Google Nexus telephones ranked from worst to greatest

Google Pixel telephones are favorites right here at Android Authority, providing nice cameras, loads of AI methods, and a few unique software program options. These weren’t the primary Google units, although, as the corporate enlisted the assistance of companions to provide Nexus-branded telephones within the late 2000s to mid-2010s.

We’ve already ranked Pixel telephones, however which Nexus telephones had been the very best and which of them had been the pits?

We’ve ranked these telephones primarily based on numerous elements, together with important and business reception, options/specs, pricing, the significance of every launch, and our personal emotions. Evidently, that is purely for enjoyable. However do pontificate along with your opinions within the feedback beneath!

The primary and solely Motorola-produced Nexus is on the backside of our listing, and this rating is extra as a result of its huge departure from earlier Nexus telephones.

Maybe the most important concern with the Nexus 6 was its steep $649 price ticket at launch, a full $300 greater than its predecessor. Motorola’s Nexus was additionally very chunky and awkward to carry, whereas we criticized the telephone’s battery life in our evaluate on the time. The telephone additionally lacked a fingerprint scanner a full 12 months after the iPhone 5s debuted its touch-based scanner. This omission was reportedly a late resolution and the scanner was presupposed to be situated on the again the place the dimpled Motorola emblem was located.

It wasn’t all dangerous, although. The Nexus 6 delivered quicker HDR+ images for improved image high quality. It additionally supplied a QHD+ display, that blazing (however nonetheless 32-bit) Snapdragon 805 chip, quick wired charging expertise, and wi-fi charging. So that you positively acquired a lot of premium extras, but it surely was a polarizing change from the reasonably priced Nexus telephones of yore.

The nice

• Excessive-quality, pixel-dense display
• Wi-fi charging assist
• Brisk efficiency
• Improved digital camera expertise

The dangerous

• Very costly for a Nexus
• No fingerprint scanner
• Too massive and awkward for most individuals
• Disappointing battery life

The primary Nexus machine launched again in 2010 as Google teamed up with HTC. The end result was a telephone that positively appeared of its time, primarily because of the presence of a trackball for system navigation. The Nexus One additionally stood out within the US again then because it was bought off-contract through Google’s storefront, coming in at a substantial $529.

Surprisingly sufficient, show provide points meant just some units had OLED screens, whereas the remainder used LCD panels. May you think about that taking place right now with the Pixel 9 or Galaxy S24? Anyway, the Nexus One was a really succesful telephone on paper as a result of its 1GHz Snapdragon S1 chip and 512MB of RAM. The telephone had a few key weaknesses, although, similar to a 1,400mAh battery that delivered disappointing battery life. One other main draw back was the measly 512MB of expandable storage when telephones like the unique Galaxy S supplied 8GB of expandable storage that very same 12 months.

The Nexus One was a stable first effort nonetheless and gave us a style of unpolluted, unfettered Android at a time when producers had been beginning to closely pores and skin the platform. It was additionally the muse for the well-received HTC Need, though the aforementioned {hardware} weaknesses remained.

The nice

• Inventory Android expertise
• Quick updates
• Speedy efficiency
• Expandable storage

The dangerous

• Disappointing endurance
• Solely 512MB of inner storage
• Costly
• Didn’t launch with multi-touch assist

The sophomore Nexus smartphone noticed Google swap from HTC to Samsung, and the end result was a big enchancment. One of many greatest upgrades was the transfer to 16GB of storage, dwarfing the earlier telephone’s 512MB allotment. We additionally acquired a bigger and barely curved OLED display, a extra aesthetically pleasing design, and a decent stage of efficiency. This was additionally the primary telephone with NFC, enabling contactless funds, simpler accent pairing, and extra.

For higher or worse, the telephone shared loads of DNA with the unique Samsung Galaxy S which launched roughly six months earlier than. In contrast to the Galaxy S, although, the Nexus S lacked a reminiscence card slot. The Nexus telephone additionally lacked the Galaxy S’s 720p video recording capabilities, solely providing SD recording high quality. You’d assume Google would solely enhance on a six-month-old telephone, however right here we’re. This machine additionally had a single-core Hummingbird processor when the primary dual-core smartphones had been mere weeks away. Though, in all equity, Android solely gained multi-core CPU assist months later with the tablet-exclusive Honeycomb replace. Lastly, a number of areas acquired the Nexus S with an LCD display as a substitute of an OLED panel.

The nice

• First telephone with NFC
• Loads of inner storage
• Extra trendy design
• Glossy OLED show

The dangerous

• No HD recording
• No reminiscence card assist
• Extra highly effective telephones launched simply weeks later
• Some markets had LCD display as a substitute of OLED

One of many few Nexus telephones formally accessible in my native South Africa was the Galaxy Nexus, owing to Samsung’s presence out there. I used to be lucky sufficient to make use of the telephone on the time and I actually appreciated the marginally curved 720p OLED display (that includes a really refined vertical curve) and the absence of {hardware} navigation keys. The Galaxy Nexus shipped with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and I keep in mind being actually impressed by the mixture of Android 4.0’s darker colours and the OLED panel’s deep blacks.

Maybe the most important draw back to the Galaxy Nexus was the digital camera expertise, that includes a low-resolution 5MP snapper at a time when 8MP sensors had been changing into commonplace. I assumed the telephone nonetheless took handsome pictures whereas zero-shutter lag assist was a fantastic addition, but it surely wasn’t among the many greatest digital camera telephones on the time. The shortage of a reminiscence card slot was an excellent more durable tablet to swallow, even when 16GB or 32GB of storage was on faucet. Reviewers additionally lamented the absence of FM radio assist, which was a fixture on smartphones on the time.

The Galaxy Nexus arrived in two distinct flavors: a world GSM/HSPA+ model and a Verizon mannequin with LTE assist. This vastly difficult issues when it got here to community assist, information speeds, battery life, and updates. I’m glad the prime Android telephones right now don’t undergo from this downside to the identical extent.

The nice

• Stunning OLED display
• Android 4.0 was a game-changer
• No {hardware} navigation buttons
• A great deal of storage for 2012

The dangerous

• No reminiscence card slot
• Digicam {hardware} could possibly be higher
• Verizon variant was gradual to get updates and had worse battery life

The Motorola Nexus 6 was lambasted for its excessive price ticket again in 2014, so we had been very glad when the Nexus 5X was launched alongside the Nexus 6P the next 12 months. The Nexus 5X picked up the place 2013’s Nexus 5 left off, providing a extra reasonably priced proposition at $379. The Nexus 5X introduced an higher mid-range Snapdragon 808 SoC, a extra pocket-friendly 5.2-inch LCD display, a quick rear fingerprint scanner, and a much-improved digital camera expertise.

Sadly, this cheaper price ticket got here at a value. The telephone shipped with simply 2GB of RAM and 16GB of base storage in comparison with the Nexus 6P’s 3GB/32GB base configuration. Critiques on the time additionally lamented the slower HDR efficiency, the shortage of a burst mode and OIS, and the shortage of wi-fi charging. Then there was the truth that some fashions suffered from bootloops — dammit, LG.

The nice

• Return to low-cost price ticket after costly Nexus 6
• Very quick rear fingerprint scanner
• Small design in comparison with Nexus 6
• Good digital camera expertise and picture high quality

The dangerous

• Bootloop concern affected some house owners
• Slower digital camera efficiency than Nexus 6P
• Common efficiency was a step beneath Nexus 6P
• No wi-fi charging
• Simply 2GB of RAM

The HUAWEI Nexus 6P joined the LG Nexus 5X because the final Nexus telephones ever launched again in 2015. The HUAWEI machine, specifically, was the most effective Android telephones of all time upon its launch. There was a premium steel design, a pointy OLED display, a big battery, and a fingerprint scanner for the primary time within the sequence. The telephone additionally made a long-lasting influence as a result of its images credentials, taking nice snaps because of a mix of Google’s improved HDR+ picture smarts and a 12.3MP digital camera. This combo would go on to be a fixture on many subsequent Pixel telephones.

Sadly, the Nexus 6P had an Achilles Heel, and that was a bootloop concern. Google acknowledged on the time that this was a {hardware} concern, and it’s thought that the Snapdragon 810 chip was in charge. This resulted in a profitable class motion settlement being filed in opposition to Google and HUAWEI. Toss in iffy assist for numerous charging requirements, no wi-fi charging assist, a barebones digital camera app, and an absence of optical picture stabilization (OIS), and it’s clear why the primary and solely HUAWEI Nexus isn’t the highest decide in our ebook.

The nice

• Excessive-quality display
• Good battery life
• Fingerprint scanner for first time on Nexus line
• Nice digital camera high quality
• Steel design

The dangerous

• No Qualcomm Fast Cost assist
• Bootloop concern which resulted in a settlement
• No OIS for the digital camera
• No wi-fi charging

Google and the Nexus line actually discovered their ft in 2012 with the LG-made Nexus 4. Virtually the entire issues we affiliate with the Nexus line could be discovered right here, similar to flagship energy, inventory Android, quick-fire entry to updates, and an affordable worth. In reality, I’d argue that the Nexus 4 was a “flagship killer” a full 12 months earlier than the OnePlus One.

We praised the 2012 Nexus for its reasonably priced $299 price ticket, its design that featured a so-called Crystal Reflection again cowl, and its quick efficiency. The machine additionally had wi-fi charging, which was changing into a scorching ticket merchandise on the time. It’s no marvel the telephone made it onto our runner-up spot.

Sadly, one of many greatest weaknesses of the Nexus 4 was its lack of LTE assist. This got here at a time when carriers and rival producers had been shortly adopting the high-speed 4G commonplace. LG and Google’s telephones additionally supplied lackluster digital camera high quality and a barebones digital camera app. This was additionally the primary Nexus telephone with out a detachable battery, whereas the shortage of a reminiscence card slot was additionally regrettable. Lastly, some individuals reported that the Nexus 4’s rear cowl broke with out the machine being dropped.

The nice

• Loads of horsepower
• Low cost worth
• Cool design
• Wi-fi charging assist

The dangerous

• No LTE
• Middling digital camera high quality
• No detachable battery
• Fragile rear cowl

Was the Nexus 5 peak Nexus? It’s exhausting to argue in any other case, as Google and LG delivered a flagship-tier smartphone for less than $349 again in 2013. This was nearly a 12 months earlier than the OnePlus One launched and popularized the “flagship killer” moniker. The Nexus 5 picked up the place the Nexus 4 left off, providing a screaming-fast Snapdragon 800 chip, 2GB of RAM, 16GB/32GB of storage, and an FHD+ IPS show. This telephone additionally supplied LTE and a sturdy again cowl, which had been each lacking from the Nexus 4.

The Nexus 5 wasn’t with out its faults. For one, the digital camera expertise was improved over the Nexus 4 because of the introduction of HDR+ through an replace, but it surely was nonetheless disappointing. Then once more, this was par for the course for Nexus telephones within the early 2010s. The telephone additionally delivered common battery life and lacked a microSD card slot. However regardless of these points, the Nexus 5 nonetheless ranks as the very best Nexus in our ebook.

The nice

• Low cost worth
• Incredible efficiency
• Wi-fi charging assist
• Clear tackle Android
• HDR+ processing for higher images

The dangerous

• Digicam high quality nonetheless wasn’t nice
• Common battery life
• No storage growth