With a design so obsolete, top notch hardware and perfect price, LG is aiming the bulls-eye and with the tremendous success lately, we all know it comes from the previous gen Nexus 4 and G2. LG is on a winning streak which might someday over throw Samsung. Packing a 2.3Ghz Quad Core S800 CPU, 2gigs of RAM, 4.95 inch FHD display and all this for just $349 makes this a killer smartphone. Read on to read the full review.
Hardware
LG Nexus 5 owns the market with a Quad Core 2.3 Gz Snapdragon 800 CPU, 2GB RAM, Adreno 330 GPU. With such hardware at price that is practically half that of other flagship smartphones like Galaxy S4, Note 3, LG G2 and Xperia Z1, Google and LG deserve a standing ovation. The specs doesnt't end here, with a now standard 5 inch(4.95 to be exact) True HD IPS LCD with 1920 x 1080 res running at 445ppi, you shouldn't be having any problems with your pixel peeper friends. The display runs from edge-to-edge and has a slight curve at the sides which seem to be cut off at the end. The power button and the volume rockers are present on the right and left respectively giving a premium feel all thanks to the aluminium. With just a microUSB 2.0 port at the bottom and 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, the LG Nexus 5 has very predominant curves at the top and the bottom with an almost thin waist that rounds up at 8.9mm. The storage room is now expanded with 16GB and 32GB on-board storage and like always, no microSD card support.
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Software
Nexus 5's software needs no introduction. Stock Android 4.4 with Google Now integration, the stock ROM just got better. The Nexus 5 runs the latest Google Experience Launcher which has new icons and new features in tow. The capacitative buttons at the bottom have a transparent background which turns dark whenever any application is in use. The dialer doesn't take much of makeover unlike Hangouts which Google means to unify with SMS and MMS integration so all your SMSs and hangout notifications are shown in one single Hangouts app. The contacts app now features display pic when you get a call from a business whose contact isn't actually stored on your phone, which means you get an idea about the business even before you pick up your Nexus 5. The homescreen can be expanded by dragging new icons to the corner and placing them. When swiped to the right, a Google Now page appears which evidently provides easy access to Google's answer to SIRI. The app drawer now doesn't feature the widgets tab although they can be added by long pressing anywhere on the homescreen so its just the applications which can be sorted alphabetically and frequency of use. The status icons at the top are now white, revealing the usual set of shortcuts when the notification panel is pulled. Google has taken care of the smoothness of the UI to be right on top ever since Jelly Bean came out its Project Butter.
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Camera
With 8MP and OIS(optical image stabilization), Nexus 5 does a better job than Nexus 4 while taking pictures. The OIS definetely helps to reduce the blur and shakiness that is seen in photos when shooting single handedly. The greatest advantages of OIS can be seen when taken low light shots and the f/2.4 aperture lens also digs up some real nice details. Like always, the Nexus 5 doesn't feature the PureView Technology the Lumias possess but who needs one and you shouldn't be expecting it anyway for a $350 phone. The camera interface is simple and easy to navigate as it should be and one new feature is HDR+ mode which enhance the colors and saturation giving more punchiness to the photos. The gallery app now features non-destructive photo editing which is definitely a plus. The camera shoots 1080p @ 30fps with/without HDR and the front 1.3MP also shoots 1080p @ 30fps. The video also benefits a lot from OIS and camera now shoots steady videos. Between HDR+ and PhotoSphere, the camera sees a definite upgrade over the last gen. Take a look at couple of sample pictures right down below.
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Battery
The 2300 mAH battery honestly doesn't do any miracles but keeps the phone running when you have a long day. With our battery test we found Nexus 5 to run almost longer than a day when used moderately. Ofcourse gaming and web surfing does take a huge bite from the battery compartment but the Nexus 5 should last longer than your Nexus 4. Keeping the brightness at low or Auto might help save some battery. The Nexus 5 features Wireless Qi charging so no tangy cables if you have a wireless charger.
Conclusion
The Nexus 5 has some pretty strong internals along with new crispy Kitkat on top which by far is not present on any device yet. Sony has released a list of smartphones that will be upgraded to Android 4.4 like Xperia Z, Z1 and Tablet Z but will defitinely not feature the Google Experience launcher. As far as camera is concerned, the 8MP OIS shooter does a great at taking photos and videos and sees a significant upgrade from the last generation. With battery life that lasts as long as a typical day on moderate usage, wireless charging keeps you tangle free. The Nexus 5 comes in to variants: 16GB costs $349 and 32GB costs $399. With killer prices and hardware, Nexus 5 stands tall like a leader.
Buy 16GB Nexus 5 from Google Play - Link.
Buy 32GB Nexus 5 from Google Play - Link.
Buy 16GB Nexus 5 from Google Play - Link.
Buy 32GB Nexus 5 from Google Play - Link.
Nexus 5 - Full Phone Specifications
| Specifications | LG Nexus 5 |
|---|---|
| 2G Network | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G Network,4G Network | HSDPA, LTE LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 |
| SIM | Single SIM(Micro Sim) |
| Display Type | True HD IPS LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Display Size | 1920 x 1080 pixels, 4.95 inches (~445 ppi pixel density) |
| Features | Quad-core 2.3 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Processor, Android OS v4.4 (Kitkat), 2 GB RAM |
| Phonebook | Yes, Practically Unlimited |
| Call Records | Yes, Practically Unlimited |
| Internal Memory | 16/32GB Internal Storage, 2 GB RAM |
| Card Slot Memory | No |
| GPRS | Yes, Class 12 |
| EDGE | Yes, Class 12 |
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot |
| USB | Yes, microUSB v2.0 |
| Bluetooth | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP,LE,EDR |
| 3G | HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps |
| Camera Primary | 8 MP OIS sensor, simultaneous HD video and image recording, autofocus, LED flash |
| Video | Yes, 1080p @ 30fps |
| Secondary | Yes, 1.3 MP |
| Sound Alert Type | Vibration, MP3, WAV ringtones |
| Loudspeaker | Yes |
| 3.5mm jack | Yes |
| OS, CPU, Chipset, And GPU | Android OS, v4.4 (Kitkat), Quad-Core 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 CPU, Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Chipset And Adreno 330 GPU |
| Messaging | SMS(threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM |
| Browser | HTML5 And Flash (Download From Outside) |
| Radio | Yes |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS support |
| Java | Yes, via Java MIDP emulator |
| Colors | Black/White |
| Battery | Standard Li-Ion 2300 mAh battery |
| Talktime | Up to 17 h (3G) |
| Standby | Up to 300 h (3G) |
| Price | Rs. 28999(16GB) Rs. 32999(32GB), $349(16GB) $399(32GB) |
Author : Nadeem Ansari
Designation: Senior Editor
Bio: A gadget freak who can't make a day without his tiny little toys and is constantly trying to keep himself up to date with the latest events in tech history. Loves to read and write articles.
Bio: A gadget freak who can't make a day without his tiny little toys and is constantly trying to keep himself up to date with the latest events in tech history. Loves to read and write articles.
