Motorola Nexus 6 hands-on: First look

Introduction

Motorola may have already divorced Google, but the relationship still bears fruit and most recently we've seen the Nexus 6. The first Nexus phablet and the first Nexus by Motorola closely follows the Moto X (2014) design language and brings many of the same software features, though now they are a native part of the OS.

Motorola Nexus 6 official images

The Nexus line is meant to lead the way to better smartphone design, but in this generation it plays a bit of a follower by jumping on the already speeding phablet bandwagon. Even so it's the introduction of Android 5.0 Lollipop and for the first time the vanilla OS has a few extra features against its skinned contemporaries.

Motorola Nexus 6 at a glance:

• Dimensions: 159.3 x 83 x 10.1mm, 184g
• Display: 5.96" AMOLED touchscreen, 1,440 x 2,560 resolution (493ppi); Gorilla Glass 3
• Chipset: Snapdragon 805 chipset: quad-core Krait 450 @ 2.7GHz; Adreno 420 GPU; 3GB RAM
• OS: Android 5.0 Lollipop
• Camera: 13MP main camera with ring dual-LED flash; Optical Image stabilization
• Video camera: 2160p@30fps video
• Front camera: 2MP
• Storage: 32GB/64GB built-in
• Connectivity: LTE Cat. 6 (300Mbps), Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.1, A-GPS + GLONASS; microUSB 2.0 with SlimPort functionality
• Battery: 3,220mAh, Motorola Turbo Charger
• Misc: Front-facing stereo speakers, Qi wireless charging

The Motorola Nexus 6 is strictly a phablet - we know the definition has shifted over the years, but in the end a phablet is a device that's pocketable but best used with two hands.

And standing at a whopping 159.3mm tall and 83mm wide, the Nexus 6 is a challenge to use with one hand. Most of that size is due to the screen, bezels are minimal and the 5.96" screen is left to dominate the front. It's a tack-sharp AMOLED of QHD resolution (493ppi).

A Snapdragon 805 chipset is the best showground for Android 5.0 Lollipop and for future versions to come. After all, part of the Nexus charm is that you stay up to date with Android's latest design and features. And there are plenty of features to be had, borrowed from Motorola's own-branded family. The always-on voice commands, the Ambient display and Turbo Charging.

Motorola Nexus 6 • next to the Moto X (2014) • next to the Galaxy Note 4

The Nexus 6 also has 13MP/2160p camera with ring flash but with added OIS to the envy of the Moto X (2014), which was the basis of the phablet's design. It also has front-facing stereo speakers, which were inexplicably left out of Motorola's flagship.

We're starting to get the feeling that Motorola and Google didn't make the Nexus more expensive, they just doubled the feature set (and with it the price).