It seems like a lifetime ago that Google released the last Nexus devices at a modest event in San Francisco. I was there to cover the launch of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P, and it was the smaller device that captured my attention at the time.
Others loved the Nexus 6P for its larger size and better cameras, but a good many people didn’t like the 6P at all. So much so, in fact, that a class action was launched in the US which saw Google and Huawei sued for various hardware issues.
Amongst other things, the issues included boot-loop problems, battery life issues and more. While the class action won’t solve any hardware issues – as it’s doubtful many of these phones from late 2015 are still being used today – it will see Google and Huawei on the hook for $US9.75m compensation.
The class action got up because Google and Huawei allegedly breached their warranty on the Nexus 6P, by being aware of hardware issues and not properly responding to those issues while continuing to sell it. Woops. Though a court didn’t make such a finding, it appears that Google and Huawei are aware that something wasn’t right, and they’ve proposed the settlement which is up to the court to approve next month.
There’s quite a process for US-based claimants to go through to access the class action settlement monies, which we won’t go into here, as no one in Australia will be eligible to participate.
One can only hope that in the years since, companies have learned their lessons about supporting and resolving issues with defective hardware. You may recall Huawei’s Mate 20 Pro woes last year with some affected by green-tinted displays. Fortunately for those who bought these devices (in Australia, at least) Huawei did the right thing and made sure everyone was taken care of and (fairly) quickly.
Google, too, seems to have done a much better job with its own hardware in more recent times, and even though the Pixel 3 XL has some gnarly issues due to (amongst other things) its lack of RAM and not-fully optimised software, Google has reacted quickly to do what it can.
You can certainly feel a lot more confident buying a phone in 2019, it seems.
Had my 6p replaced under warranty for the boot loop issue. No problems with the replacement. I upgraded to the pixel 3 when it was released for no good reason other than no more software updates. Jacob Brown – it’s not just an incremental update, the pixel 3 is incredible compared to the 6p.
I started getting the dreaded shutdown issue a year after the warranty lapsed. Now my phone just shuts down randomly whenever my battery gets between 50% – 20%. Hopefully Google and Huawei can help out Aussies who’ve been affected by this.
I got my 6P through Kogan, and when bootloop hit they replaced it with a new Galaxy S8 with little fuss. It was a pretty sad end to the age of Nexus for me.
I had the boot-looping issues twice on my N6P. Both times were within warranty. I got a replacement phone without any issue the first time, and then asked for a full refund the second time, which I got, no questions asked, then used that money to by my SG8. Shame, because it really was a ripper phone. Those face fronting speakers, aluminium body and the ultra fast fingerprint reader… was pretty cutting edge at the time.
I had to ditch my N6P because the battery failed. A full charge would no longer last more than 4hrs. Pity as I loved the phone. Might get the battery replaced since the prices have gone down quite a bit.
Weird. Still using mine now. It’s been the best phone I’ve ever had. Changed the battery once and it still works perfectly after 4 years.
I had a 6P that started boot looping after less than two years usage. Both Huawei and Google fobbed me off as the device was out of warranty. Pathetic to non existent customer service from both. Never again will I purchase Huawei or Google anything.
Typing on my 6p now which i still enjoy and struggle to justify money on what seems like an incremental upgrade. I have replaced the battery once and charging has been a constant need but great phone nonetheless 🤷♂️
Yeah Huawei and Google treated their customers like crap here in Australia for the 6P issues. I won’t buy another one of their devices due to it. Real shame.