LG Nexus 5X battery test results

The LG Nexus 5X comes with Doze, the new Android feature that promises to extend standby time by being smart about when it lets apps run in the background. To be fair, the old Nexus 5 will get the same feature after the update, but its replacement has two hardware improvements that software updates can't make up for.

The first is the bigger battery – 2,700mAh – and the second is the newer chipset, Snapdragon 808, built on a 20nm process instead of the 28nm process used for the Snapdragon 800.

The new Nexus 5X significantly improves the talk time over its predecessor and indeed posts and above average of 17 hours. We've seen much better performance, the Moto X Style (S808, 3,000mAh) went over 22 hours, and worse – the LG G4 (S808, 3,000mAh) couldn’t quite make it to 17 hours.

Talk time

• Oppo R7 Plus
  30:46h
• OnePlus 2
  30:29h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
  30:29h
• Motorola DROID Turbo
  30:09h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM
  29:46h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
  29:46h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM
  29:46h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE
  29:46h
• Samsung Galaxy Note5
  28:34h
• Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE
  28:25h
• Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
  28:23h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 active
  26:29h
• Motorola Moto X Play
  26:28h
• Samsung Galaxy A7 Duos
  25:12h
• Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos
  25:02h
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  25:02h
• Apple iPhone 6 Plus
  23:49h
• LG AKA
  23:20h
• Meizu PRO 5
  23:10h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE
  23:09h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
  23:09h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE Dual SIM
  23:09h
• Oppo R7
  22:58h
• Motorola Moto E (2nd gen)
  22:36h
• Motorola Moto X Style
  22:23h
• ZTE Nubia Z9
  22:20h
• Lenovo ZUK Z1
  22:13h
• Meizu MX4 Pro
  22:09h
• Yota YotaPhone 2
  22:09h
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  21:02h
• Meizu m2 note
  20:55h
• HTC One M9
  20:44h
• Asus Zenfone Selfie ZD551KL
  20:22h
• Samsung Galaxy E7
  20:04h
• Samsung Galaxy A3
  20:04h
• Samsung Galaxy A3 Duos
  20:04h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  19:48h
• Samsung Galaxy S6
  19:48h
• HTC Desire Eye
  19:11h
• Samsung Galaxy J7
  18:37h
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  18:31h
• Huawei P8lite ALE-L04
  18:25h
• Samsung Galaxy A5 Duos
  18:02h
• Samsung Galaxy A5
  18:02h
• LG G Flex2
  17:51h
• Huawei P8lite
  17:38h
• vivo X5Max
  17:23h
• Sony Xperia Z5
  17:13h
• Lenovo K3 Note
  17:13h
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
  17:09h
• LG Nexus 5X
  16:57h
• Acer Liquid Jade S
  16:51h
• LG V10
  16:40h
• LG G4
  16:40h
• Sony Xperia Z3 Compact
  16:40h
• Sony Xperia M2 Aqua
  16:39h
• Motorola Moto E
  16:38h
• Meizu MX4
  16:25h
• Sony Xperia Z3+
  16:13h
• Apple iPhone 6s Plus
  15:51h
• Microsoft Lumia 435
  15:50h
• Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM
  15:50h
• Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
  15:47h
• Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe ZE551ML
  15:47h
• Archos 50 Diamond
  15:23h
• ZTE Blade S6
  15:01h
• Nokia Lumia 830
  14:56h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra Dual
  14:53h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
  14:53h
• Meizu m1 note
  14:53h
• Xiaomi Redmi 1S
  14:51h
• Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen)
  14:45h
• Huawei Honor 7
  14:33h
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  14:31h
• Sony Xperia E3
  14:28h
• Microsoft Lumia 532
  14:24h
• Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM
  14:24h
• HTC Desire 820 dual sim
  14:17h
• HTC Desire 820
  14:17h
• Oppo N3
  14:14h
• HTC Desire 510
  14:06h
• Huawei Mate S
  13:53h
• Huawei P8
  13:50h
• Samsung Galaxy Alpha
  13:20h
• Meizu MX5
  13:15h
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  13:11h
• Xiaomi Redmi 2
  12:33h
• Oppo R1x
  12:33h
• Lenovo Vibe X2
  12:30h
• Apple iPhone 6
  12:23h
• Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM
  12:15h
• HTC One E9+
  12:07h
• BlackBerry Leap
  12:05h
• Motorola Moto G (2nd gen)
  11:49h
• HTC One A9
  11:12h
• Sony Xperia E4
  11:07h
• Sony Xperia E4g
  11:07h
• Lenovo S90 Sisley
  10:00h
• Oppo R5
  9:45h
• Apple iPhone 6s
  9:41h
• Gionee Elife S5.1
  8:55h

The web browsing time is also above average at 8 and half hours (beating the median time by almost an hour). Both the Moto and G4 performed worse (but have big QHD screens). The Sony Xperia Z5 (S810, 2,900mAh, 5.1" 1080p) lasted a whopping 6 hours longer.

Web browsing

• Sony Xperia E4
  16:40h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 active
  16:25h
• Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE
  15:05h
• Sony Xperia Z5
  14:35h
• Huawei P8
  13:32h
• Meizu m1 note
  13:05h
• Meizu PRO 5
  12:51h
• Motorola Moto E (2nd gen)
  12:42h
• Apple iPhone 6s
  12:27h
• ZTE Nubia Z9
  12:18h
• Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos
  12:18h
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  12:18h
• Motorola Moto X Play
  11:52h
• Sony Xperia Z3+
  11:51h
• Apple iPhone 6s Plus
  11:51h
• Samsung Galaxy A5 Duos
  11:36h
• Samsung Galaxy A5
  11:36h
• Sony Xperia E4g
  11:32h
• Motorola DROID Turbo
  11:31h
• Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
  11:20h
• Samsung Galaxy S6
  10:56h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  10:56h
• Microsoft Lumia 532 Dual SIM
  10:52h
• Microsoft Lumia 532
  10:52h
• Lenovo ZUK Z1
  10:46h
• Samsung Galaxy Note5
  10:43h
• Oppo R7 Plus
  10:39h
• Huawei Honor 7
  10:38h
• LG AKA
  10:38h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
  10:25h
• Meizu MX4 Pro
  10:24h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
  10:23h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE
  10:23h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE Dual SIM
  10:23h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM
  10:14h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE
  10:14h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
  10:14h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM
  10:14h
• Meizu m2 note
  9:54h
• Huawei Mate S
  9:43h
• vivo X5Pro
  9:34h
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  9:32h
• Samsung Galaxy A7 Duos
  9:30h
• Microsoft Lumia 435 Dual SIM
  9:22h
• Microsoft Lumia 435
  9:22h
• vivo X5Max
  9:19h
• Oppo R1x
  9:10h
• Samsung Galaxy J7
  9:04h
• Meizu MX5
  9:03h
• Huawei P8lite ALE-L04
  8:42h
• LG Nexus 5X
  8:32h
• Huawei P8lite
  8:27h
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  8:27h
• Samsung Galaxy Alpha
  8:25h
• LG V10
  8:20h
• Nokia Lumia 735
  8:20h
• Samsung Galaxy E7
  8:17h
• Oppo N3
  8:16h
• OnePlus 2
  8:05h
• HTC One E9+
  8:05h
• Lenovo Vibe X2
  8:01h
• Motorola Nexus 6
  7:54h
• LG G4
  7:54h
• Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe ZE551ML
  7:52h
• Asus Zenfone 2 ZE551ML
  7:52h
• Asus Zenfone Selfie ZD551KL
  7:43h
• Lenovo Vibe Z2 Pro
  7:42h
• BlackBerry Leap
  7:37h
• Samsung Galaxy A3
  7:36h
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
  7:36h
• Samsung Galaxy A3 Duos
  7:36h
• HTC One M9
  7:31h
• Oppo R7
  7:22h
• Archos 50 Diamond
  7:20h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra Dual
  7:15h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
  7:15h
• Samsung ATIV SE
  7:12h
• Motorola Moto X (2nd Gen)
  7:11h
• Oppo Find 7a
  7:09h
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  7:05h
• Gionee Elife S5.1
  7:04h
• ZTE Blade S6
  7:01h
• Lenovo S90 Sisley
  7:00h
• Xiaomi Redmi 1S
  6:54h
• Motorola Moto X Style
  6:49h
• Motorola Moto G (2nd gen)
  6:37h
• HTC One mini 2
  06:33h
• LG G3
  6:29h
• Yota YotaPhone 2
  6:23h
• Xiaomi Mi Note
  6:19h
• LG G Flex2
  6:16h
• Lenovo K3 Note
  5:56h
• Xiaomi Redmi Note
  5:53h
• Xiaomi Redmi 2
  5:41h
• HTC Desire 616 dual sim
  5:24h
• HTC One A9
  5:22h
• Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM
  5:21h
• Oppo Find 7
  5:02h
• Nokia Lumia 930
  4:57h
• Acer Liquid Jade S
  4:54h
• Oppo R5
  4:05h

It's the video playback time that doesn’t live up to the common performance of a modern smartphone. At six and a half hours, even the LG G4 and Moto X Style with their sizeable screens outlast the Nexus 5X. Even the new HTC One A9 with a tiny 2,150mAh battery and less capable chipset (28nm) went on for 8 hours and 30 minutes.

Video playback

• Oppo R7 Plus
  18:04h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 active
  18:03h
• Meizu PRO 5
  18:02h
• Samsung Galaxy J7
  16:22h
• Sony Xperia Z4 Tablet LTE
  14:58h
• Lenovo ZUK Z1
  14:14h
• Apple iPhone 6s Plus
  13:57h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
  13:53h
• Samsung Galaxy Note5
  13:51h
• Sony Xperia Z5 Compact
  13:04h
• Motorola Moto E (2nd gen)
  13:04h
• Samsung Galaxy A8 Duos
  12:45h
• Samsung Galaxy A8
  12:45h
• Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
  12:12h
• Motorola Moto X Play
  12:06h
• LG AKA
  11:54h
• Asus Zenfone Selfie ZD551KL
  11:32h
• Huawei Mate S
  11:26h
• Xiaomi Mi 4c
  10:47h
• Apple iPhone 6s
  10:46h
• vivo X5Pro
  10:41h
• Xiaomi Mi 4i
  10:11h
• Huawei P8lite ALE-L04
  10:00h
• Samsung Galaxy A7 Duos
  9:58h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 Dual SIM
  9:43h
• Huawei Honor 7
  9:43h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE
  9:43h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 LTE Dual SIM
  9:43h
• Oppo R7
  9:33h
• Huawei P8
  9:25h
• Motorola Moto X Style
  9:14h
• Meizu MX5
  9:13h
• Huawei P8lite
  9:00h
• BlackBerry Leap
  8:59h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE
  8:40h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL LTE Dual SIM
  8:40h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL Dual SIM
  8:40h
• Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
  8:40h
• Asus Zenfone 2 Deluxe ZE551ML
  8:34h
• HTC One A9
  8:33h
• Archos 50 Diamond
  8:24h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
  7:58h
• Sony Xperia C5 Ultra Dual
  7:58h
• Sony Xperia Z5
  7:53h
• LG V10
  7:30h
• ZTE Nubia Z9
  7:11h
• HTC One E9+
  7:00h
• Lenovo K3 Note
  6:55h
• Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
  6:37h
• Meizu m2 note
  6:27h
• LG Nexus 5X
  6:25h
• Nokia Lumia 510
  6:23h
• LG Optimus Vu F100S
  6:23h
• Nokia Lumia 920
  6:19h
• Sony Xperia Z1
  6:12h
• Sony Xperia E1
  6:12h
• Nokia X
  6:10h
• Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300
  6:06h
• Gionee Elife S5.1
  6:06h
• HTC One mini 2
  06:05h
• Motorola Moto G (2nd gen)
  6:05h
• Sony Xperia ion LTE
  6:03h
• Gionee Elife S5.5
  6:02h
• Sony Xperia T
  6:01h
• Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
  6:01h
• Sony Xperia E4g
  6:00h
• Oppo Find 7
  5:58h
• Oppo R819
  5:54h
• LG Optimus L9 P760
  5:53h
• Nokia Lumia 520
  5:50h
• LG G Pro 2
  5:49h
• Nokia Lumia 930
  5:48h
• BlackBerry Bold 9790
  5:47h
• Sony Xperia Z
  5:39h
• Sony Xperia C4 Dual
  5:39h
• Meizu MX3
  5:38h
• HTC Desire X
  5:38h
• Sony Xperia acro S
  5:38h
• Pantech Burst
  5:38h
• Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
  5:34h
• Sony Xperia ZL
  5:28h
• Oppo R5
  5:27h
• Meizu MX
  5:27h
• Microsoft Lumia 535 Dual SIM
  5:27h
• HTC One V
  5:20h
• Acer CloudMobile S500
  5:18h
• Oppo Find 5
  5:18h
• Xiaomi Redmi Note
  5:18h
• HTC Desire 616 dual sim
  5:15h
• BlackBerry Curve 9380
  5:09h
• Lenovo Vibe X2
  5:09h
• Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
  5:02h
• LG Nexus 5
  5:01h
• LG Nexus 4 E960
  4:55h
• Sony Xperia L
  4:44h
• Acer Liquid Jade S
  4:31h
• Sony Xperia P
  4:30h
• Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
  4:30h
• LG Nitro HD
  4:17h
• LG Optimus 4X HD P880
  4:14h
• LG Optimus 3D Max P720
  3:28h

With two good results and one disappointment, plus the new Doze feature, the endurance rating works out to 60 hours. Of the competitors mentioned above, only the Xperia Z5 (73h) and Moto X Style (63h) last longer.

The LG Nexus 5X is good for about two and a half days of moderate use, but with heavy use it will get you to the end of the second day. The powerful charger that comes with it – 5V @ 3A or 15W – is quick to top up the battery.

You can even sneak in half an hour of charging and it will make a great impact. To charge at the office you will need a USB Type-C cable and those are fairly rare. And you can pack up your wireless charger from the Nexus 5, the 5X doesn’t support it.