Google's Nexus 6P is new Android darling

Edward C. Baig | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Google Nexus 5X and 6P: 5 Things You Need To Know In San Francisco on Tuesday, Google unveiled its new phones, Google 5X and 6P. Here are the top five things you need to know about these new devices.

NEW YORK — Google's state of the art Nexus 6P smartphone is a robust new version of its praiseworthy predecessor and a showcase for the tasty new version of Android known as Marshmallow. The new phone is faster, has a superior camera, and is one of the few handsets at the moment to support Project Fi, Google's own wireless service.

Put the 6P at or near the top of the Android heap. Last year's Motorola-made Nexus 6 has been on my short list of favorite Android devices.

This time around Google is teaming up with the Chinese hardware maker Huawei, and the two companies have delivered an even stronger device in the 6P, which I've had the chance to test out over a few days.

Here's a closer look:

*Look and feel. The thing you notice right off the bat is the 6P’s all-metal aeronautical grade aluminum body, which gives the handset more of a premium feel compared to the Nexus 6. At 6.3 ounces, it’s a tad on the heavy side though still a bit lighter than the previous flagship.

The 5.7-inch display is a beauty, though a little smaller than the 5.96-inch screen on the Nexus 6. Then again, with Apple's rival iPhones and Samsung Galaxy’s, I’ve come to expect brilliant screens, especially for phones in this high rent district.

*Pricing and availability. You can get the 6P at a starting price of $499 for a model with 32 gigabytes of storage, or, $549 and $649, respectively, for models with 64GB and 128GB. Google is reporting that phones are already on back-order or out of stock.

For a smaller, less pricey option, Google is also selling the new Nexus 5X (made by LG), which starts at $379. These are unlocked devices, meaning you can choose any major U.S. wireless carrier, or go with Project Fi, as I did, assuming you’ve got an invitation from Google.

*Fingerprint sensor. Marshmallow brings Android Imprint, which lets you use your fingerprint to unlock the device and authenticate purchases through Android Pay.

True, there’s nothing novel these days about fingerprint sensors — iPhones and Galaxy’s have them. But Google and Huawei designers chose a different path by placing the fingerprint sensor on the rear of the Nexus 6P. Yes, it took getting used to, but the design ultimately makes sense because of the way most of us hold the phone. The finger you’re most likely to call upon is already resting on the rear of the device. In any case, the phone routinely recognized my fingerprint without a lag.

*Cameras. The cameras on the new phone, not always Nexus’ strongest suit, have also gotten a lot better. You can easily launch the camera by double-pressing the power button.

The rear shooter on the Nexus 6P camera has 12.3-megapixels, the front camera, 8MP. But rather than merely play up the total number of pixels, an oft-misunderstood and overrated measure of quality, Google boasts large pixels that capture more light than most rivals.

On that score I was very impressed with the colors and sharpness on many of the images I shot, including pictures I snapped in dimmer conditions. Such images land inside the Google Photos app that is Google’s answer to Apple’s Photos app.

The 6P can also shoot 4K video. And you can “cast” photos and videos to a big screen TV via the Google Photos app, if you have a Google Chromecast device.

*Connectivity and power. The phones include the versatile USB-Type C charger that is an emerging standard. As with Apple’s Lightning cables, USB-C connectors are reversible — that is you can insert the plug either way, a nicety you come to appreciate. You also appreciate that some new computers also support USB-C. The downside is that all those older micro-USB phone cables you may have lying around the house aren’t compatible.

I got a full day of juice, and then some, in normal use with the 6P, but when you are running low on power, you can quickly charge things up, getting up to seven hours of battery life, Google claims, while plugging in for just 10 minutes.

Marshmallow through a new Doze feature generally promises longer battery life, by shutting down or placing certain functions and apps on standby, when the phone is idle.

*Now on Tap. One of the most interesting features that comes with Marshmallow is called Now on Tap, an extension of the Google Now feature that anticipates your search needs before you actively seek certain information. To summon the new feature, which isn't yet perfect but I imagine will only get smarter and more useful over time, you tap and hold the home button on the phone. Now on Tap then promises to surface relevant information associated with whatever it is you have on the screen — in other words, it's about context.

For example, when reading a review of the movie The Walk, Now on Tap supplied shortcuts to Google, Facebook, Twitter and so on, related to actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt, tightrope artist Philippe Petit (who the film is based on), and filmmaker Robert Zemeckis. You can also find out when its playing at a nearby theater.

Meantime, if you happen to watch movies or listen to music on the phone without headphones, it's worth noting that the 6P has very decent front facing speakers.

*Project Fi. I haven’t used Project Fi for long but my early experience is mixed. I like that prices start at only $30 a month and you only pay for the data you use. But while Project Fi is supposed to automatically choose the best connection among Wi-Fi and 4G LTE networks from Sprint and T-Mobile, I didn’t always get a strong phone signal or a signal at all as I used the 6P in and around Northern New Jersey.

Still, Google has a winner with the Nexus 6P. At least until the next great phone pushes it aside.

Email: ebaig@usatoday.com; Follow USA TODAY Personal Tech columnist @edbaig on Twitter

The bottom line

Google Nexus 6P

$499 on up; play.google.com

Pro. Brilliant screen, strong camera, USB-C, Marshmallow, Project Fi-ready. Unlocked phone.

Con. Had mixed experience with coverage via Project Fi.