We go hands-on with Google and Huawei’s gorgeous flagship
Google’s Nexus program has always relied on third-party manufacturers for its phones. Being chosen as the hardware partner of Google for the program is considered on of the biggest honors in the Android eco-system. It’s no surprise – the Chinese juggernaut has managed to impress many with its design language and capability of not only designing but building metal phones at scale, which is probably what drew Google to Huawei in the first place. Now the new phone is almost upon us, and we’ve managed to get a few minutes with the phone before it goes on sale later this year.
(We apologize for the less than ideal photos, we only had a cameraphone when we encountered the Nexus 6p)
Google Nexus 6P
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 octa-core processor
- 3GB of RAM
- 5.7-inch AMOLED QHD display, Gorilla Glass 4 protection, 2560 x 1440 resolution
- 64GB
- 12.3-megapixel rear camera, 1.55 ?m pixel sensor, f/2.0 aperture, laser AF system
- 8-megapixel front camera
- 3G, LTE
- WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, USB Type C port, fingerprint sensor
- 3450mAh battery
- Android 6 Marshmallow
Initial impressions: the best looking, and feeling, Nexus ever
The Nexus 6P is supposed to compliment the plastic, LG made Nexus 5X – you could probably call it the higher-end Nexus. In this regard, the 6P doesn’t disappoint – the phone feels absolutely premium, and there’s little to complain about in the build. Huawei’s mastery of the all-metal phone shines here – the phone is thin despite having a massive 5.7-inch display, and the edges of the phone are chamfered and rounded in a way that facilitates ease of use when you’re holding it in two hands.
Speaking of holding, the 6P is rather easy to hold in the hands, despite being roughly the same size as the Nexus 6 last year. Another thing that Huawei has brought to the table is the fingerprint scanner on the back. Just like their other smartphones, it’s been positioned in a way that your index finger naturally rests on it when you need to unlock the phone. It unlocks a little bit faster than the previous iteration that we saw on the Mate 7.
While most people will hate on the slight hump on the top of the phone, we don’t mind too much – after all, you’re getting a camera that has UltraPixel specs, but with a resolution count of 12.3-megapixels. We will have to see for ourselves if the 1.55 um pixel size of the camera will do wonders for low-light shooting, but early reports show that the newest crop of Nexus phones finally have cameras that can go up against flagships of other brands.
The 6P uses a 5.7-inch, QHD display, a first for any phone that Huawei has built. The display is bright, and it’s pretty much a guarantee that the QHD resolution will mask whatever deficiencies the panel has, if it had it – our brief time with the phone didn’t reveal anything bad about the display. We’re hoping that Huawei learns from this and starts putting in the same display in their upcoming smartphones.
As for the performance of the 6P, well, it’s top notch. Snapdragon 810 processor, 3GB of RAM and 64GB of storage – what more can you ask for? On top of that, the phone is running stock Android Marshmallow – Google’s latest OS. It’s the purest, nicest Android smartphone that’s available right now.
Right, speaking of availability, the phone will probably hit stores in late November or early December, and will go for around 30K. The price is a little steep, but Huawei has stated that they are only bringing over the 64GB version of the 6P to to the PH. They also won’t be offering it in White – only Black and Gold, though the Aluminum option is still being decided on.