For the past five years, Google has released one Nexus phone per year, but there are two Nexus phones for 2015. The Nexus 6P is a larger device with an aluminum shell and the Nexus 5X is smaller with a plastic frame. Both are priced competitively, but not at the jaw-dropping low prices of some past Nexus devices. However, they will ship with the latest and greatest software Google has to offer, Android 6.0 Marshmallow.


The Nexus 6P is being positioned as the more premium Nexus this year with an octa-core Snapdragon 810, 3GB of RAM, a 3450mAh battery, and a 5.7-inch 1440p AMOLED display. It will come in 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities. The decision to go with the Snapdragon 810 is understandable, but possibly troublesome. This chip has shown a tendency to overheat and throttle aggressively in other phones. The aluminum frame might help with heat dissipation, though. As with past Nexus devices, there’s no microSD card slot. Still, with a 128GB storage option, most people should be content.


Things will be a little more tight with the Nexus 5X. This phone comes only in 16GB and 32GB versions, again with no microSD card slot. Google says improvements in cloud services should make local storage less important, but clearly Googlers don’t spend a lot of time in cellular dead zones. The Nexus 5X’s other specs include a hexa-core Snapdragon 808, 2GB of RAM, a 2700mAh battery, and a 5.2-inch 1080p LCD. It’s strange to see Google ship this phone with just 2GB of RAM. That’s the same amount that was in the original Nexus 5 in 2013.