At a Glance

Pros

iPhone has great build quality, iPhone has 3D Touch interface, Nexus 5x is a good deal

Cons

iPhone costs £200 more than Nexus 5x

Our Verdict

We wouldn’t advise getting either model in 16GB, so go for the 32GB Nexus 5x or 64GB iPhone 6s. The iPhone is the better device, in terms of both software and hardware (and blending the two together). But the Nexus 5x isn’t a bad phone by any means, and it offers enough functionality to make most people happy. A lot of it comes (as it so often does) down to how much you want to stay in (or join) the Apple ecosystem of apps, entertainment and iCloud. Also, how much are you willing to pay for a slicker and easier-to-use interface? Apple fans will already have made up their mind, as will coders who find Android an easier environment to develop for. For the average newcomer, it’s not such an easy choice. The iPhone is the wiser choice, in the long run; it is manifestly a better phone, and we think it’ll perform for longer, and you’ll enjoy owning it more.

Price When Reviewed

$449 (32GB); $549 (128GB)

If you’re in the market for a new phone, you may be trying to choose between an iPhone or an Android Phone.

Apple makes just the iPhone, and the latest model is the iPhone 6s, although you can also get the larger iPhone 6s Plus. There are lots of different Android phones, but the Nexus range is the closest you’ll get to an actual Android phone (although LG makes it, not Google). The latest Nexus model is the Nexus 5x, so if you’re in the market for a new phone, these are good phones to compare.

This review is a comparison test between the iPhone 6s and Nexus 5x. We’ll look at the technical specs, price and software on both devices.

iPhone 6s vs. Nexus 5x: Technical Specifications

Nexus 5x

In terms of technical specifications, the two phones have more in common than you’d think. The Nexus 5x is a little bigger, but a little lighter than the iPhone. It has a larger 5.2-inch screen. Both have 2GB of RAM.

The iPhone 6s has a faster dual-core A9 compared to the Nexus’ slower, but quad-core, Snapdragon 808.

iPhone 6s tech specs

Dimensions: 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm
Weight: 143 g
Display: 4.7 inches
Resolution: 750 x 1334 pixels (326 ppi)
Chipset: Apple A9
CPU: Dual-core 1.84 GHz
GPU: PowerVR GT7600 (six-core graphics)
RAM: 2GB
Main Camera: 12 MP
Front facing camera: 5 MP

Nexus 5x tech specs

Dimensions: 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm
Weight: 136 g
Display: 5.2 inches
Resolution: 1080 x 1920 pixels (424 PPI pixel density)
Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
CPU: Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU: Adreno 418
RAM: 2GB
Main Camera: 12.3 MP
Front facing Camera: 5 MP

We’d bet good money on Apple’s faster dual-core being much faster than the Nexus 5x. A speed test by Cult Of Android showed an iPhone 6s smashing a Galaxy Note 5, even though it had an octo-core processor and 4GB RAM. A lot of this is down to better app management in iOS than Android. Both phones are plenty fast enough for regular users to do all the usual things they want without undue lag. We will be running our own tests and will update this article when we have the result.

Feature-wise, it’s much of a muchness. Both phones pack fingerprint sensing technology, and a form of mobile payment ( Apple Pay and Android Pay respectively). The cameras are similar in specification, and both phones can record 4K video. Although Apple’s new Live Photos feature is a point of difference, it’s a bit gimmicky, and there are similar apps available for Android.

The biggest difference between the two phones is Apple’s new 3D Touch interface. 3D Touch is both a hardware and software implementation, but the real difference is noticeable in software (so we’ll come to it in a bit).

iPhone 6s vs. Nexus 5x: models and pricing

iPhone 6s

The iPhone 6s and Nexus 5x are available in a range of different models and prices. Here are the options available:

iPhone 6s (16GB): £539
iPhone 6s (64GB): £619
iPhone 6s (128GB): £699
Nexus 5x (16GB): £339
Nexus 5x (32GB): £379

Price is clearly a difference between the two phones. The Nexus 5x is much cheaper than the iPhone. While Apple has larger storage models available, you save £200 by choosing a Nexus 5x. We think 32GB should be the entry point for a new iPhone, and are still slightly disgruntled that Apple hasn’t got a model available (in our opinion 16GB is too small, but that isn’t enough to stop people buying what is essentially the cheapest option).

The real comparison should be between the Nexus 5x: 32GB and iPhone 6s: 64GB. You’ll have a whopping £240 in your pocket if you go for the Android.

Of course these prices depend on whether you want to buy the phone up front, rather than on a contract.

iPhone 6s vs. Nexus 5x: colours and options

iPhones

Both the iPhone 6s and Nexus 5x come in a range of different colours. Here are the official colours (the honest descriptions in brackets are ours)

iPhone 6s colours

Gold (gold)
Rose Gold (pink)
Space Gray (black)
Silver (silver)

Nexus 5x colours

Carbon (black)
Quartz (white)
Ice (pale blue)

Rose Gold seems to be the interesting new choice, although it’s not for everybody it has apparently proved popular. The gold of the iPhone is metallic gold, rather than plastic gold. It looks stylish, but quite bling. Space Gray and Silver are less ostentatious options.

The Nexus 5x range of colours have fancy names, Carbon, Quartz and Ice, but it’s really just black, white and blue.

The iPhone does look more stylish to our eyes (in terms of design and colour schemes) although the build quality on both phones is great.

iPhone 6s vs. Nexus 5x: software and apps

Nexus 5x

What it comes down to is software, to be more precise the integration of software and hardware. And here the iPhone leads the way. Apple manages to integrate software and hardware in a way that few other companies are able to match – it makes the hardware and the software itself, after all, while other companies buy a operating system to run on their hardare.

Apple consistently delivers new ideas, and implements them on both the hardware and software level. 3D Touch is a good example of this. Inside the iPhone 6s is a new type of touchscreen that senses pressure. You can use this to “peek” and “pop” inside items in iOS 9, or perform quick shortcuts. Android has a similar gesture in the form of a long-press, where you hold your finger down for a while. We think that it’s just not as good an implementation.

And then, beyond that there’s the whole of iOS vs. Android debate. From various speed tests, it’s clear to us that iOS is more efficient than Android. It’s also a safer operating system because Apple keeps such a tight rein on development so you can generally be confident about the apps you are downloading from the App Store.

As well as risks, there are advantages to Android’s side-loading feature (where you can install apps without Google’s permission or security). And Google has a much faster turnaround for app development, which is why it’s becoming much more popular among developers and enthusiasts.

iPhone comparison reviews

If you’ve enjoyed this article, perhaps you’d be interested in more iPhone buying advice? We’ve written a series of comparison reviews, which set various combinations of iPhone against one another, head to head:

These may be useful if you’re trying to device between two specific iPhone models.

iPhone buying guide, autumn/winter 2015

And for a broader look at Apple’s current iPhone range, take a look at our iPhone buying guide video for autumn/winter 2015:

Or, if you’d prefer to see our buying advice in written rather than video form, head over to our iPhone buying guide article.

But now, on to the verdict!