First look: Google Nexus 6P smartphone

When Google released the Nexus 6 last year, it split public opinion – not least of all, our very own Jon Bray's, who called it “a real bruiser of a handset” thanks to its 6in frame.

Google has perhaps taken note of this, and the Nexus 6P has lost some weight. Or more accurately, some width. The 5.7in display Google's "premium" Nexus packs brings it in line with the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+, and it's 0.2in larger than the iPhone 6 Plus. In short: it's no longer as much of an outlier in big phone circles.

Manufacturing duties have also changed hands. Motorola is no longer in charge of the flagship Nexus, with Chinese manufacturer Huawei behind the top-end Google handset. 

Features

That 5.7in screen is certainly sharp, in person. The AMOLED display packs a resolution of 1,440 x 2,650, delivering a 518ppi pixel density. Backing this up is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 v2.1 2GHz octacore 64-bit processor, 3GB RAM and a 3,450mAh battery to keep the show on the road. It comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB flavours – no room for 16GB here, thankfully.

Nexus phones, coming straight from Google, are typically the first place to try out the latest and greatest Android version, and the Nexus 6P is no exception, running Android 6 Marshmallow out of the box.

This promises a lot of new features including Now on Tap, which offers relevant contextual information about people, places and apps as they appear on your phone. Elsewhere, Google goes big on security and privacy, with fingerprint unlock, and a streamlined app permission model.

The fingerprint verification is a sign of where most mid-high end Android phones will be going, and of course the Nexus 6P has to lead the way here - a small circular indentation on the backplate of the phone denotes the presence of a fingerpint reader.

One touch on the reader unlocks it, and Google has set it up so you can grant fingerprint access to others, for anyone who wants to share their phone with their nearest and dearest.

The camera is something Huawei is clearly proud of. Although it's just a 12.3-megapixel snapper, Google boasts the Nexus 6P's camera is particularly effective with low-light shots, taking in more light for better composition.

Playing around with this with the demo unit, it certainly felt snappy (escuse the pun), and it will be interesting to properly put it through its paces to see how it compares with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy 6 and other smartphone photography pacesetters.

Design and performance

It's fair to say that there's not too much to separate handset designs these days, and Huawei is not about to rock the boat with its first Nexus. A gently curved handset without physical buttons, it marks the first time Google has presented an all-metal flagship. Even with the 0.3in reduction in screen size over the Nexus 6, however, the Nexus 6P still takes a little getting used to in the hand.

The result is stylish though, and despite its size, it manages to feel not-too-hefty at 178 grams, although I do have a soft spot for larger handsets, dating all the way back to the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, when the fashion was for dinky phones with dinky batteries.

The screen has Gorilla Glass 4 to protect it from the twin scourges of drops and keys, two front-facing speakers and the new, exotic, USB Type-C charger port. The last of these you'll either see as exciting and new, or a reason to curse all the redundant cables you suddenly have lying around.

Early verdict

Starting at US$499 for the 32GB model, it's hard to argue with the package that Google and Huawei have put together in the Nexus 6P. From my hands-on time, it feels like a stylish, nippy phone, with a lot to offer, and the all metallic finish is something that's long overdue on the Nexus range, even if it puts the final nail in the coffin for replacable batteries and microSD card slots.

It's available today to pre-order from the Google Store. We'll have our full impressions in a review soon, but for now, it looks like the Nexus 6P won't let you down – if you can cope with the size of the thing.