Hands0n
15th January 2011, 03:40 PM
Let us start at the beginning. I do not generally like Samsung mobile phones. I love their 52" LCD televisions. I generally like their all-in-one surround sound systems. But, generally, I really do not like their mobile phones. So how would I feel about the latest Google Nexus S (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nexus_S) made by Samsung?
Before the Nexus S
I bought into the Google Nexus One handset the day it was made available on their Google Shop. That was a device made by HTC, preceding the HTC Desire by about a month, and was to be the reference Android handset. There were very many things that I liked about the Nexus One, not the least being its robust metal and plastic design, the tough glass touchscreen and [in particular] the excellent audio quality. This was the first mobile phone to sport noise-cancelling dual microphones, and damned effective a technology it was too. Perhaps the only thing that I did not like about the Nexus One was a bizarre manufacturing fault that made the touchscreen icons, keys and buttons have a slightly off-centre calibration. There seems to have been nothing possible to be done about this in the OS, so it must be a hardware defect. It drives me nuts!
How to get a Google Nexus S
The Google Nexus S is sold through the Carphone Warehouse and will be on Vodafone UK, O2 UK, T-Mobile UK and Orange UK. So, you can walk in to any Carphone Warehouse or similar store , lay down £429.99 on the counter and walk out with a shiny new Nexus S in its sealed box. Or, in my case, you can win one in a competition, completely free and gratis. You could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when I got the email telling me that I had won. This was one of my "wish list" handsets for 2011, should I have the cash available to go get one. Nicer still to get it for free though.
Initial Impression
As I lifted the Nexus S out of its compartment in the box I was flushed with a sense of awe, it is very attractive piece of technology, and disappointment. The latter because the apparent build is completely of plastic. It weighs next to nothing at all without the battery and SIM. I almost dropped it as I lifted it out, expecting something a bit more weighty.
It is a simple matter to "peel" the flimsy plastic back cover off the phone with a fingernail which then reveals a minimalist compartment for the battery and slot for the SIM. I have to wonder how long the cover would last in the hands of a typical Android developer/hacker where performing a battery pull is a routine way of getting your device back from the crash you just induced. Although, to be fair, it is possible to run this device without the back cover - and that may be the simple solution to that particular dilemma.
One should never look a gift horse in the mouth. But already I was feeling a tad disappointed at the new handset.
In Use
The initial power up surprised me, it is significantly quicker than the Nexus One and Froyo. The Nexus S is sporting Android 2.3, codename Gingerbread, that is due to be sent OTA to handsets around the world (unless you have a Sony Ericsson where they will not update your OS, preferring you to buy a new handset instead - as one does!). So the only official way to get your hands on Gingerbread right now is via the Nexus S.
Having started up there is the usual requirement to either sign in the Nexus S using your Google credentials or create a new Google account. I signed in with my normal Google ID. This is where the power and capability of Google's Android comes in. Having previously (always) opted to have Google back up my settings and profile the Nexus S then proceeded to build itself to my stored spec. All of my contacts, mail accounts and even applications were retrieved and installed, with only a couple of exceptions. Within a few minutes my Nexus S looked remarkably like my Nexus One. It was ready to go, all without me doing anything at all. This is a feature of Android, not the Nexus S I hasten to add.
The screen has a nice feel to it. It is plastic, not glass, and so I expect it to be easy to scratch. It does seem to have an coating on it [similar to the iPhone] that resists greasy marks from fingers and face. A nice touch. It is also very accurate, no calibration faults, and responsive - as much as the Android OS will allow it to be. Still, even on this supposed Android flagship, I find that the OS stutters and lags in use if there are any rapid gestures or taps made. Unlike iOS the Android OS still seems to be burdensome to the hardware. Perhaps all the rhetoric about Android requiring dual-core processors is not so far fetched? Certainly, there are times that the Nexus S struggles as much as the Nexus One ever did.
Buttons
There are only three physical buttons on this handset. Viewed from the front, on the right hand side is the power switch. It protrudes quite a bit really, unnecessarily so I would say. But I am being picky here.
On the left is the volume rocker, so one button perhaps, and this is light and accurate to use.
All of the Android OS buttons are "soft", that is they are part of the touchscreen. There is no trackpad or trackball, that has been eschewed in the Nexus S in favour of on-screen gestures to select text or move the cursor around.
Comparisons
It is inevitable that I am going to perform comparisons between the new Nexus S and the other smartphones that I have used - or in this case those that I actually have in my possession right now. So lets get to it.
As I write this I have in front of me an iPhone 4, arguable the reference bar for all touchscreen smartphones to date. I have a Google Nexus One, a Samsung Omnia 7 (Windows Phone 7) and the Google Nexus S (also from Samsung).
Build Quality
Three of the four handsets are sturdy metal and glass builds with minimal use of plastic. They feel robust and carry a nice weight. The Nexus S, by comparison, feels very Fisher Price with its total use of plastic. I do not hold much faith in its physical longevity and wonder how many would be capable of surviving even an 18 month mobile contract
The actual quality of the Nexus One build is reasonable - it is the choice of materials that concerns me. I can't see the touchscreen lasting at all long without a suitable protector fitted. Interestingly, it fits into the Nexus One's neoprene case nicely, so I may eBay myself one of those.
Voice Quality
Both the iPhone and Google Nexus One sport dual-microphone noise cancellation. This technology is simple these days, the DSPs to do this work are mature and so I am surprised that it is not standard in all mobile phones. The Nexus One led the pack, the iPhone followed, but no one else seems to have bothered. And that is a real shame as mobiles generally pick up far too much background noise, often swamping the person's speech. Yet with the Nexus One I frequently have to convince people that I am standing in a busy road and not sat in a quiet library, the technology is that good.
The Samsung Nexus S eschews this technology and so is as susceptible to background noise as any other mobile handset. An unbelievable omission in the specification of the succeeding Nexus device.
Performance
The iPhone 4 flies along like it is on well oiled rails. It is slick, fast and completely accurate.
The Samsung Omnia 7 WP7 is also very slick and fast, everything you do on it feels good. You do not get a sense of the device fumbling your commands.
The HTC-built Google Nexus One is so typical, for me, Android. I love the OS but worry about the burden that the OS places upon the hardware. In this case, it stammers and stutters, very often getting your commands wrong or ignoring them completely. Typing is a complete chore, having to constantly correct errors that it throws up.
The Samsung-built Google Nexus S is a faithful follow on to the Nexus One in the performance stakes. It seems to do little better than its predecessor, being quite capable of messing up the typing, missing screen gestures, requiring repeated prods to get it to launch an app etc.
Display Screen
With these smartphones there is a total reliance upon the display screen, so it has got to be good. Hasn't it?
The iPhone 4 has its Retina display and that is very easy on the eye with its extraordinarily high resolution. No other manufacturer yet comes close.
The Samsung Omnia 7 has a high quality display screen also, that is accurate, evenly lit and easy on the eye.
The Google Nexus One has a gorgeous AMOLED screen that is great indoors but can suffer a quite bit in external daylight making it very hard to see.
The Google Nexus S has a Super AMOLED WVGA PenTile (to quote Samsung) screen that is crystal clear. I have not had a chance to use it in sunlight but would not expect anything different to the Nexus One's screen in that respect.
Conclusions
So, did the Samsung-manufactured Google Nexus S win me over?
No, disappointingly, it did not. Being keen not to confuse the hardware issues with Android or Gingerbread, I find that the physical build of the Nexus S to be completely under-specified for a "reference" handset. It is weak and, for in excess of £400, does not justify the price. It feels very much like a toy in the hand and I would even go as far as to suggest that the Orange San Francisco has a more confidence-inspiring build to it.
When I sit the Samsung Nexus S next to its sibling, the Omnia 7 from the same manufacturer, I find a huge difference in the construction materials. You could break your foot if you dropped the Omnia 7 on to it. Whereas it feels like the Nexus S would shatter as it landed on your moccasin slipper! It really would not, but it just feels like it would!
Recommendations
If you want the next reference Android handset to the Nexus One then this Nexus S is for you. As a general purpose handset it is on par with the other Samsung Galaxy S devices - if you're used to those then this handset will be no surprise to you. And so I would urge anyone contemplating a Nexus S to go and handle on in a store first, taking your time to be absolutely certain that it is for you.
Caveat emptor (buyer beware) applies.
Before the Nexus S
I bought into the Google Nexus One handset the day it was made available on their Google Shop. That was a device made by HTC, preceding the HTC Desire by about a month, and was to be the reference Android handset. There were very many things that I liked about the Nexus One, not the least being its robust metal and plastic design, the tough glass touchscreen and [in particular] the excellent audio quality. This was the first mobile phone to sport noise-cancelling dual microphones, and damned effective a technology it was too. Perhaps the only thing that I did not like about the Nexus One was a bizarre manufacturing fault that made the touchscreen icons, keys and buttons have a slightly off-centre calibration. There seems to have been nothing possible to be done about this in the OS, so it must be a hardware defect. It drives me nuts!
How to get a Google Nexus S
The Google Nexus S is sold through the Carphone Warehouse and will be on Vodafone UK, O2 UK, T-Mobile UK and Orange UK. So, you can walk in to any Carphone Warehouse or similar store , lay down £429.99 on the counter and walk out with a shiny new Nexus S in its sealed box. Or, in my case, you can win one in a competition, completely free and gratis. You could have knocked me down with the proverbial feather when I got the email telling me that I had won. This was one of my "wish list" handsets for 2011, should I have the cash available to go get one. Nicer still to get it for free though.
Initial Impression
As I lifted the Nexus S out of its compartment in the box I was flushed with a sense of awe, it is very attractive piece of technology, and disappointment. The latter because the apparent build is completely of plastic. It weighs next to nothing at all without the battery and SIM. I almost dropped it as I lifted it out, expecting something a bit more weighty.
It is a simple matter to "peel" the flimsy plastic back cover off the phone with a fingernail which then reveals a minimalist compartment for the battery and slot for the SIM. I have to wonder how long the cover would last in the hands of a typical Android developer/hacker where performing a battery pull is a routine way of getting your device back from the crash you just induced. Although, to be fair, it is possible to run this device without the back cover - and that may be the simple solution to that particular dilemma.
One should never look a gift horse in the mouth. But already I was feeling a tad disappointed at the new handset.
In Use
The initial power up surprised me, it is significantly quicker than the Nexus One and Froyo. The Nexus S is sporting Android 2.3, codename Gingerbread, that is due to be sent OTA to handsets around the world (unless you have a Sony Ericsson where they will not update your OS, preferring you to buy a new handset instead - as one does!). So the only official way to get your hands on Gingerbread right now is via the Nexus S.
Having started up there is the usual requirement to either sign in the Nexus S using your Google credentials or create a new Google account. I signed in with my normal Google ID. This is where the power and capability of Google's Android comes in. Having previously (always) opted to have Google back up my settings and profile the Nexus S then proceeded to build itself to my stored spec. All of my contacts, mail accounts and even applications were retrieved and installed, with only a couple of exceptions. Within a few minutes my Nexus S looked remarkably like my Nexus One. It was ready to go, all without me doing anything at all. This is a feature of Android, not the Nexus S I hasten to add.
The screen has a nice feel to it. It is plastic, not glass, and so I expect it to be easy to scratch. It does seem to have an coating on it [similar to the iPhone] that resists greasy marks from fingers and face. A nice touch. It is also very accurate, no calibration faults, and responsive - as much as the Android OS will allow it to be. Still, even on this supposed Android flagship, I find that the OS stutters and lags in use if there are any rapid gestures or taps made. Unlike iOS the Android OS still seems to be burdensome to the hardware. Perhaps all the rhetoric about Android requiring dual-core processors is not so far fetched? Certainly, there are times that the Nexus S struggles as much as the Nexus One ever did.
Buttons
There are only three physical buttons on this handset. Viewed from the front, on the right hand side is the power switch. It protrudes quite a bit really, unnecessarily so I would say. But I am being picky here.
On the left is the volume rocker, so one button perhaps, and this is light and accurate to use.
All of the Android OS buttons are "soft", that is they are part of the touchscreen. There is no trackpad or trackball, that has been eschewed in the Nexus S in favour of on-screen gestures to select text or move the cursor around.
Comparisons
It is inevitable that I am going to perform comparisons between the new Nexus S and the other smartphones that I have used - or in this case those that I actually have in my possession right now. So lets get to it.
As I write this I have in front of me an iPhone 4, arguable the reference bar for all touchscreen smartphones to date. I have a Google Nexus One, a Samsung Omnia 7 (Windows Phone 7) and the Google Nexus S (also from Samsung).
Build Quality
Three of the four handsets are sturdy metal and glass builds with minimal use of plastic. They feel robust and carry a nice weight. The Nexus S, by comparison, feels very Fisher Price with its total use of plastic. I do not hold much faith in its physical longevity and wonder how many would be capable of surviving even an 18 month mobile contract
The actual quality of the Nexus One build is reasonable - it is the choice of materials that concerns me. I can't see the touchscreen lasting at all long without a suitable protector fitted. Interestingly, it fits into the Nexus One's neoprene case nicely, so I may eBay myself one of those.
Voice Quality
Both the iPhone and Google Nexus One sport dual-microphone noise cancellation. This technology is simple these days, the DSPs to do this work are mature and so I am surprised that it is not standard in all mobile phones. The Nexus One led the pack, the iPhone followed, but no one else seems to have bothered. And that is a real shame as mobiles generally pick up far too much background noise, often swamping the person's speech. Yet with the Nexus One I frequently have to convince people that I am standing in a busy road and not sat in a quiet library, the technology is that good.
The Samsung Nexus S eschews this technology and so is as susceptible to background noise as any other mobile handset. An unbelievable omission in the specification of the succeeding Nexus device.
Performance
The iPhone 4 flies along like it is on well oiled rails. It is slick, fast and completely accurate.
The Samsung Omnia 7 WP7 is also very slick and fast, everything you do on it feels good. You do not get a sense of the device fumbling your commands.
The HTC-built Google Nexus One is so typical, for me, Android. I love the OS but worry about the burden that the OS places upon the hardware. In this case, it stammers and stutters, very often getting your commands wrong or ignoring them completely. Typing is a complete chore, having to constantly correct errors that it throws up.
The Samsung-built Google Nexus S is a faithful follow on to the Nexus One in the performance stakes. It seems to do little better than its predecessor, being quite capable of messing up the typing, missing screen gestures, requiring repeated prods to get it to launch an app etc.
Display Screen
With these smartphones there is a total reliance upon the display screen, so it has got to be good. Hasn't it?
The iPhone 4 has its Retina display and that is very easy on the eye with its extraordinarily high resolution. No other manufacturer yet comes close.
The Samsung Omnia 7 has a high quality display screen also, that is accurate, evenly lit and easy on the eye.
The Google Nexus One has a gorgeous AMOLED screen that is great indoors but can suffer a quite bit in external daylight making it very hard to see.
The Google Nexus S has a Super AMOLED WVGA PenTile (to quote Samsung) screen that is crystal clear. I have not had a chance to use it in sunlight but would not expect anything different to the Nexus One's screen in that respect.
Conclusions
So, did the Samsung-manufactured Google Nexus S win me over?
No, disappointingly, it did not. Being keen not to confuse the hardware issues with Android or Gingerbread, I find that the physical build of the Nexus S to be completely under-specified for a "reference" handset. It is weak and, for in excess of £400, does not justify the price. It feels very much like a toy in the hand and I would even go as far as to suggest that the Orange San Francisco has a more confidence-inspiring build to it.
When I sit the Samsung Nexus S next to its sibling, the Omnia 7 from the same manufacturer, I find a huge difference in the construction materials. You could break your foot if you dropped the Omnia 7 on to it. Whereas it feels like the Nexus S would shatter as it landed on your moccasin slipper! It really would not, but it just feels like it would!
Recommendations
If you want the next reference Android handset to the Nexus One then this Nexus S is for you. As a general purpose handset it is on par with the other Samsung Galaxy S devices - if you're used to those then this handset will be no surprise to you. And so I would urge anyone contemplating a Nexus S to go and handle on in a store first, taking your time to be absolutely certain that it is for you.
Caveat emptor (buyer beware) applies.