The new flagship Android superphone of Google, the Nexus 6P, was
built specifically to take advantage of Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The new Nexus
6P was built by Huawei, ditching Motorola as its manufacturing partner, and
boasts a lot of Android features that everyone would wish to have on their
smartphones. It was launched along with the Nexus 5X built by LG as Google
launches a duo of Nexus smartphones.
Here's a rundown of some of the great features you will get on
the new Google Nexus 6P.
The Nexus 6P can now be
pre-ordered in the US, UK, Ireland, and Japan. Other countries will be added in
the pre-order list in the coming weeks. Shipping of handsets will start by the
last week of October, there's no definite date as of the moment. If you
pre-order in the US, you will also get a $50 Play Store coupon.
The Nexus 6P is a big
phone, with its 5.7-inch screen designed to compete with Samsung Galaxy Note 5
and iPhone 6 Plus. It is also very thin (7.33mm) and light (178 grams). Google
has shrunk down the screen from 5.96 inches to 5.7, which means it's narrower
than its predecessor at 77.8 mm, and thinner at 7.3 mm.
The all-metal chassis
gives justice to what Google hopes to have a premium finish. Also, a good
add-on to the design is the rear mounted fingerprint scanner, which is the same
position Huawei used for its readers on the Ascend Mate 7 and Mate S.
You will also notice that
the edges of the Nexus 6P's rear are rounded, providing more comfort fit on
your hand, while at the base of the handset is where you can find the USB-C
port. This lets you use the new reversible charging cables that you can plug
either way round.
Even though the Nexus 6P
has a smaller 5.7-inch screen display, its AMOLED display still sports a QHD
2560 x 1440 resolution, with higher pixel density of around 518 ppi -- that's
far greater than Apple's Retina screens. Playing some HD videos downloaded from
YouTube and you will see that the screen looked sharp, with smooth frame rates.
These specifications makes it at par with some of the best screens at the
market right now -- the Galaxy S6, LG G4, and the 4K Sony Xperia Z5.
The Nexus 6P has a lot of
power to offer because of its 2.0 GHz octa-core, 64-bit Snapdragon 810
processor, Adreno 430 GPU, and 3 GB of RAM all packed inside the handset. With
all that, there should be no problem running Android Marshmallow -- with
Google's freshest incarnation of its mobile platform gracing the Nexus 6P and
Nexus 5X.
Google upgraded the
camera on this new phone. The Nexus 6P has slightly fewer pixels, at 12.3
megapixels, than the Nexus 6's 13-megapixel shooter, but it uses larger
1.55-micron pixels. According to Google, pixel size is essential because larger
pixels collect more light. This makes the Nexus camera perform better in
low-light conditions. Other camera improvements include 4K video, laser
auto-focus, and a front-facing 8-megapixel camera.
The camera's low light
credentials were really highlighted during the launch, with Google claiming
that 80% of images shot were done in low light environment. Meanwhile, there's
an 8 MP snapper for all your selfie and video call needs.
The Nexus 6P comes with a
3,450 mAh battery, which is an improvement compared to Nexus 6's 3,220 mAh. And
with the phone's smaller display at same resolution, the battery is expected to
perform better than its previous one.
Android Marshmallow also
claims to provide longer battery as well, with credits to Google's smarter
implementation of the software on handsets.
Prices for the Nexus 6P
starts at $499 (32 GB) , the 64 GB version will cost $549, and can go up to
$649 (128 GB), all without a contract. With these price tags, it's far less
expensive than the iPhone 6s Plus, but is more expensive than then Moto X Pure.