Nexus One vs iPhone

I’ve only had the Nexus One for a few days and have to admit that so far it’s been pretty difficult to put it down, I think it’s fair to say that I quite like it!

After posting my Nexus One video on Saturday I’ve had loads of requests from readers asking how the Nexus One compares to the iPhone, both physically and in terms of functionality. In terms of the functional comparison I thought I would leave that until I publish m Nexus One review, which I am working on at the moment. However, to satisfy your curiosity in terms of the physical differences between the two I thought you light enjoy a few photos.

Looking at the Nexus One and the iPhone 3GS from the front they are of a similar size. The Nexus One is a little taller (119mm v 115mm) than the iPhone and a little narrower (59.8mm v 62.1mm). The Nexus is is also 5 grams lighter than the iPhone. In terms of the screen the Nexus One looks to have a much larger display than the iPhone but in reality the difference is just 0.2″, however, the Nexus One display is much higher res than the iPhone, 800 x 480 pixels for the Nexus against the 320 x 480 of the iPhone. When you look at the screens powered up the difference is clear!

Comparing both devices end-on the Nexus One is slightly thinner than the iPhone, but there’s less than 1mm between them. Despite the very curved back on the iPhone, which helps to make it appear thinner than it is, the Nexus One feels thinner than the 1mm may suggest.

Perhaps the reason why the Nexus One feels much thinner than the iPhone could be down to the camera placement. The 11.5mm of the Nexus is measured at the thickest part, which is just at the top by the camera which sticks out a little from the back. As you can see from the image above this makes the Nexus a bit thicker at the top than the rest of the unit so overall the device feels thinner.

So that’s just a few shots of the two devices side-by-side to give you an idea of the physical differences. They are quite similar really, anyone would think that Google were trying to compete with Apple or something! 😛

I’ll be back with my review as soon as I can get it done for you but that said, I’m not rushing it. I want to use the Nexus One for a good few days before I start to offer my opinion. If you do have any questions though, please do post them on any of the Nexus One forum posts and I’ll do my best to either answer them right away or add them to the full review.

Posted by: Matt