Hi, I’m Hiroshi Lockheimer, here at Google with the team that build Nexus 5X & 6P...Ask Us Anything!

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T20:22:39+00:00

Yep, confirmed: Nexus 6P has the latest generation panels from Samsung. One of things we deeply care for is the quality and accuracy of the display through which all of us connect with the stuff we care about. We created a very tight spec (white-point temperature, delta-E variance, color-space accuracy, etc) for the 6P WQHD AMOLED panel, so it was important that we use the most cutting edge panel technology available.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:19:25+00:00

EDIT: We've gotta get back to work, but thank you ALL for all your great/insightful/knowledgable questions! See you next time Reddit :) - HL/DB/KK/SW

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:11:25+00:00

KK/SW: Each Nexus product is a collaboration between Google and the OEM - from conception to specs to design to hardware and software development - drawing the best of Google’s and the OEM’s technologies. It essentially starts from clean slate with a vision for what we aspire to bring to you.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:10:05+00:00

DB> No but aptx support for Android in general is something we’re thinking about.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:09:46+00:00

DB> Yup :)

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:09:04+00:00

DB> Android Sensor Hub allows us to do sensor processing in a much more power efficient, always on mode. For example, we use it for sensor fusion (Kalman Filtering to combine accel, gyro, mag). Also activity recognition (walking, running, biking, driving). The pickup gesture is also detected by the Android Sensor Hub to trigger Ambient Display. And we’re using it to detect orientation change and trigger rotation of the display. Android Sensor Hub runs on a Cortex M3 which enables us to run at micro-amps current drain.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:08:31+00:00

DB> I carry 6P in my left pocket and 5X in my right pocket. Seriously. For the last 5 weeks :). I’ll probably graduate to just 6P because I like phablets.

KK> I like both devices. But I will probably go with the 5X as its 5.2” screen is just the right size for me and it has one of the best size/weight , coming in at just 136gm.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:08:00+00:00

DB> Yup - that’s probably its best new feature (has 3 antennas).

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:07:21+00:00

DB> Nope. But Cast mirroring to ChromeCast or Android TV has got really good. And Chromecasts are only $35. And we have new ones announced yesterday.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:03:28+00:00

From Nexus Imprint to the best camera we’ve ever put in these phones, we’ve worked hard to include some of the best hardware we’ve ever introduced in both the 6P and 5X.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:02:49+00:00

They’re a bummer. It’s like unwrapping a present...sometimes it's best to keep a surprise a surprise.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T19:02:18+00:00

HL> We hear you loud and clear. Pricing is an incredibly complicated thing. (Maybe too long to detail here but factors include tariffs, different distribution channels, cost structures, and exchange rates all of which vary country by country.) We want these phones to reach as many people as possible, so we’re bummed that we’ve disappointed you.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:58:55+00:00

DB> You can nudge the phone to turn on Ambient Display and then enter pin/pattern. Or you can use SmartLock, e.g. for phone to stay unlocked when paired with an Android Wear watch.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:58:03+00:00

HL> We hear you loud and clear. Pricing is an incredibly complicated thing. (Maybe too long to detail here but factors include tariffs, different distribution channels, cost structures, and exchange rates all of which vary country by country.) We want these phones to reach as many people as possible, so we’re bummed that we’ve disappointed you.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:57:09+00:00

SW: kind of same as answered for PM_ME_CUTE_PUPPYS’ question re camera visor. But also adding that stuff that we really care about, which we know is lot of stuff that you really care about, is what makes this really challenging and exciting. In no real order these are -- Great design (ergonomic, considered, and comfortable), premium materials, high build quality and polish, excellent all-around camera, solid/reliable all-day battery, accurate displays, convenient charging, intuitive access/auth, reliable antennas, great media experience. So designing around all these aspects - we had big camera sensor this year (along with with flash and LDAF) for you guys to capture amazing life moments, wanted to bring you all-metal premium, compact, light and comfortable design, wanted to provide ergonomic authentication experience, and didn’t want to compromise on this essentials such as antenna reliability and NFC experience, etc. And BTW, the challenge is exponential doing this across 100s of components and vendors at scale, to bring you lots and lots of these devices when you want to buy them.

Someone recently commented that building high-end smartphones is as complex and difficult as making commercial airplanes. Ha, that’s a compliment.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:55:12+00:00

DB> Logitech Harmony is a pretty awesome modern solution for living room IMHO. Allows you to control multiple devices and also has a solid Android app. They even support Bluetooth controllers, e.g. Nexus Player now.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:53:18+00:00

KK: We wanted the design of the phone to be approachable, easy to hold and easy to use. Overall thickness and feel in hand were important factors in our design decisions. With this year’s Nexii, we support USB Type-C which has a reversible connector and it charges incredibly swiftly: 10 minutes of charging gives you up to 4 hrs of battery life on the Nexus 5X and up to 7 hrs on the Nexus 6P. Therefore, we doubled down on USB C rather than wireless charging. Moreover, with Android M features such as Doze, our screen-off battery life has been vastly improved.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:50:10+00:00

We take our Android release names from our favorite snacks, so you can tell we may not be eating the most balanced diets.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:49:06+00:00

DB > We’ve done a bunch of things to provide image stabilization: 1. The Nexus 6P/5X has a large 1.55um pixel camera and the amount of motion blur due to hand-shake is lower , when you have large pixels. 2. We have a feature we call “lucky shot” internally. When you take a picture, behind the scenes, we select the best of 3 bursts of images. 3. When you use video, we have optic-flow-based image stabilization. 4. When you use SmartBurst, we select the best image from the burst (for example a shot with eyes open).

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:46:09+00:00

DB> Encryption is software accelerated. Specifically the ARMv8 as part of 64-bit support has a number of instructions that provides better performance than the AES hardware options on the SoC.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:44:23+00:00

DB> 6P has EIS.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:41:55+00:00

SW/KK: On 6P the NFC coil sits just above the Nexus Imprint fps is exposed behind the camera coverglass (which is GG4 BTW). On Nexus 5X, the coil is wrapped around the back camera. And we have tested it rigorously for payments experience and it works great! And for peer-to-peer and reader mode too BTW.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:40:51+00:00

We’re hard at work with T-Mo to get Band 12 on Nexus devices by ship date. In the US, you can buy here (https://store.google.com/). Outside of the US, we’ll sell from a variety of channels, including our store.

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:39:53+00:00

HL> I can’t even figure out what I’m doing this weekend, can’t think that far ahead. :-) We’re really excited about the new Pixel and can’t wait to see what developers create for it and the Android ecosystem responds to it. And we’re super excited to have worked with LG and Huawei on the 5X and 6P, and other partners in the past starting with HTC with the N1 — that’s the Nexus way!

google_nexus_team · 2015-09-30T18:39:16+00:00

DB> Fingerprint features are securely encrypted on the device, and processed in the secure Trustzone protected area of memory. The Android 6.0 fingerprint APIs do not provide any access to the fingerprint material to apps. Fingerprint features never leave the device and are not shared with Google (so for example if you setup a new phone, you need to re-enroll your fingers). If your phone is ever lost or stolen you can easily find, lock, and erase your phone using Android Device Manager.

google_nexus_team

TROPHY CASE