Motorola admits Nexus 6 was too big – but that's what Google wanted

Nexus 6
Nexus 6

Google partnered with Motorola in 2014 to make the Nexus 6 which packed a lot of high-end spec and stock Google software, but some believe the phone was too large and Motorola agrees.

Motorola has admitted it was too big, but said it was a learning curve for the company and the phone market in general.

Adrienne Hayes, Chief Marketing Officer at Motorola, told techradar, "You learn as you go. It was right about this time period that we were jumping screen sizes so quickly.

"I think it was one of those where we were like 'is it [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."

Big and bold

It wasn't just up to Motorola though, Google wanted the Nexus 6 to have a larger screen to make it a phablet device.

"They [Google] wanted the screen size – we could have built it with same display size as the Moto X."

The original Moto X had a 4.7-inch screen and a similar design to the Nexus 6, showing where the jumping off point was for the development of the Nexus device. While Google may have made the screen stipulation, it wasn't an overbearing force in the production of the handset.

"For the most part they have some influence, but they really let the manufacturing partner drive the industrial design."

Hayes also noted the company would be happy to be involved in the Nexus project again, saying "I don't know whether we'll do another Nexus device, but we would be happy to. It was a good experience."

Last year Google teamed up with Huawei for the larger screened Nexus 6P, while LG took design duties for the smaller Nexus 5X.

James Peckham

James is Managing Editor for Android Police. Previously, he was Senior Phones Editor for TechRadar, and he has covered smartphones and the mobile space for the best part of a decade bringing you news on all the big announcements from top manufacturers making mobile phones and other portable gadgets. James is often testing out and reviewing the latest and greatest mobile phones, smartwatches, tablets, virtual reality headsets, fitness trackers and more. He once fell over.