The Nexus 5X is manufactured by LG and acts as the successor to the Nexus 5. The device comes with a lot of improved specifications and new features.
Even though it may not have flashiest specifications of any phone, the Nexus 5X packs mostly premium components and a design that impresses at the $379 starting price. And who doesn’t want that? With stock Android and rapid updates coming directly from Google, you can’t go wrong. Here are features that Google and LG should have considered to make the Nexus 5X even better.
Wireless charging
A multitude of Nexus devices — the Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 6, and Nexus 7 (2013) — included support for wireless charging. Even though wireless charging is yet to become the norm, it would still be appreciated by many considering lots of Android competitors have it built directly into their flagship phones. The new included USB Type-C port is likely the culprit here. Since USB Type-C is reversible, Google may have found it a worthy replacement for wireless charging. It may also be a factor that keeps the price down low.
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Optical image stabilization (OIS) is used to stabilize your device when taking pictures or recording video to avoid blur and movement while holding the phone. Rather than including OIS, Google decided to increase the camera sensor size on the Nexus 5X to 1.55 μm-sized pixels. According to Google’s, this will make up for the lack of OIS and work just as well if not better. But we’ll have to wait for samples to be sure.
Gorilla Glass 4
Most presumably, in order to keep the price low, Google decided to use Gorilla Glass 3 rather than the new and more durable Gorilla Glass 4. If you like to throw your device around a lot, you might want to consider the Nexus 5X’s larger sibling, the Nexus 6P, for its increased durability. If you are fine with using protective accessories, this should be nothing to worry about. As far as I’m concerned, the difference between Gorilla Glass 3 and Gorilla Glass 4 is barely noticeable and won’t make much of a difference when your device goes face first onto the concrete.
Expandable storage
Okay, you didn’t think Google was going to actually include expandable storage right? Recent Nexus devices have hinted that Google has strong feelings against expandable storage mainly due to the cloud services it provides. Google Drive supplies 10GB of space for free to everyone and more is available to purchase at a very low cost. If you’re lucky, Google often runs promotions giving away additional Drive space for free. If 16GB or 32GB isn’t enough for you, consider those options.
Front-facing speakers
Unlike its big brother the Nexus 6P, the Nexus 5X only has one front-facing speaker. Sound quality of recent Nexus handsets hasn’t disappointed, though, but many would still love to have two front-facing speakers blasting sound out of the device. The only time you would notice a significant difference is when watching movies or video clips. Other than that, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal-breaker.
Additional, faster RAM
Those obsessed with specs will be very disappointed to know that the Nexus 5X only includes 2GB of DDR3 RAM. An increase in RAM allows for better performance and enables the device to keep multiple apps running in the background without having to reload them. Most Android flagships are currently backed with 3GB or even 4GB of RAM, so the Nexus 5X’s 2GB can be seen as a disappointment. On the good side, Google has made significant improvements to RAM management in Marshmallow. So maybe, just maybe, the Nexus 5X won’t need it.
Closing
The Nexus 5X has some room for improvement but not every smartphone is perfect. It really depends on your personal needs and wants for a device. The Nexus 5X definitely improves upon the original Nexus 5 but it’s up to you to upgrade.
[Google Store]
Come comment on this article: What could have improved the Nexus 5X?
Visit TalkAndroid for Android news, Android guides, and much more!
