It's high time we talk about the Nexus 6 some more. Major device releases have everyone talking about the Samsung Galaxy S6 or the HTC One M9 or even what's in store from LG with the G4, but we can't forget what many feel is the best Android ever. The S6 and the M9 (and probably the G4) are very nice phones all around — though nothing is perfect — but for many, they're just not a Nexus. That doesn't mean they aren't great. But this is going to be all about the Nexus 6 and the things we love about it. And the things we hate about it.
People like the Nexus 6 for different reasons. There's also just as many different reasons to not like the Nexus 6. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship going on with it, but it's one of the phones I keep a SIM card in and carry with me everywhere. That's saying something, right?
The Nexus 6 is big. A lot of people think that makes it great, while a lot of people think that's a drawback. I think it's a good size when I'm using it, but when carrying it around I wish it were smaller. I want my phone to sit in my pocket and be somthing I don't even notice is there until I need it. I've long given up carrying my phone in my shirt pocket (and I've noticed I stopped buying shirts with a front pocket, so that's a good thing) but even in the pocket of my pants it's a bit on the extra-grande side. (In before someone claims I wear hipster skinny jeans.) It's not that it's too big to carry around, just that it's too big to carry around without knowing it's there. Some of you will get what I mean. Some won't. We're all different.
I can say when I need to use the Nexus 6 for important things like talking to Phil or playing a game or watching a "Best Fails" video on YouTube, I love the size. Big screen means easy typing and big fun. I'm all about big fun. In fact, I'm nicknaming myself Big Fun.
Another thing the big size means is a big battery. The Nexus 6 probably doesn't go easy on the battery, but having a 3220 mAh battery, Quick Charging and Qi charging makes things easy to manage. My Nexus 6 never goes dead, because I have figured out how to keep it going.
The camera — something that's become pretty important to smartphone users as of late — isn't near as bad as some people make it out to be. It's probably not the best smartphone camera on the planet, but it can take pictures that I, as well as the people I share them with, think are just fine. Any modern smartphone can take good pictures, and the Nexus 6 camera is better than average by a good bit. I've found it perfectly acceptable to use whenever I need to use a smartphone instead of a "real" camera.
Protip: Buy Manual Camera. Do it.
Then there's Lollipop. Lollipop — at least version 5.1 on the Nexus 6 — is almost there. We've seen the bugs we expect to see with any major version release, but things have been ironed out well and for most people the Lollipop experience (there's the name for your new band) on the Nexus 6 is pretty darn good. Sure, we want Google to give us familiar options like a silent mode, but chances are you'll be able to iron out any dislikes with the software through apps in Google Play. I hate change as much as anyone, but I've been able to manage. You probably can, too.
With rumors that an all-new super-improved version of Lollipop (5.1.1 maybe?) is floating around in the ether we expect things to be even better. Having a Nexus — even a consumer-oriented Nexus 6 — is a learning experience and a beta test. Even if it's not supposed to be. That's part of getting everything first. Embrace it. Past Nexus phones have needed a few version bumps to smooth things out, but they ended up becoming some of the smoothest and best Android phones available. The Nexus 6 should follow this path.
I can't speak for everyone with a Nexus 6, nor do I want to. I can say I've come to terms with the size (which was my biggest complaint and still is) and really like this phone. Especially since the 5.1 update. The Internet may tell me that it's laggy because of encryption, or that the screen is terrible, or that it's not worth the price Google is charging, but I just ignore it all. I really like this phone.
What about you? Digging your Nexus 6, or wishing you made a different choice? Hash it out in the comments or in the Nexus 6 forums.
