Though it's not as physically portable as some of the smaller smartphones in our ratings, this generously proportioned Nexus 6P, made by Huawei, is in fact, quite mobile regarding service providers. First, it's not locked into any particular service (a big headache for U.S. smartphone users). Second, it contains the radios and other hardware needed to handle the voice and high-speed LTE data services of various cell providers. These include the major ones: AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Just pop in a nano-SIM card and activate service, if necessary. It runs the latest version of Android, Marshmallow, relatively "raw," which gives users the rare opportunity to experience the Android OS without the sometimes-confounding embellishments phone makers add to differentiate their devices. That's a good thing for the phablet-sized Nexus 6P, which delivers an impressive performance with the help of top-notch hardware. For instance, its excellent quality 5.7-inch quad HD display, presents photos, videos, Web pages, and other objects with more than 500 pixels per inch of detail. Though it's unlikely most users will notice the benefits of those extra pixels in everyday use, they will notice how easy the display is to see in bright light. Its 12.2-megapixel camera captured excellent still images -a rarity for phone cameras. The still images are ultra-sharp, the color accuracy is highly accurate, the dynamic range was great, and the camera performed very well under low-light conditions. Handy for selfies, the resolution of the front-facing camera is 8 megapixels- one of the highest we've seen on a phone. The capacious 3450mAH battery can last more than a day on a single charge, and even when "near dead" can be resurrected to roughly 40 percent in about 30 minutes using its included charger and cable. Built for the future, it's one of the first smartphones we've seen USB Type-C connection which, like an iPhone's Lightning connector, fits no matter which way you hold it. That means no more fumbling or squinting to make sure the cable is in the correct position before inserting it into their phone. Two amplified, front-firing speakers sound better than those on many other phones, providing stereo sound loud enough and rich enough to enjoy without headphones. A fingerprint scanner on the back of this Nexus lets you unlock the phone, sign in to apps, or authorizing purchases with a touch, thanks in part to Marshmallow. Androids Marshmallow which gives users more precise control over what personal information individual apps can access. Now, on an app-by-app basis, you can grant or deny permission for an app to access such personal data as as your location, your contacts, and other potentially sensitive information. Another notable Marshmallow feature is Google Now on Tap, which improves the relevance of Web or in-app searches by producing results based on the context of what you're doing. For instance, if a friend sends you a text message from the Mets game, Google on Tap can fetch you the current score, the team's league standing, or information about their next venue-all from within the message. To launch Google on Tap, you just long-press the home key. Google also helps you dive more directly into specific app content with fewer steps. For instance, if you launch the National Public Radio app, the app will ask you which programs you'd like to listen to. Other Marshmallow also adds controls in settings. For instance, Storage adds explore capability, Battery adds optimization controls, Location adds Wi-Fi and Bluetooth scanning options, and Backup & reset adds a network settings reset. Apps in the app drawer are stacked vertically and alphabetical. Instead of flipping across screens to access them, you'll just have to scroll down one continuous page. Typing the first few letters of the app should take you right to the app you want. Android will not only show apps on top of the app drawer by how frequently you use them, but will also consider other factors, such as the time of day when you typically access them, though we didn't find the recent apps on top very helpful. Android 's interface also has sensible, yet absorbing, visual cues throughout via color, spacing, shading, graphic elements, and type, including in e-mail, settings, layouts, and more. There are also options for notifications from calls, apps, social media, and so on. You'll be able, for example, to view and respond to messages from a locked screen. You can set notification priorities based on contacts and their methods of communication, such as sms texts, e-mails or Facebook messages, etc. You can also set the phone to alert you to certain kinds of notifications from specified contacts. On the down side, this Nexus weighs a whopping 6.4 ounces. And performing one-handed operations with this slab is also a bit of a challenge, not only because of its size and weight, but also because you can't shrink and move the dial pad or keyboard to bring them closer to your thumbs-a common feature on other large-screened models. Also missing are the On/Off toggle switches in settings for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and more, which we found very convenient on other models. And seeing battery percentage isn't as easy as other smartphones.
The Nexus 6P has intuitive navigation that provides easy access to all its main functions via a highly responsive touch screen that supports more than 10 home screens of apps, programmable shortcuts, as well as back, home, and recent apps keys. Pressing and holding the home button launches the search function. The recent apps key lets you see a stack of screen shots of your most recently used apps. Tap any one of them, and you can jump to that app. But there isn't a way to close all of them at once, a convenience found with other phones.
The Nexus 6P lets you perform Google searches by voice command and lets you download applications, services, music, and games, and more from the Google Play Store, and other sources. Its multi-touch screen lets you zoom in and out of photos or Web pages using two fingers (for instance, your thumb and index finger). A handy on-screen drop-down status bar alerts you to and takes you to new messages, upcoming appointments, and other items that need your attention, even when your screen is locked. Its Android OS offers better text editing tools and controls for managing data usage, and enhanced voice-activated navigation and dictation.
The Nexus 6P supports Near Field Communication (NFC), a short-range wireless communication technology that allows the phone to read "smart" tags, or other items that have NFC capability in them. Though the technology is not yet widely deployed for mobile phone users, it could ultimately allow you to pay by phone at the register. The Nexus 6P supports a "4G" LTE network (and HSPA+ too), allowing fast streaming, downloading, and uploading of high-definition videos and other large files. The fast network also facilitates better Web browsing experiences. The Wi-Fi connection provides another way to access the Web, e-mail, and other Internet-based content, without using your data plan allowance.
MESSAGING: The virtual keyboards were very easy to use. It supports a method that allows users to type words without lifting a finger-literally. You enter a word by dragging your finger across the screen from letter to letter. Though it's initially awkward to use, we eventually had a lot of success "typing" quickly and accurately. Its advanced voice command feature supports text fields, allowing you to dictate e-mails, text messages, Tweets, and other normally typed forms of communication. Excellent e-mail readability and attachment capabilities. This phone allows you to create and edit Word documents and Excel spreadsheets out of the box, which can come in handy when working on the go. The Nexus 6P also supports Microsoft Exchange and Outlook for work e-mail. When connected to Windows or Macintosh computers, this phone can appear on the computer as another drive. You can then transfer data to and from your phone as you could on a regular drive. But it doesn't have preset text messages, and you can't create custom preset text messages.
PHONE: We tested this phone under a variety of conditions to simulate environments ranging from the quiet indoors to noisy roadsides. We found voice quality was very good when talking, good when listening. Talk time, overall, was plentiful, including measuring more than 24 hours of talk time in one of our tests. This phone has a very good mixture of controls and features for making and taking calls. Very good keypad readability under most lighting conditions. Its voice command allows you to conveniently dial numbers from your phone book by speaking the name, without the usual training. You can also dial numbers by pronouncing the digits. It has Bluetooth for wireless hands-free voice communication. Can be used internationally. Some models can simultaneously be on a phone call and an Internet-based connection over the cellular network. But the ringer is not easy to mute. Auto answer doesn't work with headset.
MULTIMEDIA: The 12.2-megapixel camera has a very short shutter lag, and produced excellent-quality pictures when photos were taken under well-lighted conditions. The camera also performed very well under low-light conditions. Its touch focus feature lets you override the autofocus by tapping on any subject on the screen. The camera's built-in flash helps improve your chances of taking better pictures under low-light conditions. The camera took decent 1080p video, probably adequate for casual use such as uploading to the Web. The Nexus 6P can also record in Ultra HD (2160p) video format which has benefits when viewing on an Ultra HD TV giving you extra clarity. The high-resolution front-facing 8-megapixel camera allows easy self-portraits, and can support video chats. It can also record at 1080p.
The music player has the capabilities and controls of a typical stand-alone MP3 player, including an equalizer, music shuffle and repeat controls, and options for sorting music by album, artist, etc. This model also supports Bluetooth stereo headsets, and can download music over the phone network. Its Bluetooth data support enables the phone to wirelessly share pictures, contacts, and other files with compatible printers, computers, and mobile devices.
GPS navigation capability provides spoken turn-by-turn directions and automatic re-routing. The Nexus 6P can act as a mobile hotspot for Wi-Fi-enabled devices. It has 32, 64, or 128GB of built-in memory. Its memory capacity is beneficial for storing music, videos, pictures, and other types of files. But the Nexus 6P battery is non-removable.
