New Delhi: LG announced the launch of the Google Nexus 5 in India a couple of days ago and I got my eager hands on a unit. The brief initial experience was enough to take a note of its new design and improved features.
The Nexus 5, which Google has manufactured in association with LG, is lighter and slimmer than its predecessor the Nexus 4. At 130g, the Nexus 5 is only 9 grams lighter than the Nexus 4, but the difference in weight appears to be greater when you pick it up. With subtle curves on the back and corners, the phone is comfortable to grip. Ergonomically designed, it easily fit into my palm and I did not feel it slipping off my hand. It is almost a 5-inch phone, but it has been designed in a way that you don't feel as if you are holding a big phone. Unlike the Nexus 4 which houses a speaker at the back, the Nexus 5 has a speaker at the bottom, which produces quality and fairly loud sound. But the Nexus 4 has a relatively louder speaker and this is where I found the the Nexus 4 outperforming its successor.
What I found disturbing on the Nexus 5 was the power and volume buttons, which are made of ceramic and feel sharp at the edges. The same buttons on the Nexus 4 are smooth and more comfortable to my fingertips.
With the Nexus 5, Google has done away with the glass back - one of the key highlights of the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 comes with a non-removable, plastic back which has a matte finish. I am quite disappointed with its dull back, which is prone to smudges and fingerprints. It seems plausible that Google opted out the glass back for the Nexus 5 as it had faced issues of glass breaks - ranging from minor nicks to huge gashes - on the Nexus 4. But I think Google could have come up with a better design for the rear panel of the Nexus 5 - keeping the style quotient intact. The protruding camera lens at the back is susceptible to damage and prevents the phone from resting flat. The camera lens on the Nexus 5 bulges out so much that you may get worried every time you are putting the phone down.
The Nexus 5 has a slightly bigger display than the Nexus 4, but both phones share the same width, it is just that the Nexus 5 is marginally longer than the Nexus 4. The touchscreen of the Nexus 5 is responsive and its colour reproduction is good. The display is gorgeous and is perfect for reading, watching, and browsing the Internet. The phone runs Android 4.4 OS. Though in the brief while I explored the phone, I could not explore the new features of Android 4.4, but I found new icons for Settings, Phone and Camera on the Nexus 5; I liked the new look.
The Nexus 5 comes with an improved camera. While I could not test the Nexus 5's camera in daylight conditions, but I was impressed with its results in soft and low-light conditions. The phone produces remarkably better photos than the Nexus 4 in low-light conditions. I am always satisfied with the results of the Nexus 4's camera in bright light, but, at times, in low-light conditions (normal mode), its camera fails to produce desired results. But the Nexus 5's camera goes past the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 comes with an improved camera lens which captures more light to reach the sensor and produces much better results even in low-light conditions. Even the front camera on the Nexus 5 oversteps the Nexus 4. I am yet to test the Nexus 5's camera under different lighting conditions.
The Nexus 4 comes in only 16GB (user accessible is 12.92GB), while the 16GB Nexus 5 gives you actual storage space of 12.55GB. The Nexus 5 also comes in 32GB and costs Rs 4,000 more than the 16GB model.
Unlike the Nexus 4 kit which lacks earphones, the Nexus 5 comes with a pair of earphones which looks very basic. Unlike HTC and LG, which have started bundling good-looking earphones with their devices, Google seems to be in no mood to focus on the looks of the earphones.
I am yet to test its performance, battery life, and camera in different lighting conditions, and thus it will be too early to conclude that is the Nexus 5 really a worthy successor to the Nexus 4 or does it fall short. I would like to hold my verdict until I get to use the phone for an extended period.
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