HandsetExpert.com
  • Phones
  • SIM Only
  • Compare Specs
  • Search
Loading more deals...
Sorry, but something has gone wrong. Please reload the page and try again.

Google Nexus 5X deals and reviews

Google Nexus 5X

82/100
42 Critic Reviews

Take your number with you with a simple text.

Release Date (UK): October 2015

  • Expert Reviews

  • Best Deals

  • Phone Specs

  • Photos Taken

What the critics say (scores are out of 100)

100

Alphr | Alan Martin, Jonathan Bray

In short, unless you're the shallow type with more money to throw around than I have, I'd advise you consider the Nexus 5X as a serious option for your next smartphone. It's no beauty, but the reasonable cost and all-round competence is a massive plus.

Read full review
100

Expert Reviews | Jonathan Bray

The Nexus 5X was an excellent Android handset for a reasonable price; it's a shame it's gone the way of the Dodo

Read full review
100

The Guardian | Samuel Gibbs

The Nexus 5X is a brilliant phone, the camera is excellent, the fingerprint scanner fantastic, it's snappy, has a great screen and is both light and relatively small in a smartphone.

Read full review
100

IT PRO | Alan Lu

A high quality smartphone at a reasonable price – Google really has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple and Samsung

Read full review
90

Android Headlines | Nick Sutrich

Simply put this is one of the finest phones of 2015 without a doubt ... While there are some areas that could be improved, like the screen quality and using both front-facing speakers in a stereo configuration, the phone is overall a perfect successor to the original Nexus 5 and will delight users who are waiting for that upgrade.

Read full review
90

Mobile Syrup | Patrick O' Rourke

Google's latest device is ahead of the competition, even when compared to the superb Moto X Play in terms of build quality, justifying the Nexus 5's price tag. The 5X's upgraded camera, improved build quality and impressive looking screen combine to create a smartphone package worth buying.

Read full review
90

Ars Technica | Ron Amadeo

This year's crop of Nexus phones are devices that stand alone atop the Android ecosystem, with a combination of features you won't find anywhere else. If you're in the market for an Android phone, you've run out of excuses not to get a Nexus.

Read full review
88

NotebookCheck | Andreas Kilian

The smartphone's primary camera shoots razor-sharp photos in bright surroundings and quickly finds the right focal point thanks to laser support. The bright dual-LED often cannot prevent the image quality from decreasing in dim light. However, image noise increases strongly without it or when the object is further away. The option of recording UHD videos is also great, but the tight storage capacity might quickly become a problem. Nexus 5X users will not have more than 32 GB; the base configuration even only offers a 16 GB flash memory.

Read full review
88

pocketnow | Joe Levi

The Nexus 5X is very much like its 2013 predecessor in that it delivers a lot of capability for a very competitive price point, and it manages to do so while still looking fairly sharp. But the 5X is no show horse. It's the phone you toss around without worrying about scratching it up; the one you buy because it's a good deal, not because it's delivering a premium experience.

Read full review
88

Engadget | Nicole Lee

[T]he 5X offers a lovely display, a speedy new fingerprint sensor and a surprisingly decent camera. It does falter a little with sub-optimal battery life and specs that aren't as good as its rivals, but the 5X is still a solid phone -- especially for its price.

Read full review
86

Android Authority | Lanh Nguyen

There is no doubt that the Nexus 5X is a worthy successor to the Nexus 5, but this device faces far harder competition that anything seen by the Nexus 5. While aspects like the really good fingerprint scanner, a far improved camera, and smooth performance are fantastic to see, it isn't that difficult to find a worthy alternative either, depending on your needs.

Read full review
85

MobileTechTalk | Chris Wallace

...the build quality is great if you don't mind polycarbonate, the screen is gorgeous if you don't need QHD, the fingerprint scanner and the camera are top notch, the battery life will get you through the day without any problem.

Read full review
85

phoneArena | John V.

Beyond the pure Android experience, the Nexus 5X is also a reasonably spec'd smartphone in its price range. Not only that, but it manages to perform on a high level to ensure that the entire experience is seamless – never stuttering, always moving smoothly. And it's wonderful to know that it's been blessed with some high-quality gear as well, evident by its very accurate screen colors and versatile camera.

Read full review
85

Mashable | Raymond Wong

Google's Nexus 5X offers a rock-solid Android experience, excellent cameras, and a fast fingerprint sensor, all within a reasonably-sized body for a very reasonable price. Whatever you do, don't buy the 16GB model.

Read full review
83

The Verge | Dan Seifert

Barring few exceptions, such as the lack of wireless charging, there's very little that a Nexus 5 lover will find to complain about with the 5X. It's compact, cheap, and performs well, even if it's not the best-looking or best-feeling phone you can get.

Read full review
80

TechSpot | Tim Schiesser

So while the Nexus 5X isn't a clear winner in the Android market, and there are some noticeable issues that keep it from true greatness, the handset is a fantastic successor to the Nexus 5 and still a worthy purchase at its asking price, even more so when discounted.

Read full review
80

TechRadar | Matt Swider

You can operate Google's compact Nexus 5X with one hand – and it has a smaller price, too, compared with the metal Nexus 6P. Its fingerprint sensor and USB-C port take some getting used to, but it's ultimately a future-proofed phone everywhere but its memory.

Read full review
80

Know Your Mobile | Damien McFerran

The Nexus 5X is another case of the software leading the hardware - this is a decent phone for the price but it doesn't make the striking impression the original did two years ago.

Read full review
80

What Hi-Fi?

A good budget smartphone that does it all – and performs better (in overall terms) than its flagship alternative... For those who don't want to pay a premium price but want a smartphone that has all the cutting-edge features, the Nexus 5X is definitely worth considering.

Read full review
80

Tom's Guide | Mike Prospero

If you're looking for a quality midrange, unlocked smartphone, the Nexus 5X should be on your short list.

Read full review
80

Trusted Reviews | Alastair Stevenson

The Nexus 5X is a great smartphone that showcases the best of what Android Marshmallow has to offer.

Read full review
80

S21

It's a nicely-sized, lightweight phone with a good screen. The problem is that even the 32GB version might prove to be too small. We are not happy about the battery life either. So, although the Nexus 5X is a good phone with some nice features, it's not one that we'd recommend.

Read full review
80

Neowin | Vlad Dudau

Like I said at the very beginning, price is in the end the deciding factor. And for this price, you can't really go wrong with the Nexus 5X. However, if the phone comes with a premium, as it does in many parts of the world outside of the US, or if you're looking for an actual flagship, then its flaws start to weigh much more heavily and you might be better off looking somewhere else.

Read full review
80

news.com.au | Harry Tucker

If you're the person who absolutely needs the best of the best, then this isn't the phone for you, it's a tiny bit slower, has a lower resolution screen and slightly worse camera than the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 5. But if you want a phone that runs a clean version of Android that does everything you want it to do really well at a great price, the Nexus 5X might just be the best value phone you can buy.

Read full review
80

T3 | Matt Swider

Google's Nexus 5X is the best one-handed Android phone on a budget, given its adequate specs. It nearly matches the LG G4 on the inside with a processor that's fast enough for most people and a camera that's just as good in low light conditions.

Read full review
80

Stuff | Andrew Williams

The Nexus 5X feels every bit the successor to the original Nexus 5. It's so overdue that the original now feels like a phone from another lifetime. It has all the phone's good bits, like great performance and smart pricing. But it also keeps a few bad bits too, like a pretty naff battery life, unambitious speaker and slightly pedestrian-feeling build.

Read full review
80

PC Advisor | Jim Martin

The 5X is a fantastic phone overall, with excellent cameras, a good turn of speed and an excellent screen. But it's noticeably bigger than its predecessor despite the small increase in screen size, it has limited storage compared to the Nexus 6P and it lacks a couple of camera features due to the slower processor.

Read full review
80

TechnoBuffalo | Mark Burstiner

The Nexus 5X is an excellent device for the price, a competent older brother to the 6P and a worthy successor to the classic Nexus 5. For me, with so many devices in a similar price range, what it comes down to is the features.

Read full review
80

SlashGear | Chris Davies

Lovers of the Nexus 5 will find much of their favored device's DNA in the Nexus 5X, but there have been compromises along the path of evolution. The Nexus 5X smacks of being made to price and cynically heading off criticisms of how expensive the true Marshmallow flagship is.

Read full review
80

The Gadget Show

While the Nexus 5X isn't the headline-grabber that Google and LG perhaps hoped for, it's still an impressive achievement and a recommended purchase for Android purists.

Read full review
80

Pocket-lint | Elyse Betters

Overall the Nexus 5X is great in some areas, lacklustre in others. But it's a Nexus - and boy oh boy, do we love Nexus. However, the larger Nexus 6P offers much more, albeit on a much larger scale.

Read full review
80

NDTV Gadgets | Jamshed Avari

The Nexus 5X is a great phone, but it might seem a bit too expensive.

Read full review
80

Mobile Choice | Sunetra Chakravarti

It is a great phone but the world of mobile phones has leapt forward since the Nexus 5 was unleashed and when you see other manufacturers paring back their hitherto heavy Android skins and driving down prices, you realise that it is a tough world out there even for Google.

Read full review
79

CNET UK | Sean Hollister

The LG-built Google Nexus 5X is a fantastic pick for people who want a relatively small, lightweight smartphone with excellent value for money.

Read full review
77

The Journal | Quinton O'Reily

A good mid-range successor to the Nexus 5 but it's not the jump many were expecting... Yet the Nexus 5 is cheaper and a more manageable size so if you're intent on getting a Nexus device, you have to consider which is more important: convenience of use, or an improvement in specs.

Read full review
75

AnandTech | Brandon Chester

The Nexus 5X certainly isn't a perfect device. It's not meant to be a flagship phone and it's not priced like one;...it's not the most expensive phone out there, but it's not exactly the cheapest one either. Still, I find myself really liking it despite its flaws. I definitely have a soft spot in my heart for the original Nexus 5, and I was quite disappointed when it didn't receive a true successor last year.

Read full review
70

Gadgets Now | Ravi Sharma

If you are a Nexus 5 owner and want to change your phone, then Nexus 5X is a good choice. But, we warn you that the price tag is not justified considering the hardware and the RAM may prove to be too less for long-term usage.

Read full review
70

Australian PC World | Tony Ibrahim

LG and Google have failed to recapture the magic of the Nexus 5 with its successor.

Read full review
70

Eurogamer | Damien McFerran

For all of our grumbling, the 5X is still recommended, mainly because it's running the purest version of Android - a benefit which really cannot be overstated despite the fact that it's a long way from being the perfect smartphone in terms of tech.

Read full review
70

Android Central | Russell Holly

When it works, using the Nexus 5X is a lot of fun. If Google can reduce these failure points we've found in using the phone for the last week, the overall quality of this phone will be improved dramatically... It's a mediocre experience with some amazing high points.

Read full review
70

AndroidPit | Eric Herrmann

The pool of good alternatives - at fairer prices – has grown considerably since the original Nexus 5, and now the only people likely to buy the Nexus 5X are die-hard Google fans. To everyone else, this phone might pass by unnoticed.

Read full review
50

Digital Trends | Jeffrey Van Camp

There's a lot to love about the Nexus 5X, but poor battery life bars the affordable phone from our recommended list.

Read full review

Every day, we search through thousands of tariffs and offers from UK online retailers to find the best Google Nexus 5X deals and contracts across a selection of price points and needs.

Select 'Pay Monthly' if you're looking to get the Google Nexus 5X as part of a monthly contract with minutes, data and texts. Alternatively, choose 'No Contract' if you prefer to buy the Google Nexus 5X SIM Free or on Pay as You Go.
  • Pay Monthly
  • No Contract

Finding the perfect deal is easy. Just use the sliders to filter tariffs for minutes, data, monthly cost and upfront cost. You can also filter by network and retailer to find the best Google Nexus 5X deal for you!

Ofcom Logo
Filter Retailers Filter Networks More

Sort

Note: SIM Free and PAYG price comparisons are independent of Ofcom’s accreditation scheme

The cheapest contract price in this category is cheaper than buying the Google Nexus 5X SIM Free and a comparable SIM Only tariff by .
View SIM Only Contracts View SIM Free Prices

You could save on the cheapest contract price in this category by buying the Google Nexus 5X SIM Free and a comparable SIM Only tariff separately.
View SIM Only Contracts View SIM Free Prices

We're also checking unbundled phone and tariff prices for you...

No deals found. Suggestions:
  • Try expanding the tariff and price slider values.
  • Try including more networks/retailers.
  • Try a different payment model (Pay Monthly/SIM Free).
  • If the device is old, there may not be any deals available.
Loading more deals...

Compare Google Nexus 5X specs side-by-side with other phones
COMPARE SPECS

Form factor and dimensions
Dimensions & Form

Form factor: Touchscreen bar
Dimensions 147 x 72.6 x 7.9 mm (5.79 x 2.86 x 0.31 in)
Weight: 136 g (4.8 oz)

Screen
Screen

Size: 5.2 inches diagonal
Resolution: 1920 x 1080 pixels
Screen Density: 424 ppi
Screen-to-Body Ratio: 69.8 %

Display Type: IPS LCD

Operating System
Runs

Android

Performance
Performance

Chipset: Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808
CPU: Quad-core 1.44 GHz Cortex-A53 & dual-core 1.82 GHz Cortex-A57
GPU: Adreno 418
RAM: 2GB

Camera
Camera

Main Camera: 12.3 megapixels with dual LED flash, 4k video recording
Secondary Camera: 5 megapixels

Storage
Storage

Built-in Storage: 16GB, 32GB
Expandable Storage: Not Available

Battery
Battery & Charging

Capacity: 2700 mAh
Removable Battery: No
Wireless Charging: No
Quick Charge: None

SIM Standard
SIM standard

Dual SIM: Micro SIM + Nano SIM
Compare SIM Only deals

Water and Dust Resistance
Water & Dust Resistance

Not Available

Fingerprint Reader
Fingerprint Reader

Rear

More info
References & More info

Official website
GSMArena specs page

Photos taken with the Google Nexus 5X

We've used Flickr to find a selection of pictures taken by the Google Nexus 5X camera. Here is a selection of photos taken by users from around the world so you can see what kind of picture quality you can expect from real-world use of the Google Nexus 5X.

  • Sample Photo 0
  • Sample Photo 1
  • Sample Photo 2
  • Sample Photo 3
  • Sample Photo 4
  • Sample Photo 5
  • Sample Photo 6
  • Sample Photo 7
  • Sample Photo 8
  • Sample Photo 9
  • Sample Photo 10
  • Sample Photo 11
  • Sample Photo 12
  • Sample Photo 13
  • Sample Photo 14
  • Sample Photo 15
  • Sample Photo 16
All images shown are used under the rights and terms specified by the Creative Commons.

Filter by Network

You can pick as many (or as few) networks as you wish!

Select All Clear Selection
Cancel Apply

Filter by Retailer

You can pick as many (or as few) retailers as you wish!

Select All Clear Selection
Cancel Apply

Contract Length (months)

You can pick as many (or as few) others as you wish!

  • 1Selected
  • 6Selected
  • 12Selected
  • 18Selected
  • 24Selected
  • 30Selected
  • 36Selected
Select All Clear Selection

Include deals with

Automatic Cashback Selected Cashback by Redemption Selected
Select All Clear Selection
Cancel Apply

Out of Bundle Costs

  • Minutesp/min
  • MMSp/msg
  • SMSp/txt
  • Voicemailp/min

Useful Info

You can check network coverage here, or read our guide for resources on coverage.

Read our guide on network traffic management here. Read about 's fair usage and traffic management policy here.

You can find more information via Ofcom's customer service and complaints handling guide.

Learn more about HandsetExpert and how our comparison engine works.

GET DEAL

Close window

Last Updated: 6th November 2021

How HandsetExpert Works: We don't run ads on the site, or charge users to use the site. The site is funded using commission links, where we may receive a commission if a phone or tariff is purchased via HandsetExpert. Our editorial, phone scoring and recommendation system and deal-finding algorithms are not affected by this; we are fiercely committed to providing unbiased, independent information.

Important notes

  • We aim to compare as many tariffs in the marketplace from the UK as possible. However, we do not include every package (e.g. legacy tariffs no longer available, or tariffs only available to existing/specific customers), nor do we detail every aspect of every tariff (e.g. international out of bundle rates, on-network minutes, etc).
  • SIM Only deals do not include plans shorter than 30 days or Pay As You Go rates.
  • We work really hard to get accurate prices from as many providers as possible, but some deals or providers may not be included; if there’s anything we’ve missed then please get in touch and let us know.
  • Whenever we can, we will let you know if a deal is time limited (such as a flash deal), and when the deal expires.
  • For tariffs which offer "unlimited" allowances, there may be times where traffic management or fair usage policies apply.
  • Additional charges for payment methods other than direct debit and for itemised/paper billing may apply.
  • Data only SIM cards, mobile broadband packages, and pay monthly tablets are currently not included in the comparison.
  • Out of bundle charges are not included in the calculation of Average Monthly Cost.
  • Contracts may not be available for some phone models in all colours and/or sizes, and a small number may only be available either as a pay monthly contract or a contract free handset, but not both.
  • Providers may increase the cost of your contract by RPI (inflation). However, if prices are increased that then cause a materially detrimental impact, you have the right to exit your contract without penalty. More details available from Ofcom plus comparative information on customer service and complaints handling & their guide on how to complain.
  • Ofcom runs a voluntary accreditation scheme for digital comparison tools (DCTs) for telephone, broadband and pay-TV, and has confirmed that this DCT meets the criteria for accreditation. For further details about the scheme, including the criteria that DCTs must meet, visit the price comparison page on the Ofcom website.
© 2023 - HandsetExpert
  • Home
  • Reviews & Deals
  • Blog
  • About
  • Accessibility
  • Contact
  • Cookies & Privacy Policy
HandsetExpert FaceBook HandsetExpert Twitter HandsetExpert Messenger