Nexus 6 speculation

Megalith said:
69109.png


El-oh-el.

68989.png


El-oh-el.

icon13.gif
icon13.gif
icon13.gif
Click to expand...

I "HOPE" Anandtech tested this properly and didn't let their Apple bias shine through like it has been recently. :(

It's really sad.... a few years back Anandtech was ONE site that (IMO) was completely free of bias and gave a fair review to everything. Now? They've turned into an Apple fan site that just happens to review other things. I want the OLD Anandtech back.... :(
 
QwertyJuan said:
I "HOPE" Anandtech tested this properly and didn't let their Apple bias shine through like it has been recently. :(

It's really sad.... a few years back Anandtech was ONE site that (IMO) was completely free of bias and gave a fair review to everything. Now? They've turned into an Apple fan site that just happens to review other things. I want the OLD Anandtech back.... :(
Click to expand...

I'm not going to take a side on any particular bias, but one thing that did bother me (and perhaps I'm overly focused on it since Anand left recently) was that they didn't dig into what caused the significant gap in battery life between the Note 4 and the N6. They mention display, but a 50% gap due entirely to that? It just seems odd, and I wish they tried to dig a bit deeper.
 
quadnad said:
I'm not going to take a side on any particular bias, but one thing that did bother me (and perhaps I'm overly focused on it since Anand left recently) was that they didn't dig into what caused the significant gap in battery life between the Note 4 and the N6. They mention display, but a 50% gap due entirely to that? It just seems odd, and I wish they tried to dig a bit deeper.
Click to expand...

The reviewer did speculate that Motorola wasn't able to source newer AMOLED display tech from Samsung. As we all know the power draw from those older Samsung AMOLED displays was enormous so that could be what's crippling battery life on the N6.
 
StryderxX said:
The reviewer did speculate that Motorola wasn't able to source newer AMOLED display tech from Samsung. As we all know the power draw from those older Samsung AMOLED displays was enormous so that could be what's crippling battery life on the N6.
Click to expand...

50%?? I think that's nonsense...
 
StryderxX said:
Have you read the Arstechnica review? They pretty much agree with the Anand review.

http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Review-chart-template-final-full-width.010.jpg[/IG][/QUOTE]

I don't think he's disagreeing with the results, I think it's more surprising that the display could really be responsible for all 50%. I'm sure it's feasible, it's just odd to me that such a *massive* gap is waved away by saying "it's probably the display". I guess I've always assumed Anandtech would get to the bottom of most issues.

As an aside, it was surprising to me to even see the Anandtech review online day one. I know they have had ~one week to get up to speed given the embargo, but I don't know if they have *ever* been up so quickly. Again this may be me overly focused on Anand having left (and overstating his importance), but I just hope things aren't changing for the worse over at Anand.
Click to expand...
 
To the point of the older display that was used possibly in the Note 3 (I haven't found anything to corroborate that), I unscientifically compared the results of the wifi battery tests of the Note 3 review vs the Nexus 6. With a 5% smaller display, the Note 3 has ~28% better battery life. Clearly it is possible the battery test has been revised between the two articles, but by comparing models appearing on both charts you can see that the numbers are either identical or slightly better on the new review.

There are definitely more contributors than just the display, from what I can see anyway.
 
quadnad said:
I don't think he's disagreeing with the results, I think it's more surprising that the display could really be responsible for all 50%. I'm sure it's feasible, it's just odd to me that such a *massive* gap is waved away by saying "it's probably the display". I guess I've always assumed Anandtech would get to the bottom of most issues.

As an aside, it was surprising to me to even see the Anandtech review online day one. I know they have had ~one week to get up to speed given the embargo, but I don't know if they have *ever* been up so quickly. Again this may be me overly focused on Anand having left (and overstating his importance), but I just hope things aren't changing for the worse over at Anand.
Click to expand...

Anantech reviews are 90% fluff and making desperate attempt to find nice things to say. They tip toe around throwing the N6 under the bus, even after noting multiple significant issues with the device and noting it has a high price.
 
Last edited:
ocellaris said:
Anantech reviews are 90% fluff and making desperate attempt to find nice things to say. They tip toe around throwing the N6 under the bus, even after noting multiple significant issues with the device and noting it has a high price.
Click to expand...

If you don't cherry pick and read their conclusions both actually like the device
 
Skripka said:
See:

https://source.android.com/devices/tech/encryption/#what_we’ve_added_for_android_l

"Added the forceencrypt flag to encrypt on first boot."

The options for that flag in fstab are either "forceencrypt" or "encyptable"....the former encrypts on first boot hell or high water, the later makes it optional. Nexus 9 people have been working on this issue already, as all device that ship with Android Lollipop already on it will have it. Turn on encryption on any ARMv7 device and watch read/write speeds plummet.

All future handsets shipping with Lollipop will have this issue.
Click to expand...

Not necessarily. ARMv7 handsets will, but ARMv8 includes dedicated crypto instructions which should speed up read/write of encrypted devices by a lot. Basically 5.0 has jumped the gun on available hardware.

Also this is only an issue on brand new out of the box 5.0 devices. If you upgrade your device to 5.0 it does not force encryption.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Also this is only an issue on brand new out of the box 5.0 devices. If you upgrade your device to 5.0 it does not force encryption.
Click to expand...

If the hot new Lollipop phones are going to perform like garbage, that isn't going to go over well with the phone vendors.

And seriously how did phone vendors and Google not see this coming and prepare for it?
 
Last edited:
quadnad said:
Presumably you can disable encryption?
Click to expand...

On the Nexus 6? No, it forces encryption out of the box on first boot. You cannot remove encryption from an encrypted phone, you need to do a factory reset. Which on the Nexus 6 would put you right back to square one of force encryption on first boot.

Theoretically the only way around this is to edit the files on the phone before you actually boot the phone up the first time to remove the forced encryption flag.
 
ocellaris said:
If the hot new Lollipop phones are going to perform like garbage, that isn't going to go over well with the phone vendors.

And seriously how did phone vendors and Google not see this coming and prepare for it?
Click to expand...

There will be very few flagship devices coming out with Lollipop that aren't on ARMv8 cores. Pretty much any of the 2015 phones will be running ARMv8, so there is a limited window of devices that will be running older 2014 ARMv7 chips and Lollipop out of the box. Non-flagship devices won't matter as much because absolute performance isn't a driver for purchases, cost is mostly.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Not necessarily. ARMv7 handsets will, but ARMv8 includes dedicated crypto instructions which should speed up read/write of encrypted devices by a lot. Basically 5.0 has jumped the gun on available hardware.

Also this is only an issue on brand new out of the box 5.0 devices. If you upgrade your device to 5.0 it does not force encryption.
Click to expand...
Life would be more simple if I stayed away from reading [H] :)

My device is a Moto X (2013) fitted with armeabi -v7a and running Android 4.4.4
Questions:
1. Am I to assume that my device is NOT using encryption?
2. If it is using encryption would I achieve any significant benefit by disabling it, and how does one go about it? (My phone is not rooted nor do I want to root it).

Thanks!
 
Last edited:
Supersnake said:
Life would be more simple if I stayed away from reading [H] :)

My device is a Moto X (2013) fitted with armeabi -v7a and running Android 4.4.4
Questions:
1. Am I to assume that my device is NOT using encryption?
2. If it is using encryption would I achieve any significant benefit by disabling it, and how does one go about it? (My phone is not rooted nor do I want to root it).

Thanks!
Click to expand...

1. Only Android 5.0 enables encryption by default. If you go into the settings you can manually enable full device encryption if you want to. So no, your device does not have encryption. This is why this is a discussion in the Nexus 6 thread, because the N6 is the first Android 5.0 out of the box phone. Keep in mind, if you upgrade your phone to Android 5.0 it will not be encrypted automatically, only if you choose to.

2. The device will be slower with encryption, but also more secure. You cannot simply remove encryption from a device. The only option is to do a full factory reset of the device, which will lose all of your data. There is no way around this, it is simply how encryption works. The phone makes this apparent to you when you enable encryption as well.


With the new ARMv8 chips coming out soon the performance hit from full device encryption will be much smaller. An encrypted device is good because it secures your information in case the device gets lost, stolen, or even if you don't want police searching your phone without your consent. The only downside is slightly lower performance, and you need to use a pass code.
 
Erasmus354 said:
Only Android 5.0 enables encryption by default. If you go into the settings you can manually enable full device encryption if you want to. So no, your device does not have encryption. This is why this is a discussion in the Nexus 6 thread, because the N6 is the first Android 5.0 out of the box phone. Keep in mind, if you upgrade your phone to Android 5.0 it will not be encrypted automatically, only if you choose to.
Click to expand...
Thank you, I had forgotten about going to Settings / Privacy / Encrypt Phone to find out that encryption was not enabled.

Erasmus354 said:
The device will be slower with encryption, but also more secure. You cannot simply remove encryption from a device. The only option is to do a full factory reset of the device, which will lose all of your data. There is no way around this, it is simply how encryption works. The phone makes this apparent to you when you enable encryption as well.

With the new ARMv8 chips coming out soon the performance hit from full device encryption will be much smaller. An encrypted device is good because it secures your information in case the device gets lost, stolen, or even if you don't want police searching your phone without your consent. The only downside is slightly lower performance, and you need to use a pass code.
Click to expand...
Hopefully there won't be more phones, in addition to the Nexus 6, that will be released as an out-of-the box 5.0 phone fitted with an earlier than ARMv8 version, and having encryption by default.
 
Last edited:
Fwiw no encryption from console loaded 5.0 on my N7-13.
The option is there of course.
 
Nexus 6 enters DxOMark Top 10 for camera performance

http://m.gsmarena.com/nexus_6_enters_dxomark_top_10_for_camera_performance-news-10205.php

The Nexus 6 has had its camera tested by the folks over at DxOMark, and they've published the results. The first Nexus phablet got a score of 78, which nets it the sixth position in DxOMark's Top 10 for best mobile phone cameras.

As we have told you back in September, according to the same source, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have the best cameras around - they're tied for first place with 82 points each.

Up next are the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z3, and Sony Xperia Z2 - all three having 79 points, which in effect makes them tied for second place. And then comes the Nexus 6, which from the perspective of its score could actually be considered the third best performing handset tested by DxOMark.

In terms of still photo capture, the Nexus 6 was praised for good overall exposure, great detail preservation when shooting in bright light conditions, delivering pleasant colors when shooting outdoors, and boasting a stable and repeatable autofocus. It also has good detail preservation, color rendering, and exposure when using the LED flash.

On the flip side, the phablet has shown a slightly pink White Balance when shooting in overcast and cloudy conditions, it produces inconsistent sharpness between image corners and its center, and has slow autofocus performance in all light conditions.

When it comes to video capture, the handset got good grades for texture preservation, color rendering, and noise performance. On the other hand, video stabilization needs to be improved, rolling shutter artifacts are visible, and it overshoots during refocusing.

http://www.dxomark.com/Phones/Googl...andset-storms-in-to-the-DxOMark-Mobile-top-10
 
QwertyJuan said:
I "HOPE" Anandtech tested this properly and didn't let their Apple bias shine through like it has been recently. :(
Click to expand...
for their display section, i believe their individual tests are performed properly without bias but I dont agree with the comprehensiveness of the tests performed or their presentation.
 
radeon962 said:
Nexus 6 enters DxOMark Top 10 for camera performance

http://m.gsmarena.com/nexus_6_enters_dxomark_top_10_for_camera_performance-news-10205.php

The Nexus 6 has had its camera tested by the folks over at DxOMark, and they've published the results. The first Nexus phablet got a score of 78, which nets it the sixth position in DxOMark's Top 10 for best mobile phone cameras.

As we have told you back in September, according to the same source, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus have the best cameras around - they're tied for first place with 82 points each.

Up next are the Samsung Galaxy S5, Sony Xperia Z3, and Sony Xperia Z2 - all three having 79 points, which in effect makes them tied for second place. And then comes the Nexus 6, which from the perspective of its score could actually be considered the third best performing handset tested by DxOMark.

In terms of still photo capture, the Nexus 6 was praised for good overall exposure, great detail preservation when shooting in bright light conditions, delivering pleasant colors when shooting outdoors, and boasting a stable and repeatable autofocus. It also has good detail preservation, color rendering, and exposure when using the LED flash.

On the flip side, the phablet has shown a slightly pink White Balance when shooting in overcast and cloudy conditions, it produces inconsistent sharpness between image corners and its center, and has slow autofocus performance in all light conditions.

When it comes to video capture, the handset got good grades for texture preservation, color rendering, and noise performance. On the other hand, video stabilization needs to be improved, rolling shutter artifacts are visible, and it overshoots during refocusing.

http://www.dxomark.com/Phones/Googl...andset-storms-in-to-the-DxOMark-Mobile-top-10
Click to expand...

Cool, and I have a GS4 still so I have some point of reference.
 
radeon962 said:
Nexus 6 enters DxOMark Top 10 for camera performance.
Click to expand...
For some reason the Moto X was not listed among the 27 mobile phones tested by DxOMark Mobile. I did a little digging around and found an article entitled Questionable Testing Gives iPhone 6 The Edge In Mobile Cameras which read:
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As with any test though, fans of other devices usually weigh in crying foul over methods and methodology used, and these test results and ratings are no exception. A few concerns have come to light in the comments posted on the results, including the fact that the rating is a combined score of photo and video. However, it’s more concerning that DxOMark states that “Apple set (the) gold standard for smartphone image quality” when they admit that they have not – nor will be – testing the LG G3, One Plus One, Samsung’s Note 3 or Note 4, and the Moto X doesn’t appear on the list either. DxOMark also admits in one comment that the Nokia 1020 (which scored a 74) is indeed better “for specific photo shooting in lowlight”. The feedback isn’t all negative though, as DxOMark has indicated that in-depth comparisons between devices – such as the Nokia 1020 and the iPhone 6/6 Plus – are forthcoming.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Motorola has really made some beautiful software. I wish Nexus would allow the Motorola apps to be installed and used in place of the Android equivalents. Wondering if an exception would be made for a Motorola manufactured Nexus I am finding myself reading the list of Motorola apps in the Google Play Store only to find that Moto Voice, Motorola Alert, Motorola Assist, Motorola Migrate, Motorola Connect,and Motorola Gallery remain listed only for Moto X (1st generation), Droid Maxx, Droid Mini, and Droid Ultra users. And to make my yearning for the Motorola apps even greater the Play Store has posted "stay tuned for updates to Moto Voice / Touchless Control soon".

I would like to upgrade my 4.7 inch Moto X (2013) for a Nexus 6 and not have to scroll or stretch web pages as much, but my liking for the Motorola apps is so far too great. Right now it looks like I may have to choose the lesser sized 5.2 inch Moto X (2014).
 
Last edited:
Supersnake said:
Motorola has really made some beautiful software. I wish Nexus would allow the Motorola apps to be installed and used in place of the Android equivalents. Wondering if an exception would be made for a Motorola manufactured Nexus I am finding myself reading the list of Motorola apps in the Google Play Store only to find that Moto Voice, Motorola Alert, Motorola Assist, Motorola Migrate, Motorola Connect,and Motorola Gallery
Click to expand...

That would defeat the primary purpose of buying a Nexus phone. Motorola makes and sells many other phones if people want their apps.
 
ocellaris said:
That would defeat the primary purpose of buying a Nexus phone. Motorola makes and sells many other phones if people want their apps.
Click to expand...
:rolleyes: Yes, it wouldn't be a Nexus if they did. Oh well, maybe Motorola will come out with their own branded 6 inch.
 
Supersnake said:
:rolleyes: Yes, it wouldn't be a Nexus if they did. Oh well, maybe Motorola will come out with their own branded 6 inch.
Click to expand...

Droid Turbo was the logical alternative to me, being not an apple guy and having had a bellyful of Samsung the last three or four years.
 
Supersnake said:
:rolleyes: Yes, it wouldn't be a Nexus if they did. Oh well, maybe Motorola will come out with their own branded 6 inch.
Click to expand...

Well google won't introduce something unless its specific to Google Services. They could copy the technology if they wanted but they aren't in dire need of copying such techniques, actually they encourage this stuff to be OEM dependent. Moto could come out with their own 6 inch and by god I'd hope it would have much better battery life then what's on the Nexus 6.
 
I think the HTC One M8 GPE version, once it gets 5.0 Lollipop officially next week, IMO is the best stock Android phone to date. Mainly because it's a one hander, with a manigable screen size, and not some freakishly huge 6" display. The Nexus 6 is also a very wide phone, pretty thick, and heavy. Just no way can it be used one handed.

Or even the OnePlus One, when CM12S is out. Plus the battery life on the OnePlus One is off the charts wickedly great

I think 5.5" screen size is the biggest that can still be a one handed phone, especially if done right like the LG G3, they built a 5.5" device so minimal in size, it feels much smaller. I wish Google would have made the Nexus 6 a 5.5" screen and based off the LG G3, just with the newer hardware inside.

Or Google should just make every flagship phone have a GPE version, then we could choose which specific device we want. Maybe a Galaxy S5 GPE people might want, or a LG G3 GPE. Give us that option at least.
 
Last edited:
Tyler-Durden said:
Can the standard HTC One M8 be rooted and ROMed to GPE status?
Click to expand...

Absolutely :cool:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuHFcGvUjwA&list=PLHTorDR_h9wzlSNE_Ewoy6LpjXrTiEo3F

And run this awesome ROM;
http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2709397

I have the ATT One M8, and I followed that video guide above, rooted it and install custom Recovery the first day I brought the phone home. I now run that GPE ROM in the link above, it's awesome rock solid and GREAT battery life. He will have the 5.0 Lollipop ROM up in a week. But I picked up a OnePlus one last month, so I gave my One M8 to my Wife, and rocking CM11S ROM now on my OnePlus. The OnePlus One battery life cannot be touched, I get 7h Screen On time every day, and a good 30 hours total battery life on this phone, and that's with heavy use on 4G LTE mostly. But even the HTC One M8 running the GPE ROM, got pretty sweet battery life too, I was getting 5h On Screen time, and like 18 hours of heavy use on 4G.
 
Erasmus354 said:
"average at best" is how he rated the battery life
Click to expand...

He also stated he gets about 5hrs of SoT with the One+1 so that would usually be considered heavy use. People that get 8hrs of SoT with their One+1 would probably get 5-6 with the Nexus 6 imo.
 
elzeus said:
He also stated he gets about 5hrs of SoT with the One+1 so that would usually be considered heavy use. People that get 8hrs of SoT with their One+1 would probably get 5-6 with the Nexus 6 imo.
Click to expand...

Why would increasing the SoT by ~50% on the One+1 increase the SoT by ~200% on the Nexus 6? Me thinks you need to maths better.
 
Skripka said:
Poor being a "B+" among phablets with QHD display.

Why are people blowing what reviewers saying out of proportion?
Click to expand...
I kind of mentioned this in the Note 4 thread. The Nexus 6 is a bad sell. It's a jack of many, matter of none at a premium price. If the Nexus 6 starts at $450 for the 32GB version and $500 for the 64, recommending it would be significantly easier. Starting at $650, why should people get it over a Moto X, Droid Turbo, Note 4, OnePlus One, or the HTC One?

Moto X - greatest user experience
Turbo - greatest battery, great UX
Note 4 - best display, best camera, better battery
OnePlus One - best value, great user experience
HTC One - best sound, great user experience, good/best low light and selfie cameras

I don't even see the Nexus 6 as being significantly better than the LG G3, which has been updated to lollipop quickly with a better camera, and it's $450 now.

The $650 price without any additional incentives other than getting updates straight from Google has killed my enthusiasm for the Nexus 6. Heck, even if it started at $550 for the 32GB, it would be an easier phone to recommend.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top