The new Nexus 6P comes very close, but is no 6S Plus

[Ticojpunk]

I've got both in front of me and it's a tough decision. They're equal in build quality. The only things that honestly separate the two are: 1) ecosystem (obviously) - I'm more invested in Android so it appeals a little more to me; 2) screen - Nexus is better in my opinion; 3) battery life goes to the 6s Plus, but Nexus standby is great; 4) camera is better in lowlight on the Nexus, but video is much better on the 6s Plus - every other kind of picture seems neck and neck; and 5) I like that the Nexus is much cheaper off contract (128gb Nexus with Nexus Protect is less than a 16gb 6s Plus).

I know none of this really helps you, but these are my observations. Seems like Android finally has a legit iPhone competitor.

I'd say that info is actually pretty helpful to me.

6S+ battery life to me is a luxury in a way. I was fine with the battery life on last years iPhone 6. The 6S+ battery life is fun, but I honestly abuse it just because I can. I'm perfectly capable of charging it in the car or during the day if I need to, but I like to see how hard I can push it.

Camera is definitely a legit concern of mine, and one of the reasons I moved to the iPhone in the first place. It's nice to know there's a legitimate alternative now. Low light was something that always plagued me so I'm happy to hear the 6P does well in this area. Video is less critical I suppose. As long as it looks good, then I'm happy. I've seen samples of the 240fps slowmo on the 6P and it looks just about as good as the iPhone.

Ecosystem, I used to have Android so I still have a lot of purchased apps waiting for me in the Play Store if I go back. I could go either way. I've enjoyed the last year with an iPhone, but I think I could be easily as happy on a Nexus. I use all of Google's services at work and personally, Google Keep, Maps, Drive/Docs, Gmail, Now, Calendar.

Price is of course a huge factor. A 6S+ return would gain me back a little over $300. I buy my phones outright every year or every other year depending on my needs/wants and what kind of advances there have been. Buying iPhones outright is honestly pretty painful. I look at the $902 on my CC statement and I wonder if I'm smoking something. Lol. Buying Nexus each year or every other year is way more sustainable.

 

[Wildo6882]

I'd say that info is actually pretty helpful to me.

6S+ battery life to me is a luxury in a way. I was fine with the battery life on last years iPhone 6. The 6S+ battery life is fun, but I honestly abuse it just because I can. I'm perfectly capable of charging it in the car or during the day if I need to, but I like to see how hard I can push it.

Camera is definitely a legit concern of mine, and one of the reasons I moved to the iPhone in the first place. It's nice to know there's a legitimate alternative now. Low light was something that always plagued me so I'm happy to hear the 6P does well in this area. Video is less critical I suppose. As long as it looks good, then I'm happy. I've seen samples of the 240fps slowmo on the 6P and it looks just about as good as the iPhone.

Ecosystem, I used to have Android so I still have a lot of purchased apps waiting for me in the Play Store if I go back. I could go either way. I've enjoyed the last year with an iPhone, but I think I could be easily as happy on a Nexus. I use all of Google's services at work and personally, Google Keep, Maps, Drive/Docs, Gmail, Now, Calendar.

Price is of course a huge factor. A 6S+ return would gain me back a little over $300. I buy my phones outright every year or every other year depending on my needs/wants and what kind of advances there have been. Buying iPhones outright is honestly pretty painful. I look at the $902 on my CC statement and I wonder if I'm smoking something. Lol. Buying Nexus each year or every other year is way more sustainable.

That's kind of how I am - I use all Google services at home and at work. So Android is awesome for that. And I also buy most of my stuff full price and saving $300 on the 6P makes me feel a little better about my purchase. It really is a tough decision though, between the two phones. But it's awesome to have this much parity right now.

 

[sangs]

But it's awesome to have this much parity right now.

That's the best thing, quite frankly. I'm not one of those users that hates the other guys (either way) and having such quality phone choices is fantastic.

 

[Wildo6882]

That's the best thing, quite frankly. I'm not one of those users that hates the other guys (either way) and having such quality phone choices is fantastic.

I'm not, either. I love Android and iOS. I want them both to push each other. The 6P is the first phone that I honestly think is right there with an iPhone.

 

[dwd3885]

It's the Placebo effect. Happens all the time and it's why they use placebos in drug studies.

If you tell people something is amazing it will often seem amazing even when the effect is negligible. People take sugar pills and claim their back pain went from a 7 to a 3, etc.

You aren't immune to it. None of us are. But go on YouTube and you can see the video from the 6P is great.

iPhones actually aren't that great for video. The cropping is severe and the picture is slightly up scaled to compensate. The Sound is Mono. The sharpness and color reproduction in video trails a lot of high end Android phones.

Apples digital stabilization algorithms are great. Look at iPhone 6(s) 4.7" video. It's very stable without OIS.

People are seeing a difference in the quality of the DIS algorithms more than they are seeing the effect of OIS.

Uh, that's not what the placebo effect is but ok. I agree with the OP. Video recording is not as smooth as the iPhone 6S Plus. I have tried to use the 6P and it's a great phone, but the video shakiness held me back. Also the lack of video editing apps on Android is a downer too. Nothing like iMovie and even the majority of other quality video editing apps are much better on iOS. Things like iMessage and smoothness of the Twitter/Facebook apps are the things that have me staying with the iPhone.

 

[Ticojpunk]

I'm not, either. I love Android and iOS. I want them both to push each other. The 6P is the first phone that I honestly think is right there with an iPhone.

It's definitely gonna be an interesting fight for me. The 6S Plus is really settling in with me as feeling "just right". There's not much I feel I'm lacking or missing, other than Google Now.

Honestly, bugs and other stuff were the main thing that drove me to order the Nexus. This is my third 6S Plus because of various hardware issues. And yesterday YouTube and Netflix kept crashing instantly. Then suddenly cleared up 30 minutes later. Lol.

I think gone are the days when iPhones were rock solid smooth butter machines. Maybe it's Nexus' turn?

 

[Wildo6882]

It's definitely gonna be an interesting fight for me. The 6S Plus is really settling in with me as feeling "just right". There's not much I feel I'm lacking or missing, other than Google Now.

Honestly, bugs and other stuff were the main thing that drove me to order the Nexus. This is my third 6S Plus because of various hardware issues. And yesterday YouTube and Netflix kept crashing instantly. Then suddenly cleared up 30 minutes later. Lol.

I think gone are the days when iPhones were rock solid smooth butter machines. Maybe it's Nexus' turn?

Yeah, I've experienced some niggling issues with my last few iPhones. Nothing just earth shattering, but they aren't flawless either. I actually think I'm going to use the Nexus for a couple of weeks and return my iPhone. Give the Nexus a good run and if I'm still not happy, I'll order another iPhone. That's the only way I'll know if I actually want to stay Nexus or not. Can't have that iPhone tempting me...

 

[Wildo6882]

Uh, that's not what the placebo effect is but ok. I agree with the OP. Video recording is not as smooth as the iPhone 6S Plus. I have tried to use the 6P and it's a great phone, but the video shakiness held me back. Also the lack of video editing apps on Android is a downer too. Nothing like iMovie and even the majority of other quality video editing apps are much better on iOS. Things like iMessage and smoothness of the Twitter/Facebook apps are the things that have me staying with the iPhone.

The video quality is the only major gripe when comparing the camera of the two. The 6s Plus definitely has much smoother video quality. Other than that, I don't see anything in the iPhone camera that blows the 6P out of the water.

 

[dwd3885]

The video quality is the only major gripe when comparing the camera of the two. The 6s Plus definitely has much smoother video quality. Other than that, I don't see anything in the iPhone camera that blows the 6P out of the water.

I agree. Photos might even be better on the 6P

 

[rendermario]

i agree, i don't have the Nexus 6P but i've seen some specs and video examples. so in theory it has a better camera but in the practice it doesn't. finally i don't think this smartphone can do this:

https://youtu.be/8E-rN_IzRWw

 

[Ticojpunk]

Yeah, I've experienced some niggling issues with my last few iPhones. Nothing just earth shattering, but they aren't flawless either. I actually think I'm going to use the Nexus for a couple of weeks and return my iPhone. Give the Nexus a good run and if I'm still not happy, I'll order another iPhone. That's the only way I'll know if I actually want to stay Nexus or not. Can't have that iPhone tempting me...

So true. You need to get in some decent time with the device to see what you miss and what perks you're getting if you switched.

 

[meyer]

I wasn't going to post anything but I will because I'm bored at work and I like the unbiased opinions in this thread (or least the last handful of posts). I had the 6P on preorder since the 30th of Sept. Got sick of the delays and canceled it and impulse bought a 6S+ which happened to by my very first iPhone ever. I feel like if I don't order the 6P to at least try it, I'm not going to completely content with this iPhone. It's a great phone but once you set it up, it's done. With Android, I was always tinkering with it and could obviously flash ROMs and what not but I'm almost over that too. I now understand the "it just works" comments with an iPhone. And I'm the same way, I couldn't care less what anyone uses and had it not been for the delays Google had, I'd have a 6P but in a sense it worked out to my advantage because I took the plunge to try something different.

After reading the reviews, I'm even more hell bent on wanting to order a 6P but the color/size combo I want is sold out right now. In any case, it appears the phones are damn near identical - for lack of a better term - other than the Fingerprint ID on the 6P being on point. This 6S+ is accurate but it does miss the print quite a bit which is annoying.

 

[Ticojpunk]

To the post above, I'm with you. Google delays never sit well with me. I don't like back order ordering stuff. I went into the Apple Store one day for kicks, and had a "what the heck /why not?" Moment and bought a 6S Plus. I really do like it.

The kicker is the "it just works" moniker hasn't been panning out too well for me. This is my 3rd 6S+. Had a bum headphone jack, and a bum power button. On my 3rd and current one, I'm dealing with some ridiculously weird app crashes. Yesterday and today around noon, Netflix and YouTube started force closing on me non-stop. Today I decided to do a full wipe and restore in iTunes. After I set up and downloaded YouTube and Netflix again, still crashing. huh? On a brand new fresh setup? So then I did a iCloud backup from last week and that's working better.

But I've had way too many headaches for a $900 phone.

I'm getting my 6P on Monday, and I'm actually hoping I get the "it just works" feeling from the Nexus, as it's not really been happening on the 6S Plus for me!

I wanted the black 6P in 64GB but went with the Aluminium. I think I'll like it more in person and it'll be less of a fingerprint magnet and probably less prone to scratching as well. We'll see on that. I tend to default to black when available.

Good luck to you. I hope you get a 6P in hand to try out soon!

 

[Wildo6882]

To the post above, I'm with you. Google delays never sit well with me. I don't like back order ordering stuff. I went into the Apple Store one day for kicks, and had a "what the heck /why not?" Moment and bought a 6S Plus. I really do like it.

The kicker is the "it just works" moniker hasn't been panning out too well for me. This is my 3rd 6S+. Had a bum headphone jack, and a bum power button. On my 3rd and current one, I'm dealing with some ridiculously weird app crashes. Yesterday and today around noon, Netflix and YouTube started force closing on me non-stop. Today I decided to do a full wipe and restore in iTunes. After I set up and downloaded YouTube and Netflix again, still crashing. huh? On a brand new fresh setup? So then I did a iCloud backup from last week and that's working better.

But I've had way too many headaches for a $900 phone.

I'm getting my 6P on Monday, and I'm actually hoping I get the "it just works" feeling from the Nexus, as it's not really been happening on the 6S Plus for me!

I wanted the black 6P in 64GB but went with the Aluminium. I think I'll like it more in person and it'll be less of a fingerprint magnet and probably less prone to scratching as well. We'll see on that. I tend to default to black when available.

Good luck to you. I hope you get a 6P in hand to try out soon!

My 6s Plus is going back on Monday and I'm firing up my 6P as my daily for a bit. I have the black and have seen the aluminum. I definitely like the black better. It's sleek as hell. Looks like something a Sith would have if they had an Android phone. Another part of the reason I'm switching, is like I said above, I can save a good deal of money. I hope you enjoy yours. I'll report back after I have even more time with mine.

 

[meyer]

To the post above, I'm with you. Google delays never sit well with me. I don't like back order ordering stuff. I went into the Apple Store one day for kicks, and had a "what the heck /why not?" Moment and bought a 6S Plus. I really do like it.

The kicker is the "it just works" moniker hasn't been panning out too well for me. This is my 3rd 6S+. Had a bum headphone jack, and a bum power button. On my 3rd and current one, I'm dealing with some ridiculously weird app crashes. Yesterday and today around noon, Netflix and YouTube started force closing on me non-stop. Today I decided to do a full wipe and restore in iTunes. After I set up and downloaded YouTube and Netflix again, still crashing. huh? On a brand new fresh setup? So then I did a iCloud backup from last week and that's working better.

But I've had way too many headaches for a $900 phone.

I'm getting my 6P on Monday, and I'm actually hoping I get the "it just works" feeling from the Nexus, as it's not really been happening on the 6S Plus for me!

I wanted the black 6P in 64GB but went with the Aluminium. I think I'll like it more in person and it'll be less of a fingerprint magnet and probably less prone to scratching as well. We'll see on that. I tend to default to black when available.

Good luck to you. I hope you get a 6P in hand to try out soon!

I actually had to return my first one as well due to the fingerprint reader super inaccurate and the screen was very unresponsive. I actually felt like a tool complaining about it at the Apple store but for what I paid, I want it to work right. Not sure if it's me or what but this phone seems about the same. I'm debating on getting the 64GB 6P just to give it a go and then return it and wait for a 128 but I know if I like it, I won't return and then complain down the road when I run out of room. Hahahah! In any case, my buddy may order the 64GB and hopefully I can finger blast his for a bit to get it outta my system and see if I want one for sure.

 

[Ticojpunk]

My 6s Plus is going back on Monday and I'm firing up my 6P as my daily for a bit. I have the black and have seen the aluminum. I definitely like the black better. It's sleek as hell. Looks like something a Sith would have if they had an Android phone. Another part of the reason I'm switching, is like I said above, I can save a good deal of money. I hope you enjoy yours. I'll report back after I have even more time with mine.

I'll do the same. You're making me doubt my Aluminium option! I'll see how it strikes me in person.

Either way I think my 6S Plus is also going back on Monday. I'm going to give the Nexus a full two weeks and see how it goes. Definitely excited about getting Google Now back and not having to deal with Siri anymore.

 

[planoman]

Android majority user here. I usually keep an iphone and nexus. Got my 6S+ Oct 26 and my Nexus 6P on Nov 3.

I like them both and they have different strengths. With regard to shooting video, the iphone is superior, no doubt about it in my experience. I do not shoot in 4k on any device. And shooting the 6S+ at 1080p 60 frames is pretty sweet. The pictures are much improved on the nexus however the video is not as smooth.

Shoot video of the scene while walking and you will see the difference.

Posted via my Nexus 6P!

 

[swarlos]

I'll do the same. You're making me doubt my Aluminium option! I'll see how it strikes me in person.

Either way I think my 6S Plus is also going back on Monday. I'm going to give the Nexus a full two weeks and see how it goes. Definitely excited about getting Google Now back and not having to deal with Siri anymore.

I had the aluminum for about a week, just shipped it back yesterday sticking with my iPhone another year. The aluminum though is gorgeous in person very sexy!

 

[Wildo6882]

I'll do the same. You're making me doubt my Aluminium option! I'll see how it strikes me in person.

Either way I think my 6S Plus is also going back on Monday. I'm going to give the Nexus a full two weeks and see how it goes. Definitely excited about getting Google Now back and not having to deal with Siri anymore.

Nah, the aluminum is nice. I just like jet black phones. I'm going to give the Nexus a couple of weeks. If all else fails, I'll come crawling back to the 6s Plus.

 

[planoman]

My 6s Plus is going back on Monday and I'm firing up my 6P as my daily for a bit. I have the black and have seen the aluminum. I definitely like the black better. It's sleek as hell. Looks like something a Sith would have if they had an Android phone. Another part of the reason I'm switching, is like I said above, I can save a good deal of money. I hope you enjoy yours. I'll report back after I have even more time with mine.

Yeah I am one of the good guys so like the aluminium better since it shows much less fingerprints etc. Also iPhone also has Google now and agree siri is no match for google now. Also interesting how the 6s+ and 6p have almost the exact same dimensions.

Posted via my Nexus 6P!