Minimalistic yet full of features. The Nexus 5 is truly a simple yet elegant phone. With clean lines this rectangular phone is available in white and Black. Made by LG for Google and based on the LG G2, though it is more of a simple and mainstream look with a far less revolutionary look then the HTC1 or iPhone 5s. Even with these less perfected features it in no way gives you the cheap plastic feel you would get with the current Samsung phones. Though at first glance the phone looks basic and imperfect you quickly find when holding it that every line and curve is designed for comfort in your hands for extended use. Weighing in at only 130 grams, when holding this phone it feels feather light to the user and many times you will even forget you have it in your pocket. Height wise the phone is only 8.6mm coming in at just about the same width as a #2 pencil. With a stunning 5” 1080p IPS Display, with a display this high definition on such a small surface area the pixels mend together seamlessly with no bulky noticeable pixilation or shadowing effects. When it comes to power the Nexus 5 does not disappoint running a 2.26ghz Snapdragon 800 Quadcore featuring 2GB ram this makes the phone a powerhouse and complements a beautifully perfect Android 4.4 Kit Kat OS.
Even though via the benchmarks the Nexus 5 may score under its competitors in real hands on use there is no way you will notice the difference. When using the Nexus 5 you can finally feel Googles vision for a lag free perfected smart phone. Leaving you with a feeling of money well spent even with the lack of launch day accessories or the fact it does not include earbuds. Though the camera is not anything amazing it is about average with the 8mp camera and it does give fairly great photos. Where google makes up for this is with the hands free features only found on the moto X giving you a siri competitor that actually does what it’s supposed to and understands the users commands, only down side is this feature cannot be used to unlock your phone. The screen to the left of the home screen is reserved for Google now giving you the weather, maps and many other things that are constantly used right at the home screen without opening a app. The battery is not removable but does hold a charge for daily use such as browsing and movie watching. Call quality is extremely clear and precise with a great mic and internal ear speaker, sadly the external speaker quality is sub-par on this phone giving you only mono audio. With this lack of great sound it is even easily beat by the Samsung S4 in our sound tests. Put a good headset on though and your back to a level playing field.
Overall the Nexus 5 is a high end smart phone with cutting edge graphics, design and usability the Nexus 5 gets Davide’s and Real Hardware Reviews must buy phone of 2013. If you are going to buy any phone outright this year the Nexus 5 is hands down the best bang for your buck and for that matter the best phone on the market for under $500.
