Please note that this article is called a preview because we haven’t fully reviewed the new Nexus 6P. We’ve had our hands-on it at the London Google event so we have initially impressions but haven’t been able to properly test things like performance, battery life and cameras.
Google Nexus 6P vs Nexus 6 preview: Price
Instead of discontinuing the original Nexus 6, you can still buy it from the Google Play Store. For now anyway, and it’s available for £369 for the 32GB model. If you’re looking to upgrade then the new Nexus 6P starts at £449 and you’ll get 32GB of storage. That’s cheaper than launch price of the Nexus 6 and this time around there are three storage capacities to choose from, maxing out at 128GB for £579. You can pre-order the Nexus 6P now and will start shipping towards the end of October. Check out the table below for the full price breakdown of the Nexus 6 and 6P. Read: Nexus 6P release date, price and specs.
Google Nexus 6P vs Nexus 6 preview: Design and build
Partly down to a smaller screen, the Nexus 6P is a more manageable device on the design front. It’s the same height at 159mm but the width is 77.8mm and it’s now 3mm thinner at 7.3. All of this means the weight has been reduced from 184- to 178g. That’s some good work from Huawei and with the size being one of the main things putting us off the original Nexus 6, the 6P is a more attractive package. Furthermore, this is the first fully metal Nexus phone and has a much more premium look and feel with the aluminium body which is available in different colours: Graphite, Frost and Aluminium. We certainly feel that the Nexus 6P is a big improvement in this area but what’s changed on the hardware front? Read on to find out.
Google Nexus 6P vs Nexus 6 preview: Hardware and specs
As mentioned, the screen has been reduced from 5.9- to a more wieldy 5.7in. This is still big but the screen-to-body ratio means it’s about the same size as many 5.5in devices. The panel remains AMOLED and the resolution is still Quad HD (1440×2560) resulting in a bump to 518ppi. There’s still no Micro-SD card slot and 3GB of RAM so the big difference internally is the 128GB storage option and an upgrade to the processor. The Nexus 6P uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 (the 2.1 version which shouldn’t have overheating problems). A jump to octa-core and Adreno 430 graphics is welcome, although we didn’t have any major problems with the original Nexus 6 in terms of performance. So far the key differences are a smaller screen and a large capacity option but a new feature has arrived in the form of a fingerprint scanner. This sits on the back and can be used for unlocking the phone and things like authenticating payments. It learns over time and Nexus Imprint means it’s available to the entire app ecosystem. That’s a decent reason to upgrade but it’s with sadness that we must inform you that wireless charging is missing from the Nexus 6P. Instead, Google has gone for a reversible Type-C USB port which does charge the device faster but not wirelessly. Moving onto camera tech and on the face of it, it’s disappointing to see the camera drop from 13Mp to 12.3Mp. However, that’s not the entire story as the Nexus 6P offers 1.55µm pixels, a laser autofocus system and a dual-tone LED flash. We’ve only had a hands-on with the 6P so we can’t give a full verdict on the camera yet. However, we can confirm the 8Mp front camera is a lot better so great news for all you selfie fans and video chatters out there. Many other specs remain the same or very similar with the Nexus 6P offering dual-band 11ac Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC and Cat 6 4G LTE support.
Google Nexus 6P vs Nexus 6 preview: Software
And we reach the software section where there really isn’t a lot to say. The Motorola Nexus 6 will get upgraded to Android 6.0 Marshmallow before the Nexus 6P even starts shipping. As far as we are aware, there aren’t any features which will be available on the Nexus 6P but not the Nexus 6.
Google Nexus 6P vs Nexus 6 preview: Key changes
For the Nexus 6P – More manageable design– Stylish metal build– Snapdragon 810 processor– 128GB option– Fingerprint scanner– USB Type-C– 8Mp front camera Against the Nexus 6P – No wireless charging– More expensive (of course) Tech Advisor’s Reviews Editor, Chris has been reviewing all kinds of tech for over 10 years and specialises in audio. He also covers a range of topics including home entertainment, phones, laptops, tablets and more.
