Product Listing

Google Nexus One - Center of Attention

By Seow Tein Hee - 29 Jan 2010

Performance

Testing the Android

Now, if you're more for the hardware delivery, here's something to ponder upon - the Nexus One will be the first Android device armed with the fast-paced Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor. And how does that translate onto the Nexus One? We sum it up in three words - blazing fast speeds.

Plowing through the Nexus One's interface was swift and fluid. We observed how smooth menu and apps transitions were, with no discernible lag during the switching process. On the Android platform, apps are perpetually running in the background once they're loaded, and with that in mind, we found the experience to be pretty lag free after multiple apps have been activated. But it's not all a bed of roses. We did experience some crashes for apps and the Live Wallpapers, prompting the Nexus One to do a forced close on the said apps.

Going deeper into the Settings > Applications > Running services, you get a list of currently active apps for you to end and the amount of memory it's utilizing on the Nexus One.

For its multimedia delivery, the Nexus One has much to offer on its video playback capability, but not so for its audio options. With our 3.5mm audio earphones, we plugged into the Nexus One's port and got a flat and uneventful audio experience. While the mid levels were crystal clear with the vocals, we couldn't get a strong punch out of the bass or the higher notes.

Moving past the audio quality, we were pleased with how the 3.7-inch AMOLED screen with WVGA resolutions of 800 x 480 pixels presented videos. To be precise about it, our test video saw some rich colors being returned on the Nexus One, while the same can't be said for other similar Android devices using the usual LCD screens. We also saw no frame losses for fast scenes, making the whole movie experience as seamless and comfortable as it can get on a mobile device. Our next stop involves some imaging test on the 5-megapixel camera.

Having a 5-megapixel camera with LED flash is the norm for phones of this calibre. The imaging quality, however, will be the real test.

Looking at both our test charts, we noticed something familiar - a circular reddish hue that was once the bane of the HTC HD2 imaging tests. This issue presents itself under strong incandescent lighting conditions, which we normally use to test the camera's automatic white balance correction. As you can see, the color chart is also affected by the reddish hue, which presents a warmer color chart across the board. Detailing and sharpness are the redeeming factors for the camera performance with a strong attention to fur details, albeit the image isn't exactly noise free as we saw on the test images.

The final trial for the Nexus One, would be the battery test. As per normal, our battery test comprises of the following factors:

  • Playing a 240 x 320 resolution video on an endless loop.
  • Wi-Fi and Bluetooth active
  • Screen brightness at 100%
  • 3.5mm headset plugged in with volume at 100%

Remember, we are also dealing with data being constantly pushed to the Nexus One via your Gmail, so you will have an active Wi-Fi connection being utilized. Looking at two other similar models, the results are as follow:

Mobile Devices Comparison Table
Specifications/Device Google Nexus One BlackBerry Storm2 HTC HD2
Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP
  • HSDPA
  • GPS with A-GPS
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • Bluetooth 2.1 + A2DP
  • HSDPA
  • GPS with A-GPS
  • Wi-Fi 802.11b/g
  • Bluetooth 2.0 + A2DP
  • HSDPA
  • GPS with A-GPS
Dimensions
  • 119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm
  • 112.5 x 62.2 x 14 mm
  • 112 x 56.2 x 14.4 mm
Weight
  • 130g
  • 160g
  • 135.5g
Screen size
  • 3.7-inch, 800 x 480 pixels
  • 3.1-inch, 320 x 480 pixels
  • 3.2-inch, 320 x 480 pixels
Battery
  • Li-Ion 1400 mAh
  • Li-Ion 1400 mAh
  • Li-Ion 1350 mAh

Both the Nexus One and the HTC HD2 are using the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 1GHz processor, and as you can see, the battery mileage has a huge disparity. Either in part due to the power efficiency of the Android OS, or because of the smaller 3.7-inch AMOLED screen, the Nexus One should manage itself well for extended trips. Combining that high mileage with its lightweight and thin profile, the Nexus One proves that it is suitable for heavy usage without the bulk that is often associated with phones of its capabilities. But, as we experienced in our daily usage, the Nexus One won't live through a full day on a single charge. The combination of cellular functions, multimedia and web activity is taxing on even the most power efficient devices.

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