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Ajay Kumar Google Nexus 6P (Unlocked) The Google Nexus 6P is one of the best unlocked smartphones you can buy, thanks to a heady combination of powerhouse hardware, an excellent camera, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and the promise of the latest Android updates.
Google Nexus 6P (Unlocked)
By Ajay Kumar
Excellent camera. Long battery life. Snappy performance. Attractive display. Loud speakers. Fast, reliable fingerprint scanner.
Frustrating Power and Volume button placement. Some software issues in need of polishing.
The Google Nexus 6P is one of the best unlocked smartphones you can buy, thanks to a heady combination of powerhouse hardware, an excellent camera, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and the promise of the latest Android updates.
The unlocked Nexus 6P ($499, 32GB) isn't perfect, but it's the closest Google has come to fulfilling the wish list of Android users who want a true flagship-level Nexus smartphone. The 6P addresses every major issue owners of the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 have had about their devices. A reliable camera with improved low-light performance? Check. Long battery life? Check. Attractive, aluminum build? Check. On top of these upgrades, you also get a fingerprint scanner, a USB-C port with quick charging, dual front-facing speakers, and a crisp 5.7-inch AMOLED display. That adds up to our new Editors' Choice for unlocked smartphones.
Apple iPhone 6s Plus (T-Mobile)
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 (AT&T)
Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ (AT&T)
Motorola Moto X Pure Edition (Unlocked)
OnePlus 2 (Unlocked)
Google Nexus 6 (Unlocked)
Huawei Mate S (Unlocked)
Oppo R7 Plus (Unlocked)
Google Nexus 5X (Unlocked)
The Nexus 6P is easily the best-built device Google has released in its Nexus line. Manufactured by Huawei, the 6P sports a very attractive aluminum build. It measures 6.27 by 3.06 by 0.29 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.28 ounces, putting it roughly on par with Apple's iPhone 6s Plus, which measures 6.23 by 3.07 by 0.29 inches and weighs 6.77 ounces.
Because of the 6P's dual front-facing speakers, the top and bottom bezel are taller than what you might be used to, especially if you haven't used a phablet before. But if you're moving from a 5.5-inch device, you probably won't think twice. The overall profile of the 6P is flat and thin, while the sides are somewhat square. It's not as easy to hold as the Moto X Pure Edition, with its curved back and rounded edges. Holding the 6P for an hour while standing on public transportation strained my hand, but you may not have the same problem if you have larger mitts.
I received the graphite black version of the phone to review. Aluminum and frost white models are also available. There's no texture to the back of the phone; it's very smooth and potentially slippery. I'd definitely recommend a case.
There's a black panel at the top rear of the device, which is home to the rear-facing camera and LED flash, which create a slight hump. It's not very noticeable on the graphite phone, but it will definitely stand out on the aluminum and white models, so keep that in mind if it bothers you. The panel is reflective and does pick up fingerprints, but it wipes clean when you slip it in your pocket.
A fingerprint scanner on the back of the phone is positioned perfectly for the forefinger of either of your hands. It's recessed, so your finger naturally falls into it when you pick up the phone, and it's easier to seek out than the dimpled scanner on the Nexus 5X. You can enter up to five fingerprints, and the phone screen will automatically turn on and unlock when you rest your finger on the scanner. The process is fast and reliable; the only time it didn't work was when my fingers were wet, which is the case with most fingerprint scanners.
Getting around to the front of the phone, the Nexus 6P has an RGB LED notification light at the top, to the left of the front-facing camera, though it's not activated by default. You can turn it on by going into your phone settings, but if you want full control of it, you'll need to download a third-party app like Light Flow, which is used to set different color flashes and blink intervals for various types of notifications.
My one major complaint about the design is that the Power and Volume buttons are right next to each other, on the right side of the device. They're so close that when trying to increase the volume, I often turned off the screen. I accidentally rebooted the device twice, once while trying to launch the camera and another time while it was in my pocket. Huawei does try to help you distinguish between the two with feel—the Power button is ridged, while the Volume rocker is smooth—but I prefer to have those two controls placed on opposite sides of the device. It may take you some time to adjust to this placement if you're not used to it.
Network Performance and Audio
The Nexus 6P supports GSM/EDGE (850/900/1800/1900MHz), UMTS/WCDMA (1/2/4/5/8), CDMA (0/1/10), and LTE (2/3/4/5/7/12/13/17/25/26/29/30/41) networks, so it will work optimally on all four major U.S. carriers (including faster carrier aggregation speeds on AT&T and Sprint). T-Mobile's Band 12 will need a software update to be activated, though. I tested the 6P with T-Mobile service in Manhattan and Jersey City, and connectivity was excellent everywhere I went. Call quality was similarly good. Voices came across clearly on both ends, with a natural tone and no background noise. Credit that to the phone's three microphones, two in front and one at the rear.
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The 6P has the full set of connectivity bells and whistles, including a sensor hub (which powers Doze, the power-saving feature in Marshmallow that puts apps into deep sleep when unused), an accelerometer, a gyroscope, a barometer, a proximity/ambient light sensor, a hall sensor (to detect magnetic fields), dual-band (2.4 and 5GHz) 802.11a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, GPS, GLONASS, and a compass.
There's single nano-SIM slot on the left side and a 3.5mm audio jack up top, which offers good sound quality, free of crackling, pops, and skips when connected to wired headphones. Bluetooth sound quality is similarly good. The dual front-facing speakers on the Nexus 6P are particularly impressive. Even at the loudest volume, they maintain a rich sound. Quality is consistent across gaming, music, and watching videos.
Display and Camera
The 6P has a 5.7-inch, 2,560-by-1,440-pixel AMOLED display, which works out to 518 pixels per inch. It doesn't get as bright as the iPhone 6s Plus or the Samsung Galaxy Note 5, but it produces deep, rich colors that look fantastic. You should probably turn Adaptive Brightness off, because it causes dramatic variances in screen brightness in response to outdoor light. I kept the screen brightness set to 100 percent the entire time I tested the phone.
At full brightness, the display has fantastic viewing angles and is easy to see in direct sunlight. The 6P's panel has a slight yellow tinge compared with the more stark white IPS display on the Nexus 5X. This is largely a matter of preference, but I find that the tint is easier on the eyes at night. Like the Nexus 6, the 6P has a sensor so that it displays information when it detects movement or when you pick up the device. Naturally, the display will also turn on and unlock when you put your finger on the fingerprint scanner.
Both the Nexus 6P and the Nexus 5X share a 12.3-megapixel rear-facing camera, with 1.55µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture, and IR laser-assisted autofocus—giving them some of the best low-light camera performance on any mainstream Android device we've tested. Testing the 6P side-by-side against the iPhone 6s Plus and the Galaxy Note 5 (two of the better camera phones on the market), the Nexus 6P had a slightly slower shutter speed, but captured images that were surprisingly comparable. The Nexus can't compete with the image quality of the Panasonic CM1, but its small screen and high price make it a niche handset.
When shooting with the rear-facing camera there are three modes to choose from: Regular, HDR+, and HDR+ A. For HDR+ A, the camera will decide to take a regular shot or an HDR+ shot based on the lighting condition and colors. I took the majority of test shots in Regular mode.
Outdoor daytime shots came out crisp and clear, with good color reproduction and detail. The only difference HDR+ makes (aside from the slower shutter speed) is that colors tend to pop more. Indoor shots, taken of a still-life scene in our test lab, showed rich color reproduction and clear, well-focused details. One interesting note: The 6P is capable of burst shots, while the 5X isn't, despite having the same camera hardware.
In low-light shots, autofocus takes a second or two to lock on, and occasionally required me to focus manually. Evening shots in Manhattan, as in the image above, were clear and surprisingly bright, though there was some unavoidable grain at the margins of the image. The area of focus is strong, but the sidewalks, roads, and anywhere along the corners of the photo aren't quite as crisp. Despite this, the 6P handles low-light conditions better than any previous Nexus phones.
Indoor shots, such as the picture below, were as good as outdoors. Color reproduction and detail came across clearly, even though the room was dimly lit.
The rear-facing camera is also capable of 4K video capture at 30fps, 1080p video at 60fps, and 720p video at 120fps. Slow motion capture occurs at higher frame rates, 120fps for 1080p video and up to 240fps at 720p. video was gorgeous, even in low-light settings, but a lack of optical image stabilization (OIS) reared its ugly head from time to time in the form of some blurry movement.
The front-facing 8-megapixel camera is just as impressive as the rear. It has 1.4µm pixels and an f/2.4 aperture, allowing you to take solid shots in any lighting condition. Facial features and skin tones come across clearly, and the lens is able to capture background detail without suffering from the washed-out look that can plague selfies taken outdoors.
Processor and Battery
The Nexus 6P is a snappy device, with a 2.0GHz octa-core Snapdragon 810 processor and 3GB of RAM. It doesn't have expandable memory, but that's become standard for most current Android flagships. With 32GB ($499), 64GB ($549), and 128GB ($649) storage options at relatively reasonable prices, the lack of expandable storage shouldn't be a problem for most users.
The Snapdragon 810 processor has been known to overheat, but that isn't a problem the 6P suffers from. The Nexus 6P received an AnTuTu score of 56,621, less than the Note 5 (69,235) but on par with the iPhone 6s Plus (59,257). At no point did I detect any stuttering, lag, or slowdown in performance. The phone handled games like Asphalt 8, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and Mortal Kombat X without any problems. That was despite my best effort to max out the RAM by using as many resource-intensive apps possible.
The 6P has a large 3,450mAh non-removable battery, which should keep you charged and running for a full day, if not more. With Android Doze enabled, the phone will automatically put apps into deep sleep, suspending Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity access while unattended. Using Doze, the 6P drained just nine percent when I left it alone for a 14-hour stretch, even with LTE enabled and a large number of apps opened.
In our battery test, we set screen brightness to max and continuously stream a fullscreen video over LTE. The 6P clocked 9 hours, 59 minutes of battery life, giving it one of the best results we've seen. It easily bests the paltry 4 hours, 11 minutes clocked by the iPhone 6s Plus, and outperforms the Note 5 (6 hours, 10 minutes) as well.
The 6P is one of the first phones to use a USB Type-C port, which allows for quicker charging. Charging the phone from empty to full takes just over an hour. Unfortunately, wireless charging is no longer supported.
Nexus devices offer several major advantages over other Android phones when it comes to software. One of the greatest advantages is that there is no bloatware, which helps keep the phone light and lean, and the best representation for Google's vision of Android. The 64GB model we tested came with 53.67GB of available storage. The device comes preloaded with the full suite of Google apps, several of which can be uninstalled. You can get rid of Google Docs, Google Keep, Google Play Books, Google+, and News and Weather. I don't know why you would want to, but the option is there and that's always a good thing.
Along with a bloatware-free experience, Google promises a minimum of 14 months' worth of Android updates, though it has supported devices like the Nexus 4 for nearly 3 years. This is particularly important, since a lack of updates can leave devices vulnerable to security issues like the Stagefright exploit, which requires Android 5.1.1, build LMY48I to fix—something that won't roll out to other Android devices for weeks (or months), if they get it all.
The Nexus 6P is also one of the first smartphones to ship running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. We'll have a full review of Marshmallow up soon, but here's a quick feature rundown: Google Photos automatically handles pictures, backing them up for you. The new Google launcher has new animations, an improved notification menu, and a new memory manager that shows RAM usage. Features like OK Google continue to improve with conversational voice actions and even the option to replace Google Now with a different assistant. App Linking is particularly nifty, since you won't be needlessly asked what kind of app to use when you open links. Clicking on a Twitter link will open the link in the Twitter app. We've already touched on Doze in the battery section, but App Standby limits the number of times apps can access the Internet if the app hasn't been used recently, saving you both data and battery. Finally, the big new addition is Google Now on Tap, which can identify what you are looking at and bring up related content. It's an interesting idea, though I didn't find it particularly useful. I was rarely ever interested in the cards that popped up, though Google will presumably improve this over time.
One feature still lacking in Marshmallow is multi-window support. That's a useful feature that Samsung has put on its devices for some time now, so it's disappointing that we still don't see it on stock Android, especially with so many large-screen devices on the market.
Anyone who has used a Nexus device in the past has had to deal with compromises and cut corners. The Nexus 6 was too big and unwieldy, with battery life that wasn't up to snuff with its size. The Nexus 5 also suffered from mediocre battery life, as well as a notoriously poor camera. The list goes on. With this history in mind, I kept waiting for a big problem to appear while testing the Nexus 6P. I was certain something would reveal itself. It didn't.
Like I said earlier, the Nexus 6P isn't perfect, but it improves upon every aspect of its predecessors. It has longer battery life, a better camera, a more attractive design, a sharper display, a faster processor, and an excellent fingerprint sensor. With the 6P, Google and Huawei have created a compelling Nexus device that appeals to everyone, from Android enthusiasts to the everyday smartphone user.
There's no other unlocked device on the market that matches the 6P's combination of premium hardware and the latest software, all at a relatively modest price. Dollar for dollar, the Nexus 6P will give you bigger bang for your buck compared with other affordable unlocked devices like the OnePlus 2 and the Moto X Pure Edition. It's a close call with the Nexus 5X, but the premium build here is enough to tip me in favor of the 6P. It even holds its own against the more expensive Note 5. That makes it easy to name the Nexus 6P our new Editors' Choice for unlocked smartphones.
Bottom Line: The Google Nexus 6P is one of the best unlocked smartphones you can buy, thanks to a heady combination of powerhouse hardware, an excellent camera, a reliable fingerprint scanner, and the promise of the latest Android updates.
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Ajay Kumar Mobile Analyst
Ajay Kumar is PCMag's Analyst obsessed with all things mobile. Ajay reviews phones, tablets, accessories, and just about any other gadget that can be carried around with you. In his spare time he games on the rig he built himself, collects Nintendo amiibos, and tries his hand at publishing a novel. Follow Ajay on Twitter @Ajay_H_Kumar.
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