Google Phone Review – Finally an Honest Nexus One Review
I was finally able to get my hands on a Nexus One. It has been out for several months now, but I wanted to share my first-time experience with it. I must admit, I am a huge iPhone fan, but wanted to see how the Google Nexus One VS Iphone battle for myself. The Google Nexus One phone is the first real “Google Phone.” It is being sold directly by Google, and it is branded a Google device though it is built by HTC, and you won’t find it listed on a carrier’s site. The NexusOne was designed to work with T-Mobile’s GSM and 3G networks, and can be purchased with T-Mobile service, but can also work at GSM EDGE speeds on AT&T. Unfortunately, not with 3G. Versions built for Verizon’s network in the U.S. and Vodafone’s network elsewhere are set to become available in the coming months.
The phone is awesomely fast. More so than my iPhone and features some cutting edge hardware, like a large AMOLED display and a 1GHz CPU. The screen is beautiful. Controls on the Nexus One are pretty easy to use. There is a color-changing trackball that is below that gorgeous, bright and colorful 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 pixel AMOLED touchscreen display. Both the trackball and the capacitive touchscreen perform very well. The touch sensitive controls for back, menu, home, and search that sit between them are OK. Hardware keys would have been greatly preferred, even if it messed up their form factor just a tad.
The phone offers wonderful audio clarity on calls. In fact, possibly the best I’ve heard in a phone. Unfortunately, the speakerphone functionality leaves a lot to be desired. The Nexus One does a great job with contacts as well. The Android OS allows for 3rd party developers to integrate directly into the main contacts system, and Google includes a nice Facebook app that works rather well with integrating into the system. I am actually jealous of the OS because my iPhone wishes it had such a manageable contact system. Multiple Gmail accounts can be added to the device for contacts or email and the same is true for Microsoft Exchange accounts.
The 5 megapixel camera is quick to focus, and even has a nice LED flash. I didn’t have much time to play with the camera, but was definitely liking the results. The wide screen 720 x 480 pixel video that the Nexus One shoots is also pretty good, and certainly good enough to upload to YouTube or other video sharing sites. Videos and photos can be easily shared from the new Gallery application on the Nexus 1 which I found is pretty awesome. Moving onto music, the Nexus One handles that really well. Both 3.5mm headphones and Bluetooth stereo headphones are supported, and the music app organizes tracks by album, artist, and playlist. Since I’ve always used iTunes, it was a little different to get music on the phone. The ability to link to playlists from the home screen is brilliant, and the new animated “live” homescreen wallpapers that are linked to the music as it is played is a nice touch as well.
So all in all, I was very impressed with the Nexus One. I love the hardware design, the amazing CPU, and the beautiful AMOLED display, but I just would not recommend getting it for T-Mobile. Again, I want to mention the processor because it is worth mentioning twice. The new 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU in the Nexus One is what makes everything work at blazing speeds. I’ve not seen a faster device on the market. The rendering of loaded web pages might be the best example of this speed. All smartphones need one of these processors.
The only things that disappointed me was the horrible speakerphone, the bad battery life, and sketchy reception, and this is probably because of the T-Mobile reception in my area. I am very curious to know how many Google has sold. I am sure the numbers will rise once Verizon gets their hands on the phone this spring. The minor problems will more than likely be solved. If you want to buy one now, you’ll need to go to Google.com/phone and pay $529 for the unlocked version, or pay around $179.00 for a version with T-Mobile service. Upgrades for existing T-Mobile customers are possible, but the early termination fees for this device can reach upwards of $550 so don’t cancel 
the new htc nexus one i think is amazing. processor is great, touch sceen is responsive. definately an upgrade from my 9550. me and my wife love ours, it is great for my business and she loves the games. in my opinion the best unlocked cell phone. works great on my 3G too. got my last one at gsmallover.com and we love them. 2 thumbs up
Thanks Jan for sharing your experiences! I am not sure what the problem was, but the phone I had lost a huge percentage of battery life after an hour of use. I’m sure there were other factors of course as well.
I use the speakerphone function a lot on phones so that is really important to me, so I was disappointed. Anyway, I definitely think is a great phone and look forward to the future of the Nexus One… or Nexus Two
One more point to add: The speakerphone performance is good, but not as good as the iPhone. The sound quality is a bit tinny at high volumes, but good otherwise.
I agree with your review, except for your comments about T-Mobile and battery life. For the most part, I am quite happy with the T-Mobile 3G service. My coverage in the Detroit area is comparable to AT&T. With respect to the battery life, I am able to get a 10 to 12 hours of active use with a single charge (e.g. Exchange mail push, GMail, Web, Pandora, etc.); and the battery life is comparable to the iPhones for similar activities.
My wife is a T-Mobile User and is looking for an iPhone’ish solution. This might be the thing. Thanks for the review!
A timely review. I too am a big iphone fan. However, I ditched it last year because iPhone fan boyz wanted to pay a premium for a used iPhone. lol.
Any way, I wonder how the Nexus One will fair compared to the HTC Desire? The Desire is going to have flash which is a big thing. The Desire is rumoured to be available in June, about the same time the iPhone will launch.
What I am surprised to see is that the HTC Desire still has the same 1 GHZ Cpu. I would’ve thought it would have a little bit faster CPU? No doubt, the iPhone will have at least a 1 GHZ CPU. However, Apple and AT&T have been sleeping together for so long now they’re alientating everyone around them, especially the developers of the apps.
Finally, I would like to hear comments on how much data the Nexus One sucks up? The iPhone itself sucks data like a sponge, unlike a Blackberry with it’s compression technology.
Hopefully, there will be reviews out there in the coming months that will address my questions.
Thanks for the review and taking the time to share your thoughts.
I just left AT&T and my iPhone for the Droid Eris. In hopes that the VZW Nexus One comes out within my 30 day trial period!!! Even thought mt Droid Eris is running Android 1.5, I am in love with the OS. I can;t wait to see Android 2.x on the Nexus One.
Plus, my reception and 3G speeds kick *ss compared to my iPhone/AY&T combo.
Hopefully Android is the next cell phone OS!
Michelle, thanks! I’m like you. I like my iPhone but not liking AT&T too much. I like my iPhone so much though, I am willing to put up with them for a little while longer I suppose. When you get your Nexus One, you’ll have to let us know how you like it.
Mike, I gave the phone a good rating, though I’ll stick with my iPhone.
“I must admit, I am a huge iPhone fan,”
That’s where I stopped reading… /rolleyes
Scott. Thanks for the corrections because that is exactly what I meant! Should have proofread one more time.
Thanks for the review Jovan! I currently have an iPhone but really hating AT&T. I’ve heard about Nexus One coming to Verizon and would LOVE to switch back to them. I think the Nexus One would be a great reason to even though I LOVE my iPhone. Your review helps me in my decision to switch back.
weird review. is the last paragraph supposed to be part of a different phone review?
also, I think you meant to say ‘the speakerphone leaves a lot to be desired’, not ‘little to be desired’.