The path of Google's Nexus program has been an interesting one. Spanning back 5 years to 2010 w/ the Nexus One by HTC all the way up to the present w/ 2 Nexus phones for the 1st time ever. Google decided that a two-pronged approach was best for 2015 on their 5th anniversary. A premium device w/ the Nexus 6P and a budget mid-range device w/ the Nexus 5X.
Design/Build
Simple. Minimal. Elegant. Ok, maybe not elegant but still premium. These are words I would use to describe the look/feel of the Nexus 6P. It is encased within an aeronautical-grade aluminum unibody shell w/ a slight hump for the rear-facing camera.
Within a 5.7inch frame, the 6P is still nowhere near the mammoth Nexus 6. That device was both wide and tall while 6P is just tall & slim. These days it is kind of hard to mess up an all-metal smartphone. Luckily Huawei has had tons of practice in that department.
Display
The 6P matches that of the Nexus 6 w/ a high-res screen w/ a 5.7inch QHD (2560 x 1440) AMOLED display w/ 518ppi. You get a great screen and visuals to go along w/ it. You get vibrant colors and sharp imagery that makes it viewable in sunlight. You do get a brighter screen on the AMOLED panel on the Note 5. That changes nothing as it still does a good job in retaining an ideal visual experience for a high-end Nexus.
Performance/Battery Life
Huawei made sure to put some real power behind the 6P. So they opted for Qualcomm's best and brightest inside. Here we have a 64-bit 2GHz Snapdragon 810 v2.1 CPU coupled w/ 3GB of RAM. We got the 64GB storage size although it has no expandable storage obviously. We had zero problems/lag performing several daily tasks as well as gaming. Great choice on the chipset.
Inside lies a 3450 mAh battery working w/ the new Doze feature from Android 6.0 makes for an amazing battery life. It definitely sips on the battery side of things as light-to-moderate usage gets me 24-hours of juice w/ still power to spare. Simply amazing standby time on this thing. With heavier usage, it drops down to around 13 hours on heavy usage. The new USB-C port allows for quick charging as you can go from low battery to 100% in about an hour.
Camera
If you're unfamiliar w/ the Sony shooters, they're behind damn-near every great camera on smartphones - from Samsung to Sony. Inside of the 6P lies a f/2.0 12.3MP Sony sensor w/ laser auto-focus + dual LED flash and a f/2.4 8MP front-facing shooter. Add this w/ Google's new Camera app, you get some amazing photos w/ this Nexus.
Nexus 5X & Nexus 6P Camera Review
Sound
Checking off another box on the must-haves on a high-end smartphone is the feature of dual front-facing stereo speakers. They pump out full audio along w/ crisp vocals and good bass w/o any distortion. Making these speakers ideal for all of your entertainment & audio needs. Another superb feature for Google's premium Nexus.
Nexus Imprint
Now when you think of Google offering up a fingerprint sensor on the Nexus, you might get a little nervous. But you can safely relax as it is a great one. The placement was where Motorola should have been put theirs - where they usually put their dimple. While I am not a huge user of fingerprint readers, this is a really good, fast, and effective one. It is not a button but a place to rest your finger to unlock. Just place your finger on it and viola. You can utilize it for Android Pay as well as authenticatiing Play Store purchases. All of this within a single tap. Awesome job.
Software
Being a new Nexus, you know you'll see the newest version of Android. Welcome to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. This update isn't a huge update but 9 times out of 10, moving forward is always better than not.
Like most minor updates, its all about refinement and improving the other little things. But there are some big features along for the ride. Kicking things off is Google Now On Tap - adding the power of Google anywhere on your phone. Whereever in the app, messaging, etc. Long press on the home button and if there is searchable info, it will bring up more details like links, trailers, etc. It is awesome but only when it works. Consider it a work in progress at the moment as it won't b as much as the party trick you were expecting.
Doze makes sure to help out on battery life as we stated earlier by monitoring your apps that that are in use while in standby. It puts those apps on pause allowing you to reduce battery drain while you're doing nothing w/ your device. Also, new to the table are more in-depth controls for app permissions that you can toggle on/off in Settings, a new app launcher, new cut/copy/paste options, better Do Not Disturb, and a different layout for volume controls.
"Who knew Huawei would be behind my favorite Nexus - and favorite Android smartphone?"
TG 2 Cents
The Nexus 6P is my favorite Nexus to date. It has everything you would want w/ very few or any compromises. You have a great all-metal design, 2K display, stock Android, powered chipset, long battery life, good camera, dual front-facing speakers, and a fast fingerprint scanner. This is the closest I'll ever get to my dream phone for me and maybe you too. Who knew Huawei would be behind my favorite Nexus - and favorite Android smartphone?
To Buy Or Not To Buy
Being the more powerful & premium Nexus out, it's hard to say no to the 6P especially w/ everything it offers. Unless $$$ is no option and want the best of the best. Then you would want to look into the direction of Samsung Galaxy devices.
