• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechGoogle

Read this before buying one of Google’s new phones

Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
Robert Hackett
By
Robert Hackett
Robert Hackett
Down Arrow Button Icon
October 20, 2015, 3:41 PM ET
Google Inc. New Product Announcement
David Burke, director of Android engineering for Google Inc., holds a Nexus 6P smartphone while speaking during an event in San Francisco, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Sept. 29, 2015. Google unveiled its newest Nexus smartphones with Huawei and LG Electronics Inc. as it looks to blunt the growth of Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty ImagesPhotograph by David Paul Morris — Bloomberg via Getty Images

Reviews of Google’s latest batch of Nexus phones are in. The verdict? Pretty good.

The Nexus 5X—made by South Korean electronics giant LG—is a little cheaper, smaller and made of plastic. The Nexus 6P—made by the Chinese telecom giant Huawei—is slightly larger, more expensive, and encased in aluminum. Everyone seems to agree that the latter is the preferred choice of the pair, but that superior quality comes with a cost: the base price is $120 more.

Early reviewers have praised a few particular features on the new phones. Namely, greatly improved cameras (never Nexus’ strong suit), convenient fingerprint sensor placement (on the backside of the devices, rather than the front), and, above all, bargain prices (starting at $379 for the 5X and $499 for the 6P).

Both run Android 6.0 Marshmallow, Google’s (GOOG) latest mobile operating system, and come with Google Now on Tap, a contextual search tool that acts like Apple’s (AAPL) Siri.

Both devices go on sale at the end of October, and they’re available now to pre-order. Here’s a rundown of what the early reviewers are saying.

Nexus 5X (LG-made)

“For those who yearned for the days of budget- and pocket-friendly Nexus handsets, the 5X is for you.” (Engadget)

“…it looks like Google (and LG) have finally narrowed the camera gap with Apple’s iPhones. The Nexus 5X’s cameras, while not significantly better than the iPhone 6S’s, are very capable shooters. That alone is a huge win for the Android camp.” (Mashable)

“Hardcore fans may be difficult to please and even fickle at times, but if you give them what they want, they can be your biggest supporters. With the Nexus 5X, Google is giving those die-hard Nexus 5 fans all that and then some.” (Verge)

“The more time I held it in my hand, the cheaper it felt. I’ve tried out a boatload of devices and being light is a good thing…but feeling like cheap plastic totally turns me off. Google and LG calls it ‘premium injection molded polycarbonate,’ but that’s not changing my mind.” (TechCrunch)

“Price alone is a huge driving factor in making the 5X so compelling, but it needs so much more to captivate a wider audience, especially when we’ve been spoiled by so many great-performing, low-cost premium phones.” (PhoneArena)

Nexus 6P (Huawei-made)

“Spoiler: it’s good.” (Wired)

“I wouldn’t call it a particularly attractive phone compared to the iPhone 6s Plus or the newest Galaxy Edge phones from Samsung, but it’s not ugly either. It comes in aluminum, graphite (black) and frost (white).” (Forbes)

“It’s a sleeker, smaller, more powerful take on the phablet formula Google and Motorola tried to crack with the Nexus 6, and it seems to hit all the right notes. Hell, with a price tag that starts at $499, it’s even cheaper than its predecessor.” (Engadget)

“When Google imagined hardware and software working in perfect harmony one day, the 6P was the device they unknowingly fantasized about.” (TechCrunch)

“For a first stab at a Nexus phone, Huawei hit the ball out of the park.” (Mashable)

Both

“[T]he 5X is very obviously the lesser one. Compared to the larger (and pricier) 6P, it has compromises in both performance and design. And though it fights really well in its mid-tier price bracket, if you bump it up to the next weight class, it doesn’t quite hold up to the true flagships from companies such as Apple or Samsung.” (Verge)

“The Nexus 5X and 6P are two of the best Nexus devices ever produced. It’s a common line that people say every year, but these are the first Nexus devices that don’t have a huge deal breaker attached to them. Google and its partners have finally nailed two of the things Nexus devices have traditionally been poor at. The camera is actually good—great, even—and can hold its own against the best mobile shooters out there. And the battery life is just as good as any other flagship as well.” (Ars Technica)

Follow Robert Hackett on Twitter at @rhhackett. Read his technology and cybersecurity coverage at fortune.com/author/robert-hackett. And subscribe to Data Sheet, Fortune’s daily newsletter on the business of technology, where he writes a weekly column.

For more on Google’s recent product announcements, watch this video.

About the Author
Robert Hackett
By Robert Hackett
Instagram iconLinkedIn iconTwitter icon
See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

These startups are racing to make AI safe for the Pentagon’s most closely guarded secrets
AIDefense
These startups are racing to make AI safe for the Pentagon’s most closely guarded secrets
By Erik GermanApril 11, 2026
9 hours ago
karp
Future of Workpalantir
Palantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
By Jacqueline MunisApril 11, 2026
10 hours ago
A Starbucks barista stands behind a cash register.
RetailFood and drink
Starbucks’ game plan to roll out AI chatbots at cafés could serve as a ‘litmus test’ for the industry, analyst says
By Sasha RogelbergApril 11, 2026
10 hours ago
The ‘Tuscan Mom’ aesthetic is taking over TikTok as Gen Z glamorize McMansions and reject millennial gray
Travel & LeisureGen Z
The ‘Tuscan Mom’ aesthetic is taking over TikTok as Gen Z glamorize McMansions and reject millennial gray
By Sydney LakeApril 11, 2026
10 hours ago
dalmation
AIHealth
Man’s best friend may soon live a little longer thanks to a new pill promising to extend your pup’s lifespan
By Catherina GioinoApril 11, 2026
11 hours ago
hunt
CommentaryMedia
OpenAI’s TBPN deal shows how talent, media, and influence are collapsing into one
By Jonathan HuntApril 11, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
Success
Scottie Scheffler joined Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy in golf's $100M club—and donated his entire Ryder Cup stipend to charity
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
1 day ago
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
Politics
The Navy confirmed an ‘abundant amount’ of Uncrustables when the Artemis II crew lands. Smucker’s just offered them a lifetime supply
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
23 hours ago
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
Real Estate
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
13 hours ago
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
Investing
Mark Cuban admits he made a mistake letting go of the Mavericks: 'I don't regret selling. I regret who I sold to'
By Fortune EditorsApril 9, 2026
2 days ago
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
Innovation
Schools across America are quietly admitting that screens in classrooms made students worse off and are reversing years of tech-first policies
By Fortune EditorsApril 10, 2026
2 days ago
Warren Buffett says 'accumulating great amounts of money' doesn’t achieve greatness—He still lives in a $31,500 Nebraska home and clipped coupons
Success
Warren Buffett says 'accumulating great amounts of money' doesn’t achieve greatness—He still lives in a $31,500 Nebraska home and clipped coupons
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
10 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.