Opinion: What we’d like in a Nexus 6

The other day when I published the piece regarding the leaks of the Nexus 6 details there was a lot of discussion about what people would prefer to be in their Nexus 6. Most was centred around the size of the device. Dan Tyson and I decided to take it one step further and start a discussion about what we would like to be in the Nexus 6. Problem was, in the end, we agreed on everything so there wasn’t much of a discussion. We’ll leave that up to you in the comments section.

I’ll start off our wishlist with the most controversial piece of the Nexus 6.

The Display Size

Device and Display Size go hand in hand as the display size generally influences the overall size. There has been a lot of discussion regarding the screen size of the Nexus 6 with the display apparently going to be 5.9in, pushing the phone to even the higher extremes of the phablet definition. The outcry of “TOO BIG!” was/is deafening. Phones are becoming phablets and phablets are becoming tablets. Where will it end? Surely a device with a 5.9in screen cannot be comfortable to hold in the hand? Maybe, maybe not. If the phone is bezelicious ala Sony devices then it will be like a shoe-phone but if they follow the Moto X and LG G3 lead and have minimal bezels then it may not be too big. Yesterdays image leaks show that unless the person holding the Nexus 6 in the photos is an NBA basketballer with giant-sized hands, then it may not be as big as we thought.

In saying that a 5.9in phone makes it difficult to reach all corners of the display without too many hand gymnastics. Personally, in my Ausdroid Nexus 6 I would prefer the display to be 5.5in. I’ve found that with the OnePlus One (which is a 5.5in display and plentiful when it comes to bezels) there are times when using it one handed is very difficult. Not a massive issue considering how often that comes up but I’m finding it’s stretching the size possible for pocket carrying (we don’t want an Android #bendgate scandal do we?). The section for placing the phone in my new car will not hold anything bigger than the OnePlus One- the OnePlus One is hanging over the edge as it is. I feel that we keep “getting used to it” with phones getting bigger and bigger. I’m drawing a line in the sand. Enough is enough. Stop making such bloody big phablets! A majority of people don’t like it- a survey I did (sample size: 5) found that 80% of people prefer a phone smaller than a phablet. Give me a 5.5in screen in a LG G3 body, or how about a 5.2in screen in a body the size of a Moto X?

So we now know the Ausdroid Nexus 6 will have a 5.5in display. What display tech would we like? How about basic IPS LCD, same as that in the HTC M8? I feel that a Nexus needs to push boundaries so it would be nice if we could fit a QHD display in the budget, as long as using this resolution didn’t affect battery life or performance too much. Google, can you please do SOMETHING, anything even, about optimising the battery life and tweaking performance of the chip?

Processor

Android L will support 64-bit architecture. As such the reference device should be, no make that must be, a 64-bit processor. What options does that give us to put inside our Nexus 6?

Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is the first SOC that comes to mind. The 810 was expected to begin sampling in the second half of 2014. That is now. Stick it in our Nexus 6 please. The Nexus devices are never massive selling devices so maybe a “sampling” will be enough to produce a Nexus 6 for all who want one.

If the Snapdragon 810 is not ready, what then? How about the same processor that is rumoured to be going in the HTC Nexus 9? The nVidia Denver Tegra K1 64-bit processor. Will Google take a chance on another Tegra after they had source issues with the Tegra processor in the Nexus 7 2012? I personally don’t think Google will want to put the same processor in both Nexus devices and as such will go for something different.

How about an Intel Moorefield, a quad core processor that can be clocked up to 2.3GHz and will sport an “enhanced GPU” and best of all will be available in the second half of 2014. Intel say that the Moorefield processors outperform the 800 processors from Qualcomm but they would say that wouldn’t they. Intel is a big unknown. Intel is angling for an entry to smartphones and wouldn’t be above handing out subsidies for using their processor, and we know Google likes to make Nexus hardware as cheap as possible but this is my Nexus 6 so I am going to go with a Snapdragon 810 in my Nexus 6 thanks all the same. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is designed and manufactured using 20 nm process technology, contains 8 cores in a big.LITTLE arrangement with a new Adreno 430 GPU which producer much faster graphics wile saving on power consumption at the same time. Yes please. (Do NOT even think about applying Mediatek!)

Memory (ROM)

64GB minimum, plain and simple. OnePlus were able to stick 64GB in a sub $400 phone. They stated that 64GB costs no more than 32GB so why do the companies even bother with 32GB? One competitor comes in 128GB, why not our Android reference device? 16GB is a waste of space and time. Games cannot be installed on the sd card since KitKat arrived, and since Google has eschewed the SD Card slot on Nexus phones since the Nexus One, a Nexus 6 is not likely to sport one. So 32GB is a minimum in my opinion and if 64GB costs the same, then give me 64GB. No excuse. NO SD SLOT! Never, ever, again. Give us hard memory instead. It’s what app developers want and it’s what many of us want, assuming there is enough onboard memory. For this reason I’m going to put 64GB into the Ausdroid Nexus 6 with a possibility of a 128GB “premium” version.

Ram

The RAM is a no brainer for me. All flagships are now arriving with 3GB so it would be extremely remiss of Google to not put 3GB DDR3 RAM in our Ausdroid Nexus 6. Do we really need 3GB of ram with Android? Probably not but lets live on the edge. Let’s push the envelope of possibilities. Without bloatware such as LG software or Touchwiz I seriously doubt 3GB is really required in everyday usage, especially with the way Android handles RAM, but it would future-proof the device for a possible longer life-span.

Battery

If we are putting a 5.5in display into our Nexus 6 then I think we could at least put a 3200mAh battery in there. We do not need it to be removable. We want our Ausdroid Nexus 6 to last longer than the half day or so the Nexus 5 lasts after less than 12 months, I’m going to ask Google to optimise the device entirely for extra battery life. We are pushing a 5.5in QHD display. We need power optimisation. We need the battery to perform much better than that on the Nexus 5 does/did. LG and Google should be ashamed of themselves with that battery. While we are there stick with the Qi charging. Those of us who have used Qi charging love it. I’m yet to see someone who uses Qi charging WANT to go back to a USB port for charging a phone. I’m also going to request that Google stick turbo charging such as that in the Oppo Find 7, Galaxy Note 4 or the Moto X for the times where charging time is scarce and we need to quickly get it up and running for a long period of time. I’m also going to demand that these turbo charging accessories are available at release. A turbo car charger and turbo powerbank is what I am going to provide with my Nexus 6.

Camera

I think a 13MP camera with a decent camera module (Sony EXMOR BSi sensor would be nice) and OIS is a minimum of what I am going to put in the Ausdroid Nexus 6. Along with the Nexus 6, Google will also give us, as part of the Android L, decent APIs that clever developers can hook into the camera modules and really make the camera sing.

For a front camera, I’m going to put a 5MP camera. We all make fun of selfies but there is a time and place for them for everyone. I’m out with my boy playing minigolf, how else do I memorialise the moment in time? Trust a stranger to take a photo with my precious Ausdroid Nexus 6? Doubt it. I’m going to take a selfie with my decent 5MP front-facing camera.

Other Features

As per usual, I’m going to include a multi-coloured LED notification light with all RGB possibilities. Its a Nexus trademark now. I love it. Who doesn’t?

I’m going to provide accessories at affordable prices and have them available when the phone launches so that those early adopters don’t have to pay $20 postage just to get a genuine Nexus case shipped to them. I say affordable because Google have always charged a premium prices for accessories sold on the Play Store. Considering they sell the Nexus devices at or near cost price this is unacceptable and will not happen with our Ausdroid Nexus 6.

Conclusion

So there you have it, the Ausdroid Nexus 6. Check out the specs summarised below and let us know in the comments what you think. This is what we want in our Nexus 6. We are hoping someone is listening although it is obviously a tad late now but maybe they can hear us for next time. Did we miss anything? What would you add or remove?

The Ausdroid Nexus 6 Specs

• 5.5in IPS QHD LCD Display
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 Processor with Adreno 430 GPU
• 64GB and 128GB variations
• 3GB RAM
• 3200mAh+ Battery with Qi and Turbo Charging
• Turbo Car Charger and PowerBank available at phone release
• 13MP Rear-Facing Camera with OIS
• 5MP Front-Facing Camera
• RGB Multi-Coloured LED Notification Light
• Accessories (cases, chargers etc) available upon device release