A couple of years ago I bought a Nexus 7 and one thing was immediately clear - Android is a much better experience on a larger device. Everything from navigating maps to browsing the web is easier, and playing games and videos is comfortable enough to want to do it by choice, not just when there's no alternatives.
The issue I had with the Nexus 7, and any tablet for that matter, is that the hassle of carrying, maintaining and charging a second device negates any benefits of the larger screen. Even 3 years ago, I'd thought that having a big screen in a small enough body to carry around and use as a phone would be the perfect device.
So buying the Nexus 6 was a no-brainer for me, not only increasing the screen size but delivering a pure Android experience in a more premium body than last years Nexus 5. The experience is just as good as using a Nexus 7, the size reduction is made up for by the 2X resolution and incredible front-facing speakers. Playing a game like Broken Sword would have been frustrating on 5" device, but here the experience is just as good as playing it on a full PC 15 years ago.
I'd been disappointed with the plastic, squarish build quality of
the Nexus 5, but here Motorola have blown it away on every level. The metal edge makes it feel as solid as any all-metal phone I've tried, while the curved back and screen make it feel great to hold. If I had to nitpick, the bezel is slightly larger on the top than the bottom, giving it a slightly unbalanced feel, but if this was the only compromise to pull off a device that feels this good, then that's acceptable. All in all, Motorola have matched the quality of any other phone I've tried.
As well as running the latest version of Android Lollipop , the Nexus 6 has a couple of device-specific features that are worth mentioning. The first is always-on voice, so OK Google works when the screen is off. It sounds like a minor change, but revolutionizes how voice control works - I find it genuinely convenient to be able to ask questions like "What time is it?" from across the room.
The other new Lollipop feature here is ambient notifications, which lights up the screen when a message comes in or the phone is picked up. Android has needed this for a while, but sadly Google's implementation is nowhere near as useful as others such as Motorola's Active Display, and the motion sensor is hit and miss at best. More annoyingly, this feature comes at the coast of an LED light or Tap to Wake, which I feel would be more useful when combined with an app like Lightflow. I really hope Google fixes this and add in more options in a software update.
Coming from the Nexus 5, my benchmark for good battery life is fairly low, but the Nexus 6 still impresses me a lot, effortlessly managing 2 days without much use. When it's being used for longer times such as playing a game, that 2X screen burns the battery down in few hours, but this is quickly replenished with the amazing Quick Charge functionality that promises 50% of charge in 15 minutes. It's just as good in practice as promised, even getting to 70-80% battery life seems to take no time at all.
Along with a cutting-edge camera, the Nexus 6 leaves me wanting very little. There's room for some software improvements, especially a rethink of the new notifications and phablet-friendly UI tweaks to make the bigger screen more manageable. Overall the Nexus 6 is my favourite Nexus phone to date and easy to recommend if you prefer bigger Android devices.
