Nexus 6P Vs. Nexus 6: What’s New In Google’s 5.7-Inch Android Flagship Smartphone

Google on Tuesday took the wraps off its latest flagship smartphone, the 5.7-inch Nexus 6P. It’s the larger and more expensive of two models unveiled by the company, the other being the 5.2-inch Nexus 5X.

The 6P, built by Huawei, packs a number of new features and comes with a premium price tag to boot. If you already have a Nexus 6, the question is whether to upgrade to the 6P or wait it out for another phone. Here’s how the two phones stack up:

Display Size

Bigger isn’t always better. With the Nexus 6P, Google decided to go in the opposite direction. Instead of packing it with the 6-inch display of the Nexus 6, it dialed back with a 5.7-inch display with QHD resolution (2560 x 1440 pixels).

Fingerprint Sensor

The Nexus 6 was supposed to come with fingerprint scanning technology when it launched in 2014. But Apple’s acquisition of AuthenTec in 2012 scuttled Google’s and Motorola’s plans to include it, according to the Telegraph. But two years later, Google and Huawei have fixed that with the Nexus Imprint, a fingerprint reader on the back case of the Nexus 6P, as well as native support for the reader through Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Camera

One of the biggest features touted with the 6P is its Sony 12.3-megapixel image sensor, which Google says can capture more light in darker shooting conditions. In comparison, the Nexus 6 comes packed with a 13-megapixel sensor, but lags behind the 6P’s low light performance, as seen in Google’s test shots.

Battery

The Nexus 6P comes with a large 3450mAh battery, a slight upgrade from the 3220mAh in the 6. However, the 6P can top off faster with its built-in quick-charge feature, which can fully recharge the handset in half the time it takes to charge an iPhone 6 Plus, according to Google.

Processor And Memory

The 6P trades in the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 of the Nexus 6 for version 2.1 of the octa-core Snapdragon 810, clocked in at 2GHz. It’s coupled with 3GB of RAM, so the smartphone has plenty of power to run apps and memory for multitasking.

Case Design

If you’re paying a premium, you want premium materials. With the Nexus 6P, Google ditched the plastic of the Nexus 6 and replaced it with aluminum, putting it in line with other high-end smartphones, such as the iPhone 6S Plus.

Price

This time around the Nexus 6P may come in cheaper than its predecessor, starting at $499 for a 32GB model. That’s a $250 drop from the Nexus 6, which was $649 at unsubsidized prices when it launched. Google also has introduced a 128GB model to the 6P. Customers can preorder the Nexus 6P from the Google Store starting Wednesday.