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Nexus S a good first Android phone?

N

nilesong

Lurker
I'm currently using an iPhone 3g and thinking about upgrading to the Nexus S. The iPhone was my first smart phone and my first venture into jailbreaking, customizing, etc. It was pretty fun, a great learning experience if nothing else. I've grown accustomed to using it and while I still enjoy some of the features, I think that there's got to be a better experience out there. The 3G is deathly slow and the lack of a decent delivery system for notifications is driving me nuts! Also, it seems that with Android, I can upload pics (and use other apps) without having to directly open them?

I'm not writing my own apps, or doing anything too tech heavy. I just want an awesome smartphone (that's unlocked, or at least unlockable without a million steps) that's fun to play around with. The iPhone 4 would be cool, but I'm not into paying $500 just to get it. From what I've read, the Nexus S seems to be a good fit.

I'm on a small GSM carrier if that matters. Any thoughts? If I can get the S for $100, can I really go wrong?
 
As an NS user i strongly recommend it as a first android phone [running CyanogenMod 7.1 runs as good as an iPhone 4 (tested Asphalt 6) with no overclocking] ,especially if you can get it at 100$ ...but you could wait for the Nexus Prime :)
 
The Nexus S is still an excellent device, but it is beginning to show its age. If you're going to sign a contract, you may want to consider a newer model. Compared to $100, the $200 most new devices cost on contract isn't a big jump. Although, you should be able to find the Nexus S for free on contract.

If you wait for the Nexus Prime to come out, second hand Nexus S's will probably drop in price considerably. Waiting for the Prime to come out will give you the chance to decide if you might want it instead, and probably drop prices for the S.
 
Thanks for your replies. I wouldn't mind waiting for the Prime if my carrier gets it in, but they *just* got the S about a month ago. It usually seems to take quite a long time for them to get the newest stuff. They have the best and cheapest service around here, so I won't switch carriers.

From what you both said though, it seems like the S would be a good fit. $100 isn't that much, and the only other Android option is the Galaxy S 4g. I honestly haven't looked into that phone at all yet, so that is still an option. It's $150 though. I'll head over to the Galaxy S forum in a bit and check that out too.

Do you have any insights on the NS compared GS? I'm sure there's a comparison on here that I'll come across, but if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear!
 
nilesong said:
Thanks for your replies. I wouldn't mind waiting for the Prime if my carrier gets it in, but they *just* got the S about a month ago. It usually seems to take quite a long time for them to get the newest stuff. They have the best and cheapest service around here, so I won't switch carriers.

From what you both said though, it seems like the S would be a good fit. $100 isn't that much, and the only other Android option is the Galaxy S 4g. I honestly haven't looked into that phone at all yet, so that is still an option. It's $150 though. I'll head over to the Galaxy S forum in a bit and check that out too.

Do you have any insights on the NS compared GS? I'm sure there's a comparison on here that I'll come across, but if you have any thoughts, I'd love to hear!
Click to expand...

If you're relatively tech savvy, definitely go with the Nexus S. The Galaxy S 4G and Nexus S are almost the exact same phone. The difference is in the software.

The Galaxy S will come with additional tools (read: "Bloatware") that can be useful to someone who doesn't really get along well with technology. The Nexus S comes with a clean slate, giving you only the bare essentials and letting you download the tools you want (there are a lot of choices after all).

As a prime example, the Galaxy S comes with this wonky little file manager. The Nexus S does not, but the savvy user would hop on the Marketplace and download Astro File Manager and have a significantly better file manager than would come with the Galaxy S.

If you're comfortable customizing your phone with the apps you want and understand how the Marketplace works, definitely go for the Nexus S.
 
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