Is the Google Pixel XL really worth the upgrade over Nexus 6P?

The Nexus 6P was crowned to be one of the best smartphones launched in 2015. It had the power to take on practically any smartphone out there and is still considered to be among the best ones, if not the best. So when you talk about such a smartphone and then try to compare it with something new, then the choice becomes much more difficult. Obviously, the new smartphone has to be basically best in the business to even stand a chance here. So let’s discuss some of the key factors here and try to figure out whether the new Google Pixel XL is really worth the upgrade over the Nexus 6P.

Design

The Nexus 6P does not win the best-looking smartphone award for 2015 with that visor on the top along the camera sensors. But the new Google Pixel XL is not different. It looks like the thin visor like the design on top of the Nexus 6P stretched out here and covers the area till the fingerprint scanner. And the antenna lines are back again, this time, around with the new Pixel smartphones and is more visible than ever. Maybe HTC should reconsider that. Avoiding manufacturer branding on these new smartphones is a welcome move. And yes, finally the big ‘Nexus’ branding is also nowhere to be seen in the new devices.

Well, this goes to say that although the new devices are not the prettiest looking out there in the market, but they are not bad, at least somewhat better than the initial set of renders. Now, talking about the design aesthetics, the measurements of both the devices are quite close. The Nexus 6P is quite taller than the Pixel XL and is even wider. The last year’s Nexus 6P measures 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3 mm and the new Google Pixel XL measures 154.72 x 75.74 x 7.3 mm.

With that being said, both the devices are made out of metal and hence the overall feel in that hand should not differ much. And with the new measurements, the new Pixel XL should be easier to hold in the hands than the Nexus 6P. Also, the overall look of the device will now depend on which color you are picking as well. The Google Pixel XL comes in a variety of different colors as well. So you might want to compare all the options available and then make a decision here.

Hardware

In terms of hardware, the Google Pixel XL features a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset along with 4GB of RAM and either 32GB or 128GB of internal storage. The device is kept powered by a 3,450 mAh battery as well. All these specs sound top-notch, right? But wait, now take a look at the Nexus 6P’s specs for comparison. It comes with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with 3GB of RAM. It is available in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB models. It also packs the same 3450 mAh battery is on board. Not bad right?

And when it comes to the display, the Nexus 6P rocks a 5.7-inch display on the front which has a QHD resolution resulting in a pixel density of 518ppi and on the other hand, the Google Pixel XL features a 5.5-inch AMOLED display with a pixel resolution of 2560 x 1440, resulting in a pixel density of 534ppi. Both the displays are protected by a Gorilla Glass 4. The Pixel XL will theoretically offer sharper and crisper images compared to the Nexus 6P. That said, the difference isn’t likely to be noticeable to the human eye.

Yes, indeed the specs are comparatively better on the Google Pixel XL, but the Nexus 6P is not far behind. And we all know about the Android OS. It runs flawlessly even on a low-end smartphone these days so comparing about the software performance here is completely pointless. Both of them are going to offer the exact same user experience.

Now coming to the camera, both the devices have a 12-megapixel rear facing camera with a f/2.0 aperture and 1.55µm pixels. The Google Pixel XL will take it up a notch with the Optical Image Stabilization. On the front also, both of them have the same 8-megapixel front facing shooter. So overall the camera quality is not going to be much different here. Yes, indeed the added OIS will make things a little better for Google Pixel XL, but Nexus 6P is not going to be quite far back either.

Verdict

This one is indeed a tough one to decide. Although the Google Pixel XL offers some new hardware on the table, the Nexus 6P launched a year ago is not bad at all. And with the Android OS getting better with every single update, the difference is nil. Regardless of whichever smartphone you buy, the experience is going to be the same and it is certainly going to be the best one. Since the price difference is quite significant, it is now upto you to decide, if the smaller and lighter Pixel XL is the one for you or the slimmer Nexus 6P is the way to go. But either way, you are not going wrong. So let us know which device are you planning to pick up.

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