Do your electronics age? (Part 1: Nexus 5)
Mine do.
I have a 2010 Macbook pro that I’m currently typing on, and I love it to death. It’s been with me my entire 4 years in college and we’ve only gotten into one major fight.
But time takes it’s toll on all things, and I wanted to compare three of my aging devices to show how to balance longevity and relevancy. Computers aren’t like heavy duty boots. They go out of style and can’t always be restored, but they can be repurposed which is another fantastic topic! What I’m saying is, sometimes its worth making the investment in something nice, and sometimes its not. Maybe it is smarter to get the cheap thing and let it fall apart, or repurpose than shell out $2000 for quality you don’t need.
The three devices I’ll be comparing are: Kindle Fire 1st Edition, 2010 MacBook Pro, and Nexus 5
I’ve had the Kindle fire for over three years, its the first edition with none of the frills and all of the amazon. The 2010 i7 MacBook Pro with upgraded RAM has been in my backpack for 4 years, and the Nexus 5 for 6 months. Though different ages time has had an impact on all these devices. I also think this time period reflects how long into a product cycle you been to look for an upgrade.
Starting with the Nexus 5:
Every 6 months another cool phone comes out and you begin noticing all the flaws in your current device, and the new one has a better low light sensor, a better screen, and a better battery, and a new gyroscope, and the newest software, and a new e-ink display on the back and on and on until you just get so fed up with yours you decide to spend the extra money and not wait until your contract is up. Or you drop your phone, with only 6 months left so you decide to just pony up the money for the new device or steal an upgrade from your mom. Either way my device is aging.
Hardware
The battery is weaker. It used to make it all day without needing to be charged, but because of background apps, software not being as efficient as possible, and the tendency for lithium based batteries to lose capacity. The phone will make it most of the day unless I navigate for more than 30 minutes or play music or play music for an hour.
The devices also has scratches on the screen, they are very small, but noticeable in a bright room. There are also scratches on the corners of the device from dropping out of my pocket. Also, the camera doesn’t seem as crisp. Overall however the device is in great shape the buttons all function the camera is great, nothing wrong with the speakers or microphone. Overall, hardware wise, it held up very well.
Hardware Durability: Very Good
Software
Nexus software is all Google, and though rooting is fun, I wanted to keep this device purely Google just to get an understanding of what Google is prioritizing in mobile computing. This device has great software, stable smooth, simple. It uses the amazing Google Now seamlessly and is easily configured. I do have a whole list of separate interface complaints for this device, but the software has been performing very well. I have been experience recently that certain times the camera will freeze or not function especially after using snapchat. Also, when changing apps sometimes the double takes, where the device will flash momentarily to a previous screen will occur. Also memory accessing has become slower with the amount of photos on the device, and memory is running short. But, once again, this device has aged very well, better than the Galaxy devices I’ve used.
Software Durability: Very Good
Aging has not been a major part of this device’s 6 months of service, and I believe that’s a great thing. For $350 dollars without a new contract you can have a reliable, simple, and hard working device that you will not want to leave halfway through your contract then instead find yourself trying to root it again at 3am wondering why in the world you listened to that guy on YouTube and now have a bricked phone you won’t be able to fix until you get a Ph.D in Software Engineering. What I’m trying to say is, making the investment on a good phone is wise and will save you headaches in the long run.
Nexus 5 Overall: VERY GOOD!
Here’s a photo of the tree outside my house taken with the Nexus 5. Actually most the photos on this site were taken with that camera!