The Nexus 6 Review
by Brandon Chester on November 12, 2014 1:00 PM ESTVideo Performance
By moving from the 4:3 8MP sensor in the Nexus 5 to a 4:3 13MP sensor, Google has been able to enable UHD (3840x2160) video recording on the Nexus 6. Google can also benefit from improvements in Snapdragon 805 allowing for higher quality video encoding. With Snapdragon 805 only capable of HEVC decode, we're still looking at H.264 encoding on videos for the current generation of devices. Unfortunately, Google does not include a 1080p60 recording mode on the Nexus 6, so both 1080p and UHD recording modes are at 30fps.
For 1080p content the Nexus 6 encodes with an average bitrate of 17Mbps and uses the Baseline H.264 profile. I don't know why Google isn't using the Main or High profile for their video recording, as Baseline is typically used in applications like video chat where quality isn't a big concern. I have no complaints about the quality of the video itself, although the OIS doesn't do as much to reduce the shake in the video as I imagined it would.
UHD video is encoded with an average bitrate of 42Mbps, and is again Baseline H.264. Compared to the 1080p video there's a significant increase in overall detail, particularly with the branches of the trees and smaller objects like leaves on the ground which tend to show up as large blurry areas in the 1080p footage. Something I noticed when testing the UHD recording on the Nexus 6 is that it has a tendency to drop frames, which is demonstrated in the video below.
As you can see, there are a few areas where the video framerate dips below 30fps during a fast movement, and several moments where the video will stop and then skip forward. I haven't been able to determine a cause for this, but Samsung and other OEMs have been able to do UHD recording at 30fps on their devices that use essentially the same hardware as the Nexus 6 which leads me to believe it's an issue that is rooted in software.
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Muyoso - Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - link
Go ahead and tell me again why the $649 pricetag is justified because this is the "no compromises" Nexus we have been waiting for. . . . . . .Affectionate-Bed-980 - Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - link
In come the Nexus apologists that say this is a developer's phone!I say this as someone who's owned 4 Nexus phones and have been disappointed in battery and camera each time.
Muyoso - Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - link
The thing is, with prior Nexus phones, the battery and camera shortcomings could be justified because of the price. At $649, Google has to be high. Aluminum trim ain't that special.dishayu - Wednesday, November 12, 2014 - link
It's a fair price for the device. It's not cheap for US Americans because your retarded mobile carriers. For the rest of the world, where BYOD plans are without contract and dirt cheap, the phone is priced very competitively. It's cheaper than a Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and LG G3 where I live.Frenetic Pony - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
Ouch, really? Just googled a G3, unlocked its $450 here. Ahh international markets, exchange rates and etc. Will you ever make things sensible?dishayu - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
The prices of the G3 have indeed dropped considerably but the nexus 6 is still priced at par with competition. Just checked Clove.co.uk and here are the prices :HTC One M8 : 499 GBP
Note 4 : 575 GBP
Xperia Z3 : 515 GBP
Nexus 6 32GB : 499 GBP (play store)
ws3 - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
That's all beside the point. Previous Nexus phones were priced considerably below the off-contract price of other phones with similar specs. This one isn't. That is the only claim being made.Acreo Aeneas - Sunday, November 23, 2014 - link
Maybe you should reread the article. Other than a few previous Nexus phones, the rest were about on pay pricing wise with the mainstream competition.Delfang - Thursday, November 13, 2014 - link
The fact that Z3 is available for 450 GBP on Amazon make your point invalid.garretelder - Thursday, December 4, 2014 - link
I'm personally not very impressed with the Nexus 6 (and neither is rankings like http://www.topreport.org/phones/ for example).