[Nexus 6  General] dmeadows013:
Welcome to Android!

The Nexus 6 is a great device (With some exceptions), but it is almost a year old. It's a great deal right now at $349, but if you want the latest and greatest, it's probably not the best option. That said, it is more than capable of most tasks, and is much more powerful than an iPhone (Specs wise). It has a fantastic screen, and generally keeps up with everything and doesn't lag. Personally, I don't get the best battery life on my device, but others get really good results. The camera is pretty good, but probably not as good as you're used to on the iPhone (If you had a 6/6+). Also there's no fingerprint sensor, but that's a minor detail.

If you want bone stock or close to stock, your best options right now besides the Nexus 6 are the Moto X Pure and the new Nexus devices (Nexi?). While little is known for sure about the new Nexus devices, we have seen a few links that describe pretty well what they probably will end up as. First, you have the Nexus 5 refresh, made by LG. This is a smaller device, and it should be somewhat similar to the original Nexus 5 but with updated internals. Here's a link to some pictures and predicted specs. It is predicted to be more of a budget device, so it probably won't have the ultimate specs like a QHD display.

The new Nexus 6 is going to be made by Huawei. Personally, I don't really have much experience with them as a brand, but the new Huawei watch looks really nice. I know people working in tech who have said that Huawei doesn't really design their own things and basically just steals from other companies (Although to be fair that is with routers, not phones) so I'm not really sure how I feel about them. That being said, their Nexus is likely going to be a refresh of the Nexus 6 with a better build and the best internals. Expect it to be priced accordingly. However, there have been rumors that it might be delayed until next year.

The Moto X Pure is the most interesting to me. It's basically a slightly smaller Nexus 6 with better specs. Still made by Motorola, which is a huge plus for me. Moreover, the build can be highly customized with MotoMaker to make it exactly how you want. It is not completely stock, but it is very close, and only really has a couple software additions from Motorola. You still should get updates pretty fast after Google releases them (Unless you're on Verizon).

In terms of getting a Nexus vs another device by HTC or Samsung or LG, I personally believe that the closer to stock, the better. Other manufacturers (Particularly Samsung) add their own skins to Android which can take away resources from the system and make the interface worse (in my opinion). Moreover, with stock android, you can be assured UI consistency throughout, while the same cannot be said about skinned phones. Think of it like putting a theme on your phone, but in this case, you can't change the theme or remove it (without rooting/roms). The only major manufacturer that doesn't skin its flagships is Motorola.

Once you get your device, you may choose to root it. Rooting allows you to customize your phone with really no limitations. It is easiest on Nexus devices, but can be done on pretty much any phone (If the phone is unlocked. Carriers might have limitations). You can even install a totally custom operating system! If you want to see some of the benefits, look around the development/original development forums at some roms and kernels that people have created. Rooting does, however, void your warranty (although it can be undone), and may cause you to be unable to use Android Pay (Atleast right now... Still trying to figure that out).

If you have any more questions about switching, let us know! We'll be happy to help you out. Again, welcome to Android!