The phone verdict
Last week, we had a rare Friday post in which we attempted to solicit your opinion regarding what phone we should buy.
While only an incredibly small number of readers gave their advice (by comment or poll), we did learn something from this. Additionally, it gave us time to read some reviews and reflect. Here are our revised thoughts after feedback:
Never in the running
First, it is important to indicate that the iPhone 4 was never really in the running. Regular readers of the blog will know that our opinion of Apple has soured recently — we were unlikely to choose to splash out on one of their products. However, Apple is also the current trendsetter in the smartphone arena and the maker of our current phone.
It seemed wrong not to include them.
What we found, of course, is that Apple’s mobile platform has no advantages over the competition. They are better marketers, and produced their platform first, but none of those things is actually important to the end user. Additionally, the iPhone 4 is nearly a year old.
Why pay top dollar for last year’s model?
Reflecting on the contestants
This left us with two real contestants — the HTC HD7 and Samsung Nexus S. In our five-minute test-runs, the HD7 left us more impressed, but are they all flash and no sizzle?
Durability
We had the HD7 as beating the Nexus handily when it came to its enclosure, last week.
Afterwards, we received a couple of trustworthy opinions singing the praises of Samsung’s phones — they are tough, well-made, and tend not to break. We also read reviews of the two phones, which suggest that the quality of the Samsung device might be superior to the HD7.
Specifically, the HD7 is also a plastic case — with a metal ring around it. It is that ring that gives it its heft, but the case itself is rather cheap and flimsy.
Interface
The second advantage of the HD7 is that the Microsoft-produced interface is incredibly smooth and responsive. It is clearly ahead of both Android and iOS there.
But for how long?
You would have to be a fool to think that the people at Google are not trying the Microsoft device, impressed with it, and making improvements to their own software. It will not be too long before a software update is available, and the Nexus S is a match.
Hardware
One thing that we did not look at was the hardware.
We are disappointed to find that the pieces that make up the HTC HD7 are an almost exact match for the HTC HD2 … which was released a year ago.
What were we saying about the iPhone?
The Nexus S, on the other hand, packs some pretty impressive — and not dated — hardware inside its case. The video linked to at the end of last week’s article had it beating the HD7 soundly on every single task.
Our conclusions
With all this in mind, it seems as though our main cause for preferring the HD7 — its seeming build quality and zippy responsiveness — was an illusion.
The phone feels well-made, but on review, that is simply not the case. A Nexus S — particularly a Nexus S with a case on it — will likely be more resilient than the HTC device.
And the responsiveness strikes us as a temporary advantage. We intend to have the phone for several years, and expect this will be fixed in a software update somewhere along the line.
The Nexus S, however, has some serious advantages — the hardware specs, the range of applications that can be played on it, and the security of the device, to name just three. It was enough to sell us.
So, boys and girls, welcome … the Nexus S!
I hope you’ll share your impressions as your ownership of the Nexus S progresses.
Apparently Apple is suing Samsung for “copying” iPhone technology (in look and feel) for their Nexus S and iPad-like products. Initially I thought it was ludicrous. Upon reflection, Apple’s gig is to make intuitive consumer electronics/fashion items…
Oh, I’m already planning to give an update — at least a one-week in update.
And yes … Apple is suing Samsung. And Nokia.
And Samsung is suing Apple. And Nokia.
And Nokia is suing Apple. And Samsung.
None of it means anything, I don’t think. Just false bravado to try to discourage competitors (both existing and potential) from entering the market.
I agree with your original sentiment — that it’s ludicrous. It may be Apple’s “gig” to make fashionable and intuitive electronics, but that doesn’t mean that competitors are not allowed to produce devices that are fashionable and/or intuitive.
I agree with that. But if they make their items fashional and intuitive using a photocopier of the apple design, that’s where the problem lies.
I’m still torn about it. There are basic design features of the iPhone that are very intuitive, and I wonder at how much of that gets copied in the other devices. Making a rectangular device with a touch screen and a home button in the centre-bottom isn’t enough to merit the lawsuit, in my opinion. There HAS to be something more going on.
I know that the lawsuits are just a matter of upholding the patents that Apple has… if they do nothing, then the patents are meaningless, regardless of whether Samsung and Nokia are violating them.
It bears mentioning that I am approaching this from the standpoint of somebody with a Samsung Nexus S … which is definitely not an iClone. (Unless “touchscreen smartphone” is in and of itself such a thing.)
There are, on the other hand, an entire generation of iPhone copies out there.
I get that. And I agree completely. (I’ve also read that Samsung made components for the iPhone.)
I think there is a similarity in the basics (ie. touchscreen smartphone), and I would imagine the sensitivity of the touchscreen is vastly superior than early Samsung touchscreens (like the one on my hated and indestructible Instinct), but that the different operating system and differences in the basic design of the phone are enough to not make it a straightforward iClone.
How do you separate the Nexus S from the iClones?
We have exhausted the nested comments! I’m starting some new nesting, but responding to your most recent comment:
The Samsung portion of the Nexus S couldn’t be more different from the iPhone.
1: Operating System questions are out the window … this is a pure Android phone, so talking about this would be like blaming Samsung for a Windows 7 feature on one of their laptops.
2: The phone has regular phone characteristics (microphone and speaker), as well as a volume rocker on the side, headphone jack and a camera. It has a plastic casing and a screen lock button. These are all elements of mobile phones that pre-date the iPhone. The screen lock button and headphone jack are positioned differently, and the camera is different (and better) than the iPhone version.
3: It is an (otherwise buttonless) touchscreen phone … a concept first introduced by IBM in 1992, although people now associate the concept with Apple. Unlike Apple, it does not have a physical home button.
4: The screens themselves are considerably different. The Samsung screen is curved, brighter, and less reflective. The iPhone screen is flat with a higher resolution.
…
Really, in total, the Samsung phone is going in a different direction. The Nexus S is innovative on its own, taking on a new shape, with new screen innovations.
On the OS front, Android may still be stuck in an “answer to the iPhone/iPad” phase, but it is based broadly on cloud integration with Google services and full user access and modification to the device — which is also a rather different direction to be taking, although they are certainly copying a certain amount of the intuitive iPhone feel.
I am glad to hear all of that.
The home button isn’t physical? Ah. I’m mistaking the Galaxy S and the Nexus S for appearances. This excites me
I’m a fan of the fact that it’s unlocked out of the box… Being tied to a carrier seems like an out of date hand-tying.