The Nexus S has popped out of the oven stuffed with freshlybaked Gingerbread-- it's the first phoneto run the latest version of Google's Androidsoftware. It combines Samsung's slick hardware with Android 2.3's seeminglyendless features, and the result is a confection that's worthnibbling. But don't expect massive changes compared to Android2.2 Froyo or the SamsungGalaxy S' hardware. The Nexus S is a subtly refineddessert, rather than a gastronomic innovation.
Google Nexus S by Samsung
The Good
The Bad
The Bottom Line
The Nexus S will be available from 20 December for free on a £35-a-month contract, or£550 without a contract, exclusively from Carphone Warehouse andBest Buy. Either way, the phone will come unlocked so you can use it onany network.
Android Gingerbread OS
The Nexus S is Google's latest flagship phone, following in thefootsteps of the T-MobileG1 and GoogleNexus One. The 'S' in its name signifiesits Samsung origins -- and that's a company that knows how tomake some very sexy hardware. But the softwarethat Samsung added to phones like the Galaxy S did more harmthan good in places, so it's a pleasure to see pure Android running onthe Nexus S.
We're happy to report that Android 2.3 Gingerbread is fabulouslyfast. The user interface is zippy and smooth, and Google has addedsome fun treats. For example, when you lock the phone, the screenblinks to black like an old-fashioned telly. Apps open quickly, too.If you've used Android 2.2 Froyo, we don't think you'll notice a hugeamount of difference in the speed of the new UI, but it's a big improvementover older Android versions, and the Nexus S is faster than most touchscreen phones other than the iPhone.
If we did have to pick nits with the Nexus S' UI, we'd say that it's not as buttery smooth as the iPhone 4's.Zooming into Web pages using multi-touch gestures, for example, is a slightly more juddery experience than it is on Apple's handset.
But the Web browser in Android 2.3 seems faster than ever, and it rivals the speed of the iPhone 4's browser. The Web pages wetested loaded quickly and accurately, and you get the bonus of Flash Player 10.1 support, so you can see every website just as it was designedto look.
In our tests, Flash worked very well in the browser. We noticed the occasional hiccup, especially when dealing with sitesthat weren't designed with the small screen in mind. But we think Flash support is well worth having, and we didn't find that the Nexus S crashed or slowed down as a result of this capability.
But we did run into one brick wall -- BBC iPlayerdidn't recognise the Nexus S, and the site wouldn't display. There'snothing we know of that would prevent the Nexus S from accessing iPlayer, unless it isn't on the BBC's list of supported phones, so we have high hopes that the Beebwill sort this out by the time the Nexus S appears in shops.
Interface
As well as the whizzy Web browser, a few tweaks have also been madeto Android's appearance -- it's darker and more handsome than before. Thenotification bar along the top of the screen and the background on themenu have both gone black, with refreshed icons. The curved edges of icons and UI elements such as checkboxes also now look more angular.
The changes do make Android look smart, and will definitely appealif you're into the Darth Vader look. But, according to Google, theyalso have the knock-on advantage of making the screen consume lesspower, extending battery life. This seems like an obvious way to make thebatteries in power-guzzling phones last longer, especially when they'regetting ever-thirstier features on the inside, like GPS and Wi-Fi. Butjust turning the lights off does seem like something of a cheat, and the interface's new appearance may not be foreveryone.
We welcome the refreshed interface, but one thing it doesn't do is make Androideasier to use. Compared to some rival smart-phone operating systems, Android isn'tthe most intuitive software. It does almost anything that you can thinkof and it's insanely flexible, but it's also a nest of menus, options andchoices. If you fancy putting in some time to tweak your phoneperfectly to your liking, the Nexus S will prove a great choice. But, if youwant a phone that doesn't challenge your brain cells, stay away.
Features
Besides the tweaked interface, Gingerbread's most significant features mightnot be of much use to many users.
For example, the Nexus S supports NFC (near field communication). It's awireless technology that lets you wave your phone around nearNFC-enabled stickers to do things like prompt a browser session. Thesexy side of this technology would be using your mobile as an Oystercard on the London Tube, or paying for goodies using contactless-payment systems.
But it doesn't look like we'll be able to use the Nexus S for any of those purposes over here anytime soon -- NFC is, like so many cool things, mostly big in Japan.Instead, we're more likely to see NFC being used to subject us tomarketing bumf -- for example, film posters that load up anassociated website when you wave your phone at them. But, hey, that'show QRcodes started, and now they're catching on as a way to shareAndroid apps.
The other headline feature for Gingerbread is SIP -- the protocolthat lets you make voice calls over the Internet, also known as VoIPcalls. The Nexus S has SIP built in, so you can make calls overthe Internet without installing a VoIP app from the Android Market.This feature doesn't use GoogleVoice,Google's own VoIP service, because it isn't available in the UK yet.Instead, you'll need an account with one of the various SIP providers.
We tested SIP using Sipgate, which hasthe appealing quality of being free. Setting up this feature definitely isn't intuitive, and we found we had to turn to Google's retro PDFmanual. But once we fiddled around, setting up the accountin the phone's settings and getting the SIP accounts of our contacts,this feature did work. The call quality was very poor, with plenty of delay, but you may not mind so much if you don't pay for your data.
Like tethering, which lets you turn your phone into a mobilehotspot, the networks could turn off SIP calling when Gingerbread comesto other phones. But Google wants the Nexus S to show off absolutelyeverything that Android can do, so it won't get blocked on this phone,no matter which network you buy it on.
SIP calling and NFC are good features to have, if you can bebothered to get them going. But we think Gingerbread won't be alife-changing update for the average user. Nevertheless, the Nexus S is undeniably fastand powerful, and its hardware makes Android better than ever.
Screen
The Nexus S is being pushed by Google on its website, but it looks andfeels more like its Samsung sibling, the Galaxy S. It has the sameplasticky, oddly curvacious case and gorgeous Super AMOLED screen,which manages to be as vivid as a standard AMOLED screen but not asblindingly reflective in bright light. We can vouch for Super AMOLED'smerits -- the Nexus S' Super AMOLED screen is a big improvementon the Nexus One's ordinary AMOLED display, and it's even brighterand sharper.
The Nexus S has an 800x480-pixel resolution display, which amounts to 233 pixels per inch -- not as much as the 330ppi packed into the iPhone 4's smaller 3.5-inch screen, but impressive nonetheless.
We were unsure about the Galaxy S when we first caressed its curves,because we weren't used to a smart phone being so light, especially onewith such a big screen. But, now that we know a phone can be both lightand luscious, the Nexus S feels fine. It's much lighter than theaverage large smart phone, such as the HTCDesire HD, since such phones tend to have metal cases. But, if youlike heavier, really solid-feeling phones, you can always slap acase on the Nexus S.
The Nexus S ditches the chrome trim that made the Galaxy Slook like an iPhone clone. When the screen is off, thebacklight on the touch-sensitive buttons turns off, and the Nexus S hasa pleasingly black, monolithic appearance.
The Nexus S has an unusual curved screen that's meant to feelcomfortable against your face. We welcome this feature, since we findtalking into a big touchscreen phone is often like pressing a fridgedoor against our bonce. After a face-on test, we can't say the curve isthat noticeable -- in fact, you can barely see it. But, whether it'spsychosomatic or not, we do feel that the Nexus S is comparativelycomfortable to chat on, and the call quality also proved good in our tests.
Processing power and memory
The Nexus S follows the trend, started by the iPhone and WindowsPhone 7 handsets, of not offering a memory-card slot, which is apity. But it does have 16GB of built-in memory, which shouldbe enough for most people. Also, with Android, it's dead easy to slappictures, music and videos onto your phone because you can connect it toyour computer like aflash drive, rather than using syncing software like iTunes.
We think we'll be using some of that memory for games, because theNexus S could be the best Android gaming phone ever. Not only does ithave a bright, 4-inch WVGA touchscreen, it's also got a slamming 1GHzHummingbird processor -- the same one that's in the Galaxy S. Plus, ithas a specialised GPU that takes the strain of cranking out 3D graphicsoff the main processor. Finally, the Nexus S has a gyroscope on board,which should inspire game makers, as well as other app developers, toget to work.
Conclusion
The Google Nexus S is basically a pumped-up Samsung Galaxy S, withslightly curvier hardware. Android 2.3 Gingerbread makes the phone aspeed demon, and, because it's a pure, untouched, unskinned version ofthe operating system, we're likely to see Android updates on this phonebefore they appear on the rest of the customised crowd. That aloneensures this phone has substantial appeal for technoholics.
Android's Gingerbread refresh won't set the world on fire, and thesoftware isn't as easy to use as some competing operating systems. But, if you've got deep pockets and ayen for a phone that's smarter than you are, the Nexus S won'tdisappoint.
Edited by Charles Kloet