NEXUS 5X review

WHAT IS THE NEXUS 5X?

The Nexus 5X is the smaller and more affordable choice in Google’s current smartphone line-up. It sits behind the Huawei-made Nexus 6P, which carries a larger 6-inch screen, slightly faster hardware and a higher, £449 asking price.

In contrast, the £339 Nexus 5X is significantly cheaper than the 6P and slightly more affordable than Apple's new iPhone SE. But, it is more expensive than some competing handsets, such as the £250 OnePlus 2, which on paper match many of its specs. It isn't quite the straightforward bargain the classic Nexus 5 was.

But the 5X goes a long way to justify its increased price tag thanks to its completely unskinned, future-proof version of Google’s latest Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. In fact, the software makes the Nexus 5X one of the best smaller smartphones on the market.

NEXUS 5X – DESIGN & FEATURES

The Nexus 5X has a similar design to its spiritual predecessor the Nexus 5, which isn’t surprising given both were built by LG.

Some will feel the Nexus 5X looks a little dull, or unimaginative, but I’m a big fan of its design. The original Nexus 5’s soft touch back made it one of the most comfortable handsets I've ever used. This remains true on the Nexus 5X thanks to a similar, soft-touch rear. LG has clearly taken what people liked about the Nexus 5 and refined it, which is great news.

Its 5.2-inch screen means this isn't a giant phone, either. It's about the same size and weight as the Samsung Galaxy S6 – it's just a few centimetres taller and wider, and weighs just 136g. Very little space is taken up by the bezel surrounding the screen, a fact helped by the new fingerprint scanner being on the back.

NEXUS 5X – SCREEN QUALITY

The original Nexus 5 and Nexus 6’s screens were both sub-par. The Nexus 5's screen was slightly washed out and a little dull to look at. The Nexus 6 took things to the other extreme by featuring a horribly oversaturated display that distorted colours.

The Nexus 5X’s 5.2-inch, 424-pixel per inch (ppi) display sits in a happy middle ground between the two. Colours are well balanced and don’t suffer from the same oversaturation seen on the Nexus 6. They're also reasonably vibrant and don't look overly dull, as they did on the Nexus 5.

Black levels are also fairly good, though they aren’t as deep as those seen on top end competing handsets’ AMOLED displays, like the Galaxy S6. Whites are clean and the viewing angle is wonderfully wide and in my mind beat those of the competing OnePlus 2.