Google Nexus S Review

Less than a year since its introduction, Google's ambitious nature in the mobile space has changed somewhat after they unleashed the Google Nexus One. Back when that device was first unveiled, the mobile community gasped out many wonderful words seeing that it was a truly iterative device that seemingly continued Android's reach to the masses. Looking back at it now, the Nexus One was the epitome of a top shelf device thanks to its strikingly beautiful design and flare with Android 2.1 Eclair. But rather than following the tried and true process, Google decided to buck the trend and sell the high-end smartphone directly to the consumer – and without the aid of carriers!

Depending on who you talk to, the Nexus One was considered to be a landmark and polarizing device, while others simply saw it as a giant big flop for Google. Naturally, the company learned from their experience in that they really need to consider other venues to promote or sell future devices. However, there was a point when it seemed as though we'd never see another Google branded device – especially after the less than impressive sales of the first. Yet, it was widely panned as an underground success by developers and hardcore programmers all around. 

Knowing that Google would only learn from its mistakes, it's come back strong in announcing the Google Nexus S which is being manufactured by Samsung. Sporting a new maker and sales process, the Google Nexus S employs some new technology under the hood and a stock Android experience that's untainted, virgin, and unadulterated to truly showboat the open platform. Arriving just in time for the busy holiday season, it'll be interesting to see whether or not it has the staying power to attract the attention of smartphone users who are hungry for the next big thing.

The package contains:

Instead of finding a device that's undeniably different in design from everything else out on the market, we're treated to yet another Samsung Galaxy S lookalike – not to mention some common hardware as well. Needless to say that it doesn't necessarily come off as awe-inspiring, but rather, it looks as though Samsung refined their successful smartphone. In fact, this slate device is a bit more rounded in the corners and sports a completely clean facade. And looking at it from the side, it bears a slight curve to its profile. Its all plastic body does well in keeping it extremely light (4.55 oz) and streamlined (0.43”), but it does have a constant attraction to the usual set of smudges, fingerprints, and scratches. It's not to say we're not pleased with the design, but when we've seen this constantly used, we were expecting to see something a bit more innovative to truly make it a standout.

You can compare the Google Nexus S with many other phones using our Size Visualization Tool.

Meanwhile, its 4” Super AMOLED display with WVGA (480 x 800) resolution and support for 16.7 million colors will undoubtedly be a head turner. However, Samsung has approached the Nexus S with a slight modification with it's now dubbed “Contour Display.” Even though you don't notice it looking at the display up front, you can view the subtle distinction towards the top and bottom portions. However, it's only a cosmetic thing which provides an alluring appeal to the handset, but doesn't prove in any way to be advantageous over other displays. Again, its high resolution screen is super sharp and is complemented well with some deep and galvanizing looking colors to make your eyes melt. As always, it's also very responsive to the touch, offers good viewing angles, and emits some serious luminance to light up a room.

Directly above the display and next to the earpiece is a 0.3-megapixel front-facing camera which can be used for self-portraits or video chat. 

Even though we adore the clean look of its surface, attempting to figure out the placement of its capacitive buttons is a nightmare. Again, the layout is different as we're presented with the following buttons from left to right – back, menu, search, and home. We constantly find ourselves struggling to figure out where they are because the back lighting is so dim – and not to mention the occasional accidental presses that accompany it.

Luckily, Samsung improved the feel of its volume rocker and dedicated power button, which are located on the left and right sides respectively, seeing that they're more distinguishable to the finger and offer a better tactile response when pressed. However, Samsung flip-flopped the placement of the 3.5mm headset jack and microUSB port as they're now located in the bottom edge of the phone. Still, it works well there since they are spaced far enough from one another to not feel too cramped.

On the rear, we see the 5-megapixel auto-focus camera which is surrounded with a silver colored border and the LED flash sitting close by. Furthermore, there are two notches close at hand which are for the speakerphone. Moreover, removing the back cover will provide you access to its battery and SIM card slot, but more importantly, we find the NFC chip embedded into the cover as well. 

Interface:

Sure the design of the Google Nexus S isn't particularly its most appealing factor, but being the first device to flaunt Android 2.3 Gingerbread will clearly be its main attraction. It's not to say that the latest version of the platform is leaps and bounds ahead of the stock Android 2.2 Froyo experience, but there are some noticeable refreshing aesthetic redesigns that give it a personalized look. And much like other Samsung Galaxy S variants, the Nexus S is powered by a 1GHz Cortex A8 Hummingbird processor and 512MB of RAM that enable it to move ever so swimmingly without much evidence or sluggishness. Even with a live wallpaper loaded, we managed to navigate around its 5 homescreens fluidly and without much effort. Developers and hackers all around will especially like the vanilla experience seeing that it'll more than likely receive the latest Android updates faster than most others.

At its core, the interface running on the Nexus S is largely unchanged as you'll have the pick of the litter to personalize its homescreens with various shortcuts, widgets, and folders. However, you'll instantly see that there is more of a green theme going on which is evident with the green colored icons of the dialer and web browser on the home screen. Additionally, the Android-green color is seen being used in the notification area with the battery indicator icon, signal strength bars, and icon for the 3G symbol. And when you scroll a long list, say for example your contacts, there is a green glow that activates whenever you reach the top or end of a list – which indicates that you can't scroll any further. Finally, there's an eye catching animation that runs whenever you press the dedicated power button to turn off the display. Basically, it emulates the look of an old tube television turning off with everything on screen shrinking down to a single beam of light until it's completely dark.

The look and feel of the app tray remains intact as it exhibits a 3D cube Rolodex which displays a grid like view for your available apps. Scrolling through the listing is effortlessly accomplished as it's accompanied with some fluidity that's quick to respond to every touch of the finger.


All in all, there's nothing particularly dramatic about the Android 2.3 Gingerbread interface from previous iterations. From a cellular level, it pretty much relies on implementing the customary functionality and personality you'd expect from the open platform, but it does throw on a dash of spice in the form of some minor color changes and animations. Still, there's no denying that this version is by far the peppiest we've seen just yet.

Some other notable items include the handset's ability to share its data connection with other devices via Wi-Fi or USB. Since this functionality is directly built into the platform, you're not going to be required to sign on with an additional monthly service from your wireless provider. In essence, you can simply go to the Wireless & Network settings and enable it to quickly share your 3G speeds with other devices – which is naturally a sweet deal all around.

Although it's mostly limited in use here in the US, the Google Nexus S has the convenience of offering an NFC (Near Field Communication) chip that provides a contact-less payment solution. In reality, it's much like what you find with some services that charge you for your purchases by simply waving or placing your credit card at a contact-less terminal. Naturally, there are some other implementations for this technology, and as developers grasp it, we'll see its use being branched out to other aspects.

Phonebook:

The phonebook is unchanged as you'll be presented with the usual array of information that you can associate with each contact. From phone numbers to email addresses and everything else imaginable in between, there's going to be plenty of details that can be inputted to give you all the pertinent information about each person in your address book. Moreover, it manages to integrate with some social networking services as it displays the most recent status update on Facebook or Twitter posts within the contacts app. Finally, you won't have to ever be concerned about losing contacts since it'll automatically sync with Gmail – plus not to mention it'll also include Facebook or Twitter friends as well.

If you need to place a phone call, you'll always need to go back to the homescreen seeing that the dialer icon is prominently found there – and that's the only way! Once you've got the dialer up, there are additional tabs that will give you access to the call log, your contacts, and favorites. As for the numeric keypad itself, the keys are finger-friendly sized to accommodate even the largest of fingers out there – which essentially nixes out any mistaken presses.

Organizer:

For any casual Android users out there, you'll quickly find yourself at home with the usual set of organizer apps. The look and feel of the Calendar is untouched as you'll have the ability to see it in either a month, week, or day view – not to mention Agenda view as well which lists your upcoming events in chronological order. When setting a calendar event, there are a myriad of details that you can put in – such as a description, location, or reminders. And as always, it'll synchronize to the clouds so you'll always have a consistent and up-to-date calendar wherever you view it.


With the clock app, it provides quick access to some of the common functions of the phone – like setting up an alarm, playing a slide show, and listening to music. Additionally, it'll display a small picture indicating the current weather condition at your location; plus the current temperature as well. So if you plan on keeping the Nexus S at your bedside, you can press the dim button within the clock app to properly adjust its brightness so it'll be less straining to the eyes in the dark.

Look at that! But there's absolutely nothing different with the calculator app with this Android 2.3 powered device. Sure you can process some simple calculations with it, but there is the “advanced panel” which provides for some more complex functions to be executed.



Messaging:

In another revealing twist, we find a brand spanking new facelift to the stock Android keyboard seen on just about every Android phone out there. We're now introduced to quick access to numbers which are now part of the first row of the new keyboard layout to lessen the amount of time needed to type. Typically, you can now easily input a number by essentially performing a long press on the respective button – which easily beats having to press the dedicated special character button. Now even though buttons might appear to be small in size, the well endowed real estate of the Nexus S makes for a reasonably satisfying experience in speed typing without mistakes. Not only does its responsiveness aid in typing, but its options for predictive text and auto-correct makes for a blistering experience. And finally, switching to landscape only makes its usability more far reaching as we casually typed up a long message without much fault.


Both the Gmail and regular email apps haven't undergone any major reconstructive surgeries as they're exactly the same as we find on all Android smartphones. Setting email up is such a breeze since it basically only requires an email address and password to automatically set up. Even though it's able to do it on its own nine out of ten times, there are times when you'll be required to provide additional pieces of information, like server addresses and ports, to correctly set up. And just like what you experience with Gmail on a desktop, it offers just about all the common functionality you'd expect – like threaded view and the ability to search your emails.

Sure there is Google Talk on board to instantly get you in touch with close friends, but there isn't a dedicated instant messaging client on board with the Google Nexus S. However, that can easily be remedied by signing onto the Android Market to download your instant messaging client of choice. From AIM to Yahoo Messenger, there are an abundant choice of first and third part offerings at your disposal.

Connectivity & Data:

Generally, you can't go wrong with picking up the unlocked model of the Google Nexus S with its quad-band GSM (850/900/1800/1900MHz) and tri-band UMTS (850/1700/2100MHz) radios in tow – which is perfect for the international traveler. That means you can have your fun using it on T-Mobile's 3G network domestically, but sadly, it doesn't boast the HSPA+ speeds seen on other comparable devices like the T-Mobile G2 and myTouch 4G. And if you happen to find yourself at a standstill with less than stellar data speeds, you can always resort to switching on its 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi for faster speeds. And finally, the Nexus S boasts Bluetooth 2.1 with EDR to enable a variety of wireless devices to connect with it.

Positioned to be a high-end Android smartphone, it's only fitting to find the Nexus S in the elite top when it comes down to web browsing. Android 2.2 Froyo introduced handset owners to the full Flash 10.1 experience, which provided that desktop like feel, but there's nothing majorly new with the one on Gingerbread. However, you can gauge that it's a bit more responsive in the speed department as it loaded up complex web sites like ours very quickly – and not to mention rendering it exactly like what you see on a computer. Scrolling is buttery smooth of course, while multi-touch pinch gestures will enable you to view specific portions of a web site more easily. In the end, did you really think that a device like the Nexus S wouldn't excel in this specific category?

Camera:

Lacking a dedicated shutter key to instantly launch the camera application, we're resorted to going through the app tray to get it up and running. Once that's accomplished, we find ourselves in the familiar stock camera interface of Android. Sadly, there isn't much in terms of settings or manual controls that are found with some of the variants of the Samsung Galaxy S. Rather, it's basically few and far in between that only provides the most basic elements to be modified – like resolution, white balance, and focus. And no, there is no touch focus option on board with this one, but instead, you'll have to rely on using the virtual shutter button.


Shockingly, we're a bit surprised to see that the Nexus S, which happens to share a lot of things with the Samsung Galaxy S, failing in delivering the stunning photos that its distant cousins dish up. Photo enthusiasts will easily want to look elsewhere after using the 5-megapixel auto-focus camera on board with the smartphone. In outdoor shots, it manages to capture a moderate amount of detail, but its cool looking output doesn't accurately portray the colors it's supposed to reproduce. Conversely with indoor shots with poor lighting, there is a distinguishable amount of noise evident in its shots. However, its LED flash somehow manages to illuminate the scenery decently, but the image still looks a bit overexposed. In addition, the flash produces a pinhole like effect in conditions where it's completely dark – and it's more evident when shooting something more than 5 feet away.



With its lack of support for shooting 720p videos, it essentially solidifies itself as an unlikely candidate for anyone looking to capture high definition videos. Somehow, it's almost unfathomable to find a respected device like this one to omit that feature, but sadly this is the reality of things. Only able to shoot at a maximum resolution of 720 x 480, which is DVD like quality, it doesn't conjure up anything spectacular seeing that it lacks continuous auto-focus. Instead, we're greeted to some blurry looking videos when things are captured up close and personal – but luckily it manages to shoot at a frame rate of 29 fps which looks decently smooth. However, its output is reduced to a dismal 16 frames per second in low lighting environments which basically blurs any fast or abrupt movements.

Google Nexus S Sample Video:



Multimedia:

Much like many of the apps we've seen thus far, the Gallery app doesn't boast any new or exciting functionality that we haven't experienced already. As a whole, the interface is still visually alluring with its 3D like views for all you media content and the implementation of its background image. Sharing is the name of the game with Android as you'll have the option to send photo in an email or text message, or instead, shoot it directly straight to your favorite choice of social networking services. Besides that, there is a limited amount of editing options you can do with photos – like cropping or rotating them.


Obviously, it would've been nice to see Android music player interface upgraded – even if they're just some minor cosmetic changes. Nevertheless, we're still presented with the usual stock music player that proves itself in being more than functional. Only providing the bare essentials without any glitzy looking effects, the music player displays the album cover, track information, and on-screen controls. Unfortunately, it lacks some advanced music playback functions like visualizations or equalizer settings to enhance the overall experience. Thankfully though, its speaker is able to emit resounding and audible tones without being irritating to the ear.


Considering that this is a powerful smartphone, it would've been shocking to see it doing anything but offering an exceptional video watching experience. Combing its ridiculously gorgeous looking Super AMOLED display and lightning fast processor, even the most demanding videos played without much stutter. In fact, we're able to watch a movie trailer encoded in MPEG-4 1280 x 720 resolution in full fidelity without any problems. Not only does it chug along at a swift rate, but the iridescent colors emitted by its display will literally make your eyes glow with awe.


Unlike its Samsung Galaxy S counterparts, the Google Nexus S lacks a microSD card slot to supplement its internal storage. Alternatively, it packs 16GB on internal memory which should suffice the needs of even the heaviest intensive user out there.

Software:

One of the nicer things about the vanilla experience of this Android 2.3 powered device is the fact that it doesn't include any of the bloatware apps commonly pre-installed on other handsets. Rather, we're only presented with the core Google experience apps that are commonly found on just about every Android device – these include things like Google Earth, Google Talk, Google Voice, and Google Maps.

The latest version of Google Maps is quite inviting now that it boasts some striking new features to truly provide an all-in-one solution for everyone out there. First and foremost, the new 3D rendering views on buildings will accurately portray the visual representation of a city in the palm of your hands. The new feature is quite astonishing as the handset quickly renders building on the fly and without much wait, however, not all places will have 3D views – only some major cities across the globe. Secondly, there are some additional gestures in use which will allow you to pan and rotate the map to your liking – giving you complete control on how you navigate on the map. And finally, losing connection to the network won't be such a detrimental thing anymore since it will pre-cache the map when you're using turn-by-turn directions with Google Maps Navigation.


When it comes to gaming, there's no denying that the Google Nexus S is going to be a beast in that department – but even more when it sports a built-in gyroscope to enhance your control. Even though the offerings are limited to only a handful of games right now, we'd imagine that additional developers will eventually begin to make use of this nifty thing. Outside of that, there is no game that the Google Nexus S can't handle – thanks to its powerful, yet optimized processor.

Lastly, the Android Market will be the place you want to visit to download a cornucopia of third party apps to to deepen your handset's capabilities. From pleasure to productivity apps, there are a wide array of apps to choose from to keep you situated and content with the handset. Fortunately, you can update apps simultaneously as opposed to the old school process of manually doing each one.

Performance:

To our delight, the Google Nexus S excels in the calling quality department as voices on both ends of the line sound natural and distinctive – ultimately making for some good conversations. And even using the speakerphone, it doesn't fluctuate in output seeing that voices have an audible tone to them. However, our only concern is just the less than average level of volume emitted by the phone's earpiece. Aside from that, you can't go wrong using the handset to place voice phone calls.

Signal strength remained steady in the high coverage area we tested out the handset. In addition, we didn't experience any abrupt changes in signal bars or any dropped calls in the greater Philadelphia region.

In our testing, the 1,500 mAh battery provides for a reasonable amount of time using the smartphone as it felt a bit on the above average side. Managing our open applications more than anything and setting brightness to automatic, we managed to get out close to 1 ½ days before requiring a recharge on normal usage. Naturally, light users will get a bit more while heavy users should get close to a solid day of use. Compared to other smartphones on the market, the battery life on this handset appears to be a bit more above average. The manufacturer has it rated for 6 hours of talk and 427 hours of standby time.

Conclusion: 

Developers will especially want to gravitate towards the Google Nexus S as it tucks away many new hardware technologies that will increasingly becoming prominent amongst smartphones – like its NFC chip and built-in gyroscope. Moreover, those users who want only the latest in terms of software will also adore it seeing that it'll more than likely be treated to the latest and greatest Android version updates before other devices. In essence, the Google Nexus S builds upon some of the characteristics found on the Nexus One as being a prominent device in the developer community.

However, from a design and specifications point of view, there's nothing blatantly superior about this handset compared to some of the existing titans in the Android space. In fact, we can't classify it as being a true powerhouse smartphone since it omits somewhat expected features like 720p video recording or HSPA+ connectivity. Naturally, existing owners of any Samsung Galaxy S variant shouldn't be too upset about its arrival seeing that it shares many commonalities that have been around for a good while now. We'd even go as far to say that the Samsung Epic 4G would still reign supreme over this because it manages to pack a convenient keyboard and 4G speeds.

Rather than looking at its design or hardware, the biggest thing about the Google Nexus S is its prestigious title of being the very first Android 2.3 Gingerbread device on the market. On the surface, it might not be considered a monumental leap over Froyo, but it manages to employ some minor new aesthetics with the platform to truly make it a refreshing experience. And it is these small things that manage to deliver a delightful experience that caters to the needs of even the most stringent users out there. It might not be the best looking on the block right now, nor does it boast drastically better specs, but it has enough new hardware under the hood and an untouched stock Android experience to provide a sensual experience that's sure to live up to its Nexus moniker. 

Software version of the reviewed unit: Android 2.3, build: GRH55, baseband: I9020XXJK8

Google Nexus S Video Review: