[aha]

You are welcome.

Google Nexus 6P Vs. Blackberry Priv

By: Martin Blanc
On bidnessetc

Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) revealed a range of products and services, yesterday, which include new phones, a new tablet-laptop hybrid, Chromecast and a new operating system. The event was held in San Francisco where the company launched two new phones; the LG Nexus 5X and Huawei Nexus 6P. These two devices are successors to the Motorola Nexus 6 and the LG Nexus 5, respectively. The Nexus 6P is costlier and boasts features which may help it take the top spot amongst flagship phone models.

Blackberry Ltd (NASDAQ:BBRY) is also made a fresh foray in the smartphone business and the prospects hold promise. The company plans to launch a new slider smartphone with a keyboard device and Google�s Android operating system (OS). Bidness Etc takes a deeper look into features which users can expect from the newly announced phones.

Design
Every year, Google licenses the phone manufacturing to different smartphone manufacturers around the world. The Nexus 6 was manufactured by Motorola and the Nexus 6P is made by Huawei which is the world�s third largest smartphone maker by units shipped. The company has a large market in China and Asia. Its phones are acclaimed for good build quality and the aluminum chassis.

The Nexus 6P was made with a uni-body metal chassis and Huawei is possibly the only company in the industry which can combine this exterior with a sturdy feel. The phone comes equipped with an AMOLED capacitive touch screen which measures 1440x2560 pixels. The screen is 5.7 inches however, Google says the design prevents the screen from appearing too big. The screen is protected by Gorilla Glass 4, one of Corning's latest products.

The Blackberry Priv is a slider which sports an aluminum body. The official photos released by the company show a sleek, tall device with a 5.4 inch screen which is curved on the sides, similar to the Samsung Note. The phone is black on the front. Since it is a slider, there is no bezel around the screen. There are no buttons on the front; sliding the phone reveals a QWERTY keyboard. Blackberry was renowned for its top-notch keyboards and the phone could become quite successful in the market if the keyboard pleases users. The Blackberry logo appears on the back, and the camera is situated on the top.

Hardware
The Google Nexus 6P incorporates high quality hardware. The phone weighs around 6.27 ounces (178 grams), which is light compared to most flagship phones today. The device has a fingerprint sensor on the back to use with Google Pay and to authenticate different payments and installations. Google says this function is fast and responsive. The phone sports the latest Qualcomm, Inc. (NASDAQ:QCOM) Snapdragon 810. The company says this is v2.0 of the chipset and is not prone to overheating issues. The phone has 3GB of RAM, which will enable it to multi-task without lag. The battery is a generous 3,450 mAh which can run for a day. The phone comes in 32GB, 64GB and 128GB variants, and does not have the option for external memory. The last time the Nexus had the option to add external memory was its fourth version. The phone also has a USB-C port for fast charging and better data transfer speeds. This makes the Nexus 6P the first Google device to incorporate this standard in its phones.

The Blackberry Priv sports a Snapdragon 808 chipset with 3GB RAM. Blackberry will market this as a business phone which facilitates access to numerous tasks and applications, at the same time. The phone has an external memory card slot which can support up to 128GB with 32GB of internal storage. This leaves Blackberry in the spotlight as it is the only high-end phone to offer external memory while companies such as Samsung Electronics (OTCMKTS:SSNLF) move away from this function to make phones thinner. Rumors contend Blackberry Priv will have a 3,750mAh battery. However, the battery size is still unconfirmed. The phone will make use of the MicroUSB v2.0 and not the USB-C port, which will hamper data transfer speeds.

It�s been years since a physical keyboard was put on a high-end smartphone. However, we believe this is a great idea keyboard because it reduces errors and provides a sturdy feel. Blackberry's past with keyboards suggests the keyboard will be responsive and fast. Android (OS) will likely make a great software companion for the keyboard.

Software
Google�s new phones will operate on Android Marshmallow 6.0 OS, the functions for which it showed off at yesterday's I/O event. The OS is smoother and faster compared to previous Android OS software. The company now allows users to remove bloatware. Moreover, the notifications tab has had a revamp, while the homepage and the menu have been combined. Google stated it has reduced permission requirements for apps to make it easier on the user. Each app will have to take separate permissions whenever the need arises, and users will have the option to activate or deactivate them at will.

The Blackberry Priv will come equipped with Android Lollipop 5.1. The company has managed to make the OS compatible with its security requirements. The company has used a stock secure android version with its own apps to help boost productivity and also cater to the enterprise sector. Blackberry is going to allow users to download apps from the BB10 OS, the Amazon app store, and the Google Play Store. This is good news for many users who were previously exposed only to a limited selection of apps on Blackberry devices. It is uncertain if Blackberry will upgrade to Android Marshmallow, and is likely to only happen if it secures the Android OS as an update.

Camera
The Nexus 6P has a 12MP camera with a Sony imaging sensor. The front camera is 8MP; better than any other flagship device at the moment. Google has also offered 4K and slow-motion video from its camera. The company even showed the camera capabilities at the event and it seemed to perform well in low-light. Google is getting serious about cameras in its phones and the one on the Nexus 6P is no exception. A cool new feature turns Burst photos into animation. Though the camera does not have optical image stabilization (OIS), Google says the advanced Sony sensors offer better picture quality.

The Blackberry Priv will sport an 18MP camera with dual-tone flash and OIS, which is very impressive. It is still to be seen how the camera works in different environments, compared to Google�s 6P. The camera will record footage in HD, but there is no option for 4K video. The phone�s secondary camera is 5MP, so its well lit for selfies.

Pricing and Availability
The Nexus 6P is available for pre-order in the UK, US, Japan, and Ireland from Google�s own store. The prices for the 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB are $499, $549, $649, respectively. Buyers will also get a 90-day free subscription to Google Play Music, and $50 Google Play Store credit for US users. The latest Blackberry phone is yet to be released and though rumors point to a November launch, more will be known over the next few months.

Verdict

Both phones are quite capable of intense tasks and multitasking thanks to their relatively large batteries. The 6P surpasses Blackberry with the latest Android software, and the keyboard on the Blackberry gives it a little bit of an advantage in the tactile department.

[aha]

Let’s find out whether BlackBerry’s Priv is competitive enough to challenge Google’s Nexus 6P
By: Natalia Wolfgang on Oct 15, 2015 at 2:50 pm EST on technewstoday.com

Battle Of Smartphones: Google Nexus 6P Vs. BlackBerry Priv

Last month, Google Inc. unveiled a wide range of new products during its event including new smartphones, a latest operating system as well as a new tablet-laptop hybrid. The new phones were released in collaboration with LG and Huawei: Google Nexus 5X and 6P respectively. Nexus 6P is a high-end premium phone which is surely marking its spot among the competitors' flagship smartphones.

In a battlefield of flagship devices, BlackBerry Ltd. recently joined the league as it plans to launch a striking new slider smartphone along with a keyboard device. The stunning device is called "Blackberry Priv."

In order to help people make a right pick between the two devices, TechNewsToday provides an in-depth feature-by-feature comparison of both flagship smartphone models.

Design

Google's latest release, Nexus 6P is a successor to Nexus 6 manufactured by Motorola. As Google is known for launching the phones in collaboration with different phone brands, this year it worked with LG and Huawei to come up with two stunning smartphones.

Nexus 6P comes with a uni-body metal chassis, as Huawei is known for combining this exterior and making the devices durable. The exquisite high-end 6P comes with AMOLED capacitive touch screen providing 16M colors. Its display stretches to 5.7 inches, which is basically a 71.4% screen-to-body ratio. Its screen offers 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution with 518ppi pixel density offering vibrant and sharp colors. Additionally, the screen is protected with Corning's Gorilla Glass 4 and Oleophobic coating that makes the display long-lasting and durable.

The latest device introduced by BlackBerry, Priv is basically a slider phone with a keyboard device built in an aluminum body. From its officially released pictures, the phone looks sleek and stunning regardless of being a slider one that usually tends to be a bit thicker than usual devices. However, it is a tall shining device, which comes with a 5.4-inch display screen and curved sides. There is no button incorporated in the phone's front side, but rather it comes with a QWERTY keypad that can be seen right after sliding it. This phone surely a treat for all keyboard lovers, as it provides both the stylish touch phone sliding and a great keyboard as well. At the back it has the company’s logo and a camera lens embedded atop. Its display offers 1440 x 2560 pixels resolution with 544 ppi pixel density showing crisp and vibrant colors.

Hardware

Google's high-end flagship device comes with high quality hardware. The phone is claimed to be light weight compared to the other rival phone available on the market. It weighs around 6.27 ounces that is approximately 178 grams. It runs the latest version Qualcomm Snapdragon 810. As the processor came under the light of criticism due to overheating issues, the company addressed the claims by stating the device's chipset is a v2.0 which is not disposed to overheating issues. In order to use Google Pay and other payment methods, the device has a fingerprint sensor embedded on the back. The company says this feature is highly responsive and works fast. The phone comes with 3GB RAM which would avoid lag and help users to multitask smoothly. Moreover, the flagship device comes with a 3,450mAh battery, which is enough to run the device for a complete day. It is available in three different variants depending on the storage offerings: 32GB, 64GB, and 128GB.

Unfortunately, the phone does not allow expanding storage as there is no SD memory port available in it. After Nexus' fourth version was released with an option to expand external memory, the company has stopped offering the feature. However, there is a USB-C port embedded in the device to provide fast charging and transferring of data.

BlackBerry's Priv comes with a Snapdragon 808 chipset, a previous version of Snapdragon 810, and 3GB RAM similar to what Nexus 6P offers. The company claims this device to be great in terms of multitasking, and avoiding lags. It would be marketed as a premium business-class phone that offers multitasking and the ease of using numerous applications at the same time. It allows expandable storage by offering a microSD port, thus has an edge over other rival phones. The phone is rumored to come with 3,750mAh battery, but the company may not launch with it. In order to transfer data the phone may use MicroUSB v2.0 instead of USB-C port.

With the addition of a keyboard the smartphone is expected to turn as a huge success, challenging other rival phones, as it has not been seen in any high-end smartphone for a long period of time.

Camera

Google's Nexus 6P certainly takes a lead by offering 8MP front camera, which is surely better than any high-end smartphone available on the market. Its rear camera is 12 megapixels along with a great Sony's image sensor. It offers 4K and slow motion video. The company showed its camera result during its event to ensure how brilliant the camera works even in low light. With the growing trend of using phone as a primary camera, companies have started to pay a lot more attention to the camera quality to gauge high sales. No wonder, Google's major emphasis on camera is also evident. On the other hand, a big turn-off about its camera is lack of Optical Image Stabilization (OIS). Still, the company seems confident as it claims the addition of advanced Sony sensors to the phone will do wonders and help with a better picture quality.

On the other hand, BlackBerry's Priv is also expected to come well equipped with 18MP camera along with a dual-tone flash and even OIS that helps users take stable shot and a highly smooth video. However, it is still unsure how the camera would work in different lights and environments. Moreover, the phone does not offer 4K video, but is going to shoot videos in HD with 5MP secondary camera.

Software

Google's flagship smartphone comes with Android's latest version, Marshmallow 6.0 OS, which functions a lot smoother and quicker than previous version. Additionally, the company has revamped the notification tab and combined menu and homepage as one. It has also worked on the permission requirements, which can be activated and deactivated at the users' will.

BlackBerry Priv is expected to come with Android's previous version, Lollipop 5.1. The company says the OS is perfectly compatible with its security requirements. Also, the company has worked on boosting the device's productivity level by using Android's secured version with its own apps. The phone would allow downloading apps from Amazon Appstore, BB10 OS, and Google Play store.

Final Verdict

Both phones seem to be highly potential high-end phones with great strengths and attractive features, multitasking being one of them. Google's Nexus 6P surely beats BlackBerry in terms of latest Android version but users may find the addition of keyboard attractive enough to still buy the phone regardless of Android's old version.

[MO3iusONE]

You left put the part where this was published back in September. (09/30/2015)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[aha]

You left put the part where this was published back in September. (09/30/2015)

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

Damn, you are right.... except the "left out" part

[aha]

Nexus 6p seems to be a tiny better from the book... watched a few videos and nobody mentioning lag problem, yet... on the contrary Nexus 5x already got mentioned a few times about the lag issue.

[6stringriffs]

If the Slider is carrier-independent and works on both GSM and CDMA network, then the Slider is much better.

But I'm not holding my breath. Afterall, I can purchase the BB Suite separately, root the Nexus and install a hardened kernel too, and purchase an equivalent DTEK app from the play store if I wanted to. Or skip the root and get very timely updates from Google without any carrier bottlenecks.

Oh, and how long until this slider gets the new Android M OS with its granular permissions? Is BB providing granular permissions with the slider out of the box?

[StutterStep]

A paper comparison didn't tell me anything I didn't already know by looking at the spec sheets for a few minutes.

[cgk]

I'm actually going back to Nexus - my wife has had one for a couple of years and it is still as smooth as the day she had it - my experience with OEM devices is a bit more.. variable. So the specs are of *some* interest but the specs on the Nexus are *good enough* that if comes down to a slightly better spec or a nexus device with a pure experience and the knowledge it will be supported for two OS updates then I'll go for the nexus.

[eyeb]

Odd, this review makes it sound like all android phones will have the hub.
Notes From a Weekend With Google's Nexus 6P | WIRED

[cgk]

Odd, this review makes it sound like all android phones will have the hub.
Notes From a Weekend With Google's Nexus 6P | WIRED

Android sensor hub?

Not the same as BBRY's hub (if that what you mean).

[bakron1]

I have never been a person who buys something based on specs alone, I am a person who has to touch it and play with it to decide wether is value added for my current needs.

To me it's no different then buying a new car, they all look good on paper and the spec sheet until you get in, buckle up and take it for a spin!!

[MO3iusONE]

I have never been a person who buys something based on specs alone, I am a person who has to touch it and play with it to decide wether is value added for my current needs.

To me it's no different then buying a new car, they all look good on paper and the spec sheet until you get in, buckle up and take it for a spin!!

The last three phones I bought, I straight ordered online without knowing what they felt like. I read reviews and the reviews were good.

I'm a sicker for physical keyboards so I think I'll be buying the priv no questions asked. Hopefully I don't regret it

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[aha]

Now... price:

Nexus 6P: $500-$650 (32GB-128GB versions)
BlackBerry Priv: $900 (32GB expandable to 128GB)

If the rumored price for Priv is true, then we are paying (arguably) $400 bucks for security features, HUB, and the keyboard.

[aha]

This (if true) indeed lines up with BlackBerry's strategy very well... make no illusions about this phone, it's not for consumer market.

It doesn't even pretend to be a competitor against consumer products like Nexus 6P. This is for enterprise/business/professional market, it's a premium product that not supposed to be affordable. It's aiming to become the status quote phone again. You use it because you need it, not because you like to play around with it.

Even though they expanded the app selection by going Android, they didn't do it for consumer, they did it for their own target market segments.

Is the demand truly there? Is BlackBerry only supported by hobbyists or is BlackBerry demanded by the small premium market segment they think is still there?

This is actually a very well defined test for the target market... if the pricing is true. If the pricing is not true, I would actually be disappointed, because that would mean they don't know what they are doing (imho)... deviating from the strategy they have devised since Chen becomes their CEO.

[laid-back]

I have never been a person who buys something based on specs alone, I am a person who has to touch it and play with it to decide wether is value added for my current needs.

To me it's no different then buying a new car, they all look good on paper and the spec sheet until you get in, buckle up and take it for a spin!!

yep, exactly me. Although i like to know the specs are among the best out there, but taking it for a "test drive" will determine if i buy it or not. i know for a fact i am going to annoy the hell out of everyone before i buy it, i'll probably go the store multiple times and play with it until it's not fun anymore!