Samsung - Nexus S Mobile Phone - Black (AT&T)

What I really like about this phone is that it is a pure android system without all that carrier added stuff and applications. I like that I can customize it as I please without any issues as it is a Nexus Google Phone not a carrier based phone. Also I like that it is factory unlocked allowing me to step away from use with AT&T outside of the country. Battery life is pretty good for a smartphone. The no MicroSD card situation does make for a loss of a star that could have made this device a 5 star for me. I personally need more than 16GB but I rather do without the extra space and have the non-carrier based android platform that this device handles so very well. I am also sad it isn't being offered in White.

After 4 years of iPhone I decided to leave my apple comfort zone and venture to Android. Much research found the Nexus S met my needs in flexibility and price. First; it gets much better reception than my iPhone. I no longer drop calls when moving away from a window. I can walk about my office and am no longer tethered. Second: The phone is very light weight. Adding a case and screen protector were good suggestions from my BB person. Third; Android Market is not the same as the App store. I've added a malware program to screen out the criminal types that probably would have been banned by Apple. Apparently a $25 fee allows you to sell on the Android Market and there are no approvals by Android. Four; this is pure Google/Android software without proprietary packing from a carrier. Samsung built the phone and I really like their quality in electronics. A great display, vivid color that even makes the boot screen entertaining. I'm detoxing from iPhone, adapting to Android and I think this will be a good match.

It's a strong device with a nice operating system. Camera is not as good as other Samsungs but it's still nice with the amoled screen. Battery is decent 7 -9 hours of moderate usage. The one draw back is there is no SD card slot for extended memory. That's a downer!!!! But you can work around it with the 16g of onboard memory.

I've had several smart phones, and once I switched to iPhone and the iOS before it was really called iOS, I just never looked back. I don't want to make this a iPhone vs Droid review, but it may lead that way. Several family members have all decided they don't want to pay the premium for an Apple iPhone, so most of them have an Android device. I decided with the "Free" Nexus S offer that Best Buy had in August, it was a good time to try it out. Best Buy Mobile had my phone up and running in minutes, and so I was off on a week long vacation, trying out this alien operating system. I noticed the phone was quick in response, and had a nice animated background (stock with Nexus S). My device was activated on the AT&T network and as soon as it was powered on, had me sync to my Google Account. After entering my Google Account (in this case my Gmail) it began syncing my contacts, detected that I used Google Voice, asked if I wanted Voice to act as my Voicemail provider, walked me through setting it all up. I could even make calls using my Google Voice Account (after installing a free app). The phone seemed to make and receive calls with fewer drops than my iPhone and with great quality. However, the lack of memory really started to show itself. I consider myself a power user, and sadly this phone started to run slower and slower the more apps I installed. I had them all set to USB storage (the ones that could run from it) and always killed tasks that weren't being used. I also noticed from the start that the web browser (default) wasn't very quick. Pages loaded fairly nicely, but when scrolling, or navigating, the phone seemed to stutter in response. Zooming In and Zooming Out weren't fluid on sites. Overall, the phone has a wonderful design. It has a slight curve which really does fit well against ones face when talking on the phone. It doesn't stop or hinder the function of the phone in any way. The Google integration is a huge value in and of itself. Google Voice has the ability to act as your primary Voicemail, and you get all the beauty of having Voicemails transcribed, listen to them from any internet connected device that can access Google Voice or Gmail. The ability to make custom ringtones (with another app or on PC) is always a plus. The speaker was pretty loud compared to other smart phones, never had a problem hearing people on the ear piece or on speaker. I had issues syncing Bluetooth devices, but with some playing around I was able to have it pair with my Sync enabled vehicle and enjoyed handsfree calling. I would suggest this phone to any Android loving person, but it just wasn't as fluid in use as the iPhone. Being a long time user of iOS really made me want to switch back to my iPhone 4. This phone has an ability that other Carrier tied Android phones don't have, the ability to get updates from Google, and not waiting on Carrier specific updates that load up all the bloatware. It's a great device and I recommend it to any of those out there who want the true Android experience and perhaps want to jump from Apple devices into something new. Ultimately, I decided it wasn't the best phone for me. It wasn't as fast as I would have liked, and the memory wasn't expandable like other smart phones with Android. I did return the device, not because I'm not an Android fan, but because the phone just didn't live up to my expectations for more power. With other devices being released with dual core processors, and more memory, it was just not for me.

I inquired online (best buy chat) and in-store if the at&t version is unlocked, both advised that the at&t version is locked. DO NOT BELIEVE THEM. After picking up my unit, I went straight to T-mobile to use their SIM card, and it works. At&t rep told me that the easiest way to tell if a phone is locked is to look for an at&t logo on the phone. Installed bout 90% of the apps that was in my iPhone 3GS and most apps have a better version on android, maybe because of the bigger screen. Navigation feature kills the iPhone option for me. This phone loses to iPhone 4 only on the camera function, IMHO.

Better than iPhone? maybe on par with. Having used an iPhone for 3 years it is easy to notice the things missing from the phone, or things different. The nexus S if much faster than the iPhone, there is less games, and better productivity apps on the nexus. the screen is much much better for video and photos. the things I like better on the iPhone are the power button placement, visual voicemail, and controlling ring volume without unlocking the phone. 90% of the things i loved about my iphone are better on the nexus. I am happy i switched. And my cell reception on att is MUCH better. Something is on fail mode on the iphone antenna.

I've had my Nexus S for a few weeks now. It is an excellent device that has an amazing 4 in. screen and still small enough to fit in a pocket! I don't like wearing my phone on my belt. I waited for the Samsung Galaxy S II to be released to compare the two. Bottom line is both phones are excellent. I found the Nexus S to be plenty fast. I also prefer the vanilla android to the Touchwiz overlay. Very happy with my decision.

Oops, I lost my AT&T Nexus One. I started looking for a new phone and saw the Nexus S was finally available on AT&T. And I was ready for an AT&T upgrade! Almost a no-brainer. Getting the Nexus S at BestBuy was a great experience. After using the Nexus S for almost a month, I'm loving it. Only a few issues that I'll cover below. Of course, the Nexus part of the NS is good, but no new updates in the last month are going out to the base code, so no new Nexus S updates. However, NS is still on the leading edge of Gingerbread. And it's a pure Google Android. Pros vs Nexus One - No more "out of App memory". With the N1, I was constantly below 20 mb. NS has tons of memory. - Screen is very bright, very good resolution. - Phone feels good in my hand. - Phone seems a good bit faster. Can compare side by side though. - Still no slide out keyboard - Curved screen is nice effect - WiFi seems to work great - Headphone jack is next to the USB. Works well when you have both plugged in. - Power button is ON THE SIDE! Never gets turned on by accident in my pocket. Nexus S vs my perfect phone: - The curved screen slopes off on the sides. Makes it difficult to get a screen protector unless it doesn't go completely side to side and top to bottom - There is no notification LED? Really? Saved a couple of pennies maybe? - Loses connection to AT&T? Really? Even worse than the N1? How can that be? - Don't go to Samsung's site for troubleshooting info. Everything from their people tells you to "call in so we can help you". Why have a support forum? So I posted a comment about how to fix the USB connection to my PC issue. They didn't allow it because I was too snarky. Me? Ok, probably was snarky. But I never had a post on any of the Nexus Forums rejected :-). Cons vs a perfect phone Accessories - Got a Incipio Feather wrap around case that I like. I believe it will hold up well over time. Not very bump protecting, but it does protect from most scratch events. - Got some EZ-HD Clear Screen Protectors For Samsung Nexus. These didn't lay down on the edges of the screen. Needed to be trimmed. - Got some Seidio Ultimate Screen Guard - Crystal Clear. These are almost perfectly sized and easy to apply.