Our First Look at Android Lollipop and the New Nexus Devices - Wired

It's official, the new version is Lollipop and there's already a cute green Android guy holding the appropriate candy at Google's headquarters. Alex Washburn / WIRED

It's official, the new version is Lollipop and there's already a cute green Android guy holding the appropriate candy at Google's headquarters.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

The new Nexus 6 manufactured by Motorola for Google is a gorgeous, solid device. Google says the device is aimed at the premium market. The 6-inch device comes in black or white. Alex Washburn / WIRED

The new Nexus 6 manufactured by Motorola for Google is a gorgeous, solid device. Google says the device is aimed at the premium market. The 6-inch device comes in black or white.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

The backside camera has an f.20 lens and a 13 megapixel sensor. Alex Washburn / WIRED

The backside camera has an f.20 lens and a 13 megapixel sensor.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

Two frontside speakers will blast your music so the entire bus can hear it. Alex Washburn / WIRED

Two frontside speakers will blast your music so the entire bus can hear it.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

In Lollipop, the all apps view--now known as Overview--shows everything you've recently run, and data persists across sessions. You can also see multiple windows from the same app---like one window for compose in Gmail, and another for your inbox. Alex Washburn / WIRED

In Lollipop, the all apps view--now known as Overview--shows everything you've recently run, and data persists across sessions. You can also see multiple windows from the same app---like one window for compose in Gmail, and another for your inbox.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

Notifications may be the best thing about Lollipop. This ambient display mode on the Nexus 6 will light up the display in a low power mode. You can see and touch notifications to take action on them without eating up lots of battery power. Alex Washburn / WIRED

Notifications may be the best thing about Lollipop. This ambient display mode on the Nexus 6 will light up the display in a low power mode. You can see and touch notifications to take action on them without eating up lots of battery power.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

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If you're wondering how the Nexus 6 stacks up to the iPhone 6 Plus in terms of size, the former is slightly wider and noticeably thicker. Alex Washburn / WIRED

If you're wondering how the Nexus 6 stacks up to the iPhone 6 Plus in terms of size, the former is slightly wider and noticeably thicker.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

This smart guest mode will let other people log into your device---and even into their Google accounts--yet everything they do will remain sandboxed within the guest mode. You (or they) can wipe the account once they're finished without affecting your master account. Alex Washburn / WIRED

This smart guest mode will let other people log into your device---and even into their Google accounts--yet everything they do will remain sandboxed within the guest mode. You (or they) can wipe the account once they're finished without affecting your master account.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

The Nexus 9 tablet also comes in black and white---and gold as well. The back side has a tacky feel that's easy to grip, and at 425 grams, it's very lightweight. Google is pitching this as a productivity, work-forward device. It's selling a magnetic keyboard separately to help you get things done. Alex Washburn / WIRED

The Nexus 9 tablet also comes in black and white---and gold as well. The back side has a tacky feel that's easy to grip, and at 425 grams, it's very lightweight. Google is pitching this as a productivity, work-forward device. It's selling a magnetic keyboard separately to help you get things done.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

The Nexus 9 also has two front side speakers. So while this may be a work device—or pitched as one—with the speakers and 8.9-inch QXGA 2048 x 1536 display it also makes a fine multimedia plaything. Alex Washburn / WIRED

The Nexus 9 also has two front side speakers. So while this may be a work device---or pitched as one---with the speakers and 8.9-inch QXGA 2048x1536 display it also makes a fine multimedia plaything.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

Guest mode was super easy to set up and use on these Lollipop devices. Again, it's another thing that will make the Nexus 9 great for playing videos and games, since you can safely hand off the device to friends. Alex Washburn / WIRED

Guest mode was super easy to set up and use on these Lollipop devices. Again, it's another thing that will make the Nexus 9 great for playing videos and games, since you can safely hand off the device to friends.

Alex Washburn / WIRED

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We had our first hands-on demo of Google’s new version of its Android operating system, Lollipop, this week running on a pair of Nexus devices, the Nexus 6 and Nexus 9. This was a three-for-the-price-of-one demo, with lots to take in. But the bottom line is that this is a great upgrade to Android, and our first impression of the new Nexus devices was that both are really wonderful.

Our favorite thing about both (and Lollipop)? Notifications. They’re simply the best. They have essentially become the centerpiece of the device experience. The way they stack, flow, and get prioritized on the lock screen is a really nice experience. They’re going to save a lot of time.

And then there’s the Nexus 6 display. We didn’t get a chance to fully put it through its paces, but the 6-inch Quad HD AMOLED display packs in 493 ppi and is just stunning to look at. We also liked the way you can just double tap on it now to wake it up, and instantly get to your notifications. This was very… handy.

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Likewise, the ambient display, which lets the device show you notifications in a low power black and white mode, was both effective and useful. Want to make sure a notification rises to the top? We were able to set them up as a priority notification in just a couple of taps, right from the lock screen. It’s great. (You can banish notifications just as easily.)

Another really nice trick is the way Lollipop unlocks based on your face. Android has had this capability for a long time, but now it’s automated. It begins to look for your face as soon as you wake it up. This meant that often, even before you begin to enter your PIN or unlock pattern, the device unlocks and lets you in. It’s super slick.

We’re really excited for all these releases—Lollipop, Nexus 6, and Nexus 9. But really, at a demo you only get to see the best a device and platform has to offer. Stay tuned for a full review in the coming weeks.

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