iPhone 4 vs. Nexus One

M

michscarp

New member
I have iphone 3GS and I have to shell out $500 for iphone4 and a long wait now. I am really interested if people who have tried both iphone 3GS and google Nexus (also $529 and unlocked) one to compare the phones please. On usability, features, accessibility. I have used many HTC fans in past, WM phones, symbian etc and fairly conversant with Unix/Linux. So on geekiness side I know android are great, more interested in direct comparisons from howard forum members who had handled both.. I may take android road and ditch iphone4 altogether for a year

Thanks
 
i have the nexus one and happen to LOVE the stock web browser. its so fast and fully functional.

anyway, both are great phones. i personally like the nexus better, but i think the new iphone 4 has some better hardware, like camera, etc. however the nexus is just a hackers freaking dream. if you go over to the XDA forums and look at what is going on with custom ROMs for the nexus, you will be throoughly impressed. cyanogen ROM, modaco ROM, etc the options are endless. you can try a new ROM every day of the week if you want. and the ability to change any part of the phone or OS is endless.
 
Honestly I think the N1 is probably 3-4th best Android phone. The screen being AMOLED should be a plus right? Unlike some of the later advancements that screen shows banding, is useless outdoors and due to the lack of a RGB tirad has resolution issues. My bro works for Google and basically got one as a free christmas present from them and we were puzzled with the display of text on it. This was before it was generally known about the RGB limitation of the screen and we came to the conclusion that the software's anti-aliasing was wonky and it would just be fixed in a later update. Don't take this as a bash about the N1, it's a highly capable phone but the iPhone4 is Apple's latest and greatest, the N1 just seems like yesterday's Android. This may seem like an odd thing to say about a relatively new product but it doesn't seem really fresh to me. If you really want an Android based phone there are probably 2-3 better models out there.
 
The N1 remains tops if you're into modding phones.

If there is any better Android phones, well there is quite a few now actually, but they come with a price---they will not mod, nor update as quickly, as the Nexus One.

It only takes one update to put the Nexus One back as the king of hill again. Froyo. Heck, that may come sooner than you think.
 
I've used the Iphone 3gs before. It's fast...and almost everything is functional smoothly. Love it. However i hate the facts that the iphone is limited to customization. You get the same boring home screen after all these years (yes, Apple, have you heard of widgets?) ..Bluetooth still can't transfer file directly. Browser still no flash....need itune for everthing.....I went on to HTC HD2 windows mobile. Full customization..alot of hacks and tweaks...however the OS is unstable and laggy. Then comes the Nexus One....!! let me put it this way. It's like WM + IOS = Android. Plus the N1 built is very nice. I'm no android fan. Just moving with flow. always searching for the next better device.. but for now N1 will have to do.
 
I've had the 3GS and a N1 and it was a pretty close call but the 3GS was the better device overall. Better Multimedia, better browsing, better touchscreen and no trackball lol. Comparing N1 to the iPhone 4......iPhone 4 clearly is superior.
 
Compared to the iPhone 4, the Nexus One is starting to show its age. Despite this, watching TechnoBuffalo's YouTube contest between the iPhone 4 and the Droid Incredible, the Nexus One's kin, the Droid Incredible still manages to outspeed the iPhone 4 on rendering web pages. Yes, its right in YouTube, and both phones are rendering the same page, on Wifi for maximum speed.

When you consider that Froyo has an even faster Javascript engine on the browser, from Chrome, plus the JIT compiler that speeds apps 3X to 5X, I will take the Nexus One with Froyo anytime without a hesitation, and regard the following as additional bonuses: Flash 10.1, its mobile Wifi hotspot.

That will come out sooner than you think since Google has already started rolling out Froyo in limited test batches to N1 owners.
 
Nexus One is a good phone in terms of software. If you rely on Google's services, such as Google Voice, the N1 wins hands down. This is probably the one thing that is holding me back from wanting the iPhone. Also, notifications are an important thing for me and it's unfortunate to see that the iPhone 4 lacks even a notification light.

However, the Nexus One is already dated in terms of hardware IMO. If you just compare the hardware to what is available now on Android for the same price point and what was just introduced on the iPhone 4, the Nexus One doesn't seem like it is worth purchasing. Software can always be updated; with hardware, you're stuck with what you've got. The iPhone 4's camera is really impressive -- judging by what I've seen posted on Flickr and Youtube. I don't really care for the retina display and I don't understand why people are making such a big deal out of the display because who is actually going to look at the display under a microscope?

As both a Mac user and Android lover, I am also torn between the two devices. What drives me nuts about the Nexus One is the hardware, most specifically the terrible aging two-tone color (which is the only color available) and the camera. If the Nexus One came in a solid black color with a better camera, I would buy it over the iPhone 4 in a heartbeat. But what prevents me from switching over to the iPhone 4 is pretty much the lack of support for Google Voice (hate the web app), notifications, and its general closed environment.
 
What's a Nexus One that comes with black and a better camera? Its called the Droid Incredible.

There are some limited European editions of the HTC Desire in black and silver too.

If you like an Android that can double as a cameraphone, look to the Milestone XT with the 8 mp camera and Xenon flash.
 
It's unfortunate that the high-end Droids are only available on Verizon, which I cannot use. I love the black HTC Desire; I wish the Nexus One was available in the same color (is it so hard?!).

I like the camera and specs of the Milestone XT, but the phone design just does not strike a chord with me.
 
I liked the Nexus One the most out of all the androids i have used. The build and size is just perfect. The evo has a GREAT screen, but its just too big for daily use IMHO. The 3.7 screen is noticeably bigger than the iPhone, making web viewing that much better. The finish on the N1 is also alot nicer, whatever that coating thats on the back (i think teflon) really makes the phone feel expensive. That being said tho, the battery life was worse than my 3GS, where my iP4 trumps them both. Plus, games and music are alot better amittedly on the Apple phones. I'd say if you are looking for battery life/music/games/ mass apps, get iP4. Anything else, go android with a Nexus. OH, and also, with the Nexus you will always get the newest firmware updates first.
 
I finally got Nexus one and using it as primary phone. I have started jotting down my comments as a comparison table, and will be adding several froyo screenshots as well in coming days. So far it is going great
 
both are awesome phones but for me the nexus one with froyo is the best phone ive ever owned.
the camera is adequate for my purposes
flash gives the nexus one the undisputable win over ip4 It is awesome for world cup, patalk and stickam.
i can even do hulu by pressing a few buttons.
however i cant see the n1 screen in sunlight .
there is no skype (over wifi) but this wont be an issue when google updates google voice.
the antenna on the n1 works just fine when I hold the phone normally.
 
Actually, to those talking about N1's hardware limitations, it still has a faster processor than the iPhone4, and the camera can record in HD as well... Cyanogen Mod Rom 5.0.8-t5 found out the hardware is there, but removed the software limitation
 
Processor speed is only part of the equation. There's no doubt that the Nexus1 is a powerful smartphone for sure, but Apple has always been able to achieve ridiculous performance with slightly less on-paper powerful hardware with tight control over every aspect of the device.

I'd love a Nexus1 to use along with my iPhone, switching the SIM around as I wished.
 
I've heard there's some debate as to whether or not a 1GHz Snapdragon is actually faster than an A4. At a minimum, the iPhone 4 has a much newer graphics core than Snapdragon does. I've heard of a few Android games needing "slower" phones like the Droid, simply because they have faster graphics cores.

Besides, from the sounds of it, it seems like the iPhone's battery life should be tangibly better.
 
Wrong. The iPhone4 runs of Apples custom silicon 1Ghz A4 Processor. Manufactured by samsung said to be a close relative of the Hummingbird processor used on their galaxy s devices. In tests even the 3GS model outprocessed the nexus one because how streamlined the hardware/software is on the iPhone. In benchmarks the iPhone4 smokes the nexus one.

Also another mentioned camera quality, again iPhone4 is clearly the winner producing superior photos to even the best android phones as shown in this comparison to the 8mp DroidX... http://www.boygeniusreport.com/2010/06/28/image-iphone-4-v-droid-x/
 
In browser rendering tests done by TechnoBuffalo, with the tester being honestly admitting being an iPhone fan, the Droid Incredible smoked the iPhone 4 on browser. First with both phones on wifi, then smoked the iPhone 4 again with 2 bars on Verizon's band vs 5 on AT&T's band. It was all posted in YouTube. Note, this is all in Android 2.1.

In my personal experience, the Samsung Galaxy S with the Hummingbird processor feels smoother and faster than the Nexus One. When the Nexus One is on ++Android 2.1++.

Now the Nexus One is on --Android 2.2 Froyo--.

And you can feel Froyo's speed, in such a way, the Nexus One now smokes the Samsung Galaxy S. Its like a load was taken off the phone and something turned on the afterburner. The Froyo's Dalvik now runs apps 3x to 5x faster with the JIT. On top of that, the browser on Froyo is faster with Google's own JS rendering engine from Chrome, which we know is the fastest in the world because it has no trouble smoking both Firefox and Safari in rendering benchmarks. When in Wifi, the rendering of pages takes place in flashes.

So many freaking improvements. The multitouch bug is all gone, the reception is better and stronger, better memory management means the apps now all got more memory to work with, it can now display 8 instead of 6 of the most recent apps, I can now mobile wifi hotspot which I can deactivate from the notification bar and I can use Flash 10.1 on the browser to boot. When using Flash, the plugin would faithfully recreate the unique controls used in the video player from each website, whether its MySpace, Daily Motion, VEOH, YouTube, or Megavideo.
 
Obviously processing power cannot be judged just by how fast a page is rendered in the browser. There are plenty of tests where the iphone will destroy the nexus. Like graphix, ui interaction and 3D rendering. The browser on Nexus is knowhere near as good as safari on the iPhone either way.

The Nexus one is on its way out while the iPhone4 is the best thing out. Google dated the nexus one even before it came out with theiir poor choice of trackball navigation a technology even its creator RIM has abandoned for a more modern method of interaction.

Also the screen is terrible to read outdoors and the touchscreen is not even in the same league as the iPhone. If I even hold the nexus a certain way it will think I'm touching the screen and will not allow me to swipe across the different home screens.(Tried with several units they all have touch screen issues). Also music quality is really substandard on Nexus, crackling and popping sounds are very audible when plugged into car stereo via 3.5mm jack as with many android phones I've used.(Droid, Milestone, Nexus, Backflip). Nexus feels to me more like what is is....an experiment, as opposed to a fully finished, polished product like the iPhone 4. To me it just feels half-baked.
 
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