

If its anything like the nexus 4, it will be screen that kills the battery. It is fine if you leave it connected but don't really use it all day. Start picking it up and doing stuff that uses the screen and the N4 will drain its battery like there's a hole in it. Serves as a handy pocket warmer too as it gets so warm during use.

Using juice defender free version, I typically get no battery enhancement. If I periodicaly turn off 3G (don't really use wifi) I can creep up toward a JD figure of 1.1! Screen is typically on minimum brightness by default. I can still read the screen in a bright office so its not actually that dim.

Edited 5 November, 2013 by 'daiking'

[MartynVRS]

The Nexus 5 has a bigger, more intensive screen but only a slightly bigger battery. I've noticed it getting warm but even the Nexus 7 tablet does this. Been told my new sim has arrived so it will get a good workout tomorrow

[Spaced99]

Really like the Nexus 5. Mine turned up on yesterday. First impressions of the battery life though is that it's worse than the Nexus 4 I had. 

[XLBaconDoubleCheese]

My nexus 4 does drink juice if I smash it. I mean for a average day at work it's just about ok but if I have a couple of breakdowns and end up on the net for a couple of hours while I'm sitting about it barely hangs on till home time. 

[gadgetman]

Had a brief play with one in store today.

Felt quit nice to hold and certainly not that big. Smaller and lighter than the works S3.

Looked quite smart and ran nicely compared to the S3.

Sadly anything with a big screen sucks juice. I can live with that if I can get the same life as the s3 or smash the woeful Sensation XE even with an Anker 1950mah battery!

As previous, I'd need to seriously get some brownie points. But then SWMBO does want an S3 mini sim free.....

[gadgetman]

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+5+Teardown/19016

[MartynVRS]

Small review now I've had it a few days.
 

• It's fast. Faster than the Nexus 7 tablet and light years ahead of my old HTC Desire
• Easy to use. Most of us won't have a problem but it's quite obvious where things are. My parents know how to use it as it's almost the same as the tablet.
• Google Now is integrated heavily and it's the first time I've tried it properly. It's spookily accurate at knowing how long it will take me to get home from work, weather updates are good, etc.
• Don't like the on/off button is on the right. Used to it being on the top.
• Battery life is good. It gets fully charged just before I go to bed and doesn't take long to. I use it for my alarm then it's on WiFi in work/home, I play with it and make calls and only once I've ever got it to 50% by 11pm the end of my day.
• Sound when on the phone is very good. Nice and clear from both sides.
• Plenty of notifications from apps if you want it and easy to turn off

My brother also bought a white one and there are subtle differences. The back is white but the sides are gloss black. The ear speaker grill is white which really looks odd. It doesn't seem easy to hold either. My black one I have no problems with. 

 

My only problem has been Virgin Mobile and Twitter related. Tried uploading a photo and after 40 mins of trying it failed. Was exactly the same with my Desire. Apart from that I'm very happy with it. Got a case coming next week which is needed. Also during setup READ EVERYTHING! There's an option to untick to stop Google backing up your "data" but this also includes wifi passwords. 

[Neo_VR]

Had a brief play with one in store today.

Felt quit nice to hold and certainly not that big. Smaller and lighter than the works S3.

Looked quite smart and ran nicely compared to the S3.

Sadly anything with a big screen sucks juice. I can live with that if I can get the same life as the s3 or smash the woeful Sensation XE even with an Anker 1950mah battery!

As previous, I'd need to seriously get some brownie points. But then SWMBO does want an S3 mini sim free.....

 

As far as speed goes - ive ditched the samsung ROM on my S3 and have been using CM10.2 for a few months now - makes the s3 feel just as fast as the Nexus.

I couldnt go back to a samsung rom now.

[gadgetman]

There's an option to untick to stop Google backing up your "data" but this also includes wifi passwords. 

Backing up this is handy.  If you ever need to to reset your device, it'll reload any APN's and networks it backed up.

[JohnMcL7]

So I'm torn, get the Nexus 5 and live with the size, get a iPhone 5s, pay through the nose for it or the outside choice is the Sony Z1. Looks nice, good spec, good price but will it be full of bloat from Sony and too big? Dunno lol. *scuttles off to look for a group test*

 

Since Sony split from Ericsson, their approach to Android has completely changed - whereas they initially heavily reskinned Android with their Timescape UI, they now go for fewer changes and have a much more vanilla feel.  I find some of the applications they have added are better than the vanilla ones particularly for syncing (there's some security issue between AOSP and FB so syncing has been an issue since ICS) and the rest are easily ignored.  The only one I dislike is the power management tips, i need to check how to disable those.  Updates have been more regular and they're promising 4.4 within the next few months, it's worth bearing in mind that although Nexus devices are meant to get updates on launch day it doesn't mean they do - the Nexus 4 has not received the 4.4 update yet.

 

What may be of interest is the Z1 mini handset which is supposed to be coming out, unlike other mini handets (S3 Mini, S4 Mini, HTC Mini) it doesn't have cut down budget hardware and keeps the fast Snapdragon 800 processor and 20.7MP 1/2.3in sensor of the Z1.  None of the Sony handsets are going to be anywhere near as cheap as the Nexus 5 so it depends how much you value screen size, storage and camera.

 

I went for a Z Ultra and I've generally been pleased with it, I wouldn't consider a Nexus device due to the lack of storage and I dislike the sealed in battery which unfortunately the Z Ultra has - I would prefer a removable battery and no weather sealing as I wouldn't intentionally risk the phone in the wet (you can buy a rather clever little mini-phone in the form of the SBH52 which is weather sealed, will be risking that instead).

 

John