Nexus 5 Packs a Ton of Flagship Features at a Killer Price But is it Enough?

After leaking more than a broken sink, the Nexus 5 is official! The Google flagship device features a 4.95-inch 1080p IPS display pushing 445 pixels per inch, a screaming 2.26GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU, an Adreno 330 graphics card, 2GB of RAM, an 8-megapixel shooter equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), and the long-awaited, Android 4.4 “Kit Kat.”

Design-wise, LG and Google decided to ditch the fragile, but elegant, glass black plate of the Nexus 4. The Nexus 5 features a soft and comfortable matte material that is very similar to that of the Nexus 7; horizontal “nexus” branding, and all. I, personally, welcome this change and love the soft touch back of my Nexus 7. Like the 4 before it, the N5 also features Qi Wireless Charging.

Trust me, you’re not the only one who thinks that camera lens on the back is enormous. It’s an eight-megapixel eyeball that features Optic Image Stabilization (OIS). This is a feature that most reviewers don’t make a big deal of, but really should. A lot of smartphone camera users complain about blurry photos. OIS sets out to help capture sharper, cleaner photos by detecting camera motion and having the lens physically move in the opposite direction of the motion to effectively counter the shake perpetrating the phone. HDR+ is also tacked on with Kit Kat and hopes to “capture moments that matter.”

The Nexus 5 mends the tragic flaw of its predecessor, the Nexus 4, and brings LTE. The device is suited up for AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile, but sadly, not Verizon. The device is being sold right now, unlocked and contract-free, on the Google Play Store for $349 (16GB) and $399 (32GB).

One of the biggest parts of a Nexus device is the Android software that is brought with it. And this year is no exception. The Nexus 5 is the first device to run Android 4.4 Kit Kat. On a design front, Google has decided to tone down the blue elements in the UI for a cleaner white hue. Kit Kat slims down memory footprint by cutting back on background services and is the reason Google stated, “Android can run comfortably on 512MB of RAM.”

The dialer has also been much improved. It now lets the user search for business numbers within the actual dialer app. The application is now a lot smarter when receiving calls as well. When a call comes in from a number not saved in your contacts, 4.4 will instantly ping Google Maps for a potential match. If it finds one, the name of (blank) business will pop up, along with a suitable image. The contacts app will now project frequently contacted numbers front and center by learning the user’s habits in real time.

Google Now is more prominent than ever. Swiping left on your home screen instantly brings you into the service. Saying “Ok Google” on the Nexus 5’s home screen will let you interact with Now using your voice, similar to the Moto X’s “always listening” feature. Hangouts bakes in SMS support, bringing all your messages to one place providing a more streamlined experience.

Kit Kat also includes new features that could help lower-powered devices (Google “Gem”, anyone?) more efficiently transfer data. Emojis are everywhere now and Google ditched the old black and white ones for the more colorful ones seen in Hangouts in the past.

Kit Kat will be available first on Nexus devices, including the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 (2012 and 2013 models), and the Nexus 10. (Sorry, GNex owners. But hey, there are some Kit Kat ROMs floating around that you can try out). The Google Play Edition Galaxy S4/HTC One should get it soon after, and everyone else will hopefully get it by early next year.

At the end of the day, the Google Nexus 5 looks to be one of the best phones of this year that will easily keep up, if not surpass, other flagship smartphones this holiday season in terms of overall user experience. And man, that price. It’s just a steal! Kit Kat is a nice step forward for Android and brings a ton of welcome features. I’m just curious to see if Google can really put an end to Android fragmentation and get Kit Kat swiftly on a plethora of Android devices.

Video via: The Verge