Nexus 5 review: The 2013 cult classic — flagship power at a disruptive price.
The 2013 phone enthusiasts still talk about.
The Nexus 5 delivered flagship power and stock Android for $349 and became a cult classic. Its weak camera aside, it is a beloved piece of history.
01Display
54/10054/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
02Camera
38/10038/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
03Performance
28/10028/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
04Battery
40/10040/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
05Build
50/10050/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
06Value
56/10056/100 — right at the average for premium phones of 2013.
- Flagship Snapdragon 800 at a disruptive $349.
- Launch device for Android 4.4 KitKat.
- Qi wireless charging; clean stock Android.
- A genuine cult classic.
- Mediocre 8 MP camera even for 2013.
- Small 2,300 mAh battery; plastic build.
- Software ended at Android 6.
- Discontinued — a vintage device.
How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 1-phone cohort of premium devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .