Earlier today, Google finally took wraps off of the new Nexus 5X, a throwback to the second LG Nexus from 2013. As we were expecting, the Nexus 5X is yet another go at the Nexus blueprint from LG, and while they’ve taken a year off from things, it looks as though they haven’t forgotten what people loved about their now two-year old Nexus 5. One area in which stock Android and stock hardware like the Nexus devices have struggled with is the camera, and while LG’s Nexus 5 turned things around for Nexus devices back in 2013, things haven’t gotten much better since then. Lollipop, and now Marshmallow have introduced big changes for how Android itself handles images, but what about this new hardware?
Under the hood, LG have blessed their latest Nexus with a 12.3-megapixel camera around the back, and a 5-megapixel upfront. Neither of these stats are particularly stunning, but resolution is just one part of the equation. The other part of this equation is not just the amount of pixels the camera creates, but how big the sensor is itself. Both the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P share the same imaging hardware from Sony, a 1.55 micro sensor which is larger than last year’s Nexus 6 to a factor of four. This means the Nexus 5X now takes in more light, and even though it doesn’t feature LG’s OIS technology from the G line of devices, it takes in so much light that it can use quicker shutter speeds and therefore produce no blur. In low light situations, there’s an HDR+ mode that automatically kicks in and the results of this are dramatic when combined the amount of light this sensor takes in. Laser autofocus is here just as it is on the Nexus 6P, and the overall speed of the camera is greatly improved over the last Nexus 5, which was not a speedy shooter by any imagination.
Software wise, the Nexus 5X supports Smart Burst as well, taking a raft of images at once for quick clips and animated GIFs and there’s support for 4K video recording here as well. We’ll be able to cover more of the new Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P once we get our hands on them, but until then keep it locked to Android Headlines for more in-depth Nexus coverage.