Nexus 5 Phone?

[Vagabound]

Hi,

I'm hoping that a few people on here can get me up to speed on this phone, knowledge wise, faster than hours online reading Wiki, etc.

What I think I know so far.  Please correct anything wrong and add more if you know it:

• Nexus 6 (not 5) is made by Huawei -- don't want it; nothing will change my mind.
• Nexus 5 is made by LG (good products in general)
• All Nexus phones get Android updates fast and directly from Google 
• N5 is unlocked
• N5 is all-network compatible (GSM, CDMA, etc).
• N5 is no longer being made new
• N5 can only be bought online, refurbished, private party via Craigslist, etc.

Questions:

• Reasonable price for a N5 today?
• Features I should pay attention to when buying?
• Things to avoid?

OK, gotta run.  Multitasking like a mad man today.

Thanks for any help, suggestions, info, etc.

Vagabound

 

[BradKW]

I still see them for sale "new" on Ebay and Amazon...the Amazon prices seem high atm, but there's some 16GB ones on ebay for $150.
I seem to remember something about an issue working on Verizon, but that was years ago. I don't know if Verizon has changed, but they were intentionally making it so phones couldn't be used on their network unless you bought it from them.
It's interesting that many of the places that still have a source for new Nexus 5's are selling them for more than Google did originally. I probably wouldn't buy reconditioned, so you seem to have a choice of what to pay, depending on seller. I would always choose an Amazon seller, but there's a wide price difference there. Hard to say...would guess that the less you pay, the more of a dice roll it is...

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Hi,

I'm hoping that a few people on here can get me up to speed on this phone, knowledge wise, faster than hours online reading Wiki, etc.

What I think I know so far.  Please correct anything wrong and add more if you know it:

• Nexus 6 (not 5) is made by Huawei -- don't want it; nothing will change my mind.
• Nexus 5 is made by LG (good products in general)
• All Nexus phones get Android updates fast and directly from Google 
• N5 is unlocked
• N5 is all-network compatible (GSM, CDMA, etc).
• N5 is no longer being made new
• N5 can only be bought online, refurbished, private party via Craigslist, etc.

Questions:

• Reasonable price for a N5 today?
• Features I should pay attention to when buying?
• Things to avoid?

OK, gotta run.  Multitasking like a mad man today.

Thanks for any help, suggestions, info, etc.

Vagabound

I have a Nexus 5x, but perhaps I can still help with some of these questions. First, all of the things you listed in the top portion are 100% true.  

Both the 5 and the 5x can be activated on any carrier, including Verizon.  Brad is correct, Verizon was giving people some crap about it when these phones first came out, but to the best of my knowledge those kinks have been worked out. Even at the beginning there were ways around it though. This universality is the feature of the Nexus line that I value the most. I love having the option to switch to whichever carrier has the best plan for me at any given time.

I personally use mine with both Project Fi ($20/month base + $10 per GB of data using T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular towers) and with Cricket on their $70/month unlimited plan using ATT towers.  I use 100GB/month on the Cricket plan and only stick the Fi sim card in there when Cricket has no service.

I don't know your budget, of course, but the 5x is only around $199 new from Google.  If you're paying anywhere close to that for a 5 you should probably just get the newer model.

I imagine at this point any 5 you buy will probably be either reconditioned, used, or overpriced.  I've never had a problem with reconditioned phones, but everyone has their own level of risk tolerance. I've had my 5x for close to a year now (obviously bought it new) and I absolutely love it.

 

[BradKW]

I hadn't even realized there was a 5x ...just spend a few min searching it, and if you can get one for $200 that'd be the way to go. Doesn't seem Google is selling them directly...only thing in Play Store under phones is the new Pixel.

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Google still definitely still sells the Nexus 5x, but after a quick look it looks like it might only be for Fi subscribers.

https://fi.google.com/about/phones/

It's listed here for $199 but it looks like you might be required to buy Fi service with it. You'd probably have to contact them to be sure. FWIW, there is no contract with Fi, so even if you are required to buy service it would only be for 1 month($20 + a possible activation fee?). It still drives up the price of the phone, of course, but not by an insane amount. It would definitely still be cheaper than buying it from another source at $300+

Again though, what is or is not an insane amount is very relative, so OP's budget makes the ultimate determination about what is reasonable or not.

Edit: There is a pretty detailed comparison of the two phones here:

http://www.androidcentral.com/nexus-5x-versus-nexus-5

 

[BradKW]

I personally use mine with both Project Fi ($20/month base + $10 per GB of data using T-Mobile, Sprint, and US Cellular towers) and with Cricket on their $70/month unlimited plan using ATT towers.  I use 100GB/month on the Cricket plan and only stick the Fi sim card in there when Cricket has no service.  

That Project Fi is news to me...was just reading about it following your link. I'm not sure what US Cellular is, but would think that combining tmobile and sprint coverages alone would be pretty solid. 

I currently pay $50/mo for Tmobile which includes 5GB 4G data, unlimited 3G. But with ubiquitous wifi, I only average 1 GB data per month. So at first (and second) reading, it looks like I could switch to Fi for $30/mo and get potentially better coverages and 1 GB of data, saving $20/mo.

However, if my data usage was taking advantage of the 5GB, I'd have to spend $70/mo with Fi to get the 5GB data. 

At which point the real value has to be found in expanded and/or improved coverages. Hmm. Definitely interesting and worth keeping on the radar screen...

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Fi is pretty neat. I was using it exclusively before I hit the road full time, but my current usage would cost me over $1,000, so obviously that's not an option.

Apparently US cellular is huge in the midwest and on the east coast but it is pretty sparse over here on the west coast. There's a coverage map here:

https://www.uscellular.com/coverage-map/coverage-indicator.html

There are really 2 selling points for Fi. The first is the greatly expanded coverage you gain by using three distinct cell networks (with plans for more being added in the future). All the switching happens automatically, though with an app you can force the change if you're so inclined. By default, it will always try to choose the fastest signal available and in my experience does that pretty well. They had some problems with the switching back in the beta but they have worked all of those out by now.

The second huge pro is the fact that you pay for exactly the data you use. If you use .1GB of data your bill will be exactly $21. If you use 3.7GB you pay $57. They even roll the taxes and such into those costs, so the quoted price is really what you pay. I generally pay $20/month since I'm almost always in range of ATT and I consider that to be a small price to pay for a backup network(s)

The downside is that there is no such thing as unlimited 3g after you hit a cap.

Really it all comes down to how much data you use. If you use under 3GB or so Fi ends up cheaper than most other providers. The more gigabytes you burn through in a month the more painful $10/GB starts to sound.

Edit: Forgot to mention, there are also no changes in price for international rates. If you happen to travel to Mexico or Canada (or 133 other countries) you pay the same rates as you do at home.

Edit 2: It's also worth noting that there is no extra fee for tethering. Tethering is actually baked into the OS on the 5x, you just drag down the top menu and hit one button to turn your phone into a hotspot.

 

[Vagabound]

Brad and Nick: Thanks for the good conversation. I am really learning a lot.

Nick: I really appreciate the firsthand accounts. They helped me understand how to use the phone and the service together as a package. After reading the links that you provided, I think I have a good handle on the Nexus 5x specifications and capabilities. I agree that the Nexus 5x seems the one to buy. 

I have a few questions please:

1. Simultaneous Dual Plans: You might have answered this one already, but in case not, I will ask anyway. Do you simply pay for both services and keep them both current at the same time? If so, do you not consider that expensive? If not, how do you make sure that Google Fi is ready when you need it?

2.  Activation: Normally when a person buys a new phone and activates it and wants to transfer his old number to the new phone, that happens all at one time, in person, and it does not matter if the old phone stops working. The person now has a new phone using the old number. However, it is unclear to me how transferring the number to the Nexus 5X, which appears to happen in one action at the same time that the phone is purchased online, will affect my current phone service when I don't have the Nexus phone yet and it will likely be shipped to me. That is probably as clear as mud, but I'm worried that if I order the Nexus online and activate it, my current phone will immediately stop working when the number is transferred, and I will be completely without service until the Nexus shows up in the mail.  Do you have any idea how this actually works?

3. Contact: You mentioned contacting Google to ask about how some of this works. When I read through their web pages, I saw no method of contacting them. Do you know how to do that?

I don't mean to give you tons of homework, but you seem knowledgable, so I'm trying to take advantage of that while I can.

Thanks a bunch,

Vagabound

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Brad and Nick: Thanks for the good conversation. I am really learning a lot.

Nick: I really appreciate the firsthand accounts. They helped me understand how to use the phone and the service together as a package. After reading the links that you provided, I think I have a good handle on the Nexus 5x specifications and capabilities. I agree that the Nexus 5x seems the one to buy. 

I have a few questions please:

1. Simultaneous Dual Plans: You might have answered this one already, but in case not, I will ask anyway. Do you simply pay for both services and keep them both current at the same time? If so, do you not consider that expensive? If not, how do you make sure that Google Fi is ready when you need it?

2.  Activation: Normally when a person buys a new phone and activates it and wants to transfer his old number to the new phone, that happens all at one time, in person, and it does not matter if the old phone stops working. The person now has a new phone using the old number. However, it is unclear to me how transferring the number to the Nexus 5X, which appears to happen in one action at the same time that the phone is purchased online, will affect my current phone service when I don't have the Nexus phone yet and it will likely be shipped to me. That is probably as clear as mud, but I'm worried that if I order the Nexus online and activate it, my current phone will immediately stop working when the number is transferred, and I will be completely without service until the Nexus shows up in the mail.  Do you have any idea how this actually works?

3. Contact: You mentioned contacting Google to ask about how some of this works. When I read through their web pages, I saw no method of contacting them. Do you know how to do that?

I don't mean to give you tons of homework, but you seem knowledgable, so I'm trying to take advantage of that while I can.

Thanks a bunch,

Vagabound

I'm glad to hear that all of my rambling has been helpful.  I'm a giant nerd and Android in general and Fi specifically are really exciting to me.  Fi is something I am particularly passionate about because I believe it has the potential to permanently change the way the cell service market functions.  There's no reason at all that you should be locked into one provider just because you already spent hundreds of dollars on a phone with them. With the weight of Google behind it, I wouldn't be surprised to see even the big names like Verizon or ATT as a part of Fi eventually. Anyway, I'm always happy to help someone else find the joy of new tech, so ask away if you have any more questions =D

1. Yes, I do pay for both services.  It is a little bit expensive, but the way I look at it is that I would be paying the $70/month for Cricket already because I use so much data.  That means that the only extra cost for me is the $20/month base cost of Fi, which I consider to be a small price to pay for the safety net of getting service in places that I otherwise might not.  I am wrapping up a B.A. online and I work doing transcription most weekdays so being connected is very important to me.  

From a technical standpoint, having both plans is as simple as swapping the sim cards.  It uses nano sim cards and I just keep the one I am not using tucked between the back of the phone and the case.  The way I have it set up is that my phone number was ported into Fi and is then forwarded to my Cricket number when I'm on it.  

2. This is not something I have firsthand experience with because my port process went a little bit differently, but I'm reasonably sure that most people in your boat just let Google assign you a new phone number while the phone ships and and then port your actual phone number in when you have the device in hand.  I've even read stories on Reddit of people just trying the service out for a month or two and then porting their number when they decide to stay.

You should be aware that some things, such as text messages, may not work for a day or two once you initiate the port process.  This is not specific to Fi, this is just part of the process of moving a number from one carrier to another.  

3. Google as a whole is not great about support for their free products, but Fi specifically has AMAZING customer support. For preliminary stuff now it looks like you can contact them here: https://support.google.com/fi/?hl=en#topic=4596407&contact=1

Once you actually have Fi you get a direct portal at fi.google.com with phone, chat, or e-mail as contact options.  The few times I have needed to contact them they have been incredibly helpful.  They even went so far as to cut my bill in half when I accidentally used 10GB one month when I first got the service.  Their reps seem to be both technically knowledgeable and genuinely helpful, both of which are pretty rare in my experience with cell providers.

 

[Vagabound]

I'm glad to hear that all of my rambling has been helpful.  .....

Their reps seem to be both technically knowledgeable and genuinely helpful, both of which are pretty rare in my experience with cell providers.

Super explanation, Nick. All good to know. Cleared a few things up. Thanks a lot. I'll try to contact Google now.

Vagabound

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Glad I could help. Feel free to ask if anything else comes up.

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Vagabound]

Glad I could help.  Feel free to ask if anything else comes up.  

Crap, after that picture perfect ending, another question popped into my head that I forgot to ask you earlier.

Do you think the issue of internal storage amount is important, such as 16GB vs. 32GB? More to the point, do you think 32GB is worth paying for? I know everything is relative, I'm just looking for a general opinion, based on your usage of that phone.

Vagabound

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Crap, after that picture perfect ending, another question popped into my head that I forgot to ask you earlier.

Do you think the issue of internal storage amount is important, such as 16GB vs. 32GB? More to the point, do you think 32GB is worth paying for? I know everything is relative, I'm just looking for a general opinion, based on your usage of that phone.

Vagabound

No worries, I really could talk about this stuff all day.

That's a tough question, honestly. I do have the 16GB version and I've only butted up against the cap once or twice. When that happened I had no problems deleting a couple of things that I no longer used to free up space. It works for me and when I bought it the extra space wasn't worth the extra cost for the 32GB version.

On the other hand, it really just depends on your usage. 2 or 3 graphics-intensive games, for example, will eat up your storage space in no time. I just don't play games like that on my phone and I don't feel like I'm missing anything.

Google has been pushing for a few years now to get everybody to put all of their non-essential stuff in the cloud. That's why most modern phones these days don't come with an SD slot. The trend bothers me in principle and I do miss having an SD slot to cram full of movies or something but I haven't found it to be a big deal in day-to-day usage.

I guess the bottom line is how important the extra cost is to you vs. how much you value being able to store large amounts of music, video, or HD/complex games on your phone. I've never regretted getting the 16GB version.

Just for clarification, I do have quite a few games on my phone. I have even played games like Deer Hunter that were a few gigabytes in storage. Most games don't take up nearly that much room and I just make sure to delete the larger ones when I am no longer playing them

 

[BradKW]

For an extra $49, I think it's well worth the bump to 32GB...and not only because Google appears to be out of stock on the 16GB model.

Even if your usage today doesn't warrant more memory, + $50 is pretty cheap for a bit of future-proofing for something you can't upgrade at a later date. And while the days of Apple/Samsung charging + $150 for literally $12 of memory are past, $50 still represents a fair deal in this market...

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Brad has a good point here. I hadn't realized the price difference was that small.

I was stretching myself a bit financially when I purchased mine so that $50 seemed a lot more significant.

I certainly still don't regret getting the 16GB model, but as Brad said, $50 is a small price to pay for a little bit of future-proofing if you can spare it up front

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Vagabound]

...

That's a tough question, honestly.  I do have the 16GB version and I've only butted up against the cap once or twice.  ...

I guess the bottom line is how important the extra cost is to you vs. how much you value being able to store large amounts of music, video, or HD/complex games on your phone.  I've never regretted getting the 16GB version....

That helped me see when and how it would be a problem to have 16 vs. 32.  Thanks.

(BradKW) For an extra $49, I think it's well worth the bump to 32GB...and not only because Google appears to be out of stock on the 16GB model. ...
Even if your usage today doesn't warrant more memory, + $50 is pretty cheap for a bit of future-proofing for something you can't upgrade at a later date. And while the days of Apple/Samsung charging + $150 for literally $12 of memory are past, $50 still represents a fair deal in this market...

Agree with you and Nick, excellent point.  I'll be going that route.

For anyone else interested, this is Google's response as of today to my questions about why no 16GB model is available for purchase:

--------------------

In regards to your questions:

How long that has the Nexus 5X been unavailable?
It has been unavailable for a month or so.

Why it is not available?
Due to a high amount of orders, we are currently out of stock.

When it will be available again?
At this time we do not have a replenish date available.

==========

Vagabound

 

[Vagabound]

OK, just so that you know that your words didn't just disappear into the ether or bounce off of my hard head only ...

I just ordered a Nexus 5x with a $40/month Project Fi plan!

I chose to order it with a new phone number, test it, and if all works OK, port my current number over later.

The most amazing thing this:  The crappy (for me) starter kit that I got from Target when I first landed, that was a huge pain to get, that never worked right and couldn't be fixed by anyone -- Motorola and Verizon Prepaid -- cost almost $200.  This Nexus 5x, with 32GB, cost $250.  I can't believe that I went through all of that other crap first instead of just going directly to the Nexus.  

My excuses:  Foggy head from travel, impatience to get connected, misunderstanding about the actual price of a Nexus, and ignorance about just how easy it is to get a Nexus.  I imagined $600+ and some difficult treasure hunt from shadowy eBay entities.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Ordering this online was ... actually pleasant.  Their purchase screens and process are some of the cleanest, smoothest, most intuitive that I've seen in many years of using and creating software.

Stay tuned to see if the phone, once received with "go, go, give it to me now" shipping, lives up to the hype.

Thanks tons to NickTheoBennett and BradKW for their help in getting me this far.  You both did, in fact, jumpstart this process for me.  Otherwise, I'd still be staring at 15 open webpages of reviews, getting a headache.

Vagabound

 

[NickTheoBennett]

Glad to hear you took the plunge! If your data usage is consistently low enough Fi really is one is the best providers I've ever used.

You probably already know this, but just to clarify for anyone looking at this thread down the line the $40 "plan" you subscribed to to is just your initial estimate of how much data you want to use. If you use less than the 2 GB that you are paying for they will give you a credit on your next billing cycle. If you use more they will charge you on your next billing cycle. You only ever pay for the data you actually use on Fi.

Please do let us know how it goes for you once you get the phone and use it for a bit. It's also pretty easy to root if you are so inclined.

PS- I agree wholeheartedly about Fi's ordering process being incredibly simple and intuitive. You will find that the billing and account management tools are equally convenient. You're right, that clean and simple of an interface has sadly become a rarity these days.



Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

 

[Vagabound]

Update:

Got the phone, tried to activate it, and contrary to all of the highly professional, efficient Google Project Fi processes up to this point, it was a nightmare.  I'm beginning to believe in Greek gods and wonder which of them I've pissed off. Just trying to get the phone activated and past the initial updates (prior to which it is useless for any purpose), included about 10 failed attempts, multiple wipes/factory resets of the brand new phone, and about 3 hours on the phone with Google Fi reps, who were stumped.  And that says something because they generally hire smart cookies.  

I finally got the phone activated this morning, by myself (typically the most dependable method).  See below.

Lessons Learned:
* Google Fi people / notices / websites do not tell you this, but the entire activation routine assumes you'll be using a home-based wifi or business-based wifi with normal WPA authentication process to activate and update the phone the first time you turn it on.  Unfortunately, that isn't the case with people like me who are trying to activate using a hotel wifi or any of hundreds of guest wifi connections at retail / restaurant, etc.  Most of those have no password, but they do have a policy screen that you need to read and agree to.  After which, you're connected to wifi.  Nexus phone activation software is not designed to handle that second type of wifi authentication (policy screen).  And that is really odd considering the millions of places that use it.  What happens is you get stuck after picking the wifi network (policy screen type). The wifi network is waiting for you to agree to the policy by clicking "Agree" on some background screen, but the Nexus activation program will not allow you to reach that screen. It does not minimize or even recognize that the policy screen exists and needs attention. The two Google Fi reps whom I talked to were both baffled by this.

* If you can't activate / update by wifi, the activation routine offers a second option -- do it over the mobile data network (your Google Fi plan).  They warn you that it will eat up a bunch of data (1.2GB in my case).  The problem is, that method simply doesn't function.  It goes to the download screen, says it is downloading, but never ever finishes.  In my case, I tried that method repeatedly.  The final time began last night and ran all night connected at 4G LTE speeds.  This morning, it was still "downloading".  Right.  Apparently no one uses this method and Google Fi reps are unfamiliar with its dysfunction.  

* So, if you need to activate a Google Nexus phone, make sure you have a wifi network to connect to that uses normal WPA-type password procedures.  In other words, a place that offers access, but has a password that they give you and you must use.  My solution was to ask around until I found a coffee shop with that type of guest wifi access.  Once there and logged onto wifi, the activation routine worked like a charm.

* The update (downloading) routine has no progress bar.  No way to know how much is done, if its really working, or whether it is stuck in an endless loop.  The screen says it will take about 5 minutes, but even on wifi with a full strength connection, mine took about 20 minutes to update and initialize.

* After you get past that stage, don't leave the wifi area yet.  There are a bunch more updates after (another 50MB package, many apps, etc).

----------

Now that it works and I'm no longer cussing Google and this nice new phone, I can say two positive things:

* When you need tech support, (Google's) Project Fi has great access.  If you click "Call" on their support page, they'll call you back usually within two minutes.

* The phone itself seems very well made.  It is updated to Android v7.  So far, is seems very smooth, thin, lightweight, solidly built, and very responsive. Anticipate smooth sailing from this point on.

If anything else of note happens, I'll try to remember to post it.  PM for details if you need them.

Vagabound

 

[Vagabound]

Another update as of 12/2/2016:

I have been using my Nexus 5x from Google for about a month now.  A few things to mention:

• Regardless of whether you buy the 16GB version of the phone for $200 (typically unavailable) or the 32GB version of the phone for $250, there is a catch.  The catch is that you have to activate the phone using Google's Project Fi (their cell service) and use it for at least a month.  If you cancel after that, no harm, no foul, as I understand it.  However, if you buy their phone and never activate it on Project Fi (i.e., use it for another cell service carrier), then they will bill you for a total of $400 for the phone.  

• The Nexus5x has had "LTE" (4G) service about 90% of the time and "H" service the small remainder.  I think I saw the "3G" icon once.  All of that usage was Phoenix and surrounding areas, driving across the desert to LA, in LA, driving across the desert to Pahrump, NV, and in Pahrump.  I haven't been out in tiny hidey-holes yet, so hard to say what will happen then.

• The phones come with a goofy charger.  Typical fat charger adapter head (with 110v prongs) and cord.  The cord separates from the fat head, but when it does, it does NOT have a typical USB end.  The phone itself is USB-C style (which is much better than the older mini-USB).  As it turns out, the other end of the cord is also USB-C.  So, the cable is USB-C to USB-C.  Why care?  If you want to take that cord and try to charge the phone via any "normal" USB port (which is USB-A), like a computer, it won't work.  What to do?  You need to go buy a supplemental USB-A to USB-C cord for charging, or buy a replacement charger which was designed to be A to C already. 

• Although the phone generally connects to free wifi locations just fine, sometimes it will not.  In a place or two, my laptop will connect, but the phone won't.  The phone sees the wifi router/network, and when asked to connect, it "saves" the network (for future use, I guess).  Repeat attempts and rebooting don't seem to fix this.  If it doesn't like a router for some reason, it doesn't change its mind.  Haven't quite figured that out yet.

• Nearly all customer service (CS) of any kind is crap these days.  Worse when you're talking about over-the-phone CS.  That said, Google's Project Fi staff are the best of the crappy over-the-phone CS contingent in my experience.  They still do the boneheaded stuff that the other ones do, but less often, and recover faster.  And they are far, far easier to reach and more responsive when they do start to work a problem.  When they make contact, it is almost funny.  They say, "Wow, I'm so glad you contacted us.  I'm going to help you so good, you'll tell stories about it to your grandkids!" etc.  And then they deliver about 50% of that.  But that's still better than the other guys.

OK, so far, so good.  It's a nice phone and the direct contact with Google and regular updates directly from Google provide significant piece of mind. If I had to buy it again, I would.  If I'd known how to skip that huge activation problem, my overall experience would have been nearly 100% positive.  

Vagabound