[Nexus 5 General] PokerFaze:
Hey people. So I've been inactive for quite awhile. I used to be lurking at the Xperia Z and HTC One section. In the past year I've used tons of flagships. Starting with the Xperia Z from the iPhone 5. Soon I moved to the HTC One. Not long after, I moved to the iPhone 5s. Recently, I managed to snag myself a Nexus 5. Been using it for awhile so I'd thought its time to clean the dust off this account and be active again.

Here's my honest fanboy-free review of the Google Nexus 5. I've used various brands of phones for the past year so I hope that I can share my experiences of the Nexus 5 compared to the others.

Nexus 5 Review

The Nexus 5 is a "cheap" phone. For $349 off contract for the 16GB version, it's quite the steal. Not to mention the flagship specs! What more can we ask for a device priced this affordable?

Build Quality

Phenomenal. Call me low standard, but I think the build is great, at least for the black one. Sure, it's no HTC One or iPhone 5s, but the soft touch back feels awesome. Period. It feels great in the hand and is kinda resistant to scratches. Mine looks mint even after so much use! The build is great; it doesn't flex, and is sturdy. Did I mention how nice the soft touch back feels? It does catches fingerprints and oils from your hands though. But just wiping it off with your fingers will make it look new again.

Power Hungry

The Nexus 5 is full of power. With a Snapdragon 800, 2GB of RAM and the Adreno 330, it will take anything I throw at it. The only issue I had with performance is Real Racing 3. I have the occasional frame-rate drop on that game but other that, it runs like butter.

The UI is smooth with no lag, multitasking is a breeze. There's really nothing else I can ask for.

Pure Google

The Nexus 5 comes with the latest and greatest of Android, 4.4 KitKat. As of this review, there has been 2 updates to far to bring it up to 4.4.2.

The Nexus 5 also comes with the latest Google Now Launcher, and I love it. I've never used Google Now before as it was too much an hassle for me to swipe up to open it. Now as it's fully integrated into the launcher, I find myself using it. A lot.

The "Okay Google" hotword detection is beyond cool. I like showing it off to my friends and they all think its cool. Some people find it a waste of battery. For me, I use it a lot as I'm a student who relies too much on Google. Being able to do Google searches when eating and not getting the sauce all over the phone is useful to me.

As for hangouts being the default SMS app, I think it's a matter of personal opinion. I find it okay. Anyway, it's android! The default messaging app can be changed easily.

Sure, icons are huge. What's the big deal with that?

Eye-opening Screen

The screen is absolutely fantastic. Colors are accurate and the screen is super sharp.

It's great for watching videos and for reading books on. The screen looks like its popping out at times! In fact, I'll go as far as to call it the best screen on a smartphone. Period.

Camera

Meh. Camera quality is okay. Nothing fantastic but it does the job. I find it better than the HTC One in terms of sharpness but in low light, its just no good.

If you are looking for the best camera in a smartphone, stay away.

Speakers

Simply put, its not good. The sound quality is just not good. Sure, its no BoomSound, but still. Its not the best, but it does its job well.

Oh well, for a $350 smartphone with monstrous specs, there's bound to be compromises. I guess the speakers is one of them.

(Edit)I came from the HTC One and therefore my expectations for speakers in smartphones may have increased greatly. I think that the speakers on the Nexus 5 is sufficient, but can be better. Just my 2 cents

Battery Life

At first, it was not good. I had to bring my portable charger everywhere I went. But over time, it has improved. I now can get 6 hours on screen time! I know, crazy right? I guess I had to "break" in the battery.

Call Quality

The earphone used for calls is great, I can hear the other party clearly and they can hear me clearly.

Bottom Line

Is it worth it? Yes. Should you get it? Hell Yes. For the price, its really, really worth it! Furthermore it's from Google; guaranteed updates for the next 2 or so years. It runs great, it's smooth and I really like the Google Now Launcher. I'd choose this phone over the iPhone 5s or any other phones!

This phone really is the best android phone yet.

P.S. Please give me feedback on my review! Please correct me if there's any error! Thanks for taking the time to read this!