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A Couple Questions on Nexus 5x

W

wakeboarder3780

Newbie
Hello! I am new to the forum and was hoping I could lean on those more knowledgeable for a few questions I have. First just a bit of background, I moved to android about 2 years ago. The nexus 5 was my first (and only to this point) android experience. Onto the questions!

1) It appears the 5x is being marketed much like the N5 was in that it will work on any network. Unfortunately for the N5, this turned out not to be the case - specifically for the verizon network. There is an excellent post explaining why here: http://forums.androidcentral.com/google-nexus-5/381034-why-doesn-t-nexus-5-work-verizon.html
Most notably:
"Both are cdma but use different frequencies and while the Nexus 5 supports one of Verizon's they also need to approve it on their network which they probably won't "
and
"The N5 supports CDMA bands 0 and 1 (Verizon's CDMA Bands). It supports only one of Verizon's LTE bands (band 4), but not the other (band 13). Verizon is going to re-farm band 1 to LTE in 2015, anyway."
and
"If a device maker is looking for leverage against Verizon, the 700MHz band is the chink in their armor. They have to allow BYO devices in that band. Once the Qualcomm chipsets that support every band everywhere start rolling out in more devices, there will exist a pile of gadgets that can connect to VZW's LTE network but somebody else's voice network."

This is all to show my homework in hopes someone will be willing to answer the question of: Is it going to be different this time around? Will the 5x truly work on all networks this time? Does google plan to get it approved on the verizon network?

2) The 5x looks like it was specifically aimed to increase the amount of phone options for google fi project. I am currently looking to switch carriers for reception / coverage issues. I was holding out hope that the N5 (which i currently own) would work on google fi if the right software update was released. I am trying to save as much money as possible. Does anyone know if it's impossible (hardware wise) for the N5 to run on google fi? Is it truly the case the 5x has unique hardware the N5 doesn't?

3) Does anyone know why on the nexus 5 and 5x the devices continue to have a camera where it sticks out of the back of the phone? This leaves a user who doesn't want to run a case for slim reasons with the following two options when they set their phone down (set it on the screen and protect camera lens, set it down on camera lens and protect screen). I do not understand why the nexus line keeps being developed in this manner. Does anyone know if there is a reason?

Right now I'm left with the following options:
A) Keep the N5 and switch to a different, non-verizon carrier
B) Upgrade to the 5x and get on google fi and hope the wifi voice / texting / etc all works flawlessly

Is there a place on this forum where google fi is discussed? I would love to hear feedback on how well the wifi voice / texting / etc works.
 
I can't answer the first two, but the third is simple. If you want a thin phone where the camera doesn't bulge out that means a small sensor (physical dimensions). Sensor technology improves with time, but a larger sensor will always outperform a smaller one based on the same technology. So your options are for the camera to bulge out, the phone to be thicker or the camera to be worse (smaller pixels, more noise).

Now if manufacturers used the extra thickness to pack more battery in a lot of us would be happy with a thicker phone. But many people (including reviewers) fetishise thinness in phones, so you get the bulge instead.
 
From what I've seen, Verizon has changed policies for their customers and no longer block "non-Verizon" phones that are compatible. I also don't recall the original Nexus 5 ever being marketed that it would work on Verizon, my recollection is that even before launch it was known it would not work.

Everything points to this phone working on Verizon,
 
Thanks for the feedback guys, answers my questions and helps! Any ideas if there is an area to discuss google fi? I'm wildly curious how well the wifi calling works. If it works out I think the 5x might be the next purchase and google fi might be my next network!

OT sidenote: super depressed to find out there were no "loud" colors for the 5x. The red color on the 5 still gets my geek gear motor running after almost 2 years with it. The only "color" option for the 5x is a super light blue that is so close to white, meh. Definitely sad google didnt splash a nice loud color in there this time. A loud green or blue would have been awesome :(
 
There is a Project Fi forum here on Android Forums. While there don't seem to be a lot of people with Google Fi, since Google has it in "beta" and by invite only, people do get questions answered. In fact, on this thread someone asked a similar question today and has already received a response.
 
In the case of the N5, it wasn't up to verizon. They (verizon) did such a horrible treatment of the Galaxy Nexus that Google decided not to give them a N5.

As for your cdma N5, if you decide to keep it but leave verizon where would you go? Sprint is the only other cdma carrier and I don't know if your N5 will work for them.

I had the imo the best setup, my N5 with a t-mo $30 plan and use google voice for calls and text. The 5gig/month allowance is about 1 gig more than I need each month. From all the I have read on boards about Fi, vast majority loves it. Its too expensive for me. to get 5 gigs of data I'll be paying $70/month instead of $30. The international benefits and somewhat better reliability is not enough to spend an extra $560/year.
 
val88 said:
As for your cdma N5, if you decide to keep it but leave verizon where would you go? Sprint is the only other cdma carrier and I don't know if your N5 will work for them.
Click to expand...

All (US) N5's are the same. They all work between CDMA and GSM carriers except Verizon. I can take mine and switch between T-Mo, ATT, and Sprint. The only issue I've heard of is people that are on Sprint sometimes get locked on their network and it can be a pain to move.
 
I am on sprint, not verizon. My whole point was the N5 *cant* go on verizon. If I left sprint I would go to ATT because I have a grudge against Verizon at this point. For me my current choice is straight talk (MVNO of ATT) or hold out hope for Google Fi which from the best I can tell - I have ABSOLUTELY not clue how long it could be before being able to try it.

My goals are to minimize cost and improve coverage. The reason Fi appeals to me is if I can shut cellular data off, I could pay $20 a month and have a solely "wifi phone". This greatly appeals to me because right now my biggest problem is reception in my house. If it all goes over wifi - thats a non issue.

The only thing remaining that is still leaving a sour taste in my mouth is it sounds like *google* sets the "threshold" in the software of when to prioritize wifi over sprint / tmo carrier. *I* would prefer to have control over that via settings versus having it hardcoded in the OS. Personal gripe since I'm a software developer.
 
I tried looking for clues about if the 2013 N5 would be supported on Project Fi and I'm not going to hold my breath. I was also hoping for WiFi calling through TMo but it looks like that's not happening either. The cell signal in my house is marginal and having WiFi calling would help greatly there. If I had told people my Google Voice number instead of my regular phone number then that would be different, but I've had this number for as long as i've been an adult and would rather not switch.
 
exninja said:
I tried looking for clues about if the 2013 N5 would be supported on Project Fi and I'm not going to hold my breath. I was also hoping for WiFi calling through TMo but it looks like that's not happening either. The cell signal in my house is marginal and having WiFi calling would help greatly there. If I had told people my Google Voice number instead of my regular phone number then that would be different, but I've had this number for as long as i've been an adult and would rather not switch.
Click to expand...
Have you tried using Hangouts Dialer on wireless (not mobile data)?
https://support.google.com/hangouts/answer/6079055?hl=en
 
sigh. As i said before, I'd like to receive calls with my cell number via WiFi. Hangouts is through Google Voice.
 
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