The LG Nexus 5X which is the pure unskinned android version running successor of the LG Nexus 5 released in 2013. The Nexus 5X was released alongside the more premium Huawei Nexus 6P. The main focus of the Nexus 5X is maintaining the budget price tag while still delivering high end specs. The phone which was launched in India in mid October was reviewed by us with special emphasis on camera performance. Below is a brief review of the same.
The box contains the LG Nexus 5X along with a 3 Ampere charger with a USB type C port and a USB type C to type C cable which cannot be used as a data cable on standard PCs which have regular USB A ports. The box also contains a set of in ear headsets a sim ejection pin and a user manual. The phone has an all plastic body with corning gorilla glass 3 screen.
Design:
The dimensions of the handset are 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm, the phone weighs 136 gm and houses a 5.2 inch screen. The body comes in 3 colours Quartz white, charcoal white and ice blue, the piece we reviewed was charcoal black. The back of the phone houses the 12.3 megapixel cam with the dual tone LED flash and laser autofocus sensor. Below the camera hump is the all new fingerprint sensor which enables quick unlocking of the screen. The front panel houses the selfie cam which is 5 megapixel and the earpiece which is just beside the selfie cam and towards the lower side is present the front firing speaker. The right edge houses the power button and volume rocker, the left edge houses he sim tray, the upper edge houses the noise cancellation microphone and the lower edge houses the USB type C charging port, the 3.5 mm earphone jack and the primary microphone.
Display:
The 5.2 inch screen has a display resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels giving an effective density of 423 PPI which gives a crisp display for images though the colour saturation is not as appealing as AMOLED displays. The blacks are not as deep but the whites are clean. The viewing angle is comfortably wide. Though the display isn't quad HD like the one on the Nexus 6P, the icons and text appear reasonably sharp. The screen size is just appropriate for single handed usage.
Camera performance:
The back camera is 12.3 megapixel full HD with f/2.0 aperture and gives ultra sharp images coupled with its laser auto focus. The larger size 1.55 micron pixels ensures good low light performance. The dual tone LED flash ensures more natural looking objects clicked in low light with flash. Below are the photo samples of images clicked by the Nexus 5X.
Img 1. Double decker BEST bus on Mumbai roads
Img 2. Fishing boats astrew at Badhwar Park, Cuffe Parade Mumbai
Img 3. Lotus vendor outside Mahalaxmi temple Mumbai (Notice the colour saturation and focus on detail)
Img 4. Night mode click, Skywalk Nana Chowk Mumbai (Low light photography)
Img 5. Night mode click Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Mumbai (Low light photography)
In addition to the sharp photos, the camera on the nexus 5X is capable of recording 4K videos in ultra high definition. The video camera has a dedicated slo-mo mode for recording slow motion videos at a rate of 120 frames per second. Below is a video sample shot in the slo-mo mode at Flora fountain in Mumbai.
Battery performance:
The LG Nexus 5X houses a non removable 2700 mAh battery which gives a decent 14 hour backup with moderate usage including reading emails using social media apps, clicking and uploading pics, etc. The USB type C charger is 3A/5V and provides rapid charging function and fully charges the phone from completely discharged condition in roughly an hour. The Nexus 5X does not have wireless charging feature.
Chipset and connectivity:
The Nexus 5X is powered by Qualcomm snapdragon 808 hexa core 1.8 GHz processor and Adreno 418 graphics which gives a buttery smooth performance coupled with the 2GB of RAM even while playing games with 3D graphics. The phone we reviewed has an internal storage capacity of 16GB though a 32GB variant is also available. The connectivity includes WiFi ac, Bluetooth 4.2, GLONASS, NFC and Cat 6 LTE which supports all Indian FD and TD LTE bands. The Android sensor hub is connected to the gyroscope and accelerometer which collect data for fitness apps and also to the Nexus imprint fingerprint sensor which enables biometric unlocking and waking of the phone.
Operating system:
The Nexus 5X runs pure stock Android 6.0 Marshmallow without bloat out of the box. Marshmallow introduces 'Now on tap' which allows getting relevant information through google now on long pressing the home button while using any supported app. App permissions are no longer displayed while installing a new app and we can allow or disallow any permission request by the app thus allowing greater flexibility and control. A verified security boot feature shows whether or not the firmware has been modified and there's a new Direct Share function that lets you easily send and receive files with your favorite contacts.
The final verdict:
All in all the Nexus 5X at a price point of Rs.31,990 for the 16GB version and Rs.35,990 for the 32GB version seem to give a good bang for the buck. The good camera quality with exceptional low light performance is a feather in the hat for this phone. The tech specs are not comparable to flagship phones of major brands but are still very good for its price point. The phone offers good value for the lovers of pure bloat free android and those who are looking to upgrade from the original Nexus 5 and wish to receive OTA updates as soon as Google releases them.
