The Samsung-built Google Nexus S is arriving before Christmas, but if you’re in a fix about which Samsung to put your money on, which should you go for? Click through for our head to head show down between the Samsung Galaxy S and the Google Nexus S.
Screen
The big difference between these two screens is in the shape. Other than this they’re largely similar. The Google Nexus S and the Samsung Galaxy S both have four inch super AMOLED screens. In review we found both to be astonishingly bright, with rich colours that really popped, and made the best of websites and videos. The extra novelty value is on the Google Nexus S screen, which is curved. The idea is that it fits better with the contours of your face. In our experience though, flat screens like the Samsung Galaxy S don’t cause too much of a problem, and the curvature of the Nexus S is very slight, and doesn’t make a notable difference to our comfort or discomfort when making calls. It does look great though.
Hardware
The Google Nexus S and the Samsung Galaxy S both have 16GB of internal storage (the Galaxy S also has an 8GB option). The difference is in the card slots. The Samsung Galaxy S also has a microSD slot, meaning you can tack another 32GB of storage onto that 16GB. The Google Nexus S however, doesn’t have any expandable storage. What it does have in the way of hardware though, is NFC tech, which preps the Google Nexus S for contactless payments and other services. While this isn’t much use right now, we’re sure it’s going to come into its own at some point in the future, and when it does, you’ll be jumping on the tube Oyster-less, with nothing but your Google Nexus S in your hand.
Read our full Google Nexus S review
Software
The Google Nexus S is the first smartphone that wil be running Android 2.3. The rest of us wil have to wait for the networks to roll out updates. The Samsung Galaxy S is running Android 2.2 with the Samsung TouchWiz skin. On paper, the instict is to go for the newer build, but it’s not all bad for the Samsung Galaxy S. There are some nice touches, like solid video format support, and useful additions to the notification tray, like music controls and connectivity toggles. Android 2.3 on the Google Nexus S updates from Andorid Froyo by adding an improved keyboard and task manager, plus support for extra video codecs. Other than this it’s fair to say it’s not an enormous upgrade: that will be coming with Android 3.0 after Christmas.
Camera
The biggest omission from the Google Nexus S is the lack of HD video, especially since the Samsung Galaxy S shoots stunning HD video. The Google Nexus S is stuck with VGA video. The 5MP camera on the Google Nexus S is also below par. Colours are washed out and don’t deliver the sharpness that the Samsung Galaxy S can. It also fails to silence notifications automatically while you’re recording. The Samsung Galaxy S also packs 5MP, but made a much better job of shooting than the Google Nexus S. Both have front facing cameras for voice chat though.
Read our full Samsung Galaxy S review
Build
The Google Nexus S and Samsung Galaxy S builds are very similar from the back. All that’s missing from the Google Nexus S is the LED flash on the camera. The Google Nexus S has its 3.5mm audio jack, and charging slot on the bottom of the phone, while the lock button sits on the right hand side, and the volume rocker opposite it on the left. Most importantly, it’s durable. We accidentally dropped ours on the concrete, and it survived without a scratch.
Dimensions wise the Google Nexus S is 63mm x 123.9mm x 10.9mm and weighs 129g. In comparison the Samsung Nexus S is 122.4 x 64.2 x 9.9 mm and weighs a slightly lighter 119g. The Google Nexus S is very sleek, but it’s missing an LED for message alerts, which we would have preferred to sound alerts. The Samsung Galaxy S is a decent contender to the Google Nexus S. It is sleek, and light, but it feels flimsy with it, and the Samsung plasticky casing makes it feel worryingly fragile.
Verdict
We might just be in love with a brand new device, but for our money the Google Nexus S trumps the Samsung Galaxy S here, unless you’re looking for a smartphone to snap away on and film video. In that case, the Samsung Galaxy S beats the Google Nexus S, but otherwise, head towards the Googlephone. It has newer software that’s pure Android. It’s improved task manager will help you out when things crash, and the build is more solid and durable than the Galaxy S. The curved screen is a nice touch too.
