Nexus 5

[Frankied22]

$400 for 32gb?

That is what I am guessing since the 16GB is $349. Google charges $50 for memory increases.

 

[F123D]

Anyone recommend any apps that hide the on screen soft keys? I'd like to be able to utilize the entire screen and either pull up the soft keys when needed or use gestures for home, back, etc instead.

 

[bmac4]

I believe they have the same battery size. But the Nexus 5 has a larger backlight to power.

So the HTC one has a 4.7 and the N5 has a rumored 4.9. Does .2 inches really take that much battery to power it? I would think not.

 

[THE JUICEMAN]

I don't want to buy the phone unlocked.

I don't want to spend 400$ on a phone ever again.

That's why I hope it's available on carriers. I just don't like the idea of having to buy phones unlocked again when I can get them much cheaper on contract.

But, but, but, you are essentially still paying much more than $200 because it's built into your monthly bill. Even if you pay $650+ and get a pre paid plan you would save money. I haven't used pre paid just yet but I'm not seeing that many downsides to the big ones like go phone, AIO, and t mobiles.

 

[lighthouse_man]

Yes definitely fake, the white render.

 

[Sounds Good]

Use your upgrade and buy a 5s. Sell it and have enough money for a Nexus 5 and Nexus 7

Hey, that's not a bad idea. I'm eligible for an upgrade now but I might be tempted by the iPhone 6 (next year) so I figured I'd buy the Nexus 5 off contract. But this ^^^ is a darn good idea!

Our buy a Nexus 5 and save the extra money and upgrade again next year.

This ^^^ was my original idea.

Decisions, decisions...

 

[strausd]

Anyone recommend any apps that hide the on screen soft keys? I'd like to be able to utilize the entire screen and either pull up the soft keys when needed or use gestures for home, back, etc instead.

In my experience most solutions offer a sub-par user experience. A few ROMs support it. And with a Nexus, ROMs should be out fairly quick. But swiping up for it, although it sounds simple, just isn't nearly as fluid or consistent as a button that is a tap away.

So the HTC one has a 4.7 and the N5 has a rumored 4.9. Does .2 inches really take that much battery to power it? I would think not.

It is fairly likely that a quarter inch (.25 not .2) larger screen size will require a fair amount of additional backlight to cover the entire screen area. And this added backlight will likely cancel out the power savings of a Snapdragon 800 over a 600 considering the screen often accounts for a majority of battery usage in battery stats. The battery savings from the SoC compared to the one in the HTC One is minimal compared to how much battery the screen takes up. That's why in battery screen shots you often see "Screen" listed at the very top with the highest percentage over everything else.

The biggest question here will be the addition of GRAM. If this is in the Nexus 5, we could see some pretty good battery life. But the inclusion of this is unknown at the moment.

 

[bmac4]

In my experience most solutions offer a sub-par user experience. A few ROMs support it. And with a Nexus, ROMs should be out fairly quick. But swiping up for it, although it sounds simple, just isn't nearly as fluid or consistent as a button that is a tap away.




It is fairly likely that a quarter inch (.25 not .2) larger screen size will require a fair amount of additional backlight to cover the entire screen area. And this added backlight will likely cancel out the power savings of a Snapdragon 800 over a 600 considering the screen often accounts for a majority of battery usage in battery stats. The battery savings from the SoC compared to the one in the HTC One is minimal compared to how much battery the screen takes up. That's why in battery screen shots you often see "Screen" listed at the very top with the highest percentage over everything else.

The biggest question here will be the addition of GRAM. If this is in the Nexus 5, we could see some pretty good battery life. But the inclusion of this is unknown at the moment.

I still can't see a quarter of an inch making a considerable difference. Maybe it will. Look at it this way. If the screen cancels out the new snapdragon 800 then should it not be about the same as the HTC one pushing the 600 right? The batteries are now the same size, and you said the screen would cancel out the 800, so now we have two phones with 2300 mAh batteries running at about the same efficiency. Or at least you said they would be running at the same efficiency with the Snapdragon 800 being cancelled out.

 

[lordromanov01]

I still can't see a quarter of an inch making a considerable difference. Maybe it will. Look at it this way. If the screen cancels out the new snapdragon 800 then should it not be about the same as the HTC one pushing the 600 right? The batteries are now the same size, and you said the screen would cancel out the 800, so now we have two phones with 2300 mAh batteries running at about the same efficiency. Or at least you said they would be running at the same efficiency with the Snapdragon 800 being cancelled out.

A 4.95" screen has an 11% increase in area over a 4.7" screen despite there only being a small difference.

 

[PerfectDB]

I still can't see a quarter of an inch making a considerable difference. Maybe it will. Look at it this way. If the screen cancels out the new snapdragon 800 then should it not be about the same as the HTC one pushing the 600 right? The batteries are now the same size, and you said the screen would cancel out the 800, so now we have two phones with 2300 mAh batteries running at about the same efficiency. Or at least you said they would be running at the same efficiency with the Snapdragon 800 being cancelled out.

If the Nexus 5 matches the HTC One's battery life then that'll be good enough for me.

I'd still like to have seen 3000mAh (you can never have too much battery in my opinion), but at least 2300mAh will hopefully offer decent as opposed to below-average battery life like on the Nexus 4.

It'll be interesting to see optimisations Google will provide with 4.4 to go along with the 800 chipset.

 

[Internaut]

Oh, I've been looking at news of the leaks of this phone. It looks like a nice, early upgrade to my S3, at a time when I've been just a little bit tempted towards the Apple fold. I like the idea of an unlocked, outright purchase, in this respect. I just have to stick my SIM card in it and not worry too much about ongoing commitment.

Don't get me wrong, I've long held the the network subsidy works well, as long as you, me and all the other consumers understand the total cost of ownership (especially here in the UK, where we have very flexible packages, dependent on our needs), but I don't like the fact the salesman looks at me like I'm a ------- alien, when I say "Great, I'd like to pay for the phone plus 24 months NOW".

 

[Retired Cat]

Without being able to determine the build quality, its hard to say how this will compete against iPhone, but if the $349/$399 unlocked pricing is true, this is likely a much better deal than anything Apple offers. That's a ton of capability for a bit more than half the price.

The question is how well does it work in real life?

 

[strausd]

Look at it this way. If the screen cancels out the new snapdragon 800 then should it not be about the same as the HTC one pushing the 600 right?

Canceling out doesn't necessarily mean break even. For simplicity, let's say a new CPU makes a phone 5% more energy efficient. But a .25" screen increase means it takes up 15% more power. In which case, the added screen size cancels out the CPU energy efficiency. But that doesn't mean you break even as you still have more power drain.

The batteries are now the same size,

Yes, they have the same capacity. But same capacity, heck, even same everything doesn't mean same battery life. LG Optimus G and Nexus 4 have the same battery, screen, CPU, GPU, and RAM, yet get vastly different battery life.

Same battery capacity != same battery life.

and you said the screen would cancel out the 800,

Sorry to be nitpicky, but not quite:

And this added backlight will likely cancel out the power savings of a Snapdragon 800 over a 600 considering the screen often accounts for a majority of battery usage in battery stats.

"Would" is a more concrete term. "Likely" means there is a good chance but we are not completely sure yet. Again, I think the inclusion of GRAM could really make a positive dent in battery life in the Nexus 5. But that is something we are not sure if it will have.

so now we have two phones with 2300 mAh batteries running at about the same efficiency.

Same battery capacities, not necessarily same efficiency.

Or at least you said they would be running at the same efficiency with the Snapdragon 800 being cancelled out.

Never said they will be running at the same efficiency. Cancel out does not necessarily mean break even.

 

[Vegastouch]

Without being able to determine the build quality, its hard to say how this will compete against iPhone, but if the $349/$399 unlocked pricing is true, this is likely a much better deal than anything Apple offers. That's a ton of capability for a bit more than half the price.

The question is how well does it work in real life?

LOL, these arent mean to compete with the iPhone or any other phone. They dont advertise them.

 

[bmac4]

Canceling out doesn't necessarily mean break even. For simplicity, let's say a new CPU makes a phone 5% more energy efficient. But a .25" screen increase means it takes up 15% more power. In which case, the added screen size cancels out the CPU energy efficiency. But that doesn't mean you break even as you still have more power drain.


Yes, they have the same capacity. But same capacity, heck, even same everything doesn't mean same battery life. LG Optimus G and Nexus 4 have the same battery, screen, CPU, GPU, and RAM, yet get vastly different battery life.

Same battery capacity != same battery life.


Sorry to be nitpicky, but not quite:

"Would" is a more concrete term. "Likely" means there is a good chance but we are not completely sure yet. Again, I think the inclusion of GRAM could really make a positive dent in battery life in the Nexus 5. But that is something we are not sure if it will have.


Same battery capacities, not necessarily same efficiency.


Never said they will be running at the same efficiency. Cancel out does not necessarily mean break even.

Yea maybe not, but we are also not sure about the screen yet. The screen on the HTC One might be much different. I know it want be amoled, but it still may not consume as much power as the HTC One screen. Again we have no idea, and as you said they may not break even.
Depending on 4.4 it could be a much more efficient OS. The reason the HTC one gets such great battery life is HTC worked hard to optimize sense 5. If Google can do the same we could see great results.

 

[strausd]

Yea maybe not, but we are also not sure about the screen yet. The screen on the HTC One might be much different. I know it want be amoled, but it still may not consume as much power as the HTC One screen. Again we have no idea, and as you said they may not break even.
Depending on 4.4 it could be a much more efficient OS. The reason the HTC one gets such great battery life is HTC worked hard to optimize sense 5. If Google can do the same we could see great results.

Google sure didn't do that with 4.2 or 4.3. Their history is against them, but we will see.

 

[bmac4]

Google sure didn't do that with 4.2 or 4.3. Their history is against them, but we will see.

Yes maybe that is true, but my point is screen size is not everything. Yes the Nexus 5 is bigger than the HTC One, but there are a lot of other things that go I to battery life.

 

[strausd]

Yes maybe that is true, but my point is screen size is not everything. Yes the Nexus 5 is bigger than the HTC One, but there are a lot of other things that go I to battery life.

The screen is typically the biggest power drain in normal day to day use (if you don't believe me, look at battery screen shots). SoCs are getting efficient enough to where a certain fraction reduction in power consumption isn't a big deal.

 

[bmac4]

The screen is typically the biggest power drain in normal day to day use (if you don't believe me, look at battery screen shots). SoCs are getting efficient enough to where a certain fraction reduction in power consumption isn't a big deal.

I agree it is the number one consumer of the battery, but not the only thing. Yes the N5 will have a big full HD 5 inch display. Yes it will take some battery to power that, but you know what is the very close 2nd consumer is? Android. The OS uses a lot of power too. If 4.4 is optimized properly by Google 2300 mAh will be plenty.

While we agree the screen is a huge part of battery consumption on smartphone. A well optimized OS, and having a more efficient processor can go a long way. Maybe the screen cancels out the Snapdragon 800, but maybe not. You or I don't know yet. We don't know how efficient it can be on 4.4. All I know is it is more efficient than the Snapdragon 600 in my HTC One. Isn't the more efficient smaller processor the way Apple gets good battery stats out of the iPhones? The battery is much smaller, but it can be because the processor, and iOS are so efficient. Maybe Google can achieve the same with the N5.

 

[weespeed]

Without being able to determine the build quality, its hard to say how this will compete against iPhone, but if the $349/$399 unlocked pricing is true, this is likely a much better deal than anything Apple offers. That's a ton of capability for a bit more than half the price.

The question is how well does it work in real life?

Value wise it will be better than the iPhone. But build wise it is not better in the sense of that high quality expensive feel.
To get an idea, go hold an iPad mini and the Nexus 7 side by side. That is how it will feel in comparison.

It's well priced phone that is supposed to bring pure Google experience.

 

[Technarchy]

The screen is typically the biggest power drain in normal day to day use (if you don't believe me, look at battery screen shots). SoCs are getting efficient enough to where a certain fraction reduction in power consumption isn't a big deal.

Currently my S4 has a 73% draw for the screen and 14% for Google Services.

That's a whooping 87% taken by a paltry two categories.

For a 5" screen a 2300 MaH battery is pretty small, and with the screen being the biggest battery eater...

Like I said, this should be interesting. If Google has worked some magic in 4.4 in terms of power management then next years android devices should feature some epic battery life.

 

[spinedoc77]

In my experience most solutions offer a sub-par user experience. A few ROMs support it. And with a Nexus, ROMs should be out fairly quick. But swiping up for it, although it sounds simple, just isn't nearly as fluid or consistent as a button that is a tap away.

GMD auto hide soft keys is awesome, it works perfectly IMO. It hides the soft keys, and you can configure it so they pop up with a touch or small swipe at the bottom of the screen. It was a dream come true getting rid of those idiotic soft keys. For me gaining the screen real estate and also removing such an eye sore was great. Highly recommend this app,

 

[kshen1]

Currently my S4 has a 73% draw for the screen and 14% for Google Services.

That's a whooping 87% taken by a paltry two categories.

For a 5" screen a 2300 MaH battery is pretty small, and with the screen being the biggest battery eater...

Like I said, this should be interesting. If Google has worked some magic in 4.4 in terms of power management then next years android devices should feature some epic battery life.

I would really hope they did improve the battery life. That and some of the jankiness within 3rd party apps (app quality) is the only thing bad about android IMO.

 

[strausd]

I agree it is the number one consumer of the battery, but not the only thing. Yes the N5 will have a big full HD 5 inch display. Yes it will take some battery to power that, but you know what is the very close 2nd consumer is? Android. The OS uses a lot of power too. If 4.4 is optimized properly by Google 2300 mAh will be plenty.

While we agree the screen is a huge part of battery consumption on smartphone. A well optimized OS, and having a more efficient processor can go a long way. Maybe the screen cancels out the Snapdragon 800, but maybe not. You or I don't know yet. We don't know how efficient it can be on 4.4. All I know is it is more efficient than the Snapdragon 600 in my HTC One. Isn't the more efficient smaller processor the way Apple gets good battery stats out of the iPhones? The battery is much smaller, but it can be because the processor, and iOS are so efficient. Maybe Google can achieve the same with the N5.

Apple gets good battery life by having a simple OS and optimized OS, small screen, and lower resolution. Those are the big ones.

Google has never shown big optimizations in Android for battery life and nothing points to them changing that now.

The screen is typically the biggest power drain. Heck with some usage the LTE radio might even come second before the CPU. The fact is, you shouldn't be banking on great battery life just because it has a more efficient CPU. The CPU takes up a fraction of power compared to the screen in normal usage. And saying that Google will optimize Android 4.4 for battery life is a blind statement with no credibility. There's no concrete evidence to support that. If anything, there is more evidence supporting the fact that this won't happen when you look at how much better battery life Android phones with manufacturer skins get and Google's history. There's just too many unknowns for anyone to come out and say the Nexus 5 will get good battery life. We shouldn't be thinking everything will be fine just from a hunch. It's much better to manage our expectations and think more realistically.

----------

Currently my S4 has a 73% draw for the screen and 14% for Google Services.

That's a whooping 87% taken by a paltry two categories.

For a 5" screen a 2300 MaH battery is pretty small, and with the screen being the biggest battery eater...

Like I said, this should be interesting. If Google has worked some magic in 4.4 in terms of power management then next years android devices should feature some epic battery life.

And that's already with a Snapdragon 600. With an 800 screen would take up a slightly higher percentage. And not to mention a GS4 has an AMOLED screen. I'd imagine with that usage, a Nexus 5 would show the screen to have a higher percentage. Good to know, thanks for the info.

----------

GMD auto hide soft keys is awesome, it works perfectly IMO. It hides the soft keys, and you can configure it so they pop up with a touch or small swipe at the bottom of the screen. It was a dream come true getting rid of those idiotic soft keys. For me gaining the screen real estate and also removing such an eye sore was great. Highly recommend this app,

I find the user experience requiring gestures to bring up the soft keys to be sub-par compared to having buttons that are always available. But everyone has their preferences.

 

[bmac4]

Apple gets good battery life by having a simple OS and optimized OS, small screen, and lower resolution. Those are the big ones.

Google has never shown big optimizations in Android for battery life and nothing points to them changing that now.

The screen is typically the biggest power drain. Heck with some usage the LTE radio might even come second before the CPU. The fact is, you shouldn't be banking on great battery life just because it has a more efficient CPU. The CPU takes up a fraction of power compared to the screen in normal usage. And saying that Google will optimize Android 4.4 for battery life is a blind statement with no credibility. There's no concrete evidence to support that. If anything, there is more evidence supporting the fact that this won't happen when you look at how much better battery life Android phones with manufacturer skins get and Google's history. There's just too many unknowns for anyone to come out and say the Nexus 5 will get good battery life. We shouldn't be thinking everything will be fine just from a hunch. It's much better to manage our expectations and think more realistically.

Really android has not gotten more power efficient over the years. I believe back in the 2.0 days you needed a task manager app to stop apps from running in the background and using battery. When I had a phone with gingerbread on it. The battery life was not very good at all because android at the time was not power efficient. I also had a nexus s that went from 2.0 to 4.0, and the battery life was much better because ics was way more efficient.

Sure we have not seen this since 4.0, but there is some history to say Google could optimize android better.