Nexus-N/Pixel XL ( 2016 )

[Surf Donkey]

Which is surprising considering they added Adoptable Storage in MM.

Yeah, maybe they were just trying to address those budget phones with only 16GB or less storage. Can't really see a use case for it outside of that.

Either way, Google wants you to use their services on Nexus. Since they are giving unlimited photo/video backups on Nexus this year, it pretty much confirms it will stay that way.
[doublepost=1467313975][/doublepost]I do have to say.....given these specs, I am going to give a bit more possibility of a Pixel bad-ass phone this year. Still doubt it (it doesn't make sense - why would they want to fragment even further?), but boy will it pack a punch if it is true.

 

[Roadstar]

Still no waterproofing That's a shame, as rugged cases aren't typically made for the Nexus line and I don't like those waterproof bags.

 

[jamezr]

Yeah, maybe they were just trying to address those budget phones with only 16GB or less storage. Can't really see a use case for it outside of that.

Either way, Google wants you to use their services on Nexus. Since they are giving unlimited photo/video backups on Nexus this year, it pretty much confirms it will stay that way.
[doublepost=1467313975][/doublepost]I do have to say.....given these specs, I am going to give a bit more possibility of a Pixel bad-ass phone this year. Still doubt it (it doesn't make sense - why would they want to fragment even further?), but boy will it pack a punch if it is true.

I think you're right about Google pushing for us to use their services like Photos. Giving away free space is big hint in that direction.

I am thinking the 5.5 HTC Nexus phone might be pretty good. It is curious that they will move the FP scanner on the back considering the 10 has it on the front.

 

[epicrayban]

And I'll add that now that Samsung and other vendors will sell unlocked Samsung phones, the update advantage that the Nexus line holds grows even smaller.

As I've said before, when you factor in the bigger picture (superior hardware, superior software features, Play store updates, etc.), I don't even mind the wait for software updates. I'm always for making the wait shorter, of course, and with unlocked Galaxy devices as an option, the wait indeed should be shorter. And it'll be carrier-free, just like what we enjoy on Nexus devices.

I'm not doing a full 180 quite yet since these are just rumored specs, but given the leaks and the new development with Samsung unlocked options, the Nexus option is becoming less and less compelling to me.

 

[Surf Donkey]

And I'll add that now that Samsung and other vendors will sell unlocked Samsung phones, the update advantage that the Nexus line holds grows even smaller.

As I've said before, when you factor in the bigger picture (superior hardware, superior software features, Play store updates, etc.), I don't even mind the wait for software updates. I'm always for making the wait shorter, of course, and with unlocked Galaxy devices as an option, the wait indeed should be shorter. And it'll be carrier-free, just like what we enjoy on Nexus devices.

I'm not doing a full 180 quite yet since these are just rumored specs, but given the leaks and the new development with Samsung unlocked options, the Nexus option is becoming less and less compelling to me.

Yeah but you are missing a HUGE MASSIVE advantage of Nexus.... unlocked bootloader, ROM support, etc. It is a developer phone and always has been. Galaxy might get a quicker updates and less bloat now, and the non-carrier ties are awesome. But they obviously still have no real desires to let you do what you want with your phone.

 

[epicrayban]

Yeah but you are missing a HUGE MASSIVE advantage of Nexus.... unlocked bootloader, ROM support, etc. It is a developer phone and always has been. Galaxy might get a quicker updates and less bloat now, and the non-carrier ties are awesome. But they obviously still have no real desires to let you do what you want with your phone.

Yep. That's something that will still matter to flashers.

 

[Tig Bitties]

Yeah but you are missing a HUGE MASSIVE advantage of Nexus.... unlocked bootloader, ROM support, etc. It is a developer phone and always has been. Galaxy might get a quicker updates and less bloat now, and the non-carrier ties are awesome. But they obviously still have no real desires to let you do what you want with your phone.

Spot on 100%.

Plus the pricing. A brand new Nexus 6P is $449, a brand new unlocked S7 Edge is an outrageous $769. Is the S7 Edge worth 75% more ? HELL NO. Even if the S7 Edge was the same price as the 6P, I'd still choose the Nexus no question

 

[tbayrgs]

Spot on 100%.

Plus the pricing. A brand new Nexus 6P is $449, a brand new unlocked S7 Edge is an outrageous $769. Is the S7 Edge worth 75% more ? HELL NO. Even if the S7 Edge was the same price as the 6P, I'd still choose the Nexus no question

For you, maybe not but for many, the value is absolutely there. The display, camera, battery performance, waterproofing, wireless charging, expandable storage--all features either objectively superior on the Galaxy or just not available on the 6P. Many easily find $300 worth of value, if not more, in having all of the extra performance.

 

[Tig Bitties]

The Dream Smartphone! (2014)

Latest Nexus leak spills the specs for larger HTC-made ‘Marlin’ smartphone
http://9to5google.com/2016/06/30/specs-for-htc-marlin-nexus/


Sounds like the 2016 HTC Nexus-N phone, very well might be the "Dream phone" that Marques talked about. 5.5" size, built by HTC, running stock Android, flagship specs for it's day, good size beefy battery.
[doublepost=1467322553][/doublepost]

For you, maybe not but for many, the value is absolutely there. The display, camera, battery performance, waterproofing, wireless charging, expandable storage--all features either objectively superior on the Galaxy or just not available on the 6P. Many easily find $300 worth of value, if not more, in having all of the extra performance.

Not really fair to compare a March 2016 phone to a September 2015 phone. The S7 Edge should be more compared to the August 2016 Nexus-N. Doing that the hardware will be nearly identical, the cameras a lot closer, and the Nexus-N will have USB-C 3.0 which charges crazy super fast.

Only thing the S7 Edge may have over the HTC Nexus Marlin will be slightly better camera, slight nicer screen, and maybe a bit better battery life. But to the average Joe, those spec's will be nearly lost and not even noticeable. And by no means worth a 75% price premium,. Only thing big it has going for it is waterproofing, but then again neither has the iPhone, and people aren't stopping buying iPhone due to no waterproofing.

 

[nj-morris]

Which is surprising considering they added Adoptable Storage in MM.

Not really. Nexus phones have never had expandable storage, and if they wanted to take advantage of the new feature, they would have done it with the 5X and 6P.

 

[Roadstar]

Only thing big it has going for it is waterproofing, but then again neither has the iPhone, and people aren't stopping buying iPhone due to no waterproofing.

iPhone doesn't have waterproofing indeed, but there are plenty of waterproof cases available from companies like Lifeproof and Catalyst. I'm using a Lifeproof case with my iPhone 6s and it's been liberating not having to worry about rain or accidents during fishing trips. I wish I could have a similar case for my 5X or whatever Nexus, but so far there haven't been any. As much as I dislike Touchwiz and Samsung dragging their feet regarding updates, I might end up getting a Galaxy at some point to get proper waterproofing with a less bulky case.

 

[jamezr]

Not really. Nexus phones have never had expandable storage, and if they wanted to take advantage of the new feature, they would have done it with the 5X and 6P.

It was surprising to me. That Google would add a feature like adoptable storage that is native to the OS but not produce a phone that could use the new feature. You would think they would show the feature off in one of their phones.

 

[Tig Bitties]

I wonder of the HTC nexus phones will be released sooner than later ?

Google's guidelines point to beta 5 being the final preview, and then release version after that. Beta 5 will be out in July, and then the final official release ready in August most likely. At that point I would expect the new phones to launch. So my guess is late August / September they'll release.

 

[Surf Donkey]

It was surprising to me. That Google would add a feature like adoptable storage that is native to the OS but not produce a phone that could use the new feature. You would think they would show the feature off in one of their phones.

In android's implementation of Adoptable storage, not sure what you'd gain with it in a Nexus unless you have over 32GB of system and apps? (or I guess 16GB in the 5X case). Seems to be a very small minority would need that.

 

[jamezr]

In android's implementation of Adoptable storage, not sure what you'd gain with it in a Nexus unless you have over 32GB of system and apps? (or I guess 16GB in the 5X case). Seems to be a very small minority would need that.

yeah but then it becomes a useless feature if Google will not have it on their own branded phones. Why include the feature at all? I think a lot of people would rather buy a 32GB phone and add a 64Gb SD Card to have a total of 96GB if given the chance.

 

[Surf Donkey]

yeah but then it becomes a useless feature if Google will not have it on their own branded phones. Why include the feature at all? I think a lot of people would rather buy a 32GB phone and add a 64Gb SD Card to have a total of 96GB if given the chance.

Again, I mostly think the point is for very low end phones that run android that have little space for system and apps. (See the android one https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/one/). Might have even just been an intern project for those phones specifically

Why do you need 96GB of non-removable space for system and apps? I would expect most of that would be for pictures, videos and other media. And you don't need adoptable storage to extend the internal system storage for that.

 

[jamezr]

Again, I mostly think the point is for very low end phones that run android that have little space for system and apps. (See the android one https://www.android.com/intl/en_in/one/). Might have even just been an intern project for those phones specifically

Why do you need 96GB of non-removable space for system and apps? I would expect most of that would be for pictures, videos and other media. And you don't need adoptable storage to extend the internal system storage for that.

I guess it is the same reason most people don't want to buy a 16GB phone. they always end up needing more storage space later. That is why they buy a 32 or 64 or 128GB phones. Not everyone wants to stream everything. Some might want to store all their pictures, music and videos in the cloud and have it on their device and then sync them.
It's just nice to have options

 

[Surf Donkey]

I guess it is the same reason most people don't want to buy a 16GB phone. they always end up needing more storage space later. That is why they buy a 32 or 64 or 128GB phones. Not everyone wants to stream everything. Some might want to store all their pictures, music and videos in the cloud and have it on their device and then sync them.
It's just nice to have options

Again, what does storing pictures, music and videos on your expandable storage have to do with adoptable storage? It really only matters for phones with 4GB or less storage (not RAM).

 

[jamezr]

Again, what does storing pictures, music and videos on your expandable storage have to do with adoptable storage? It really only matters for phones with 4GB or less storage (not RAM).

Unless I am reading the feature wrong....doesn't it allow you to add more storage by allowing the OS to expand to the SD card? So a 16GB phone could become 80Gb with adoptable storage.
Personally I think it could lead to a few problems.
One would be slow SD Cards leading to lag on the phone. Another disaster would be if you remove the card.
But on the surface adoptable storage looks like a great way to add additional GBs to any phone that is filling up.

 

[Surf Donkey]

Unless I am reading the feature wrong....doesn't it allow you to add more storage by allowing the OS to expand to the SD card? So a 16GB phone could become 80Gb with adoptable storage.
Personally I think it could lead to a few problems.
One would be slow SD Cards leading to lag on the phone. Another disaster would be if you remove the card.
But on the surface adoptable storage looks like a great way to add additional GBs to any phone that is filling up.

Yes, you just hit the nail on the head for external data in general. External storage is messy, difficult, problematic....even with adoptable storage (which actually has less limitations than the old method). I totally understand why google removed it from the Nexus.

 

[spinedoc77]

Spot on 100%.

Plus the pricing. A brand new Nexus 6P is $449, a brand new unlocked S7 Edge is an outrageous $769. Is the S7 Edge worth 75% more ? HELL NO. Even if the S7 Edge was the same price as the 6P, I'd still choose the Nexus no question

That's arguable depending on user need. Wireless charging, smaller phone to screen size, OIS, among others are advantages of the S7. Sure the nexus line is cheaper, but there's always a reason for that.

I just saw the rumored specs for the larger one: http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/0...arger-of-two-upcoming-htc-built-nexus-phones/ Color me unimpressed. It will most likely be a bland HTC design like the M10, boring, metal backing out of 2012, no wireless charging, overly large bezels and HTC's trademark chunky, thick body. More than ever I'm hoping Google does come out with its own phone.

 

[Surf Donkey]

It will most likely be a bland HTC design like the M10, boring, metal backing out of 2012, no wireless charging, overly large bezels and HTC's trademark chunky, thick body. More than ever I'm hoping Google does come out with its own phone.

Funny, all those are total positives to me. Boring no gimmick phone. Metal instead of fragile glass. Wireless charging is not as good as the latest fast charging. Bezels are great (especially if they have dual stereo speakers- but they might not this time ). Better than Samsung going the trend of having a phone you can barely hold. HTC chunky body... yes please. 6P is even a bit too slim. HTC 10 is a dream in the hand.

Now you have me even more excited for this nexus!

 

[spinedoc77]

Funny, all those are total positives to me. Boring no gimmick phone. Metal instead of fragile glass. Wireless charging is not as good as the latest fast charging. Bezels are great (especially if they have dual stereo speakers- but they might not this time ). Better than Samsung going the trend of having a phone you can barely hold. HTC chunky body... yes please. 6P is even a bit too slim. HTC 10 is a dream in the hand.

Now you have me even more excited for this nexus!

The glass on my N5 is much less fragile than any metal phone IMO. Wireless charging is awesome, especially in the car, goodbye plugging in a wire evrytime I get I to my car, it's also very fast at charging. But I also have fast wired charging so have the best of all worlds.

I understand the appeal of a m10, it's cheaper and functions well if you like the UI, and are OK with the compromises. Pretty much the same with the nexus line. I'm admittedly a spec ho and just really like modern features.

 

[epicrayban]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/0...us-phones-sailfish-and-marlin-will-look-like/

Exclusive: this is what the 2016 Nexus phones, Sailfish and Marlin, will look like

 

[lowendlinux]

http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/0...us-phones-sailfish-and-marlin-will-look-like/

Exclusive: this is what the 2016 Nexus phones, Sailfish and Marlin, will look like

Umm don't take my money