24 hours with Google Nexus 5X: Decent looks and good performance

Google’s LG-built Nexus 5X has reached our labs and before churning out a full-fledged review, here’s our take on it after spending 24 hours with the dainty device. Incidentally, after briefly using the Nexus 6P, the Nexus 5X look rather bland, especially considering the meagre price difference between the two. However, it didn’t take too long to appreciate the device. The plastic white body and looks are no comparison to its higher-end sibling or the recently released OnePlus 2 that is priced much lower, but there is still a lot to love. We wouldn’t call it stylish, but the device is uber-light and sleek for a 5.2-inch device and easy to use with one hand.  On initial use, the full HD display comes across as bright and lively, reproducing peppy colours without any issues with viewing angles even outdoors in sunlight. It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow and the UI looks refined. We tried to quickly dabble with the most talked about ‘Now on Tap’ feature and were in a fix as the device didn’t allow us to enable it. We could enable the feature only after switching from the Google Apps account to a Gmail account. After that, all you need to do is head to Settings under Google Now (accessed using the three dots or by swiping towards right) and enable Now on Tap. This feature lets you search or get more relevant information depending upon what is on the screen, without leaving the app. This is quite handy if you want to do a quick search without leaving an app.  For instance, depending upon the tweets in the stream, this what we got.  As the device learns your behaviour, it may get better at understanding what you’re looking for. In the few attempts we tried, the feature worked at times and at times it had no information to reveal. The device comes with the Nexus Imprint fingerprint sensor which is located on the rear side of the phone. It hardly took us a minute to setup the fingerprint scanner lock, and it functioned quite smooth and swift. The placement of the sensor on the back further adds to the convenience as we used the right hand index finger.  Google has added on a 1.55micron pixel size sporting 12.3MP rear camera and a 5MP front camera. The shots taken using the rear snapper seemed decent. However, we will test it extensively when we start penning down the review. Here are some shots we took:    Please note the above camera sample shots have been compressed. We tried installing a few casual games, and as expected, the new app permissions system came into the picture. So, we weren’t asked for permissions when we installed the app, instead the app asked for it as and when it needed, giving you the option to revoke it. The Qualcomm Snapdragon 808 chipset with 64-bit 1.8GHz hexa-core processor and 2GB RAM is good at the handling some casual gaming along with web surfing and social media. The device was quite swift and it didn’t lag or stutter at any moment. With about 80 percent battery life, the device didn’t squeeze through a day and we had to charge it once. Also, it comes with Type-C charger, which isn’t yet widely used, and so it makes it important that you carry it wherever you go. The super-fast charging bumped up the battery capacity from 18 percent to 82 percent in roughly 30 minutes! All in all, in a day, this seems like one of the best Android devices available in the market at the price range. However, it is the high price starting at Rs 31,999 that could play hindrance, considering some stiff competition from OnePlus 2 and Nexus 6P priced at Rs 39,999. After a prolonged usage and thorough tests, it would be clear if it is really a great option to watch out for. Watch out the space for our complete review soon.