So I went ahead and swapped someone. here are my thoughts.
the OS isn't that bad once you turn off and disable a bunch of stuff. literally took me like an hour to go though and disable apps and turn off features and get it set up the way I like it.
Screen is really nice. not a whole lot nicer than the N5, but nicer is nicer. love the rounded edges of the glass though. makes doing the navigation drawer swipe out much nicer.
camera, not really sure what to think here. seems actually WORSE than the N5. i have noticed something on the lens though, almost as if the protector is still on there (little oily spots, kinda orange-ish, wont rub off) but I can't take anything off the lense...not sure whats going on here.
speakers are a bit better, but nothing great.
battery life hasn't been as awesome as I had hoped. its really good, but not great. then again, I am on my first full day with it so I have to give it time to settle before I make my final judgement. charging right now at 25% to get through the rest of the day. took off charger at about 6am at 100%. 3 hours screen on time, 4-ish hours of streaming music.
form factor is really nice. I like the sloped sides, and the clean edges of the phone and the overall aesthetics. not diggin' the gloss though...a thin grippy case is needed IMO.
Camera is great only with xdabbebs mod, and you got to leave phone on charger 1 hour more when it hit 100%, you will have 6 hours sot + music streaming + phone calls and other things in one day easyily...