PC Advisor

Reviews
Geekbench 3
GFXBench Manhattan
of processing between
images. You can shoot
without it, but skies tend
to blow out even when the
contrast to the foreground
doesn’t appear that high.
The other gripe is the
absence of a 60fps 1080p
mode: you can shoot video only
at 30fps in 4K or 1080p. That’s
something which could be fixed
with a software update.
Features
What won’t be added is a 240fps
slo-mo option, nor SmartBurst. Both
are features you get with the 6P.
The Snapdragon 808 isn’t quick
enough to handle the way Google
has implemented these features,
so you’re limited to 120fps at
720p. It’s a shame, but won’t be a
dealbreaker for everyone.
More of a disappointment is that
the 5X doesn’t even have electronic
image stabilisation, let alone optical.
That means both new Nexus’ lack
OIS and you’ll need steady hands if
you want shake-free video and blurfree
low-light photos from your 5X.
At the front is a nice upgrade
to a 5Mp selfie camera. Again, it’s
the same as the 6P’s which means
decent quality photos.
Performance
We already know that the
Snapdragon 808 isn’t as quick as
the 810 in the 6P, and that it has
only 2GB of RAM versus the 6P’s
3GB (and it’s a similar story with
the OnePlus 2, which at £289 is
much cheaper than both Nexus
phones). The graphs (right) show
the difference in our benchmarks,
but again, it’s important to note
that the lower screen resolution
explains why the 5X’s framerates
are higher in GFXBench. In general
use, the 5X feels very quick whether
you’re playing games, switching
between apps, browsing the web or
just navigating around Marshmallow.
The battery life is very good, too,
lasting a shade under seven hours
in our tests. The new battery saving
features in Marshmallow will also
help if you need to eke out several
hours when power is running low.
And there’s support for fast
charging using the included charger,
giving up to seven hours of use from
10 minutes’ charging – according to
Google. But it’s not Qualcomm Quick
Charge 2.0 or 3.0. Like the 6P, it
seems to be a proprietary system,
so you’ll need the official charger
or a third-party USB-C charger that
can output 5V/3A.
Software
Out of the box the phone runs
Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It’s similar
to Lollipop but isn’t exclusive to the
5X or 6P, of course. Existing Nexus
devices will be upgraded shortly,
including the Nexus 5.
The benefit, as with any Nexus
phone or tablet, is that you get pure
Android as Google intends it to
be – no add on skins like Samsung’s
TouchWiz or HTC’s Sense. Not only
does it offer something of a blank
canvas with which to customise
Android to your heart’s content,
it means you don’t have to worry
about things like preinstalled apps
which you may not be able to delete.
GFXBench T-Rex
SunSpider*
* lower is better
Verdict
The 5X is a fantastic phone overall,
with excellent cameras, a good
turn of speed and an excellent
screen. But it’s noticeably bigger
than its predecessor despite the
small increase in screen size, it has
limited storage compared to the
Nexus 6P and it lacks a couple of
camera features due to the slower
processor. The absence of wireless
charging is another blow for some,
but additions such as the fingerprint
scanner will make it a great
upgrade for others. J Jim Martin
February 2016 www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews 39