Google Nexus 5 Pro Reviews

Top performance and top value - the Nexus 5 is our new A-List smartphone

The Google Nexus 5 does almost everything right for a very reasonable price

There's no doubt that the Nexus 5 is the much better deal, considering the performance-price ratio. If you're on a tight budget, but would love to have a powerful smartphone, then your best option will be to order the Nexus 5 from the Google Play Store, in case it's available in your country. If not, the Nexus 5 will still be a bit cheaper than the iPhone 5s, but the difference will no longer be that huge. However, if you value the feeling of having and working with a really sophisticated and gorgeous product, then it's worth considering getting the iPhone 5s, as it's one of the very few smartphones out there that can offer you what the Nexus 5 can't.

To judge the Nexus 5, we need return to the Nexus 4 for a moment. For all its greatness, the year-old phone failed to break into the mainstream, as regular buyers still flocked to Samsung for their Android smartphone fun. Is the Nexus 5 Google’s breakout device, ready to take on the accepted giants of the industry, such as the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One? At $350 unconnected for the 16GB model, it has every right to popularity; it’s half the price of its competitors. It’s also just as powerful with a screen just as sharp, and the standard Android user experience is far better than any manufacturer user interface we’ve used. However, its limited availability with carriers in the United States is a problem. Sprint and T-Mobile are the only carriers that will sell it in-store, and the benefits of standard Android are irrelevant to most people. All this would be solved if the Nexus 5 stood out for some other reason than its SIM-free price. But instead, it’s a bit too safe in its feature list and design. It’s vaguely related to the LG G2, which will look considerably more “exciting” to buyers, thanks to the rear-mounted buttons and attention grabbing (though largely useless) extra software features. The Nexus 5 then, will probably remain the Android phone of choice to those in the know, or bargain hunters who do their research. It’s unlikely to be challenging high-selling Samsung phones for supremacy. Don’t get us wrong, it’s a comprehensive upgrade over the Nexus 4, can match the pace of phones costing twice as much, and those who do buy it will get themselves one of the best Android phones available. But this phone won’t set your heart a-flutter. The Nexus 5 is a no-nonsense smartphone which shows off everything Android (and LG, to an extent) is capable of in a most convincing, but clinical, fashion. Just don’t let that put you off.

Seriously, the Nexus 5 is very much like that person at the gym who wears an oversized t-shirt to hide the results they’ve been working hard on for some time. There are other smartphones that might be bigger, badder, and better looking, but regardless of that, the Nexus 5 is a humble little fella that doesn’t feel obligated to “show off.” Instead, its modest approach and one-of-a-kind pricing is an effective combination that shows us that it’s a force to be reckoned with. Timing couldn’t have been any better for this smartphone, since it’s already a home run heading into this holiday season.

Probably. Not only is it an excellent phone right now, it's the most future-proofed phone currently in existence. It's got horsepower to spare, and since it's Google's baby it should get updates from the mothership for a long time to come. Plus, $350 off-contract is a really sweet deal for a phone of this caliber. But is it the best Android phone? That's tougher to answer. It's almost hard to believe, but the scrappy little Moto X, with its comparatively meagre 720p screen and dual-core 1.7GHz processor, gives the Nexus 5 a run for its money. The Moto X has form-factor on its side. It also has innovation; the touchless controls and active display are features I genuinely missed when I switched to the Nexus, and the rest of the Moto X OS is really very close to stock Android. Plus, you can customize the hell out of it. That said, it's not nearly as future-proof, updates will come slower, and if you want it off-contract and customized you're looking at about $480. We'll let the question of the Moto X loom in the air, but we'd definitely take the Nexus 5 over the HTC One or Galaxy S4 or Droid Maxx. If you're into specs or if you're an Android purist, then this is definitely the phone for you.

If you want to buy a SIM free smartphone, then we'd strongly advise you chose the Nexus 5, it's an amazing smartphone with top of the range specs with a ridiculously low price tag. However, if you want to take out a lengthy contract then it really is a closer contest where neither the Nexus 5 of Xperia Z1 will disappoint you.

You simply cannot beat the Nexus 5's price. Sure, the Galaxy S4 has a nicer camera and features expandable memory, but that price, coupled with the new Android OS make the Nexus 5 hard to top.

For all the brouhaha that surrounds the Google Nexus 5, know that the device isn't perfect. Its crisp 1080p display isn't as bright as those of other high-end handsets on the market, its 8-megapixel camera can capture lackluster photos and videos, and as it turns out, KitKat doesn't bring a lot of tangible feature sweets. But if we take a step back, we realize that to even compare this $400 phone to those that cost upward of $650 unlocked (like the Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, and Apple iPhone 5S) speaks volumes about the Nexus 5's massive appeal and affordability. Performance is solid and it has the big-boy specs that everyone expects. That includes a Snapdragon 800 processor that runs smoothly, a 4.95-inch screen that looks sharp, and data capabilities that connect to LTE. Oh, right, and it makes calls -- really clear calls. What's more, the end-of-fragmenting promise that KitKat brings is intoxicating and long overdue. With all this in in its box, it's easy to see why the brouhaha isn't limited to Android diehards anymore. Instead, the Nexus 5 extends the allure of the Nexus brand to anyone simply looking for an excellent yet inexpensive handset.

You should buy SIM free, and therefore you should buy the Nexus 5. Both are great handsets, but the Nexus 5 is priced to shift. However, if you are likely to purchase on contract, you have a choice to make between two brilliant Android phones. Either way you'll be happy.