Google Nexus S review
Product Google Nexus S
Specifications Android 2.3, 4-inch Super Amoled 480x800 contour display, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 5-megapixel rear camera with flash, front-facing VGA camera, 16GB internal memory, Flash 10.1 support, 1500mAh battery, built-in NFC chip, 127x63x10.88mm, 124g
Price £430 SIM-free or free on a £30 contract
DESPITE WITHDRAWING from the smartphone market last year, Google took everyone by surprise in late 2010 with the launch of its Samsung-manufactured Nexus S. That might have been a strategic misdirection on Google's part, and if so, it worked well. No one expected Google to come up with another smartphone of its own so soon, especially not such a good one. Google's first smartphone, the Nexus One, was intended to drive adoption of its Android operating system, but it had mixed success. It will be interesting to see how the Nexus S fares in the market, because it is introducing not only Google's more mature Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, but also Near Field Communications (NFC) technology. It's inevitable that comparisons will be made between Google's Nexus S and Samsung's own Galaxy S, as they have very similar designs. In terms of appearance and build quality, however, the Nexus S manages to nose past the Galaxy S, despite being slightly heavier.
Interface and Applications
The Android 2.3 upgrade is far from a redesign, and has a limited number of user facing changes, but it does bring a range of improvements. One of the most significant improvements is enhanced power management. The Android OS now manages apps much more efficiently to make sure that CPU power and battery life are not used unnecessarily. While users will still have to keep an eye on background applications and carry out the odd forced close, it is still a major step in terms of battery life. Noticeable visual changes include the active 'Nexus'-style wallpaper, which is a theme of colours running in the background. The applications in the main menu are displayed in a scrolling list and give a pseudo-3D effect, and there's a new 'TV Off' screen-lock animation that looks rather swish. We experienced a couple of glitches, and on one occasion the home button did not respond, but a quick restart fixed this.Unfortunately, the device comes with a bare minimum of pre-loaded applications. Navigation, maps, email, and news and weather clients are the most useful business tools. Notably absent are any type of dedicated word processing app, such as Documents to Go or Quickoffice, and a PDF reader. The ability to remotely track, lock and wipe the handset is also missing. However, a quick trip to the Android Market can remedy most of these issues, with over 100,000 apps available. They take seconds to download, even over 3G.
Hardware
The Nexus S debuts a sleek 4-inch 480x800 contour display. The Super AMOLED screen is one of the brightest on the market, and the deep black background makes colours and icons in particular stand out.
The slight curve in the screen is barely noticeable and will reduce glare from direct sunlight by up to four times and make it more comfortable to hold against the ear, according to Google.In practice, the extra comfort level provided by the curve goes unnoticed, but the claims relating to glare appear to stand up as we were able to test the device outside on an unexpectedly sunny Sunday afternoon. The handset runs on a 1GHz Hummingbird Cortex A8 processor and effortlessly opens apps. There is a dedicated GPU, so it can handle multimedia content without struggling like some other smartphones. Samsung has built in a front-facing VGA camera, so the device supports video calls through third-party applications. The rear-facing 5-megapixel camera, meanwhile, includes autofocus and flash. However, only 16GB of onboard memory is included, and the lack of a microSD card slot is a major oversight, considering that the Nexus S SIM-free price is £430. The incorporation of NFC hardware, meanwhile, is intriguing and confirms that Google is looking to expand the uses of its smartphones. When the back of the device is touched or swiped against an NFC tag the device automatically brings up information on that tag.
With leaked Iphone 4G/5 patents suggesting that Apple is likely to include NFC in its next device, it's not surprising that Google is trying to get the jump on its rival despite the lack of NFC infrastructure in the UK. Google does have big NFC plans, though, and it wants to embed readable tags on posters, stickers, adverts and even T-shirts. Another possible idea would be to turn the device into a fully fledged Oyster card using an application, and even use it to pay for items at the checkout.
Messaging
Google has revamped the default Android keyboard, and text input feels more intuitive than before, with the reshaped keys easy to hit and allowing for fast typing. The interface now supports multi-touch input, eliminating the need to manually switch between keyboards. Numbers and symbols appear when the Shift and ?123 keys are held down, and the regular keyboard reappears when they are let go. Predictive text suggestions have also been made larger to make it easier to select options, and the accuracy of the correction software is impressive. Text selection, together with the ability to copy and paste, has also been overhauled. When tapping on the screen, an arrow appears allowing the user to reposition the cursor anywhere within the text quickly and accurately. This is an excellent addition and makes it easier to edit messages and documents. Pressing and holding text, meanwhile, allows users to choose the 'select word' option, which in turn activates a set of boundary arrows around the chosen word. Users can then drag the arrows to new positions and easily copy the required text by tapping within the highlighted area. These on-screen improvements seem to do away with the need for physical arrows and trackpads.
Internet
Every Android upgrade brings a noticeably quicker Internet experience, and this trend continues with the Nexus S. The 4-inch Super AMOLED screen comfortably displays webpages in seconds.When it comes to displaying multimedia content via Flash or HTML5, the Nexus S has few peers, and streaming from commonly used providers such as the BBC iPlayer is smooth. To zoom in on text, users can either double tap on the screen or use the context sensitive arrows that appear in the bottom right hand corner. It is possible to make text larger by pinching the text, but this has not been incorporated properly and makes it impossible to continue reading normally as the page does not reformat. Internet calling is also supported for users who have Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) accounts. The user can add an internet calling number (a SIP address) to any contact and initiate a call from quick contact or dialler.
Battery
Perhaps the standout feature of the Nexus S is the battery, which easily lasts longer than any other 4in Android handset.
A full charge of the 1500mAh battery will give the Nexus S two days of life even when browsing the web and having background data turned on. This is similar to the Iphone 4 but, unlike Apple's device, the Nexus S has a removable battery.
In Short
The Nexus S comes with an excellent hardware specification and the updated Android 2.3 operating system, but we don't feel that that it's an essential purchase at this time. Android 2.2 users would be better advised to wait for the Android 2.3 upgrade on their existing handset, which shouldn't be too far away. We would recommend the device to anyone wanting bleeding-edge technology and developers, however, as it will almost certainly be the first handset to receive any official Android updates. µ
The Good
Android 2.3 Gingerbread, glare-resistant screen, quick operation, fast web browsing, easy messaging, good battery life.
The Bad
Lacks a user-friendly interface overlay.
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