Google Nexus One Phone v Droid – Pros and Cons
It’s day two of Google Phone vs Verizon Droid at the Schulz household. The FedEx man dropped the Google Nexus One phone to me at about 2pm yesterday. I quickly removed the SIM card from by T-Mobile 9700. Held my breath briefly. Then was relieved to see that I did not have to call T-Mobile to make a switch from a BlackBerry data plan to an Android plan. Inserting the SIM from my T-Mobile 9700 BlackBerry into the Google Nexus One worked. Now onto the more relevant question that everyone’s been asking. Since I already own a Verizon Droid and have been using that since launch (11/6/09) – the question is which phone is better – the Droid or the Google Nexus One?
To properly judge an online comparison it’s important to realize what devices the reviewer is using and familiar with.
My daily phones are:
- T-Mobile BlackBerry 9700
- Verizon Droid
- Apple iPhone
I love the BlackBerry for the ease of typing on the keyboard but hate pretty much everything else about it. The 9700 is a big step up in providing more memory (very few mid-day out-0f-memory messages and a significantly improved camera) but the dearth of good applications and lousy browser make it my third favorite phone.
The Verizon Droid is the new kid on the block. I use it for one reason – Google. I am a huge Google Mail, Calendar and Contact user. There’s simply no better platform than Android at synchronizing Google apps to the phone. I purchased the Droid mainly for increased speed. All previous Android phones that I’d used lagged terribly and were a sad 10th place finisher to the iPhone experience in terms of speed and overall usability.
I love everything about the Droid except the poor incoming call audio quality.
In my opinion (after having swapped two prior Droids and listened to several demo Droids in Verizon stores) the Droid has a flaw in how it processes audio. The flaw is big enough that I would not recommend Droid to anyone who makes over 300 minutes of calls a month.
Still the king of the hill for me is iPhone.
The primary problem is that it is awful at processing Google Mail. If you get a lot of mail (I process about 300 to 500 messages a day) then you’ll need something more bulletproof than iPhone. Connecting the iPhone to IMAP mail was too laggy.
Using the (beta) Google Sync which promises to duplicate Microsoft Exchange and deliver real time Gmail was great when it worked (which it usually didn’t). The beta service came out of the gate strong and for a while was pushing Google Mail instantly to my iPhone.
For a while I thought Google Sync might even be a BlackBerry Enterprise Server killer (BES is a paid service offered by RIM/BlackBerry to push corporate Exchange Server data – mail, calendar, contacts – in real time). Sadly Google has not been able to keep Google Sync for iPhone running reliably (at least not in the push mail area) and I’ve all but abandoned it on my iPhone in favor of their web interface which works respectably (albeit only when connected to the web).
Pros and Cons of the Droid
My Droid experience has been wonderful save for the lousy choppy/robotic/cheap incoming caller audio (Read user complaints about Droid Audio quality on the Motorola forum).
I’ve not experienced any reboots (and remember I’ve gone through three Droids total). Each Droid worked pretty much as promised right out of the box. The speed is great and I’ve noticed no issues with any of the fit and finish. There’s no lag and I judge the web browser as excellent and on-par with (though perhaps not as fast as) the iPhone browser.
I’m not a big landscape slide out keyboard user so I can’t really make any comments on the Droid keyboard. I guess it’s ok for anyone who absolutely needs a keyboard however I would have been happier if Motorola and Verizon lost the keyboard on the Droid. I never use it and having a slider keyboard is annoying because no matter how careful you are the thing is going to open up on you in the most inconvenient time.
So what are the Droid Pros and Cons?
Pros Of The Droid
- Fast speed
- Larger screen
- Excellent browser
- Tight integration to Google courtesy of Android OS
- Current 2.01 Android OS
- Turn by Turn Directions (again courtesy of Google Android OS)
- Excellent Verizon coverage
- Decent battery life – though non-scientific I’d pronounce it 20 to 25% better than iPhone
Cons Of The Droid
- Lousy audio quality of incoming callers (pitiful, sad and inexcusable) – listen yourself at a Verizon store
- Slide out keyboard can slide when least wanted
- Form factor makes it nearly impossible to find a decent case
- Screen can be a little too sensitive around the perimeter resulting in extra unintended keypresses
Pros and Cons of The Google Nexus One Phone
The Google Nexus One is the new Android kid on the block. I’ve only spent a day with the phone but during that time I’ve used it enough to make calls (about an hours worth) and to use the other functions to make an early assessment of what Google is calling a Superphone.
The screen is 3.7-inch (diagonal) widescreen WVGA AMOLED touchscreen with 800 x 480 pixels. What’s this all mean by way of comparison? In my experience it means the screen is beautiful inside in lower lighting conditions. Take it outside - and the beauty tends to wash out.
What I like so far is the camera and audio are much improved over the Droid. I can take a picture quickly and have it processed on the Google Nexus one – quickly. On the Droid there’s a somewhat lengthy delay to take the photo and another delay to process it. This is even after the much (over-hyped) OS 2.01 update that was pushed to the Droid in the middle of December.
There’s absolutely no lag on the Google Nexus One. My Droid doesn’t lag either.
How about audio quality. Absolutely no problems noted. Incoming callers are clear with no clipping or robotic sound (both problems with every Droid I tested and the Droid I have now).
The Google Nexus One has some type of problem with the bottom row of control buttons. Most other reviews have hit upon this. The problem is that you must touch an imprecise area in just the right way or your press isn’t registered. This is my biggest frustration with the phone. The four icon keys simply are too awkward to use. By comparison the keys on the Droid (performing totally identical functions and in nearly the same place) register each and every keypress (albeit sometimes a little too sensitively).
Everything about the Google Nexus One is faster. Opening Gmail is faster. Filing email is faster. Moving between applications is faster. Even faster than the already fast Droid. If what you’re seeking in Android is speed (and you should be) then the Google Nexus One won’t disappoint.
Overall there is no big difference between the Droid and Google Nexus One save for: (A) Form factor – the Droid has an (annoying) keyboard and Nexus One doesn’t and (B) Audio quality – the Google Nexus one blows the marble mouthed Droid out of the water and (C) There’s a slight difference between Android 2.0 and 2.1 (mainly a news/weather widget and active wallpaper backgrounds).
Here’s my pros and cons for the Google Nexus One:
Pros of The Google Nexus One
- Night and day difference of audio quality – callers are clear and crisp
- King of the speedy Android phones – there’s presently none faster
- Light, slim, brilliant display (in lower light)
- Fast camera (same 5 mp resolution as Droid – just faster to open and faster to shoot)
- Great photo image quality
Cons of The Google Nexus One
- Who fixes it when it breaks – enjoy that phone call overseas with resulting 45 minute diagnosis. Since the phone is presently sold direct from Google and there’s limited experience with broken units it remains to be seen how much of a hassle repairs will be. I’m guessing it will be a hassle.
- Only T-Mobile supports the 3G speeds of the Google Nexus One – and T-Mobile doesn’t have good coverage everywhere.
- Screen washes out in bright light
- Bottom row of icon keys is tough to use unless pressed exactly in the right place (Droid has no such problem)
- Largely nothing different with this phone other than speed – and the potential inconvenience of repairs as well as the cost to buy and unlocked phone would would make me recommend this only to the geeky early adopters.
Conclusion
Should you buy a Google Nexus One instead of a Droid?
If audio quality matters to you – absolutely (but only if you’re comfortable living with T-Mobile service until other carriers like Verizon who is due to provide service in Spring 2010 pick the phone up).
For most people I think you have to consider the repair and service aspects of the phone. Are you comfortable dealing with a repair facility over the phone? Do you prefer to walk into your local cellular store and have them look at an ill-performing phone? If the answer to the latter is yes then stick with Droid until there’s more experience about how the Google Nexus One will be service.
If speed and integration with Google are top on your list of needs (and, again, you can live with T-Mobile service) then I wholeheartedly recommend Google Nexus One. In my testing (admittedly only a day so far) it’s been fast, stable and a step up from most other smartphones – thus the label Superphone.
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no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i’m hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife’s Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she’s on her Eris, you can’t tell that she is not on a land line).nnthough there’s one item that’s bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn’t so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that’s the only issue i’ve had with voice quality so far.
no probs luckily with call / voice quality on the Droid (i'm hearing everyone fine , no complaints from others talking to me) , my wife's Eris though I have to say may provide better outgoing call quality (when i talk to her from a land line while she's on her Eris, you can't tell that she is not on a land line).
though there's one item that's bothered me on the call quality of the Droid – when setting my greeting, for some strange reason, when setting it from my Droid itself the Greeting recording quality isn't so great (sounds compressed sort of , like the starting point of words is cut off – kind of like a bad speakerphone cutting off some content) , that's the only issue i've had with voice quality so far.