Should I buy a Nexus 6? That's the question a lot of people will be asking as they try to decide where to focus their smartphone attentions for the next year.

We've been living with the Nexus 6 and will shortly be publishing out full review. There may have been confusions over stock and availability dates, but there's still a lot to love about the first Nexus phablet.

But should you buy one? We're breaking down the things you need to consider. 

1. It's pure Android Lollipop

That's one of the biggest positives for the Nexus 6. It's pure, unfettered, unadulterated, unsullied, Android. Lollipop is also the most compelling Android release yet and the Nexus 6 will be at the front of the line when it comes to upgrades in the future. 

But so much of Android's goodness is now handled independently of the OS: Gmail, Calendar, Messenger, Hangouts, Maps, Drive, Docs, Chrome, Play Store, the list goes on. Even the Google Now launcher is separate and available on other devices. If it's simply about material design, you can get most of it on pretty much any Android device, now and certainly in the future.

READ: Waiting for Lollipop? Here's how to give your phone an Android 5.0 makeover right now

Sure, you'll have Lollipop love right now, but devices like the Moto X are already upgrading giving similar results and once other updates roll out, you can easily give your Android device a Nexus makeover.

2. Size really does matter

The 5.96-inch display fronts a devices that's big. This is a phablet and as such, you have an 83mm width to deal with. Getting your hands around it is a bit of a stretch and one-handed use is a little precarious, as you have to change your grip to reach all over the display. The upside is that you get lots of space and watching video or playing games on the 2560 x 1440 display, which is fantastic.

The question really is whether you're the sort of person who usually has two free hands to interact with your device, or if you're the one standing on a crowded train, answering emails, trying not to drop your phone? If you're the former, then jump right in, if you're the latter, you might want something smaller.

3. There's no real phablet love

One of the good things about a big display is that you can do more with it. Look at the Samsung Galaxy Note 4: you have the S Pen with lots of innovative interaction options, or the LG G3 with its smart clipboard. The Nexus 6 doesn't even offer split screen options.

If you're into multitasking, then the Nexus 6 might not be the right device for you, despite the size it offers, as other manufacturers are offering lots of software innovation here.

4. A spec ahead, but for how long?

The Nexus 6 is hugely powerful, packing the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 chipset. This 2.7GHz quad-core beast is backed by 3GB of RAM and everything is slick and smooth in operation. The Note 4 has the same hardware, which is a step beyond the majority of flagship devices with SD 801. If you're after raw power, then the Nexus 6 delivers.

READ: Best smartphones to look forward to in 2015

But we're just about to enter the launch cycle for new devices, so we'll have SD 805 or even SD 810 devices from the likes of Sony, LG and HTC, as well as Samsung and Motorola and others as soon as February 2015. Powerful the Nexus 6 might be, but that advantage might only last 3 months.

Consider too that the Nexus 6 doesn't let you change the battery or offer microSD support. 

5. It's good value for money

That might be a subjective interpretation, but the Nexus 6 32GB is £499, far cheaper than the £619 iPhone 6 Plus or the £599 Galaxy Note 4. In that sense you get a lot for phone for your money. The price is closer to smaller flagship rivals like the HTC One, LG G3 or SGS5. 

But it's no longer Nexus cheap. There was a time that Nexus devices were synonymous with being affordable, undercutting many of the quality rivals. While that's still true, we're some way away from the £299 Nexus 5, or the £199 Nexus 7. The Nexus 6 is fantastic, but it now costs you more as Nexus is increasingly premium.

Summing up

On balance you have to pitch great build quality, power, a fantastic display and the latest pure Android experience against something that's just a little too big to comfortably manage on the move and doesn't really work that display as productively as some others do. But if you want to big with pure Android, then the Nexus 6 delivers by the bucketload.

The timing of the launch is also slightly out of sync with rivals. In a few months there will be a refresh across the board from Sony, Samsung, LG, HTC and others, wiping out the Nexus 6's current power advantage. There will be more Lollipop devices and as we've already seen, much of Android's core offering is now handled through apps, so will be the same elsewhere.

Are you going to jump in now and grab the latest Nexus, or wait to see what's coming? Let us know in the comments below.