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The Google Nexus 5X in all its cheap, plastic glory (pictures)

Up close and personal with Google's new entry-level superphone.

Sean Hollister
When his parents denied him a Super NES, he got mad. When they traded a prize Sega Genesis for a 2400 baud modem, he got even. Years of Internet shareware, eBay'd possessions and video game testing jobs after that, he joined Engadget. He helped found The Verge, and later served as Gizmodo's reviews editor. When he's not madly testing laptops, apps, virtual reality experiences, and whatever new gadget will supposedly change the world, he likes to kick back with some games, a good Nerf blaster, and a bottle of Tejava.
Sean Hollister
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1 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The plastic rear cover, fingerprint sensor and camera. The Nexus 5X also comes in mint green and black.

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2 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

Here's what gripping the Nexus 5X with the other hand looks like.

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3 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The Google Nexus 5X, running Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

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4 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The only thing that lives on the left edge of the phone is the SIM card slot. It can take a nano-SIM from most any cellular carrier.

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5 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

On the right, you'll find the volume rocker and power button. They feel shallow and cheap when you press them.

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6 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The fingerprint sensor can turn the phone on and log you in, all with a single touch.

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7 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

It makes for a very natural grip, with your index finger in the fingerprint sensor divot also helping to balance the phone.

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8 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The 12.3-megapixel Sony IMX377 camera is backed by a dual-LED flash and infrared laser autofocus module.

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9 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

It's light enough to pick up in landscape with just a pair of fingers.

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10 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

The single front-facing speaker delivers terrible audio, and looks kind of ugly too.

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11 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

On the bottom is one of the phone's three microphones, and the USB-C port for power and data. It does fast charging, but not the Type C fast file transfers.

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12 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

Here's microphone number two.

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The white back definitely resists fingerprints, but it feels a bit cheap.

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14 of 16 Josh Miller/CNET

If you ask us, the original Nexus 5 (on top) looked and felt a lot better. Definitely less powerful, though.

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One last shot of the front of the Nexus 5X.

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Here's our sample studio shot taken with the Nexus 5X camera.

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