Google LG Nexus 5X: 5 features that are hit, and 5 that it misses

| Updated: Sunday, October 25, 2015, 10:21 [IST]

The new Nexus smartphones are here. Last night, Google took the wraps off two new smartphone additions - the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P - to its Nexus family of devices, which get direct Software support from Google. Out of the two, the Nexus 5X comes from LG, which had earlier also launched the Nexus 4 and the Nexus 5.

The 5X is essentially the successor to the Nexus 5 that was launched in 2013, as it brings an upgraded set of features and specifications that seem quite appealing and powerful. However, at the same time, there still are some features which we wished could have come on board on the Google powered LG Nexus 5X smartphone.

Here we give five best things about Nexus 5X, and five features that we missed on the phone.

Best

LG and Google ensured a major camera upgrade to improve user experience. Moreover, Google's updates to the Photos app will be a cherry on the cake. The Nexus 5X features a 12.3MP primary camera with Sony sensor, f/2.0 aperture, and super-sized 1.55 micron pixels that should work wonders while photographing in dark light conditions. Not only does it capture more light, but also result in sharper photos. It is quite a noticeable upgrade from the original Nexus 5's 8MP camera, which has the 1.2 micron pixels in its camera sensor. Moreover, it is capable of shooting 4K videos and supports 120 FPS slow-motion recording.

In addition to that the camera is supplemented with laser autofocus and dual-LED flash. Up-front, there is a 5MP selfie camera with f/2.2 aperture, which makes for a major upgrade over the 1.3MP front-facing camera on the Nexus 5.

Best

The Nexus 5X as well as the 6P will be shipped with Android's latest version - the 6.0 Marshmallow. The Android M version brings several new features, and upgrades for an improved user experience. It focuses on Mobile Payments, Fingerprint Support, Power and Charging, and apps and browsing experience for App Permissions, Web Experience, and App Links.

So you will get first-hand experience of the raw form of the newest Android OS version.

Best

The Nexus 5X comes with a USB Type-C port that is a reversible port, which is a move towards the future. The USB Type-C is good, but at the same time, users may have carry a charger or adopter along all the time, as this is still not used widely, and is restricted to select devices.

Best

The Nexus 5X houses a 2700mAh capacity battery which is bigger than the Nexus 5's 2300mAh unit battery, and hence should ideally perform better. Moreover, considering the Snapdragon 808 SoC is quite a battery efficient chipset, the increase in battery capacity should give an improvement in performance. In addition to that, the battery includes support for Fast-charging technology, which is an important step forward.

Best

Fingerprint scanner is one of the hottest features right now. This is the first time that a Nexus device features fingerprint scanner. Both the new Nexus devices have a built-in fingerprint scanner, placed below the rear camera. According to Google, the fingerprint scanner is amongst the fastest out there, as it takes less than 600 milliseconds to recognize fingerprint pattern. Moreover, with the Android M upgrade on board, the sensor can be integrated with third-party apps as well, which should be of advantage.

Worst

Sadly, LG and Google have not upped the RAM size as the Nexus 5X gets 2GB of LPDDR3 RAM, which is the same as in original Nexus 5. We don't say that 2GB of RAM will not be sufficient to run most of the apps and for handling multitasking smoothly, but it is not the best option out there. Considering that now there are phones with 4GB of RAM in this price range, we hoped for a higher amount of RAM memory.

Worst

A lower RAM is already a let-down, and to add to it, the fact that the phone does not even support expandable memory via microSD card further disappointed us, as this time, we were looking forward to get a microSD card slot in the phone. So, you have to either rely on the 16GB and 32GB of internal memory that comes on board, or on cloud services to store your data.

Worst

We really expected the Nexus 5X smartphone to feature Dual SIM functionality, considering that a substantial number of users use two numbers, for personal and professional use. A single-SIM compatible smartphone is fine, but dual-SIM compatibility is welcomed, considering convenience in mind.

Worst

Sadly, the Nexus 5X's battery is non-removable. This may not make much of a difference until either you are an excessive users and carry a spare battery for your phone, or in future, have to get your Nexus 5X's battery replaced due to some damage to the phone.

Wrost

If water accidentally splashes on your phone, or in case you get drenched in rain while your Nexus 5X is in your pocket, your phone will be damaged. We wish the Nexus 5X has water resistance.