Introduction

The is a good comparison – to see if the highly touted OnePlus One can stand up to the highly anticipated Nexus 6 from Google.  The Nexus line always stirs up excitement among the websites and techies and this year’s was no different – although there is almost a strange kind of ‘shell-shocked’ silence as Nexus supporters are catching their breath from this 6-inch mammoth and expensive device that they are not used to seeing.  Most of the talk is about the new Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system as each day new discoveries are being made.

Both devices are beautifully made, well-constructed and easy on the eyes and in the hand for holding.  The OnePlus One has rounded sides and a rough, ‘grippy’ back that makes it slipping out of you hand an afterthought.  The Nexus 6 has the curved back of the Moto X and with its metal frame between the glass display and dull-matte finished plastic, it makes for a great holding experience.  Both devices are definitely a premium design and look.

Between these two different devices built halfway around the world from each other, do share a few common traits.  They both offer 3GB of RAM and neither one has any internal memory expansion – 32GB/64GB with the Nexus 6 and 16GB/64GB with the OnePlus One…again, I do not know why ANY modern smartphone would only offer 16GB any longer, especially when there is no room for internal storage.  Both devices offer about the same in the camera area – 13MP, Auto-Focus, and Dual-LED Flash…a flash ring around the lens in the Nexus 6, although the Nexus does offer the very important OIS feature.  When it comes to a front-facing camera (FFC) the Nexus 6 only has a 2MP whereas the OnePlus One packs a 5MP for excellent video chatting and selfies. Other like features include – Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, NFC and a microUSB port for charging or data transfer.  They both have dual speakers – the Nexus 6 has stereo on the front, while the OnePlus One’s are on the bottom.

Please take a close look at the detailed specifications below and compare them closely and then we will take a closer look at the individual devices to determine if we can select a clear-cut winner.

Specifications

Nexus 6

The Nexus 6 was a real surprise and like I said, Nexus loyalists are still hearing the shot fired by Google that the new Nexus lineup is going to kick-ass with high quality build and quality specs – but we are sorry to say, that all comes with a price.  The Nexus 6 is still a great value, but with top-notch parts, they have to ask a top-notched price.  It is big and beautiful – many say it’s too big, and I am in that camp…I love big devices, but if you are selling a mainstream flagship smartphone, I think the display size should be no larger than 5-inches…okay, 5.2-inches.  Most people do not want a 6-inch phone hanging out of their pocket. That being said, let us look at the specifications on this bad boy.

The Nexus 6 starts with a 6-inch QHD AMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels with a 493 PPI density – this versus the 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display on the OnePlus One with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and ‘only’ 401 PPI.  The Nexus 6 uses the most advanced Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 processor clocked at 2.7GHz – the next step up from the Snapdragon 801 used in the OnePlus One.  The 805 model has advances in battery life and quick charging, in the camera area, the processing area and in the graphics area.  There is no real advantage over either device with RAM or internal storage.  In the camera area, when you consider all things, the Nexus 6 comes out on top because it does possess the Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) feature and we will throw in a few points for the Ring Flash encompassing the lens…a great idea.  The OnePlus One gets points for its 5MP FFC versus the lowly 2MP found on the Nexus 6…although still very adequate for selfies and video chatting.

Looking at a few other areas where the Nexus 6 might excel- the 3220mAh battery is larger than the very generous 3100mAh battery found on the OnePlus One – both are non-removable.  The Nexus 6 offers a nano-coating for water resistance, the dual, front-facing stereo speakers, Motorola Turbo Charging, Nexus wireless charging, and availability on all major U.S. carriers…and of course, it comes with the latest pure vanilla Android 5.0 Lollipop and all of its added features.  All of this wonder comes with a price tag of $649 for a 32GB device…now it will be available on a two-year contract price for substantially less money.

OnePlus One

The OnePlus One is from a new Chinese startup company – the ones that offer a lot of bang for your buck…and the OnePlus One is no exception.  For the build quality and specifications, it is hard to beat its off contract price of $349 for a 64GB model.  We need to take a closer look and see how it really stands up to the new Nexus 6 and see if it can win this comparison of specs and performance.

The OnePlus One’s 5.5-inch Full HD IPS LCD display simply does not compare with the 6-inch Nexus 6 QHD AMOLED display – the One has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 Pixels and 401 PPI, compared to the 2560 x 1440 resolution and 493 PPI on the Nexus 6.  When the OnePlus One came out the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 clocked at 2.5GHz, it was the cat’s meow, and the same one the Galaxy S5 and LG G3 are using…but does not have a few technical advances of the Snapdragon 805 found only in the Nexus 6 and the Galaxy Note 4.  We have already discussed they have the same 3GB of RAM and storage, as well as the camera area, where we have to give it to the Nexus 6 for the OIS feature missing in the OnePlus One…however, the 5MP FFC award definitely goes to the OnePlus One.

The other features of the OnePlus One included Miracast and DLNA and the fact that while it runs Android 4.4.3, it is a CyanogenMod 11S UI running the show – some people love it and others would rather have the pure Android experience found on the Nexus 6 and Android 5.0 Lollipop.  The other best thing about the OnePlus One is the price, especially now that the Nexus 6 is costing more – $349 for the 64GB version, but it only works on AT&T and T-Mobile.

…And the Winner Is…

Summary

This was a tough one because of the money factor, but I still would rather have the Nexus 6 than a OnePlus One – if they were the same price, it would be a no-brainer…you simply are getting a better device with the Nexus 6.  They are both huge devices – the Nexus 6 is only 6mm taller and 7mm wider, but it does weigh more at 184 grams versus 162 grams.

With the QHD display, better processor, OIS on the main camera, the stereo speakers, nano-coating, Motorola Turbo Charger, the wireless charging, Motorola radios for great reception, and of course, the ability to come with the lastest Android 5.0 Lollipop and get almost immediate upgrades when they come out…are all too much to turn away from.

The OnePlus One is an excellent device and I am not putting it down, but the new Nexus 6 simply takes the comparison to a new level.  Please hook up with us on our Google+ Page and let us know which device you would have picked and WHY…as always, we would love to hear from you.