Anand's Google Nexus One Review
by Anand Lal Shimpi on April 3, 2010 3:40 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- Mobile
Performance: Faster but Choppier
Much like the display, the Nexus’ performance can be frustrating at times. First, the bad. Switching between pages on the home screen and scrolling through applications is downright choppy. The scrolling process isn’t slow, but the animation isn’t smooth - which makes the phone feel slower than it is. It’s a framerate issue that’s been present on every Android device I’ve used (for the life of me I can’t remember whether or not it was present on the Motorola Droid). It varies depending on the app as well. Scrolling through contacts is perfectly smooth, scrolling through Facebook isn’t. I doubt it’s a hardware issue but rather a software optimization/driver problem. Why it hasn’t been fixed by now is anyone’s guess.
Another inexplicably slow part of the Android experience involves getting the virtual keyboard to appear. The keyboard appears whenever you tap in a text input box. Doing so upon first entering an application (e.g. the SMS app) usually takes several taps before it’ll actually respond. It’s frustrating beyond belief and inexcusable given the horsepower of the Snapdragon SoC in the Nexus One. Again, this just seems to be a software optimization issue rather than an inherent platform limitation.
Now the good news. When launching and interacting with an app the Nexus One feels lightning quick, going back to the iPhone 3GS afterwards feels much slower. Applications respond with a sense of urgency that no other smartphone I’ve used can offer. This is a pure clockspeed thing thanks to the 1GHz Snapdragon from Qualcomm.
| Applications Processor Performance | |||||
|
Apple iPhone 3GS (ARM Cortex A8)
|
Google Nexus One (Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250)
|
Advantage Nexus One | |||
| Load www.anandtech.com | 6.9 seconds | 6.7 seconds | 3.0% | ||
| Load www.digg.com | 12.5 seconds | 9.0 seconds | 38.9% | ||
| Load www.arstechnica.com | 12.1 seconds | 10.8 seconds | 12.0% | ||
| Load www.engadget.com | 17.7 seconds | 13.3 seconds | 33.1% | ||
| Load www.gizmodo.com | 20.8 seconds | 13.7 seconds | 51.8% | ||
| Load www.techreport.com | 6.2 seconds | 5.0 seconds | 24.0% | ||
| Launch Web Browser | 0.7 seconds | 0.7 seconds | 0.0% | ||
| Launch Email App | 0.7 seconds | 0.7 seconds | 0.0% | ||
| Launch Maps App | 5.0 seconds | 2.0 seconds | 150% | ||
| Launch Camera App | 2.8 seconds | 2.0 seconds | 40.0% | ||
Loading web pages proved to be anywhere from 3 to over 50% faster than the iPhone 3GS. Launching simple apps didn't move any quicker on the Nexus One, but firing up the Maps and Camera apps (and waiting for them to be usable) was much faster on the Nexus One. The more processor intensive the task, the more the Nexus One can flex its muscle.
Those applications that spawn other apps (e.g. clicking on a Google Maps link in the browser and having it spawn the Maps app) also do so very quickly. If it weren’t for frame rate issues, the Nexus One would be perfect from a performance standpoint.
It’s weird, the flexibility that Android offers is very PC like. And by that, I mean that the platform really does feel like a condensed version of Windows or Linux running in a smartphone. Unfortunately, the weird quirks also seem to come with the package. In fact, I’d say Android really does feel like a more modern version of what Windows Mobile used to be rather than an iPhone, webOS or Windows Phone 7 competitor.
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strikeback03 - Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - link
So does a 2mm difference in width really make that much difference in how you hold it and keyboard feel? As both phones are quite large compared to my HTC Diamond.Anand Lal Shimpi - Tuesday, April 6, 2010 - link
It really has to do with the autocorrect on the keyboard and key spacing it seems. I switched back to the Nexus One today and definitely make more errors that I have to manually correct, whereas the iPhone seems to do a better job of knowing exactly what I'm trying to say/type.The performance and screen are very nice on the Nexus One however :)
Take care,
Anand
Locut0s - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
Thanks for the great review Anand!! I've been thinking of getting a smart phone for some time now and have been eyeing either a Nexus one or whatever Apple does with their next iteration of their iPhone. This review has placed the Nexus one squarely in my top 3. As always fantastic writing, thanks! However I should point something as a reader living outside the US. Google Voice is still not available in Canada or anywhere else outside the US. So if you are reading this review and that feature sounds nice keep this in mind!!Chloiber - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
If you like the Google Nexus, read some reviews about the coming (in the next days - weeks) HTC Desire - I bet you like it even more :)Zokudu - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
Wonderful article Anand.This epitomizes what I love about your writing.
Keep up the great work
Anand Lal Shimpi - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
Thank you :)Take care,
Anand
Mumrik - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
"Most of the time you all scare the crap out of me. I want to impress, I want you guys to be happy with what I write. I want every article to be the most well received thing ever. Every writer wants that. No one ever gets it. So when I see comments telling me that you’re eagerly anticipating my Nexus One review, I get a turtle complex. And not the ninja kind."I don't think you need to worry too much about all that Anand. Your work over the last few years especially has been top-of-the-class.
Lifedelinquent - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
wonder if the htc evo will use the more updated snapdragon proc with the better gpu?Chloiber - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
It will use the Snapdragon QSD8650 (N1/Desire: QSD8250) with 1GHz.http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/23/htc-evo-4g-is-s...
Don't know what that implies about the built in GPU though.
LongTimePCUser - Sunday, April 4, 2010 - link
Anand,It sounds like your biggest problem with the Google phone was the on-screen keyboard.
Have you tried the slide-out keyboard on the Motorola Droid?
The big advantage is that you can see the entire display screen, including type-ahead suggestions, while typing.