Google's Nexus S is a good phone, equal to, or better than the iPhone, says TechCrunch's Michael Arrington and Jason Kincaid in a review.
As far as we can tell, Google only handed out one review unit, and TechCrunch got it. Its review of the Nexus S is overwhelmingly positive, though its review of the Nexus One was also overwhelmingly positive.
Engadget also got some brief hands on time with the phone and liked it.
The Nexus S runs a "clean" version of Android. That means it's a phone with no extra crappy applications, and no extra skin on the OS from a carrier or hardware maker.
The last phone Google released like this was the Nexus One. While that phone was decent, it ultimately failed because Google tried to sell it through the web.
Google is not making that mistake this time. It will sell at Best Buy in the U.S. and Carphone Warehouse in the UK. So, there's a better chance it sells. Of course, Google doesn't really doesn't do much traditional marketing, so sales could be hurt.
The bottom line on the phone says TechCrunch, "If you are an iPhone user this isn’t going to make you switch. If you’re an Android user you will want this phone more than any other. If you’re currently neither, we recommend that you go with the Nexus S. It is better than the iPhone in most ways."
Here's more nuggets from the TC review:
- "The phone does not fail to please."
- It has "a high-end AMOLED 400 x 800 resolution screen that is second only to the iPhone 4."
- "The phone has a sleeker design than the Nexus One, although its generic black plastic case doesn’t exactly scream for attention. The case also feels somewhat cheap, unlike the solid feel of the iPhone and some previous Android phones."
- "Battery life is good ... We’ve been getting 6+ hours of heavy voice/data usage on the removable 1500 mAh Lithium Ion battery."
- "So far, not one dropped call." (They tested on T-Mobile.)
- The newest version of Android is "improved in a lot of small ways."
- "It is also much better at predicting words, and copy-and-paste has been improved as well. If the iPhone is 8/10 on text input, the Nexus One is probably 5/10 and the Nexus S is a solid 6/10."
- And here's one nugget from Engadget: "Firstly, the phone is fast. We mean blazingly fast. Not only that, but the animations, touch response and general framerate on everything seems to be cranked closer to the vicinity of the iPhone 4."
Don't Miss: Watch Google's Disorienting Hipster Ad For The Nexus S
