
Nexus 6 - myko
http://www.google.com/nexus/6/
======
computerjunkie
5.96” - A phone just under 6". This is possibly the biggest disappointment
about the phone. Its simply too large for the average user. The nexus 5 was
already quite difficult to reach the top corners with one hand in my opinion
with its 4.95”.

 _you get over 24 hours of use from a full charge._ \- too many times I have
heard this phrase from other smartphone manufacturers and its never true.
Since this phone is made by Motorola(which I think is a great company that
builds good products)there is hope but that screen is going to be a battery
drainer. Motorola had their [0] Motorola Droid Maxx which held a 3,500mAh
battery and its at least kind of true for that statement above.

If they had put the 3220 mAh battery (or larger) in a 4.7" \- 4.9" phone, I
would gladly pay for that. Why can't smartphone manufacturers understand that
a longer battery life is whats lacking in mobile devices?

All the goodie features like Google Now and other location hungry services
completely drain your battery in a short time. All I want is a smartphone that
can last for at least one day on one charge.

Lastly the price. The nexus line is known for the competitive
price/performance being greatly competitive. If this phone asks for more than
£350, does it really have the nexus characteristics anymore?

I hope there will be android phones still produced with 5" or less screen size
in the next 4 years. A significant portion of the population don't have
unimaginably big hands (or pockets) to carry these so called "mobile" phones.

0\. [http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/16/motorola-droid-maxx-
revie...](http://www.engadget.com/2013/09/16/motorola-droid-maxx-review/)

~~~
prlambert
This screen size is so, so disappointing. I'm an iphone 5s user and was
eagerly awaiting the new Nexus to make the switch to Android. But 6" is a
tablet that can make calls, not a phone. I WANT to switch to Android/Nexus for
hundreds of reasons but this screen size is a deal break.

I need a phone I can use like... a phone.

I've tried the iphone 6 plus in person and it's a monstrosity to use,
definitely not a one hand device. And the Nexus 6 is even larger?...

And I'm a man – I have pretty large hands. I can't imagine how it must feel in
my wife (or many other women)'s hands.

This needs to stop.

~~~
jarjoura
Sony is making a smaller Android device, the "Z3 Compact," exactly for the
reasons you list.

~~~
k2enemy
Your comment got me excited -- but I looked up the size of the Z3 "compact"
and it is larger in every dimension than my iPhone 5s.

~~~
ry0ohki
It's ridiculous. I thought I remember someone saying the iPhone 1/3/4 size was
designed to be perfect for the human hand and I agree. It's easier to make
things larger, it's hard to make them small, how are we regressing?

~~~
nightski
"The human hand" describes a wide range of shapes and sizes. I have very large
hands and find the smaller phones cumbersome and hard to use.

What we should strive for is choice.

~~~
ry0ohki
Good point and I agree, nothing left for small hands currently!

------
IkmoIkmo
Can anyone explain to me what the fetish is with pushing the same amount of
pixels as a freaking 27 inch display (which, by the way, I've always
considered gorgeous)?

I mean, does anyone actually notice the difference? Because if that difference
means I'm paying $100-200 extra for a better screen, a better graphics chip
etc, and it means my battery life is reduced, I really just don't get it.

I elaborated a bit on this question here:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8459761](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8459761)

Anyway... my biggest gripe is really price point. The Nexus 4, 5, 7 weren't
any more interesting than devices coming out from Samsung or HTC. What made
them unique was a sick performance/price ratio, the best mid-level entry
device range for people who aren't interested in $500 a year fees for their
phone+plan, yet like running the latest android on a nice device.

Now we seem to get another high-range flagship-type phone and tablet. I kinda
get it, you want a benchmark device and you've got moto filling the lower-mid
range quite nicely, but I really wish they'd have kept the Nexus series below
the $500 range.

Love the thickness by the way. 10mm or so is great. Not a thick slab, but it's
got some real grip to it. iPhone 6's thickness really sucks for me. (although
it's a slightly different story when you add a case, I did like the thickness
of the iphone 6 with a case when I tried it)

~~~
jp555
Did your gorgeous 27" display cost more than $500? I'm not quite clear why you
think $500 for a very decent computer that fits into a (big) pocket is
unreasonable.

~~~
yid
OP has a reasonable point, not sure what yours is.

> Did your gorgeous 27" display cost more than $500?

Actually, they're going for about $300 on NewEgg, and are currently on sale
for $200 at Best Buy.

~~~
balls187
> Actually, they're going for about $300 on NewEgg, and are currently on sale
> for $200 at Best Buy.

Are you sure those are 2560 x 1440 res?

Usually those prices are for 1080p screens at 27"

~~~
desdiv
The NewEgg one, at least, is 2560 x 1440.

[http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4JH1NB18...](http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA4JH1NB1871)

~~~
balls187
Interesting. Looks like it's a VA panel, which is better perf than TN, but
less than IPS. Which would explain the low price, yet high res.

------
benmorris
I bought the Nexus 5 as soon as it was released and have really liked it,
however, I'm not sure I'll be buying this one. The biggest issue I have is the
screen size. I just think 6" is over my threshold. At $649 I can basically buy
any other phone off contract. One of the original appeals of the Nexus 5 was
the low price.

No wireless charging either? Not a dealbreaker, but I did use it on my 5.

~~~
fumar
[http://www.motorola.com/us/Nexus-6/nexus-6-motorola-
us.html](http://www.motorola.com/us/Nexus-6/nexus-6-motorola-us.html)

very bottom: Battery 3220 mAh Mixed usage up to 24 hours* Qi Wireless charging
support

~~~
MrQuincle
Good catch.

OT: I hope wireless charging is there to stay. Being in robotics this is one
technology that would benefit robots tremendously when it becomes more
mainstream.

------
codezero
Very nice that all the physical buttons are on one side and also in the middle
of the phone. The biggest gripe I have with the iPhone 6 Plus is that every
time I try to lock it, I turn up the volume, and vice versa. The buttons are
also way too high on the device.

Not that it's particularly important, but the Nexus 6 was the model of the
androids in Blade Runner, but I'm not sure if this phone is "more human than
human." :)

~~~
leetrout
I actually dislike that feature on my Lumia 920. It's hard to get it in a
holder tight enough to hold it and not mash the power or camera button.

~~~
codezero
Interesting! I assume that this problem would exist no matter where the keys
are placed, assuming the holder doesn't handle the keys gracefully :)

------
metabrew
I've bought every nexus phone when they were released, but I'm not sure about
this one. The nexus 5 is already a bit oversized IMO. This thing is
ridiculous.

~~~
JeremyNT
The present obsession with "bigger is better" is perplexing to me. I know some
use cases are facilitated by larger displays, and they are valuable to people
with poor eyesight, but I've never once in my life thought "boy, I wish my
phone was even larger." A phone I cannot fit in my pocket is virtually useless
to me.

Anything larger than my (already too large) Nexus 5 is a complete non-starter
for me. I can see a place for these models in a _lineup_ that includes smaller
models, but the Nexus series does not seem to operate that way. This will be
the first Nexus phone I will never own.

~~~
ludwigvan
> but I've never once in my life thought "boy, I wish my phone was even
> larger."

Labeling these "phones" is the wrong thing to do. These are computers that
happen to have some lineage with phones. I think the ultimate aim is this:
most people don't need computers, they need and want a single device. A phone
with a small display is inadequate for that, but a phone with a display this
big could be more than enough for a lot of people, for almost all purposes.

~~~
cphuntington97
More than lineage; because of the way service contracts hide the actual price
of the phone, phones get premium features over other devices.

------
untog
I had a Nexus 5, but I bought a Sony Z3 Compact a few weeks ago, and I don't
regret doing so. This phone is simply too big.

For anyone interested, I would highly recommend the Z3C. It's a fantastic
phone and a really great size.

~~~
rogerbinns
If only Sony would acknowledge the existence of wireless charging (Qi). It has
been great having many recent Nexus devices use it.

~~~
untog
True, but the Sony magnetic chargers are actually pretty great. I got a dock
that essentially does exactly what my wireless pad did.

~~~
rogerbinns
Qi is an open standard. I have several Qi chargers including one in the car. A
proprietary charger doesn't help.

------
chdir
The trend of correlating device number (i.e. Nexus 'X') with screen size is
going in the wrong direction. 6 is already too big (and heavy) for some. Next
year, there'll be no distinction between phones & tablets.

Edit: Disappointed with the pricing too: $649. Google had set a good trend
with Nexus series - Awesome devices at exception price. All that's gone. Kind
of against the Android One initiative.

~~~
nilkn
> 6 is already too big for some.

Are the actual dimensions of the phone known?

This matters a lot because screen size is only an approximate indicator of
device size. For instance, the iPhone 6 Plus has a 5.5" screen and yet is very
noticeably larger than the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, which has a larger 5.7"
screen.

~~~
chdir
Dimensions : 82.98mm x 159.26mm x 10.06mm

Weight : 184g

Source : [http://www.google.com/nexus/6/](http://www.google.com/nexus/6/)

~~~
nilkn
Ahh, I didn't realize that the specs section had an expandable button to see
more details.

It's definitely a huge phone, although barely taller than the 6 Plus, which is
exactly what I suspected.

~~~
SloopJon
I missed that too. I was looking for the weight of the Nexus 9 (slightly less
than the iPad Air).

------
omnibrain
So apparently there is no 7" tablet anymore. I think that makes sense, since
the 7" tablets get cannibalized by the ever growing smartphones. After I
bought a Nexus 7 I started to carry it around all the time. I used my Galaxy
Nexus less and less (only for calls and whatsapp) so after a short time (when
the Galaxy Nexus started to show its age) I decided I can live with an even
smaller (and not so flexible) phone and bought an 5s. Now, with the Nexus 6 I
may be able to retire both and get back to only carrying one device with me.

~~~
pjmlp
I never got into the tablets bandwagon.

For me a phablet makes much more sense. I just want a powerful smartphone, for
everything else there is my laptop.

~~~
wil421
Yes but tablets are great for pleasure. I wouldnt use my iPad to do work on
but for browsing the internet on the couch or reading emails (usually non-
work) it really excels for me.

But I may be changing my mind as soon as my iPhone 6 plus gets here.

------
vijayboyapati
I've owned an EVO, a Note 2 and a Nexus 5. The form factors being small, large
and medium-to-large, respectively. I went from small to large, and while I
thought the Note 2 had fantastic specs, it was too unwieldy for me and I
decided to downsize to the Nexus 5. I still find the Nexus 5 a bit unwieldy
with one handed use, but it's at least possible. Which brings me to my current
conclusion: I want a smaller phone which doesn't give up too much in the
screen resolution. Which brings me to my question: What makes ideal specs for
you? Here's what I want, but cannot seem to find (something is always
missing):

* Size: 4.9" screen

* Resolution: 1080p (it's really hard to find any phones this size with this resolution, which is disappointing because the PPI is possible, especially given the quad HD resolutions being slapped on phones now).

* SD expansion slot: One thing I really liked about the Note 2 that the Nexus phones don't have. I could upgrade with a 64G SD card which didn't cost much. 32G can fill up pretty quickly with videos and photos and it's annoying Google has a philosophy which shuns SD cards.

* Battery: At least 2600mAmp (should last at least one day).

* Stock android: No bloatware and no touch-wiz. This isn't as important as the other considerations though.

* CPU: This doesn't matter too much to me. 99% of what I do doesn't need a latest generation processor

* Memory: 2G is fine. Memory again isn't the main thing that's bothering me about the current android offerings.

What really bothers me is no-one is catering to this market segment and the
trend is increasingly into the phablet market.

~~~
FlyingLawnmower
it's not perfect, but something in between the Sony Xperia Z3 and Z3 compact
sounds like what you're looking for.

Xperia Z3 has 1080P screen, 3Gb ram, 5.2" screen.

Xperia Z3 Compact has 720P screen, 2GB ram, 4.6" screen.

Both have microSD expansion, both have very solid processors and battery life,
and sony's android is a very lightweight add-on to stock android.

Maybe a slight compromise in either direction will get you close to what you
need?

~~~
vijayboyapati
Yeah definitely, and thanks for the great recommendation. The Z3 is getting
close, but still slightly too big. The Compact is the right size, or even a
touch small, but it sacrifices the resolution. It's very cool that it's water
proof though. My Note 2 died in a hot tub!

~~~
izacus
The Compact is supposed to have excellent 48hour+ battery life as well.

------
pisarzp
Many people here complain that phone is too big without ever using phablet. I
was in this camp too until I started to use N6. I was testing this phone for
last couple months. It's an amazing device, and even though sometimes it does
feel big, on day to day basis it was never an issue for me. Consuming any type
of content was much easier and more pleasurable. I noticed the difference
especially when I sometimes moved back to Nexus 5 which I thought was perfect
size. Well, it turns out I changed my mind now:)

If you can, try to use phablet at least for 1-2 days before discarding it.

One thing that might have helped is that I'm also using a smartwatch now and I
take out my phone less frequently, but I don't think this change anything
much.

~~~
ryanpardieck
That's exciting to hear. My gut reaction is that this is far too large.
However, the idea of always carrying with me something that is nearly as big
as my Nexus 7 is enticing. I love reading on my N7, but I never seem to have
it on me when I want it.

The smartwatch + phablet combo is not something I had thought about. Which
watch are you using?

~~~
pisarzp
I have Samsung Galaxy Gear Live. It's a really convenient to check your
notifications on the wrist and not have to take out the big phone ;)

------
ChuckMcM
Fascinating arguments about size. It isn't the only phone on the market, so
the size question is resolved by market acceptance. Granted there are
confounding factors, Lollipop vs Android 4.x, cost, availability. But in
general larger screens seem to sell well (compare the iPhone 6+ backlog to the
iPhone 6 for example [1]). I get that this might not be a "good" thing for
some people, but it is pointless to argue that Apple or Google should take
less money by selling phones the market doesn't want (a strategy which is
being employed by RIM at the moment)

[1] [http://9to5mac.com/2014/09/12/iphone-6-and-6-plus-already-
se...](http://9to5mac.com/2014/09/12/iphone-6-and-6-plus-already-selling-
out-5-5-inch-model-particularly-constrained/)

~~~
mikelward
That link only establishes that the 6+ is sold out, not that more of them were
sold. It seems equally likely that fewer 6+s were produced.

~~~
ChuckMcM
The point was that the 6+ sales exceeded the forecast by a significant margin.
This same size debate goes on inside Apple, and Steve Jobs even highlighted
the intense scruitiny they put on size when designing the iPhone, and the
"Giant" (in Apple's words) Samsung Galaxy and Note phones were outselling
them. And Apple released the 5s / 5c which tested some aspects of the
equation, and they release the 6 / 6+ which tested the size question. Given
those two market tests one might presume that Apple learned 'plastic was not a
good material for an expensive phone' (under performed the forecast) and
'larger phones have significant appeal' (over performed the forecast). And as
I stated outside Apple's testing this hypothesis there are a bunch of
different Android phones in different sizes and they too inform on market
acceptance or rejection of various design choices. The age old model of 'buy
what you like, they will make more of them' is more true today than it ever
has been, manufacturers are so intensely watching and tracking the buying
habits of their customers that feedback is immediately implemented in products
in the next round (you'll notice neither the 6 or 6+ are 'colorful' :-)

------
bcohen5055
Can anyone confirm what is driving this larger screen war? I know when LTE was
rolling out manufacturers needed space for larger batteries but couldn't make
the phones thicker due to market backlash so bigger screens began to trend.
Now I can't help but think it is completely consumer driven but if that is so
what are the larger screens enabling users to do? Is it the resolution? The
multitasking? This just doesn't look like a valuable tradeoff for less
portability and 1 handed use.

~~~
izacus
I think the loop goes something like:

\- few people yell loudly about wanting a big phone \- manufacturer makes a
big phone which can have better hardware due to easier heating and larger
battery \- the big phone sells well because it's the only decent phone
manufacturer made that quarter \- manufacturer builds a bigger phone ;)

~~~
nilkn
I know a lot of people whose smartphones have become their primary computing
devices. A big phone offers much better battery life, much more usability
across countless apps, and it makes watching videos a tremendously better
experience.

I think it is a real possibility that many folks legitimately like bigger
phones.

Keep in mind that the Nexus 5 is still around and is still a perfectly viable
phone. It will also receive the Android L update. It's not like the Nexus 5 is
being killed and replaced with a 6" phone. Rather, a 6" phone is being added
to the lineup.

There's also the 2014 Moto X, which is effectively a Nexus but with a 5.2"
screen.

------
PhrosTT
The fact that this has a thunderbolt resolution display shows how lame it is
most desktops haven't adopted 4k yet.

~~~
romanovcode
4k monitors are not that rare/pricy. You can get pretty cheap 60hz ones from
Asus and the best ones from DELL.

Problem is that most consumers who would buy those monitors would expect every
application to run on it without problem, that includes games and for that you
need to spend a lot of money on GPUs.

~~~
wlesieutre
Before anyone goes jumping on the "best ones" from Dell, take a read through
this 35 page support discussion about their UP2414Q:

[http://en.community.dell.com/support-
forums/peripherals/f/35...](http://en.community.dell.com/support-
forums/peripherals/f/3529/t/19536443?pi23185=35)

Anecdotal, but a friend and I both have problems with ours, and he got lucky
with the 1.1 firmware revision (Dell won't let you upgrade it, you have to go
through support for a replacement, and they'll send you a refurb that _might_
have the newer firmware because they decided it would cost too much to update
their existing inventory). And even then it might not work. He's waiting on
Dell Support for his 3rd unit.

Do yourself a favor and wait until DisplayPort 1.3 is widespread and can drive
a 4k screen without using Multi-stream Transport. It's not worth the headache.

Right now my computer is convinced that the left and right halves of my screen
are separate displays and nothing will convince it otherwise. Other times MST
will fail to connect and it only picks up 1/2 the resolution in the middle,
with 1/4 width black bars on the left and right. From what I remember reading,
Dell botched the DisplayPort handshake, and the workarounds that AMD/Nvidia
have put into their drivers to try and fix it aren't 100%.

I need to return mine for backlight flicker too. But I'll write that off an an
excusable manufacturing flaw that's going to pop up occasionally on some
number of any model.

 _EDIT_ : Just for perspective, this is a screen with an MSRP around $1100,
though we both bought ours on sale. The amount of shit we're dealing with for
a screen that expensive is not reasonable.

~~~
azatris
> Do yourself a favor and wait until DisplayPort 1.3 is widespread and can
> drive a 4k screen without using Multi-stream Transport. It's not worth the
> headache.

It reminds me of getting an external monitor for my T420 from Dell and seeing
that DisplayPort to DisplayPort 1.2 cables are practically non-existant. I
ended up getting one after hours of search online, the only proper
manufacturer of these being Lenovo itself. I wonder if the situation gets any
better...

~~~
wlesieutre
I was under the impression that DP's cables have all been backward compatible,
and a 1.0 device could just plug into a 1.2 screen and work. Not the case?

------
cryptoz
Yes! Google continues to add barometers to phones!

Although, it's disappointing that the Nexus 9 does not also include a
barometer. I suppose they've decided that the use case for fast GPS and
altitude works better in a phone than a tablet - that, or, since the 9 is
built by HTC it would be their first time adding one. Oddly, though, Motorola
put its first barometer in a tablet (the Xoom) before they tried any phones.

~~~
coldpie
Just curious, what do you use it for? :)

~~~
cryptoz
I make a platform that automatically collects the atmospheric pressure sensor
reading on a schedule, and sends it to scientists for analysis. The idea is to
build the best weather forecast (higher accuracy, hyperlocal) by using this
dramatically denser data source as inputs to models.

We make an open source app called PressureNet:
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.cumulonimbu...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.cumulonimbus.barometernetwork)

We also build an SDK and API so that you can integrate this into your own
apps, and also access the live+archive data feed:
[http://pressurenet.io](http://pressurenet.io)

~~~
mjevans
Do you use other data to correlate locations that might have different offsets
at different times? (EG; slightly pressurized buildings with forced air
circulation or vehicles in motion?)

Or are such offsets too minuscule to notice?

~~~
cryptoz
There's actually a wide variety of noise in the data, but the one that really
matters is altitude (the barometer can measure the altitude difference between
your feet and your head)! Other sources of error are the biases in the sensors
themselves (place two phones side by side, get different readings), pressure-
controlled buildings, sensor drift, etc.

We have a number of mechanisms to filter out most of the noise, but it's not
easy.

------
nradov
Does it have a removable battery or is it another sealed device? That's not
clear from the web page. Everything else looks great about this device but if
it lacks a swappable battery then that's a deal breaker for me and I'll have
to get a Samsung Note 4 instead. Even a 3220 mAh battery is insufficient and
external battery packs are just too much hassle to deal with.

~~~
techsupporter
Looks like a sealed case, based on an unboxing video on Boy Genius Report.
That's disappointing, though wholly expected. It seems like only Samsung and
Nokia make phones with removable batteries and storage card slots...

------
suprgeek
This thing is a beast in every sense of the word! also with dual front
speakers! That can make a huge difference in sound quality.

However it looks like this is heading to $500+ territory so the days of a
cheap good Nexus may be coming to an end. Looks like the Moto E etc is filling
that niche.

~~~
hugozap
I don't understand the appeal of having dual front speakers, whats the point?.
This is a feature a very small group of people will find useful, but adds to
the price.

~~~
pdabbadabba
I have an HTC One with dual front speakers. Before I bought one (for reasons
entirely unrelated to the speakers) I would have agreed. But now that I have
them, I frequently find myself casually plopping my phone down for some music
while I cook or do other chores. It's one of those things that, for me,
inserts itself into your life in unexpected ways.

------
gregwebs
> front-facing speakers

Great! This is why I bought an HTC One M8 instead of a Nexus 5. Great for
speakerphone or if you do watch a video on that high resolution display.

It amazes me how the essentials get sacrificed really easily and that
consumers often don't demand better when they are purchasing. I would buy a
Mac, but I do have to demand a matte screen instead of just getting accustomed
to glare.

~~~
gurkendoktor
The glare has been reduced a lot in recent Macs. I'm not sure if it's as good
as the anti-glare screen you could order for some MacBook Pros in the past,
though.

------
wodenokoto
I'm visiting Japan, but I don't read Japanese. When I visit this site
everything is in Japanese without any button to change local.

Apple and Ikea will redirect you to a url with country code in it
(ikea.com/ja/en/bedroom kind of style) making it easy for people on the tech
savvy side to manually change locale. But Google? No way in hell am I allowed
to read this in English if I'm not physically in an English speaking country.

~~~
kgarten
yes ... it's frustrating. I actually can read Japanese a bit, still even if
you are LOGGED in to Google with preference English, they show you the
Japanese page. Well done! VPN or TOR to the rescue ...

------
Coding_Cat
>With a large 3220 mAh battery, you get over 24 hours of use from a full
charge.

I would hope so, call me old-fashioned but I would say that once a day is the
absolute limit on how many times I'd accept having to charge my phone.

Of course, you don't use your phone 24 hours in a day (at least I hope you
don't) however, marketing being what it is they generally mean "very very
light usage" when they quote battery-life.

~~~
maccard
I'm at a desk in work, so I have my (3 year old iPhone) phone plugged in all
day.

~~~
Coding_Cat
I tend to do so to, my phone has it's own spot on my desk, where I keep the
charger. So charging it daily would not be a problem for me _most days_.

However, say I'm doing some travelling for example I will tend to use my phone
a lot throughout the day. Be it listening to music, playing a game while
waiting on $MODE_OF_TRANSPORTATION or browsing the web. That would be one of
the days were I would pretty pissed if my phone would not last throughout the
day, or I would have to make constant considerations like "If I watch this
movie now, will I have enough battery life left to make a call if my flight
gets delayed".

~~~
Kalium
Generally those time-measurements are based around assumptions about typical
use. If you're constantly using your radio and your screen and making it do
processing, you cannot hope to come anything close to typical usage.

------
munchor
Everything about it looks great except for the 6'' screen. I understand the
appeal of big screens, but 6'' is just too much.

~~~
ZenoArrow
I felt exactly the same way, everything was well thought out (camera, battery,
speakers, etc...) apart from the screen size. The consensus seems to be that 5
inches is the absolute maximum for most people (aside from phablet fans). It's
such a shame because it's so close to perfect (for this generation at least).
I do wonder what kind of market research phone companies do because I could
have very easily predicted this negative outcome, and I'm sure plenty of other
people could too. At least it should be the first Nexus phone with decent
battery life.

~~~
dingaling
> The consensus seems to be that 5 inches is the absolute maximum for most
> people

Here's the current line-up of flagship phones side-by-side:

[http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/1338/2298/o...](http://a.disquscdn.com/uploads/mediaembed/images/1338/2298/original.jpg)

Given that ( > 5 inches ) outnumbers smaller by 9:5 I'd say the consensus is
that big phones are fine.

Aside: I remember the incredulity when I bought a 5" Dell Streak 5 four years
ago. "You're going to make a phone call on that tablet?" Nowadays it would
disappear in that line-up.

~~~
ZenoArrow
"Given that ( > 5 inches ) outnumbers smaller by 9:5 I'd say the consensus is
that big phones are fine."

You're mixing things up, the reality is that there's a difference between what
people actually want and what gets produced.

I have a feeling I won't be able to convince you on screen size (despite many
of the comments on this post being about the screen being too large), so let's
choose battery life as a talking point. Everyone who has owned a smartphone
knows how critical battery life is to the user experience, yet time and time
again we see companies skimping on battery life. Instead they make their
phones slimmer, or with super high pixel counts, or just cut costs on factors
that don't influence the appearance. Why do you think they do this? Do you
really think they are paying attention to what matters in a phone?

~~~
prapam2
In india at least people want larger displays. For most of them mobile would
be their primary computer/internet connected device hence its desirable to
have maximum size as possible. You can even get 5" for less $100(if you visit
flipkart nearly 50% android mobiles have 5" or more). You want bigger
batteries as well which comes with some mobiles. But at least with battery you
can keep charging.

------
jordanpg
I see an important question looming on the 5-year horizon: how are people
going to be carrying these large devices? Clearly carrying large phones in
pockets is impossible for many, increasingly impractical for many more, and
simply undesirable to the curious.

Will handbags or hip bags become common for all? Will the average size of
phones rebound and approach some smaller-screen equilibrium size near 5"?

Everything depends on the adoption of these devices by younger people --
whatever becomes "cool".

My prediction is that phones will become strapped to arms or shirts somehow. I
see some sort of arm-hoslter or dedicated shirt pocket that comfortably,
securely houses a mini-tablet.

~~~
freehunter
>Clearly carrying large phones in pockets is impossible... impractical...
and... undesirable.

People keep saying that and time and time again it's proven wrong. It has been
wrong for years, and it will keep being wrong. If large phones were
impossible, impractical, and undesirable, people would stop buying them. But
they're not. They're demanding them in such large numbers that even Apple has
put out a massive, massive phone. Even Nokia put out a massive phone. Samsung
started matching the size of their flagship to the size of their largest phone
years ago.

Every manufacturer has a huge phone, because the majority of the buying public
wants a huge phone. But still I hear people say "big phones will never catch
on". Guess what? They did catch on, and they're not big phones anymore. After
several years of being big phones, they're just called phones now.

~~~
enraged_camel
>>If large phones were impossible, impractical, and undesirable, people would
stop buying them.

I think you're conflating several different things here. Something can be
impractical but still desirable. For example, big SUVs are a pain in the ass
-- they are inefficient, difficult to maneuver and hard to park. Yet people
still buy them because of a simplistic "bigger is better" mindset. How many
people with big SUVs actually use all the space in the vehicle? How many
people with half-trucks actually use it to haul big and heavy equipment that
would not fit in a smaller car?

Yes, big phones are impractical. This is simply common sense: they are
difficult to fit inside pockets and impossible to use productively with one
hand except maybe by Hafþór Björnsson. And yet they are desirable because
"Big" is a status symbol.

~~~
jordanpg
I don't see the connection with SUVs. They aren't impractical in the same way.
For example, for many people (men and women alike), a device above a certain
size cannot be carried hands-free. This is a fact. For me, this would be a
dealbreaker. It's not about status; it's more closely linked with my
unwillingness to type anything longer than a sentence or two on a small
keyboard and screen.

On the horizon, I see a disconnect between the ideal size of mobile devices
and the practicality of carrying them around _everywhere_. Poolside, hiking,
on the toilet, out to dinner.

Something will have to change to fix this. I see the solution as new fashion
trends that will be ushered in by people who are young -- young enough not to
think that, for example, wearing a cell phone on a hip holster is symbolic of
greybeard-ness, etc.

~~~
XorNot
Women carry handbags. There's very obviously a lot of men commenting on this
issue who cannot imagine that pocket size has been nonexistent for one genders
fashion for a long time now, and so was never a practical constraint on device
sizes.

Male fashion will just up pocket sizes in response - my dad when he goes
traveling has a jacket he can fit a 13" macbook air into.

------
pshinghal
I don't see how a 6" phone is convenient at all. I can only assume that the
reason major brands are making oversized phones is because there hasn't been
enough technical innovation in the past year to create an adequately exciting
"update" to an existing phone (the Nexus 5, for example). Is this the case, or
am I missing something?

~~~
hayksaakian
I agree this is exaclty it.

They can't innovate, so they take the lazy route of packing more of the same
old battery tech, display tech, and CPU tech in a container that simply holds
more stuff.

------
paulannesley
iPhone 6 Plus: 5.5" 1920×1080 (401 ppi)

Nexus 6: 5.96" 2560×1440 (493 ppi)

The iPhone 6 Plus is comically enormous. This thing is ridiculous. And the
same resolution as the current 27" Apple displays.

2.7 GHz quad core vs iPhone's 1.4 GHz dual core (but 32-bit, vs Apple's
64-bit).

That is some serious hardware.

~~~
cromwellian
The Nexus 6 has smaller bezel on the top and bottom than the iPhone 6+ which
has to make space for the TouchID/Home button. Android uses on-screen soft
buttons.

~~~
boyaka
My biggest peeve with the onscreen buttons (using flagship Galaxy Nexus) is
accidentally pressing them, primarily when I'm trying to take a selfie with
the rear camera. It's insanely frustrating the way the orientation moves them
around and trying to find the on-screen shutter button rather than clicking
the home button.

~~~
macspoofing
Something that should be easily fixed by allowing power or volume buttons to
take pictures. I'm not sure why that isn't the case.

------
pierrec
Slightly off topic, but is it just me or does this page brutally ignore your
browser's language settings? (as well as those of your google account.)

Apparently it guesses a language based on your IP address and serves you an
inappropriately localized version. Kind of a noob-ish mistake to make for such
a campaign. Too bad for you if you're abroad! There's a language drop-down in
the "help" section, but it's not stored in the session and it's completely
ignored by the other pages. So you simply cannot view the landing page in your
own language!

~~~
final
>> Too bad for you if you're abroad!

You should use a VPN anyway :)

------
jasonkester
Anybody found a way to force it to display in English? I'm in France at the
moment so I can't even read the text on the site. None of the usual tricks
(?hl=en, etc.) work. No links on the site to change language or redirect.

Seems silly to have to VPN into a box in the US just to read a website.

~~~
final
How about /ncr ?

------
darklajid
As ~always~ with Google sites my Accept-Language header [1] is ignored and I
end up being redirected to a different, 'more suitable' site. But yeah, those
people can talk about SPDY and HTTP/2 and new standards all day long I guess.
I'm sure that makes sense..

1: en-US,en;q=0.5

------
zkar
Nano Sim. Do they really need the space saving from micro to nano? Prepaid
carriers charge extra for nano sim. Not sure if it is because it is more
expensive to manufacture. Requires more delicate handling for those who swap
sims which is more common in Asia.

------
crucialfelix
Ah, but the Nexus 6 only has a 4 year lifespan. Then .. time to die.

I thought that Google decided not to release a phone named Nexus-6 out of
deference to Blade Runner and Phillip K Dick's family who were annoyed that
they used the name.

~~~
gohrt
If Google could produce a phone that lasted 4 years, that would be incredible.

~~~
crucialfelix
and then it would grab you by the throat, give an incredible speech that makes
you realize the true splendor of life and then it would shut itself off.

------
bicx
I'm thinking the real deal-breaker for me will be the camera, which seems to
be the same as the mediocre Moto X camera. Otherwise, it looks like a nice
device. Nothing particularly amazing, except for stock Lollipop.

~~~
dozy
Actually it seems it's a different camera than the 2014 Moto X, my evidence
being primarily the larger aperture size, also OIS.

------
primo37
"Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order through the Google Play Store in late
October starting at $649."

This is from Motorola [http://motorola-blog.blogspot.fr/2014/10/nexus-6-from-
google...](http://motorola-blog.blogspot.fr/2014/10/nexus-6-from-google-and-
motorola-more.html?linkId=10037353)

~~~
final
Didn't Google sell the Motorala cell phone business to Lenovo?

------
smackfu
How do you announce a phone without a price? That is always a terrible idea.

Edit: I guess it's $649.

~~~
davb
According to [http://motorola-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/nexus-6-from-
goo...](http://motorola-blog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/nexus-6-from-google-and-
motorola-more.html), yes - starting at $649. I wonder how that'll translate to
GBP...

~~~
Numberwang
I bet it will be £649..

~~~
suhailpatel
Yep pretty how most companies price their tech in the UK, change $ to £ and
call it a day (we pay a premium even with VAT added onto the USD price)

------
sytelus
After long back and forth I ended up buying iPhone 6 over Nexus 5. So the news
of Nexus 6 was exciting but it still seems bit behind on hardware front:

* No 128GB memory option. This is absolutely important for me and it seems Apple is the only one of few company who gets this. I started running out of 64 GB long time ago.

* No TouchID equivalent which is excellent and works flowlessly on iPhones.

* No slow-mo videos at 200+ frames per second.

* From hardware perspective N6 still stuck in 32-bit world. Plus it lacks motion processor that monitors my movements and fitness data all the time without draining batteries.

* 8MP camera is actually better than 12MP and gives better low light performance. Higher MP is actually deal breaking for me (if sensor size remains same).

* At 10mm thickness, that's actually going backwards from 7mm for iPhone 6. Every mm of thickness adds perception of "hugeness" dramatically.

~~~
mappu
I agree with many of your points, but

 _> started running out of 64 GB long time ago._

I started running out of 140 characters a long time ago, twitter isn't the
place for a novel.

 _> Plus it lacks motion processor that monitors my movements_

You're selling this as positive for the iPhone?

~~~
r00fus
You're seriously questioning why someone would want more storage on their
mobile device? Clearly 640kb is enough for anyone.

------
joliss
Full specs: [https://i.imgur.com/S0ifg2B.png](https://i.imgur.com/S0ifg2B.png)

Of note: Nano SIM, 493 ppi display, 4K video recording.

(The specs on the Google page have a button to expand them. It's a bit hidden
and not linkable, hence the screenshot.)

~~~
natmaster
But how much volatile memory does it have?

~~~
final
At least 4 thousand words IMHO.

------
51Cards
Sadly this will bring the Nexus buying streak for me to an end. 6" is too
large... the price is too high. Too bad though, that battery and camera would
have been nice. I think the Nexus 5 will hold for another year.

~~~
arenaninja
I agree with all your points and also own a Nexus 5, but I'll keep it until it
dies. I kept an LG Optimus for 3 years, to the point that I replaced it when I
couldn't reliably make a phone call. My one gripe with the Nexus 5 is that the
camera is pretty bad, and I find the controls pretty awful too

Hopefully there'll be some refresh on hardware for the 5" phone

------
nstart
Like many others here, I agree on the screen size issue. I'm actually at a bit
of a loss as to what phone to use next. I want something that's future proof
for several versions of Android, runs smoothly, runs vanilla android by
default, and doesn't exceed the screen size of the galaxy nexus (the one
that's currently stuck without a stable upgrade to kit kat due to firmware
issues), and has a great resolution. I'd gladly pay good money for a device
like that.

------
dferlemann
Feel more like marketing data collecting, to see how size the phone relates
the sales... I'm interested to know the result. Personally, it's definitely
too big.

------
q2
Without going into specifics, Apple's event(whatever they reveal) is scheduled
for tomorrow and so today is Google's day.

Today, some startup/enterprise somewhere in the valley may be making final
touches to a press release on some bad/shocking news such as layoffs...etc
tomorrow so that little attention will be paid to that, since most tech press
may be glued to Apple's event.

Life repeats on and on as before.

------
diltonm
It seems like we just got the Nexus 5, the Nexus One is still fun to pull out
and mess with. The One was the perfect size. I'm not even sure the 6 would fit
in my pants pocket? Seems like it would jab into my groin when driving.
Storage isn't even listed or Chrome's Ctrl+F can't find it? Does it have
external storage or expandable storage? The 5 messed this up.

------
icelancer
The Nexus 6 not having a high-speed camera sensor is really disappointing. I
was hoping Apple and Google would eventually break down the high-speed / slow-
motion camera market, because industrial applications cost well into the
multiple thousands of dollars for cameras not much better than the iPhone 6
with the only exception being that it is PC-controlled via software.

Frustrating.

~~~
jdhendrickson
So if I understand you correctly, the nexus 6 will NOT be able to take slow
motion video?

~~~
icelancer
It is not in the detailed specs that I can find.

[http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_nexus_6-6604.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/motorola_nexus_6-6604.php)

"Video: 2160p@30fps, optical stabilization"

No other frame rates or resolutions listed.

------
pjg
What will the screen resolution default to ? The resolution mentioned i.e.
2560×1440 (493 ppi) is too high for human eye to decipher on 6" frame. MacBook
Pro's with retina displays have 2560x1440 resolution available however the
highest viewable is 1920x1200 (unless you use 3rd party software like
SwitchresX to override the maximum )

~~~
boyaka
Doesn't it depend on how close the device is to your eyes? Also just because
the individual pixels aren't visible doesn't mean there's a noticeable
difference in picture or animation quality. Just because Apple claims that
"retina displays" use the smallest pixel size noticeable doesn't mean it's
true.

Edit: Google search on the topic: [http://mostly-
tech.com/2013/11/08/debunking-the-retina-displ...](http://mostly-
tech.com/2013/11/08/debunking-the-retina-display-myth/)

------
fataliss
I don't see any details on the body anywhere. I'm assuming the sides are in
aluminium, but what about the back? I always hated the cheap android phone for
their glossy cheap plastic feel. (Also the reason why I can't stand any case
on my iPhone) But with a price point around 650$ I'm expecting some more
premium feel.

------
dmix
Was the Nexus 5 refreshed at all? I can't tell by the website.

~~~
lmedinas
In my opinion as a owner of a N5 there is no need for a refresh now. The
hardware (except battery and camera) are still on top of the tree.

All the snapdragon 801 and 805 are "minor" upgrades to the snapdragon 800
shipped by the N5.

------
z02d
[http://www.google.com/nexus/9/](http://www.google.com/nexus/9/)

------
cooperpellaton
I find this an interesting departure by the trend which has been set by the
previous phones in the Nexus program. Prior phones followed an average lower
price that what is most _likely_ to be seen here. Given that the Nexus program
has stood as the pinnacle of the Android environment more so than just simply
being "reference" hardware it does seem logical to me that Google would want
to escalate the quality and produce a true flagship. That being said, this is
also atypical and as much as it plays into the trend of higher quality for the
entire ecosystem, it also undermines their tenant of simply finding hardware
which promotes the qualities that the OS does. In the end it is most likely I
will still buy the phone, but still, on morals, I dislike the anticipated
pricing.

------
4k
Why the storage on all high end phones is stuck at 64gb? I honestly would like
to have more storage space.

~~~
leftnode
Help drive adoption of Google cloud storage would be my guess.

~~~
4k
For Google/Apple it makes sense, but this is the case with all the handset
manufacturers. Like, what does HTC, LG etc have to gain by limiting storage
size?

~~~
sosborn
Lower price points.

------
mladenkovacevic
With the increase in price and out-of-the-gate contract subsidies, the Nexus
line has now transitioned from a developer-targeted effort to a full-fledged
mass-consumer brand.

Having said that, this transition demands that they compete with the iPhones
and Samsungs. Taking that into account they should've released an additional
4.5" phone, along with the 6". This could steal away the people who hesitated
in getting the 4.7" iPhone 6 due to the size, and if someone is into getting a
humongous 5.5 inch iPhone 6 Plus, they'd be even more into getting a 6" device
with not much larger physical dimensions. The goal should be find the perfect
two offers to cover the whole spectrum of buyers.

~~~
blisterpeanuts
Probably the Nexus 5 will remain in production as the smaller alternative.
It's going to run Android L so the user experience should be similar.

------
AlyssaRowan
Well, I want to see it, and hold it, but I fear the size is probably too big
for my small hands, and I _know_ the price is too big. The battery being big
is nice, but with a screen that size I don't believe the battery life claims
until I see independent reviews.

Given that the battery isn't removable too, this makes for a very shitty
development phone. (What do we do if it freezes? How do we hard-remove power?)
I think this won't do.

I'm also rather disappointed this isn't the Snapdragon 810 or 808. For a phone
this expensive, it doesn't measure up.

Overall this is not what I hoped for from a new Nexus. Perhaps Android Silver
will deliver something better, but I doubt the Nexus 6 will be my next phone.

~~~
kayone
> Given that the battery isn't removable too, this makes for a very shitty
> development phone.

When was the last time you pulled a battery on an iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch. I
think calling a phone 'shitty for development' just because you can't pull a
battery is a bit over the top given the current landscape.

------
chimeracoder
For me, the biggest surprise here is that it will be available on Verizon.

I thought that Verizon and Google parted ways permanently for the Nexus line
after Verizon botched the Galaxy Nexus so badly in 2011 - this is the first
Nexus available on Verizon since then.

------
hit8run
Anyone remember the HP Veer?
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Veer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HP_Veer)

This phone was advertised for beeing as small as a credit card. Now Nexus 6 is
as tall as a whole opened wallet.

------
blisterpeanuts
So it's announced, and the price is a surprising $649, nearly double the price
of the Nexus 5 ($349). I suspect the Nexus 5 will continue to fill the "budget
development" niche.

In fact, now that I've seen the official N6 specs, I'm going to go ahead and
order an N5 to replace my Galaxy Nexus because I need a device that does BLE.
In a couple of years, perhaps it will be time to upgrade to a refurb N6 or
maybe a less expensive N6.5, if they decide to go back to the loss-leader
pricing of the older Nexus models.

I'm disappointed that the N6 doesn't come with memory expansion. A MicroSD
slot might have tipped the scales for me.

------
julianpye
What keeps me off buying another Playstore device is Google's terrible
customer support, especially before they can command such a premium price. I
have an unresponsive Nexus 4. I cannot just send it in for warranty repair. In
order to return it, I have to go through a list of steps on their website,
then get on a phoneline on which they state I have to wait for 45 minute to
get a customer rep. Often the line is interrupted. I haven't been able to get
my number for two weeks now.

Eric Schmidt recently said in Germany that Amazon is their biggest competitor.
For that to be true, they need to seriously up their support.

~~~
andybak
Weird. I returned a Nexus 4 last year and got faultless support. I was
gobsmacked.

~~~
twism
Same here. Google's support phone line has been second to none.

------
eva1984
This one is huge...And seems like Google didn't upgrade their Nexus 5 model?

~~~
Mikeb85
As a Nexus 5 owner, I can see why. It's by no means obsolete (runs the newest
games still, very smooth and fast, great screen), and easily has the nicest
'feel' of any phone I've ever used...

~~~
eva1984
I still thinks a better camera is necessary.

However I agree even without any upgrade, nexus 5 will still be one of the
most cost-effective phones out there, only a little bit disappointed.

------
davidw
1440x2560 leaves my laptop in the dust. That's insane... I want that kind of
resolution for my laptop too!

Seems kind of big for a phone though. This Nexus 4 that I have is about as
large a phone as I'd want.

------
Noughmad
There is a missed opportunity in the tagline. Instead of "More space to
explore" it should have said "More space for Activities". Because, you know,
the Activity class.

------
timetraveller
What is this obsession with having to use the phone with one hand? I have big
hands and even with iPhone4/Nexus One I found myself using two hands to get
things done more quickly.

------
laacz
As I see it, there are tree reasons for ridiculous six inches.

1) To fit a larger battery, better screen, more horsepower, better camera with
OIS they just have to make them bigger.

2) Nexus line has gone out of control and people instead of buying other
phones are queuing up for nexuses which initially were meant to be just
reference devices for new android oses. Instead they became so popular that
had an impact on sales of other Android devices.

3) They got focus groups or questions all wrong.

------
follower
I remember being mocked when talking on my Treo 180 due to its size when fully
open...I find the increased dimensions of new phones amusing in this light.

I'm still looking for a replacement for my Nexus One that matches three
criteria: metal case, stock Android, not stupidly large. With the noticeable
exception of the tiny amount of app storage the N1 still holds up well for my
purposes.

------
jerkywez
I reckon they should have just gone with HTC for both tablet and phone.. it
would have resulted in a much better outcome on the latter.

------
gesman
"Available for pre-order starting late october ..."

Sort of like "you can watch this movie as soon as you'll grow up ..."

------
Touche
Going to wait and see the reviews about the camera. The Nexus 5 had the
absolute worst camera I've used in a smartphone. It takes 3 or 4 seconds to
focus and gets unfocused super easily. I have so many terrible pictures and am
embarrassed giving my phone to someone else to take a picture with.

~~~
boyaka
Although I can't speak for all Android phones, in my opinion this is
absolutely what the manufacturers need to _focus_ on (hurhur) to compete with
Apple.

------
tgmarks
The screen is a deal breaker for me too. I was super excited for this phone.
It's a Moto X with all the stat bumps I really wanted. Sure the camera and
battery are the weak points but both better than what I have in my 1st gen
Moto X. But I don't want a phablet, so i'm out of luck.

------
Siecje
> Camera

> 13MP front-facing with optical image stabilization > 2MP rear-facing

Is it really 13MP front-facing? Selfie optimization!

~~~
tremendo
I was confused by that too, seems they switched the definition of front and
rear. The new "way" is used consistently also on the Nexus 9 and Nexus 5 tabs.

~~~
Istof
maybe that is a mistake made on purpose to get more people talking about it...

------
chdir
Dear Google, Please announce a 'Nexus 6 Mini' someday in the near future. Just
trim the screen size to a sub 5" level and price to sub $400. Rest all
features are welcome. The reduction in battery size proportionately is
acceptable.

\- Sincerely, A long time Nexus user !

------
rafaqueque
Being a long time Android user with fairly large screens (+5"), I'm now using
an iPhone 5C for three days and I really love its size. I guess that even the
iPhone 6 is way too much for me. Around 4", it's the ideal size for me.

------
JimmaDaRustla
Many people don't realize that the Nexus 6 is not the next iteration in the
Nexus line. It is Google's entry into the phablet market.

To me, the follow-up to the Nexus 5 is the Moto X. Decent specs, moderate
price, stock Android, etc.

------
imacomputer2
I'm casting my vote for "Screen Size Too Big!" I can't imagine using a device
larger than the Nexus 5. I'll test out similar size phones in stores, but it
looks like the size is a deal breaker.

------
jusben1369
The pricing is really high. Seems like Google is now no longer interested in
forcing great phones out of Samsung/HTC etc. Now that great phones exist they
raise the prices and no longer upset the hardware chain.

------
kaahne
If I scroll to the "Introducing Lollipop, our sweetest release yet" section,
there's a google now card for a coffee place I've been to recently (in
Portland, OR for that matter ...).

It's uncanny...

~~~
ejp
I see that card as well!

I am nowhere near Portland. I suspect you just got lucky. :)

------
evv
Is RAM not a worthy technical specification to list? I think its pretty
critical.

Until somebody corrects me I'll just assume this thing has the 1GB of RAM
which is pretty standard these days.. But not enough IMHO

~~~
bdcs
RAM really doesn't matter for most people, IME, at least after Project Svelte.
For example, here's a video [0] of the Moto E (not G, but lower-class, 125$ E)
outpacing a Samsung S5 at simple tasks like opening Facebook, etc.

With 1GB of RAM, I've noticed the Moto G can multi-task between low-RAM apps
(Chrome, SMS, Drive, Dropbox, Twitter, GMail, etc) just as well as a Note III
(3GB RAM). The only time I've noticed a difference is context switching with a
high-RAM app, like sending messages while gaming. This is actually an
excruciating experience on a 1GB phone, because the game needs to reload every
time one switches back to it.

>>Is RAM not a worthy technical specification to list? I'd say yes, but it is
a grossly overvalued spec. With modern RAM compression and multitasking, I
suspect very few people will notice the difference between 1GB and 3.

[0]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P9vDAY0U0A](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P9vDAY0U0A)

------
PankajGhosh
What is the reason for nexus devices to not have fingerprint scanners?

~~~
lucian1900
Possibly because they're pointless.

~~~
jarjoura
really? I absolutely love it on my iPhone 6!

~~~
zamabe
Really. They've been demonstrated to be easy to break. You leave your
impossible-to-change fingerprints (basically your permanent "password") lying
around everywhere you go. I'm quite happy that android manufacturers aren't
encouraging users to think that profligate "security" is a feature.

[http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2013/ccc-breaks-apple-
touchid](http://www.ccc.de/en/updates/2013/ccc-breaks-apple-touchid)

[https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/1999/08/biometrics_...](https://www.schneier.com/essays/archives/1999/08/biometrics_uses_and.html)

------
hbhakhra
Looks like they took the design that was widely praised with the Moto X and
used it for the Nexus 6. The Nexus 6 looks like just a bigger version of the X
(obviously better specs).

------
dschulz
Using the N5 I already have a problem distinguishing the top from the bottom
at a glance. I'm sure with the new design this will be much more than a minor
nuisance.

~~~
Zigurd
I've found I flip my phone around less with the N5 compared to other phones.
The little white earpiece thing gives both a tactile and visual cue.

------
AsakiIssa
Although a bit too big for my liking (still using a Galaxy S2) I wonder if
that LCD will be in the next Oculus Rift iteration, having 1280x1440px per
eye!

------
balaclava9
Deckard, I need your magic, I need my old Blade Runner.

~~~
balaclava9
What model are they?

~~~
balaclava9
Nexus 6

------
joshmn
The one thing I've waited for is the DSP support so I can just say "OK Google"
and go instead of having to do a long-press.

------
piyush_soni
I still have heard no word on whether this will support a Moto X like 'always
on listening'. Anyone can comment on that?

------
ck2
I guess all icons are going to have to be SVG to scale on these new devices,
otherwise they are going to be impossible to see.

~~~
fixedd
Yet, Android doesn't support SVG.

~~~
ck2
How does it support icon sizes - multiple resolutions stored in a single
format?

~~~
din-9
You can provide resources in multiple sizes, and Android will also scale as
needed

[https://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_suppor...](https://developer.android.com/guide/practices/screens_support.html)

------
PButcher93
Shame they didn't release a new Nexus 7.

------
mjcohen
My main gripe is lack of memory. Since it has no sd card, it should have at
least 128GB like the iPhone 6.

------
BigBlackCamry
$650!!!! for that price, i'll get me two nexus 5.. this way I can talk to
myself, never get lonely....

------
chetanahuja
Well I'm not letting one anywhere near me until someone runs the Voight-Kampff
test on them.

------
kgarten
great ... I'm in Japan (signed into Google/Gmail in English) and the whole
page is in Japanese without any obvious way. Great Job Google ...! (sorry for
the rant, my Japanese is not so bad now, still it annoys me ...happens very
often with google pages)

~~~
poglet
Did you find a solution? I also have the same problem.

~~~
kgarten
no except using VPN or Tor :S ... great!

------
fixedd
Any news yet on whether Verizon is going to fumble it as badly as they did the
Galaxy Nexus?

------
baby
Anyone knows how I can display this page in english? For some reason it
displays in french.

------
laacz
"4 inches in a smartphone? That's too large!" /Everyone, 2008/

------
usav
There's a typo in the spec area where they mixed up front and rear cameras

------
nly
This thing has a screen resolution higher than my laptop, and 4x the RAM...

~~~
pedrocr
You're probably misreading the flash space (32 or 64GG) as RAM. Either that or
you only have 750MB of RAM.

~~~
nly
You're right. They list storage as "memory". How much RAM does this thing
actually have?

------
rahilsondhi
For those looking who were looking for a new Android and disappointed by this
release, have you considered the Galaxy Alpha?
[http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_alpha-6573.php](http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_alpha-6573.php)

------
acadien
Does this mean they won't be releasing a new 5" nexus this year?

------
Cakez0r

        Display
        5.96” 1440 x 2560 display (493 ppi)
    

Insane!

~~~
jclarkcom
1440 x 2560 is becoming more common. LG G3 has the same resolution but a
higher pixel density (538 ppi). Samsung also has a 1440 x 2560 phone.

~~~
louis8989
Hey jclark, I read some of your comments on another thread and wanted to ask
how extensive your knowledge on optics is. We might be interested in looking
for someone to help us consult in this subject. If it's something you might be
interested in please email me at louis8989 at gmail dot com thanks

------
ccozan
Finally, a Motorola Nexus! A mighty succesor to the Moto X-es.

~~~
bsimpson
The Moto X has been a Nexus-ish device at carrier prices. This is an actual
Nexus device, still at carrier prices.

If it was < $400, I might have sold my 5 and given it a go. At $650, I have no
incentive to go for this vs. any other device (or to upgrade at all for that
matter).

------
ccozan
Pricing and more info here: [http://motorola-
blog.blogspot.de/2014/10/nexus-6-from-google...](http://motorola-
blog.blogspot.de/2014/10/nexus-6-from-google-and-motorola-more.html)

------
Datsundere
Looks like buying the one plus one was the smarter choice.

------
scope
off topic (i think)

for a "phone" that has 493ppi, you expect the site introducing the phone to be
retina ready (couple of images and the favicon)

------
andrewstuart2
Nexus 9 as well.

------
piyush_soni
Completely off-topic, but I can't help but notice how posting a new-device
link gives you a lot more Karma in one day than I earned in a few years. :)

------
0x006A
localized version without an option to change the language? really are they
smoking crack?

------
pawelkomarnicki
The price killed it for me :-(

------
whizzkid
Come on, stop with making bigger and bigger phones.

I do not think, this is how technology should evolve.

------
bonzaipez
Wasn't Nexus 6 the last model of replicants in Blade Runner? Just sayin'...

------
notjustanymike
3220 mAh battery. Wow.

------
Siecje
No Wireless charging?

~~~
TheQwerty
Google's spec don't list it but Motorola's claim it does support Qi:
[https://www.motorola.com/us/Nexus-6/nexus-6-motorola-
us.html...](https://www.motorola.com/us/Nexus-6/nexus-6-motorola-
us.html#nexus-6-specs)

------
jeffcaijf
comparing with N5, obviously it's too expensive.

------
72deluxe
Does this have a flash? I can't see one, unless I am being dumb?

~~~
72deluxe
Not sure why the downvotes, but I can't see a flash at all on the back of that
thing.

------
mohap
that is one thick phone.

~~~
Methusalah
I've been dying for a thicker phone in exchange for better battery life for
quite a while now. Seems like this phone might negate a lot of that benefit
with the much larger screen, but I wish more phones were willing to make that
trade-off.

------
BigBlackCamry
for $650, i'll pass...unless nexus 6 can answer my emails for me.

------
notastartup
i can't fit this phone into my pocket. i guess im gonna wait till nexus 4 or 5
drops in prices and buy that instead.

------
tatqx
The nexus font is too big on the back of the phone.

------
sabmd
Whatever version it is. NEWS is best. NORTH OR EAST WORLD IS BEST!!!

------
GeorgeMac
Another beautiful device and it is only at the cost of your privacy.

~~~
exodust
It's true. There's no selective control of permissions per app on Android.
This is a glaring omission. Eg, granting permission for the app to use the
internet, while denying access to your address book. This is important for
maintaining control of your private data.

Google needs to do better on this front. Apple introduced selective
permissions at least, but Google is way behind.

~~~
brianzelip
(off topic) hey @exodust, don't forget to codepen some examples of ur web
approach!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8349825](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8349825)

