With Google Voice integration and 4G speeds, the Nexus S 4G is even better than before. Read our complete review here.
Nexus S 4G Report
How do you improve upon one of the best smartphones in existence? Add 4G and Google Voice Integration. Yes, the Nexus S 4G is here, and Sprint customers are awarded the luxury of using this Google machine to bask in the high speeds offered by Sprint's enhanced network. This is the second phone to ship with Android 2.3, and all of its specifications are virtually identical to the T-Mobile Nexus S that we reviewed a while back. Sprint's model did not let us down, cranking out a battery life that rivaled the Motorola Atrix 4G and improving its voice quality compared to the original Nexus S. It carries over the same awesome Super AMOLED screen and features a curved, ergonomic design. We would have liked a better camera with 720p HD video, but hopefully the next version of the Nexus generation will offer even more than just enhanced digital imaging. For the diehard Google fanatic that happens to be a Sprint customer, the Nexus S 4G (specs) is a godsend.
Design
The Nexus S 4G, like the 1st generation Nexus S, is a glossy slab of ergonomic sex. From the subtle, patterned back panel to the arced talk and receive edges of the phone, it is obvious that Samsung crafted this device with comfort in mind. It's actually one of the only phones to conform to the curvature of the face and maintain its portable size to remain competitive with smaller powerhouses like the iPhone 4. External controls are minimal, and Samsung proceeded to mount the 3.5mm audio jack underneath the phone, rather than on top.
Of course, the joys of advanced display technology award users with a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA capacitive touchscreen with classic 4 haptic feedback controls along the bottom. The screen resides amongst the higher-end displays found on the market today, and its brightness was what really sold us. For memory, the phone relies on 16GB of internal storage, much like the iPhone and its fixed storage capabilities. The lack of MicroSD card slot was a trifle disconcerting, so if you're a multimedia maniac, then this phone might be stifling.
For video chat heads, it offers a front-facing VGA camera, though this is beginning to look like a smaller resolution compared to the 1.3-megapixel front-facers we're seeing on phones like the Samsung Droid Charge, HTC Droid Incredible 2, and T-Mobile G2x. It has a 1500mAh battery and 5-megapixel main camera with LED flash, so overall, the phone is identical to T-Mobile's Nexus S when it comes to design.
Software and Interface
Although the phone may not appear to be a showstopper like the HTC EVO 4G or Motorola Droid X, its power lies within. It's equipped with a 1GHz Hummingbird Chipset, 512MB of RAM, Gyroscope Sensor, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, and Proximity Light. The phone supports Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR (Enhanced Data Rate), has Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, and NFC (Near Field Communication). We get Android 2.3 Gingerbread embedded within a purely Google platform and environment. This means that the phone is devoid of all the unnecessary crud found within so many smartphones these days. If you want Facebook, you'll have to head to the Android Market to snag it. In fact, you'll have to rely on the market for full customization of this phone.
For us, we loved this barebones experience because of the freedom it gave us to pimp our ride to our liking. Many users might not feel at home with this setup, but when it came to the overall performance of the phone, it was worth shedding all of the dead weight like carrier-specific applications and programs. In fact, you won't even see anything Sprint-branded inside or outside of this phone. We really like that, and feel as though all phones should exit their boxes in that way. You'll have to rely on the Android Market for Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, skype, Photobucket, Qik, and more. One neat thing about skype is that any time we received a call from a skype contact, it gave us the option to connect via skype or the phone. The phone also supports the SIP protocol for VoIP calling.
Tasty Gingerbread Upgrades
Like most Android phones, it offered the same drop-down menu, 5 home screens, Applications menu, and widget customization. However, Android 2.3 brings several upgrades to the table. First off, the revamped keyboard migrated all of the character keys into a convenient swipe menu that rests on top of the keyboard. Also, we could hold down the "?123" (Shift) key and type as many numbers as we wanted, rather than having to switch into numerical mode every time.
It offered word suggestions from its built-in dictionary, and certain keys like the "." key could be held down to summon a punctuation and symbol menu that could easily be scrolled through, in addition to emoticons. Word and text selection could be achieved by tapping and holding a word for it to be highlighted. We could then use the bounding arrows to highlight our selection and then tap once to save the entire bounded area to the clipboard. There was even a cursor mode that allowed us to easily swipe the cursor to the desired position, and typing on the phone made us hesitant to jump back to a Froyo phone.
The phone has an uncanny ability to conserve battery life, and part of the reason is the phone's Manage Applications control. The phone also closes applications after usage, rather than keeping them suspended in time and space while they chomp away like Pac Man on the battery. It was also highly intuitive, utilizing popup menus very well. Any contact could be tapped and held, prompting a swipe menu that offered multiple ways to connect, including Phone, Email, Facebook, etc. Even the Launcher could be tapped and held to display a small menu of all home screens to choose from.
Voice Integration and NFC
As we all know, Google's Voice program is gradually infecting the digital world, and this is the first phone to take advantage of something highly useful. Rather than live with two separate numbers—your Google Voice number and regular cell number—it enables Sprint customers to set their existing cell number as their Google Voice number, without porting. What does this all mean? Everything you do on it will go through Google Voice, which is preloaded on the phone itself. Benefits include having one number for all of your devices, hearing caller info before answering or sending straight to voicemail, listening to voicemail, reading transcribed messages, and viewing threaded text message history, to name a few.
Like the Nexus S, the S 4G is one of the first phones to feature NFC technology, which acts as a short range Bluetooth with much easier and quicker connectivity. The phone can be set right next to another NFC device and connectivity will be instant (via a tap to confirm), as long as the range is within 10cm. Applications like Enable Table are taking advantage of NFC by transferring coupons to the users phone right from within the restaurant. This technology will only expand, and NFC could someday be used in place of a credit card if we're all lucky.
Call Quality/Battery Life
How is this possible? The phone has a bright, Super AMOLED screen, yet managed to crank out one of the best battery performances in existence. The Motorola Atrix 4G has been the only smartphone in its class to challenge it. We found that this phone will go on standby for days. After a few long calls, lots of gaming, and general browsing, our Nexus S 4G review unit is sitting here at 62% with an overnight standby. That's almost a day of activity and we have this much juice left. All phones should be like this one when it comes to battery life. Note that 4G usages will most likely hinder the phone's battery life, so be sure to manage your network connections.
We weren't crazy about the original Nexus S voice quality, but Sprint's model gave us a better performance. We had no complaints talking over the CDMA network, and calls sounded just as we would expect from a higher end phone.
Camera
At this stage in the game, the 5-megapixel camera on this phone falls behind the pack. It's not the fact that videos can only be recorded in WVGA (720 x 480) resolution, but it was harder to take decent pictures on this phone than it was on phones like the T-Mobile G2x and iPhone 4. First off, there's no touch focus, and that hurts us while shooting videos. Plus, the Auto Focus in video mode is rather poor, and we can't toggle the video light on or off while recording. Stir in the camera's insufficient low light sensitivity, and it's no wonder we were frustrated throughout the course of our image testing.
Bright light macro shots are fantastic, but that's about it. The focus is what really did us in, but it could also not record bass at all. You'll hear all about it in our Motion Test sample where we cranked the bass, only to have it sound like we were riding in a ghetto Civic that rattled with muffled vibration. A better camera will be necessary for the Nexus legacy to compete with the big entertainment machines out there (check out photo and video samples).
Nexus S 4G – infoSync Diagnosis
Sprint customers are lucky. The Nexus S 4G is one of the premiere phones on the market at the current moment. But this phone is not for everyone. It pertains to the user who wishes to remain off the grid, safe from the throes of manufacturer and carrier-specific content that attacks the device's ability to perform optimally. At the end of our quest with it, we were more than happy.
The 4G speeds and Google Voice integration made Sprint's model even more powerful than T-Mobile's regular old Nexus S. However, we, as always, had a few gripes. First off, we need a better main camera with decent 720p HD video, better manual controls, and enhanced low light sensitivity. Secondly, how about offering it on other carriers? Thirdly, well, there is no thirdly.
If you're looking for Google in its purest form, excellent battery life, a brilliant screen, and a portable, ergonomic design, then Sprint's Nexus is your answer.
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