That wasnt them removing a feature. It was a feature that was integrated to make more sense on stock android. Google now is already your left most homescreen so long pressing the home button to read the screen for contextual information is much more intuitive and useful (if now on tap were more consistent).
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Nexus X and Nexus P ( 2015 ) Smartphones
- Thread starter Tig Bitties
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Not defending, but I guess their thinking is:
A) They're designing for their own Google Now launcher, where the Google app/cards (G) are always just a swipe left from the home page, so the swipe up from the home button was redundant;
B) They placed one-tap access to G in the GNonTap display (yes, a slower 2-step process), so you can still get to G at any time;
C) In other launchers you can use gesture assignment to launch G (IMO my swipe up Nova gesture launches G faster than the old swipe up from home button because there's less animation); and
D) You can place an app shortcut to G anywhere, including in your dock.
I agree it was a bit annoying to change due to a feature being removed, but in this case there were a lot of easy ways to adapt. Now, I do find the replacement GNonTap to be kind of meh now, but I'm willing to give Google time to realize its potential.
Now on Tap is to be updated to include screenshots. When you hold down the button and now on tap comes up, there is an option for screenshot. As soon as the screenshot is taken using this method, the share feature comes up.
The best thing about this feature or way of doing screenshot is that it won't be saved to your gallery. Not sure if this will be an option to save or not. Also not sure exactly if that is how it will work. But you get the gist.
The best thing about this feature or way of doing screenshot is that it won't be saved to your gallery. Not sure if this will be an option to save or not. Also not sure exactly if that is how it will work. But you get the gist.
Hi folks, this is coming to you from my nexus 6p. Been setting it up and using it for the oast 2 hours.
Writing down my impressions.
So far, VERY impressed. More than I could have imagined. More to come very soon.
Writing down my impressions.
So far, VERY impressed. More than I could have imagined. More to come very soon.
The 6P is truly a beautiful device. The visor virtually disappears in real life. It's very subtle. Still kind of weird looking, in my opinion, but it's a lot more subtle than you can imagine or tell from pictures. So subtle that I feel it's a non-issue. I'm even kind of growing to like it.
The device feels GREAT in the hand despite its screen size. It's big, no question, but I am adjusting surprisingly well to it. I think a lot of that is due to the design, build quality, and overall feel. It just feels good in the hand. And it's really not that wide so one handed use is not impossible. It's more tall than anything, and reaching to the top of the screen is a lot trickier. A comment about the weight: It's heavier than the S6 obviously and I can feel it. I feel my hand getting fatigued in its own way. Probably not just by the weight of the 6P, but also having to maneuver to reach parts of the screen. This may change over time though as I get accustomed to it.
Speakers are absolutely fantastic. Loud, crisp, clear, good quality. But I will say it's not a run away hit compared to the S6. The S6 speakers are also loud and pretty good in their own right. The S6 loses to the 6P primarily because of the 6P's dual speakers and the fact that they are front firing so the sound is directed at you. Anyway, the 6P speakers are a winner.
The fingerprint scanner is leagues faster and more reliable than the S6. The difference in speed is shockingly big. And I'm already growing to like the sensor on the back. Pulling it out of the pocket and having my finger there to scan feels very natural. Even picking it up off the desk feels okay. The best part about it though is definitely the speed and ease of use. There's no button you actually need to depress to get it going so that adds to the speed too. You just rest your finger and the device is unlocked within a split second. Really an experience to behold. Very impressed.
Screen -- pretty gorgeous. Definitely doesn't get as low light as the S6, and definitely not as bright either. But serviceable. And in normal use, the screen really is quite nice. I'm enjoying the screen real-estate too very much. You know what it feels like? It reminds me of going from a 21" iMac to a 27" iMac. It feels like that big of a difference, and it's quite glorious. Typing and swiping is easier too cause the buttons are so big! Swiping across is a bit of a challenge, but like I said earlier, the device surprisingly isn't that wide so it's not unmanageable. Reading web pages and viewing YouTube trailers (Xmen Apocalypse trailer was a fun test) is all a joy cause of the larger screen. It's just easier and more pleasurable on the eyes.
All in all, as I'm adjusting, I'm beginning to be won over by the size. Shocking. One handed use definitely suffers though, but not as badly as I thought it would. However, it's clear the S6 is my preferred and ideal size. Time will tell whether I can really get used to the 6P's size.
Too early to tell how battery fares for me. I'm sure it'll be fine (at least better than the S6). Also, NOT too early to tell USB C will be annoying. I'll have to rebuy a lot of things. I'm a bit turned off by this. However, USB C fast charging is very impressive. Got up from 11% to 46% in just 25 mins or so. Amazing.
Time to get into software...
Okay, I have to admit, stock Android FLIES. There is a small but noticeable difference between this and TouchWiz. It's subtle, but it's there. Stock Android's speed is blazing. Everything feels instant and most importantly smooth. Like butter. The marshmallow animations are also gorgeous. Feels very organic. The way apps open and close -- all the popping out, sliding away, zooming open -- just feels good.
But there are still some things I don't like:
The camera is slow to launch, slow to take pics, and the pictures themselves definitely pale in comparison to the S6. They're good, but they're not S6 good, not S6 fast, not S6 reliable. The double-tap to launch camera doesn't always work, and in fact, often just locks my device. Sometimes I'm taken to the lock screen because (I guess...) it registers the second tap as waking the device after the first tap sleeps it. I'm double tapping pretty quickly. Also... after using the camera from a double-tap launch, when pressing home, it brings me back to the lock screen. I had asked about this earlier and I thought I read Google fixed this. I'm fully up to date. They have not fixed this, and it is dumb (like literally stupid; how did Google overlook this?).
The S6 camera is one of my favorite things about that device, and I promised myself I would not compromise on the camera experience ever again on an Android device. Again, this is not a knock against the 6P camera because it is good. Just not S6 good.
Double pull down to get to quick toggles is annoying. When I have no notifications, it pulls down to nothing. It says "No notifications". What a waste of my time. It should take me directly to my toggles. TouchWiz does quick toggles so much more smartly and efficiently. Also, you can't customize the toggles in stock Android. I knew this already, but it's still a knock against stock.
And still no default battery percentage icon?
#stockistoostock!
Photos is a pretty poor app, in my opinion. It's slow, and I hate the crossed out cloud thing appearing on each photo just because I'm not syncing. Who's the idiot that decided, hey... let's keep reminding the user in EVERY single photo icon that they're not sync-ed! Who cares if it obscures their photo icons! Who doesn't want to see a little crossed-out cloud everywhere? Dumb (again, literally stupid). TouchWiz's gallery app is much neater and much faster. The only one impressive advantage of Photos is the ability to highlight/select multiple photos at once; feels very advanced and desktop like (like using a mouse to select multiple files). That's neat. (This knock against Photos goes hand in hand with the knock against the camera experience. Together, it's overall a slower, less reliable, and less enjoyable experience than the one on the S6). And yes, I'm aware I can get QuickPic or something, but it's disappointing the stock app isn't up to par.
Anyway, I don't have much else to say about the software because well, there isn't much to say about it! There are some other small nifty things like Google Now on Tap (eh, kinda whatever in my few tests), and better "copy/paste" system when editing text (this is lovely!), but all in all... stock is really pretty bland. Yes, it's clean and fast and smooth, but you're also sacrificing some nifty and sometimes downright better features in TouchWiz. It's impressive how the 6P flies, it really is, and in day to day use, I can see this being a big factor. But it's not like TouchWiz is slow; just slower. The RAM management does seem better on the 6P. I'm often hovering at around 1GB of available memory. However, I'm not flipping through so many different apps at the same time on my S6 for me to feel the hurt with TouchWiz's aggressive RAM management, so this advantage of the 6P to me is a wash.
And I've discussed my feelings about immediate and direct updates from Google already. While that's a very lovely advantage, I can live with a few months delay in updates thanks in part to the already enjoyable current experience of my S6, and the fact that Google updates their core apps through the Play Store anyway. I can live with delayed updates. Most OEMs and carriers are getting better at updating anyway.
This brings me to a few other key things I want to discuss...
I must consider the fact that the 6P is $600 dollars (64GB version). I must consider that the S6 is due to get Marshmallow in a couple of months give or take. After Samsung pushes it in January, and after Tmobile pushes it, I'm looking at maybe February/March. That's not far away. And it has the potential to negate many of the software advantages that the 6P currently holds over the S6. This can't be ignored. Is paying $600 worth it for an advantage that'll only last two or three months? I kind of don't think so. There's no guarantee Marshmallow TouchWiz will suddenly bring the S6 completely on par, but it'll close an already pretty small gap. I must at least wait to give the S6 a chance to get the Marshmallow update, right?
Also... what about the S7? It's around the corner. If all the rumors of it so far are true, the device could finally be the perfect blend of Samsung hardware, and Samsung/Google software optimization. And it'll all be in a smaller, more one-hand friendly size. Is my $600 better invested there? Could very well be.
IN CONCLUSION:
So, after an initial night of use, I think my decision is likely going to be sticking to the S6 and returning the 6P. I'm going to continue using the 6P for the next week as I promised I would, so maybe things will change as I continue adjusting to it. We'll see...
Overall, the 6P is impressive -- honestly more so than I ever imagined it would be. But it predictably fails in key areas that are very important to me, and that doesn't help it's chances.
I'll keep posting my opinions as they develop...
The device feels GREAT in the hand despite its screen size. It's big, no question, but I am adjusting surprisingly well to it. I think a lot of that is due to the design, build quality, and overall feel. It just feels good in the hand. And it's really not that wide so one handed use is not impossible. It's more tall than anything, and reaching to the top of the screen is a lot trickier. A comment about the weight: It's heavier than the S6 obviously and I can feel it. I feel my hand getting fatigued in its own way. Probably not just by the weight of the 6P, but also having to maneuver to reach parts of the screen. This may change over time though as I get accustomed to it.
Speakers are absolutely fantastic. Loud, crisp, clear, good quality. But I will say it's not a run away hit compared to the S6. The S6 speakers are also loud and pretty good in their own right. The S6 loses to the 6P primarily because of the 6P's dual speakers and the fact that they are front firing so the sound is directed at you. Anyway, the 6P speakers are a winner.
The fingerprint scanner is leagues faster and more reliable than the S6. The difference in speed is shockingly big. And I'm already growing to like the sensor on the back. Pulling it out of the pocket and having my finger there to scan feels very natural. Even picking it up off the desk feels okay. The best part about it though is definitely the speed and ease of use. There's no button you actually need to depress to get it going so that adds to the speed too. You just rest your finger and the device is unlocked within a split second. Really an experience to behold. Very impressed.
Screen -- pretty gorgeous. Definitely doesn't get as low light as the S6, and definitely not as bright either. But serviceable. And in normal use, the screen really is quite nice. I'm enjoying the screen real-estate too very much. You know what it feels like? It reminds me of going from a 21" iMac to a 27" iMac. It feels like that big of a difference, and it's quite glorious. Typing and swiping is easier too cause the buttons are so big! Swiping across is a bit of a challenge, but like I said earlier, the device surprisingly isn't that wide so it's not unmanageable. Reading web pages and viewing YouTube trailers (Xmen Apocalypse trailer was a fun test) is all a joy cause of the larger screen. It's just easier and more pleasurable on the eyes.
All in all, as I'm adjusting, I'm beginning to be won over by the size. Shocking. One handed use definitely suffers though, but not as badly as I thought it would. However, it's clear the S6 is my preferred and ideal size. Time will tell whether I can really get used to the 6P's size.
Too early to tell how battery fares for me. I'm sure it'll be fine (at least better than the S6). Also, NOT too early to tell USB C will be annoying. I'll have to rebuy a lot of things. I'm a bit turned off by this. However, USB C fast charging is very impressive. Got up from 11% to 46% in just 25 mins or so. Amazing.
Time to get into software...
Okay, I have to admit, stock Android FLIES. There is a small but noticeable difference between this and TouchWiz. It's subtle, but it's there. Stock Android's speed is blazing. Everything feels instant and most importantly smooth. Like butter. The marshmallow animations are also gorgeous. Feels very organic. The way apps open and close -- all the popping out, sliding away, zooming open -- just feels good.
But there are still some things I don't like:
The camera is slow to launch, slow to take pics, and the pictures themselves definitely pale in comparison to the S6. They're good, but they're not S6 good, not S6 fast, not S6 reliable. The double-tap to launch camera doesn't always work, and in fact, often just locks my device. Sometimes I'm taken to the lock screen because (I guess...) it registers the second tap as waking the device after the first tap sleeps it. I'm double tapping pretty quickly. Also... after using the camera from a double-tap launch, when pressing home, it brings me back to the lock screen. I had asked about this earlier and I thought I read Google fixed this. I'm fully up to date. They have not fixed this, and it is dumb (like literally stupid; how did Google overlook this?).
The S6 camera is one of my favorite things about that device, and I promised myself I would not compromise on the camera experience ever again on an Android device. Again, this is not a knock against the 6P camera because it is good. Just not S6 good.
Double pull down to get to quick toggles is annoying. When I have no notifications, it pulls down to nothing. It says "No notifications". What a waste of my time. It should take me directly to my toggles. TouchWiz does quick toggles so much more smartly and efficiently. Also, you can't customize the toggles in stock Android. I knew this already, but it's still a knock against stock.
And still no default battery percentage icon?
#stockistoostock!
Photos is a pretty poor app, in my opinion. It's slow, and I hate the crossed out cloud thing appearing on each photo just because I'm not syncing. Who's the idiot that decided, hey... let's keep reminding the user in EVERY single photo icon that they're not sync-ed! Who cares if it obscures their photo icons! Who doesn't want to see a little crossed-out cloud everywhere? Dumb (again, literally stupid). TouchWiz's gallery app is much neater and much faster. The only one impressive advantage of Photos is the ability to highlight/select multiple photos at once; feels very advanced and desktop like (like using a mouse to select multiple files). That's neat. (This knock against Photos goes hand in hand with the knock against the camera experience. Together, it's overall a slower, less reliable, and less enjoyable experience than the one on the S6). And yes, I'm aware I can get QuickPic or something, but it's disappointing the stock app isn't up to par.
Anyway, I don't have much else to say about the software because well, there isn't much to say about it! There are some other small nifty things like Google Now on Tap (eh, kinda whatever in my few tests), and better "copy/paste" system when editing text (this is lovely!), but all in all... stock is really pretty bland. Yes, it's clean and fast and smooth, but you're also sacrificing some nifty and sometimes downright better features in TouchWiz. It's impressive how the 6P flies, it really is, and in day to day use, I can see this being a big factor. But it's not like TouchWiz is slow; just slower. The RAM management does seem better on the 6P. I'm often hovering at around 1GB of available memory. However, I'm not flipping through so many different apps at the same time on my S6 for me to feel the hurt with TouchWiz's aggressive RAM management, so this advantage of the 6P to me is a wash.
And I've discussed my feelings about immediate and direct updates from Google already. While that's a very lovely advantage, I can live with a few months delay in updates thanks in part to the already enjoyable current experience of my S6, and the fact that Google updates their core apps through the Play Store anyway. I can live with delayed updates. Most OEMs and carriers are getting better at updating anyway.
This brings me to a few other key things I want to discuss...
I must consider the fact that the 6P is $600 dollars (64GB version). I must consider that the S6 is due to get Marshmallow in a couple of months give or take. After Samsung pushes it in January, and after Tmobile pushes it, I'm looking at maybe February/March. That's not far away. And it has the potential to negate many of the software advantages that the 6P currently holds over the S6. This can't be ignored. Is paying $600 worth it for an advantage that'll only last two or three months? I kind of don't think so. There's no guarantee Marshmallow TouchWiz will suddenly bring the S6 completely on par, but it'll close an already pretty small gap. I must at least wait to give the S6 a chance to get the Marshmallow update, right?
Also... what about the S7? It's around the corner. If all the rumors of it so far are true, the device could finally be the perfect blend of Samsung hardware, and Samsung/Google software optimization. And it'll all be in a smaller, more one-hand friendly size. Is my $600 better invested there? Could very well be.
IN CONCLUSION:
So, after an initial night of use, I think my decision is likely going to be sticking to the S6 and returning the 6P. I'm going to continue using the 6P for the next week as I promised I would, so maybe things will change as I continue adjusting to it. We'll see...
Overall, the 6P is impressive -- honestly more so than I ever imagined it would be. But it predictably fails in key areas that are very important to me, and that doesn't help it's chances.
I'll keep posting my opinions as they develop...
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Make sure your camera app is up to date. There's a few of us (friends of mine) who have a 6p and don't have the issue.
Agree on the swiping down. If you swipe with 2 fingers it always pull the quick toggles.
I personally like the fact that the photos app makes it plain as day to know you're not backed up. There's no guesswork.
My wife has the s6 and I can't argue that it isn't the fastest camera on a smartphone but the nexus camera is pretty quick in its own right . I compare it to the iPhone camera in that dept.
The big thing about Nexus devices is that their designed to take advantage of Google's ecosystem. If you take advantage of it, you grow to enjoy how seamless everything is with performance and security being the key focus areas.
Wow! nice write up!
Let me help you with some issues you have:
Camera: ensure it is updated to 3.1 I think is the latest. As you mentioned, you can use a 3rd party camera app and set it as default. Therefore it launches on the double tap of power button. For the double tap and locking issue, this has not been fixed and I do agree it is annoying. The workaround is to go to security settings and disable "power button instant locks" and set locking to 5 seconds. This will prevent the phone from locking on the double tap.
I keep HDR+ always on, it produces the best pic but it is slow, so depends on what you're shooting. Also take some night time shots with HDR+, you should be impressed.
Battery Percentage and Quick Toggles: swipe down to notifications, you will see a gear icon at the top right. Hold it down for 4-10 seconds until it starts spinning. A message will pop up that system ui tuner has been enabled. Go to settings then all the way at the bottom is system ui tuner. Enable battery percentage there. In this ui system tuner, you can also edit the quick toggles.
If I was in your position, I would stick with S6. Not because the 6p is not great, but I dont think a 6p is a huge upgrade. I would rather stick with the S6 and get a S7 or Nexus 6p 2016. I was coming from a dying N5 so I had to upgrade.
EDIT: Just think of it like this. When you buy a Samsung device you have to disable features that you don't use because their is so much. For the Nexus you have to download features because there is so little lol.
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https://www.androidpit.com/nexus-5x-tips-and-tricks
Number 5 on the list above shows how to enable the battery percentage.
I suspected this would be the case, but at least it answers your own questions and quenches that nagging thirst you had
I didn't write that. I wasn't even awake when that was posted. And, I don't have a 6s. Something weird going on.
Sounds like it's time to change your password and/or check who has access to your computer.
So does that mean we can't have another launcher totally replace the stock launcher? On Touchwiz we can replace all launcher actions with that of whatever launcher we choose. Is this not the same on the Nexus?
Also, this is as good a place to ask as any.
I have a chromecast stick, which I use with my Nexus 7 tab and sometimes with the iphone.
Whats the benefit of casting with software like Bubble uPnP and Local Cast? Chromecast lets you cast the actual screen of the phone, so why pay for something like Bubble???
Yes you can use another Launcher such as Nova but it doesn't add basic system features such as different wallpaper on home screen and lock screen.
The fingerprint scanner is one of the best features on the 6P. I hope more OEMs adopt the one in the 6P. I really like how you don't have to press a button to unlock the phone. But I don't like it on the back of the phone. I find myself picking up the phone to unlock with my left hand index finger and also hitting the volume down rocker as well. I have missed a few texts because the volume was down to zero and i didn't notice it. But the speed and accuracy is great!
The speakers and in call volume and quality are awesome!
Has anyone came from the htc one m8 to nexus 5x? I was thinking about the 6p but may be too big.
Nope its one of the most basic features that for some reason Google refuse to implement.
You have to use a third party live wallpaper or a lock screen replacement to try and work around it, but the most simple solution would be for Google to simply implement the option.