Ok to buy an older N5?

[MrMister]

Looking to buy a 2nd hand nexus 5 for using as a backup/mess about phone, and for using when on holiday.

Read a bit about them, and some says that early ones had problems, there's version 310, 311 and 312. Apparently some hardware updates were made?

So is it ok to buy the oldest one? Any problems I should look for or ask when trying to buy?

Thanks

 

[jj14x]

I bought the N5 a few days after it launched - so I guess it was the original version. The only "issue" I had/have with it was that the power button was a little loose. Never bothered me enough to return it though.

I think it should be safe to buy. Besides physical damage, make sure you can check that the phone is not stolen, can boot up without any issues, and also check whether you are ok with the vibration motor's intensity. I'd also suggest, if possible, to install an app that can help you test the pixels (it changes screen color to all red, then to all white, all black etc) and you look for any dead pixels.

 

[scary alien]

I still have and use my original N5 that I got a few months after launch and it's still a great, solid device (it's my main, current phone).

My daughter got here original N5 (same age as mine) pretty wet during a rainstorm. It pooped-out, of course, so she ended-up putting it in dry rice and then opening it up a two days afterwards and pulling the battery. I got her a new replacement and kept the water damaged one for my own development and testing purposes. The screen initially was a little flaky and had blotches on it that incredibly enough have disappeared. The USB connection is a bit flaky at times, but I also believe that might have been an existing condition from how she plugged-in and recharged that device (she's away at grad school most of the time).

So, all-in-all, I think it's pretty sturdy and resilient device.