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The Google smartphone could be a game-changer, just not yet
- Blazingly-fast 1 GHz processor
- Brilliant display screen
- Five customizable home screens
- Good voice quality
- Versatile camera
- Now has multitouch screen
- Thin 3G network coverage for T-Mobile
- AT&T version is not subsidized
- Battery hog
- Unproven Google customer support
Stellar processor, nice hardware eclipse the glitches
"Web meets phone." It's how Google brands the Nexus One, its first venture as a mobile phone retailer. With the help of HTC, Google now makes the unlocked Nexus One and sells it directly to the masses, allowing consumers to bypass the "merry-go-round of endless contracts with network carriers," says Steven Levy of Wired. While critics are nearly unanimous that the blazingly fast, feature-loaded Nexus One is among the top smartphones, reservations loom about customer service. "Google isn't a company famous for quality human contact, and we'll see if they can handle being a retailer," says Lisa Gade of MobileTechReview.com.
"The Nexus One's greatest triumph is its 1GHz Snapdragon processor," says CNET's Kent German. Critics adore the rapid-fire performance and superior download rates, which complement the Android 2.1 software upgrade. The new voice command searching is sometimes "as wrong as it is slow," says Laptop Magazine's Dana Wollman, and Jason Chen of Gizmodo.com deems the live wallpapers and animated backgrounds as "fairly useless." Nevertheless, experts appreciate the five customizable home screens and new shortcut bars, but some users at CNET say the Nexus One is useless without Outlook calendar-syncing.
On the design front, the Nexus One is considered the best-looking HTC device to date with a star attraction: a gorgeous 3.7-inch (800-pixel by 480-pixel) touch screen with high-contrast ALOMED technology. Recently Google added multitouch support to many Android phones, including the Nexus One and the Motorola Android (*Est. $100 with new contract). By comparison, the iPhone's screen is good, says PCMag.com's Sean Ludwig, "but not Droid or Nexus One good." Still, Joshua Topolsky of EngadgetMobile.com contends that the colors are severely blown out and oversaturated. Likewise, the media player rates as ho-hum, but Mossberg says the 5-megapixel camera outperforms the Motorola Droid (*Est. $120 with contract) and iPhone. The Nexus One also packs a heftier battery rating -- 7 hours of talk time compared to the iPhone's five. But Levy discovers that if he doesn't recharge the Nexus One at night, "it would inevitably be dead the next morning."
Great call quality, limited network options
Experts hail the Nexus One as a superb calling device. The integrated dual microphones boost noise cancellation to deliver "excellent and smooth voice exchange," says BoyGeniusReport.com. Network options aren't so spectacular. If you opt for T-Mobile, you'll get 3G network support, but the carrier's coverage is thin. Until recently, Nexus One owners opting for AT&T found themselves demoted to the slower EDGE network. (Verizon and Sprint versions are due out soon.) However, Google has launched a version of the Nexus One that is compatible with AT&T's faster 3G network. The AT&T version is not subsidized by the carrier, though, so you'll pay full price if you go this route. Despite the slow start, Pogue is rooting for Google. "Anything with even a fighting chance of putting power and choice back in your hands is cause for celebration," he says.
The leading mobile tech experts compare the Nexus One to top smartphone contenders, with Laptop Magazine, PCMag.com and CNET providing the greatest detail. Reviews from MobileTechReview.com and The New York Times hone in on whether or not Google will become an industry game-changer, while user reviews from CNET reveal problems with daily use.
Our Sources
For Dana Wollman, the Nexus One nudges out Android contenders with its faster speed and visual improvements. Overall, she doesn't consider the Nexus one to be a "huge leap forward," given quirks such as the display's oversaturated colors and voice recognition technology that is sometimes "as wrong as it is slow."
Review: Google Nexus One, Dana Wollman, Jan. 6, 2010
2. PCMag.com
In this roundup of leading smartphones, the Nexus One is "the clear winner when it comes to processor specs," says Sean Ludwig. It eclipses the aging Palm Pre and offers stiff competition for the iPhone and the only contender in site is the Motorola Droid -- which ties for its display screen and pulls ahead with better network coverage.
Review: How the Google Nexus One Stacks Up, Sean Ludwig, Jan. 7, 2010
"Google and HTC have a winner with the Nexus One," says editor Lisa Gade, but it by no means destroys the competition. The big question mark for Gade is customer support. "Google isn't a company famous for quality human contact, and we'll see if they can handle being a retailer."
Review: Nexus One, Lisa Gade, Jan. 9, 2010
According to Joshua Topolsky, the Nexus One is "at its core just another Android smartphone." While its sleek design and rapid-fire Snapdragon processor are standouts, the Nexus One's blown out screen colors and spotty network coverage land it second place behind the Motorola Droid.
Review: Nexus One review, Joshua Topolsky, Jan. 4, 2010
5. CNET
The Nexus One wins praise for its gorgeous display and loaded feature set, although Kent German considers the new Snapdragon processor its greatest triumph. Still, the Nexus One isn't without its flaws, including the lack of Outlook calendar-syncing and multitouch support.
Review: HTC Nexus One (T-Mobile), Kent German, Jan. 6, 2010
"It's a noble ambition," says David Pogue of Google's goal to give consumers a choice of carriers. While he praises the Nexus One for its "gleaming, attractive features," the fact that the phone can only tap into T-Mobile's spotty 3G coverage or AT&T's pokey EDGE network means that for the moment, the Nexus One isn't much of an industry game-changer.
Review: Google Shakes but Doesn't Upend the Cellphone Market, David Pogue, Jan. 6, 2010
