Skip to main content

Motorola finally says what we all knew in our hearts: the Nexus 6 was too big

nexus 6 problems
Image used with permission by copyright holder
With “shamu” as its codename, it’s almost fitting that the Nexus 6 was, and still is, a polarizing smartphone due to its sheer size. Motorola, which was tapped to make the Nexus 6, finally admitted as such in an interview with TechRadar.

According to Motorola chief marketing officer Adrienne Hayes, the Lenovo-owned company paid attention to the increased demand for larger smartphones. She admitted, however, that Motorola went a little too far with the Nexus 6.

“I think it was one of those where we were like ‘is [screen size] going to continue to go up?'” I think, unfortunately, that was one of the products that was going to be the example of no, it’s not. So now we know.”

The 2014 Nexus 6, with its 5.96-inch display, did catch many of us off-guard, particularly since 2013 brought us the now-diminutive Nexus 5, which packed a 4.95-inch display and is still considered the best Nexus smartphone by more than a few smartphone enthusiasts. In our review of the Nexus 6, we did mention that it was difficult to hold due to that screen, though the display also helped it be a great media consumption device.

As with previous and future Nexus devices, however, Google did have a say in the design aspect of the Nexus 6. According to Hayes, it was Google that wanted the 5.96-inch screen size of the Nexus 6, though Google wasn’t an overbearing partner. “For the most part, they have some influence, but they really let the manufacturing partner drive the industrial design,” said Hayes.

At the end of the day, however, Hayes said Motorola would be happy to make another Nexus device if the future dictates such a decision.

“I don’t know whether we’ll do another Nexus device, but we would be happy to,” remarked Hayes. “It was a good experience.”

Editors' Recommendations

Williams Pelegrin
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Williams is an avid New York Yankees fan, speaks Spanish, resides in Colorado, and has an affinity for Frosted Flakes. Send…
I keep forgetting about the Apple Watch Series 9’s coolest feature
Apps on the Apple Watch Series 9's screen.

I’m just going to come out and say it: I love the Apple Watch Series 9. A couple of weeks ago, I returned to wearing it every day after an extended period of not doing so. And you know what? I was surprised by how much I’d missed it.

But one thing has bothered me this time around: There's a feature I haven't been using. Not because it’s bad, but because I tend to forget it's there.
Effortless to own and wear

Read more
3 foldable phone deals you should seriously consider today
The Google Pixel Fold with the screen open.

For those who are thinking about getting a foldable phone, we've rounded up three foldable phone deals for you to consider as your next purchase. Motorola is currently selling the Motorola Razr at $200 off, which brings its price down to $500 from $700, and the Motorola Razr Plus at $300 off, which lowers its price to $700 from $1,000. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Fold is available from Best Buy with a $500 discount that slashes its price to $1,299 from $1,799. You can be sure that you won't regret purchasing any of these devices because they're all included in our roundup of the best folding phones, but you need to hurry because the offers may expire at any moment.
Motorola Razr -- $500, was $700

The Motorola Razr features a 1.5-inch external OLED display and a 6.9-inch Full HD+ internal pOLED display, with decent performance provided by its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM. It's got a 64MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle camera at the back, plus a 32MP selfie camera inside. The folding phone features a metal chassis that's surrounded by soft but durable leather, and it folds without a gap.

Read more
The OnePlus 12R is still one of 2024’s best smartphone deals
OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition in hand.

OnePlus is still quite new to me, as I was a lifelong iPhone user until I joined Digital Trends. However, OnePlus has a pretty solid reputation in the mobile world, and now I can see why, as the OnePlus 12 is one of my favorite smartphones that I’ve used so far this year.

But the OnePlus 12 isn’t the only phone that OnePlus launched in 2024. There is also the more affordable value option, the OnePlus 12R, which even comes in a cool Genshin Impact Edition.

Read more