Google has announced its new Nexus smartphones, introducing the world to the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P.

The two devices were heavily rumoured in the run up to their unveiling, leaving little to the imagination. We have compared the Nexus 5X to what we consider its direct competitors, and here we are doing the same for the Nexus 6P.

Read on to see how the Nexus 6P stands up against the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, Motorola Moto X Style and the slightly smaller LG G4, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium and Huawei Mate S.

Design

The Nexus 6P measures 159.3 x 77.8 x 7.3mm and hits the scales at 178g. It features an all metal build with a fingerprint sensor on the rear and it comes in three colour options comprising aluminium, graphite and frost. There is also USB Type-C on board.

The LG G4 is the smallest of the handsets being compared here and the Nexus 6P is the largest but one of the slimmest. The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ is the lightest and slimmest, while the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is the heaviest but it is also one of the slimmest.

The S6 edge+ has the most radical design out of these smartphones and one of the best build qualities, but all the devices being compared here are premium-looking devices that are well-built.

In terms of colours, the Motorola Moto X Style has the most variation thanks to Moto Maker, but the Xperia Z5 Premium has one of the most interesting with a chrome-mirrored finish.

There is a fingerprint sensor on the Mate S, Xperia Z5 Premium and the S6 edge+ and the Moto X Style and Xperia Z5 Premium both have water resistance. The Nexus 6P is the only device here to offer USB Type-C. 

Display

The Nexus 6P features a 5.7-inch display with a Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixel) resolution, that delivers a pixel density of 518ppi. This is the same as the Motorola Moto X Style and the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, but the S6 edge+ has a dual-edge display.

The LG G4, Sony Xperia Z5 Premium and Huawei Mate S all have 5.5-inch displays so a little smaller than the Nexus 6P, but their resolutions vary from Full HD to 4K.

The Xperia Z5 Premium has the sharpest display of all the devices in this comparison with pixel density of a whopping 801ppi, while the lowest is the Mate S with 400ppi. The Nexus 6P sits in the middle.

Camera

The Nexus 6P has a 12.3-megapixel rear snapper featuring an f/2.0 aperture, laser-assisted autofocus and a dual-LED flash. It also has larger pixels that Google claims will help capture better low light images. The front-facing snapper is 8-megapixels.

The Huawei Mate S is the closest to the Nexus 6P in terms of megapixels with a 13-megapixel rear snapper and 8-megapixel front camera, followed by the LG G4 that keeps an 8-megapixel front camera but ups the rear to 16-megapixels.

The other devices all have a 5-megapixel front camera and although Samsung sticks at 16-megapixels, the Sony and Motorola go above 20MP with the Xperia Z5 Premium offering the most at 23-megapixels.

All the cameras on each device will offer different features and functions. Megapixels aren't the be all and end all, so it is worth checking out reviews before you pick one of these smartphones based on camera performance.

Hardware

The Nexus 6P runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with Adreno 430 graphics, which is the same as the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium, while the LG G4 and Motorola Moto X Style opt for the SD808 with Adreno 418. Both Samsung and Huawei take their chipsets in house.

You'll find 3GB of RAM on all the devices, except the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ that offers 4GB. There is also microSD storage expansion on all devices, except the Samsung and Nexus 6P. Internal storage ranges from 16GB on the Motorola Moto X Style to 128GB on the Nexus 6P and Huawei Mate S.

The Nexus 6P comes with a 3450mAh battery, which is the largest capacity of the devices being compared here, followed very closely by the Xperia Z5 Premium that offers 3430mAh. The smallest capacity sits within the Huawei Mate S at 2700mAh, while the other three all offer 3000mAh.

Software

The Nexus 6P will come with the latest version of raw Android, Marshmallow. It means the new device comes with a host of new features including Now on Tap and better battery life through Doze.

The other five handsets all run on Android Lollipop with a range of extras and additional software features over the top. Motorola is the closest to pure Android but it does offer a couple of extra apps still, while the others all have skins.

You'll get Android in its newest and purest form on the Nexus 6P but the other devices will all get an upgrade to Marshmallow in due course. The experience will be different from the Nexus and Motorola however due to the skins so it's worth deciding how clean of an experience you are after before picking the device for you.

Price

The Nexus 6P starts at £449 for the 32GB model, which is in the middle price-wise of these handsets, just as the Nexus 5X is, compared to its competition.

The Huawei Mate S is the closest device in terms of price to the Nexus 6P at £469, followed by the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+ at £599. The most expensive is the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium at £629 and the cheapest is the LG G4 at £329.99. The Motorola Moto X Style starts at £359.99 so a little cheaper than the Nexus 6P.

Conclusion

The Nexus 6P is a strong contender in this line up. It has some great features that allows it to compete strongly. It might be the largest but it is the only one to offer USB Type-C, it has the largest battery capacity and it offers the latest Android software, while also holding its own in the other areas.

If you want a more exciting design, you'll need to look in the direction of the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+, or for a few more megapixels on the camera and a higher resolution display, the Sony Xperia Z5 Premium is worthy of consideration. That said, both of these devices come at a price.

All the smartphones in this round-up are good devices in their own right. They have strengths and they have weaknesses and your decision will ultimately come down to your budget and which you like the look of the most or which features are most important to you. The Nexus 6P offers decent specs at a decent price, with raw Android, so it more than holds its own against its competitors.