By There’s simply no denying it now: the Nexus S is real and it’s being made by Samsung. New shots were leaked by XDA showing the same exact phone Eric Schmidt was waving around at the Web 2.o summit not too long ago. This time, though, the Samsung logo doesn’t have an ugly piece of tape over it. The spot where we’d expect the Google logo is covered up by XDA’s watermark, but we assume it’s because there’s a QR code they don’t want anyone to see.
Everything is as you’d expect, still: it has a camera on the back with flash and that same weird button layout where the Home button is placed on the far right. What’s more is that we get more shots of Gingerbread, confirming even more details that we initially reported last month. (Specifically, the carrier branding area in the notification pane is just as silver as we heard it’d be, and everything else lines up with what we’ve heard and see thus far.)
The dialer doesn’t look too much out of the ordinary, but the keypad has gotten a style change, as well. With the leak came some new rumored stats to corroborate what we’ve heard before: a 4-inch AMOLED (no word on if it’s Super or Super 2), WVGA resolution, and HD video recording (we’d assume that this is the same 5-megapixel sensor in the Galaxy S line of phones.)
OpenGL ES support confirms it’s a modern CPU (of course), but we still don’t know which CPU will be in it exactly. There are strong rumors that it’ll be Samsung’s 1GHz Orion CPU, which would mean we’ll be in dual-core heaven. They’ve also heard that it’ll have either 1 or 2 GB of internal storage, and either 512MB or 328MB of RAM (we’d probably guess that they meant 384, considering that’s how much you get in certain configurations of the Galaxy S.)
We’ll be watching closely as Andy Rubin takes the stage at AllThingsD’s Dive Into Mobile conference on December 6th where we hope Google and the Android team will be ready to serve up some Gingerbread cookies. The full crop of images can be had at XDA.
DEFINELTY NOT the orion processor
I don’t get it..All Android phones I have used have the same bottom button layout so now all the sudden they decided to switch it?
How does this even make sense?
Mmm sorry ?
Where’s the samsung logo?
no. Even HTC Desire and Nexus One (Brothers) have different button layout.
but still doesn’t make any sense….
Anything less than 512 Mb ram is a failure. Other than a dual core processor, how is this any better than many of the other Android phones on the market? Nexus phones are supposed to set new standards, don’t see much beyond the processor as setting a new standard for all to follow.
I think the best layout of buttons is on my nexus one….back, menu, home, search…..they seem to be the best comnbination…
Guys.. check on the MOBILE ENGADGET.
news about SAMSUNG Stealth V, samsung smartphone with android froyo. super amoled 4,3 inch screen size and 8mp camera.
are that the nexus s?????..
The buttons on my G2 are different than my Nexus, and both are different than my Tab, but after using them for just a few days, it’s now natural to hit the right one. I think people put too much into button arrangement.
If youre and original android guy coming from G1 or mytouch the G2 has the best layout
People complaining about it having less than 512MB RAM should do their research.
@AC
Where can I find information on this? Im curious to know why it’s not bad
@AC, im pretty sure 3.0 will require @ least 512mb of ram
@Aeires
As for you comment “Nexus phones are supposed to set new standards”, I don’t believe that was true with even the original Nexus One. I think the Nexus line defines what standards Google considers all phones should have.
I love my Nexus One, but other than the Snapdragon processor what was so standard setting about it. Mostly, the Nexus One took the best features available and put them into a single package. By having other phones match the Nexus One, I believe that helps with fragmentation since the Nexus One is the standard you need to match as far as apps. I would imagine the Nexus S would do the same thing. The best thing about the Nexus One is that it is updated by Google. You don’t have to wait for manufacturers or carriers to add their 2 cents for Android updates.
Looking at the possible Nexus S features, I am getting excited about the Orion processor, Super AMOLED 2, built-in NFC chips (Eric Schmidt pretty much confirmed that the Nexus S will contain this). It all looks like a very compelling package. But just like the Nexus One, I imagine the other manufacturers will use this watermark to make even better phones and that is what the Nexus line is all about — furthering hardware innovation.
@wolverineguy55: It’s widely reported that Google wanted that. Whether they still hold to that standard, who knows, but the Nexus One did set the bar high. It’s not my argument, it’s theirs.
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If the Nexus S is Google’s new flagship, I’d think it should be impressive on all accounts. Just don’t get that from this phone, although the real stats have yet to be released, so who knows.
PHANDROID: ALL OF YOUR ARTICLES ABOUT THIS PHONE ARE WORTHLESS UNLESS YOU ACCOMPANY THEM WITH SECRET INFORMATION REVEALING WHEN I NEED TO EBAY BY NEXUS ONE.
Sorry for shouting.
Engadget = fail. Engadget are a bunch of Iphone fanboys, go to maximumpc or tested for info.
Yuck, is that the old Windows Mobile dialer pad? :(
I’m so puzzled by Google’s strategy with Android. I mean, half the users out there aren’t even on 2.2 yet and they’re charging ahead with 2.3. It’s almost like they intentionally want the platform to be fragmented which is frustrating.
Still no trackpad, D-pad, optical mouse, or any other way of navigating text fields though. My friends Galaxy Europa beats my i9000 for usability, simply by virtue of having a D-pad!
@6 precisely! Finally somebody else see’s it, google phones always push every hardware boundary and this time they (samsung) are putting in hardware that’s not even current with the top-of-the line phones? You’ve got to be kidding?!
@Roger Andreas: So, you’d prefer Google to sit around waiting for Sony update their phones, if they could find the time between suing old ladies and teenagers?
Google is making their OS the best they can, and if the manufacturers keep putting their crapware over it and thus have difficulties with the updates, it’s their problem. We, the users, should demand clean Androids phones, and vote with our wallets – and this is what i did, buying a Nexus One.
My problem with the Nexus S is the RAM: 328 MB just won’t do, 512 is kinda on the low end for some of the apps and for multitasking.
the nexus one is the best hands down!
i think google should license Jay-Z’s “On To The Next One” to promote this new NEXUS S phone
go to youtube and search Jay-Z x Google Nexus S Commercial by ESF
i wonder where these guys got their info from, but it’s bullcrap. next time get ur facts right and u can think about criticizing someone’s hard-work.
check this out;
http://gizmodo.com/5707215/samsung-nexus-s-the-next-google-phone-is-the-first-with-android-gingerbread
The new Google phone has 16GB of internal storage and 512MB of RAM, as well as a gyroscope and VoIP support. It’s got a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird and 4-inch 800×480 Super AMOLED screen, just like the Samsung’s Galaxy Seseseses, which are available on every carrier. So it’s not a tremendous leap forward in terms of specs, but it’s still an attractive option for those looking for a pure, Google-approved Android experience. It’ll be available unlocked or on T-Mobile, though according to Google’s product page it doesn’t support T-Mo’s 4G-ish HSPA+ network.
There’s a 5MP camera on its back and a VGA camera on the front, and, maybe most uniquely, its 4-inch “Contour Display” is curved to better cradle your face when you’re chatting someone up, just like we noticed during our hands on back in October. Also interesting, listed in the features at the bottom of the specs page: “Internet Calling support (VoIP/SIP).” It’s not something you’ll see on any of the other Galaxy S Android phone pages.
TechCrunch got their hands on one and generally had positive things to say:
The bottom line is this. If you are an iPhone user this isn’t going to make you switch. If you’re an Android user you will want this phone more than any other. If you’re currently neither, we recommend that you go with the Nexus S. It is better than the iPhone in most ways. What you lose with the slightly less impressive screen and iOS’s slightly slicker user experience you will more than make up for with the Nexus S’s ability to actually make phone calls that don’t drop and Google’s exceptional Navigation and voice input applications.
But they also noted that “the case also feels somewhat cheap, unlike the solid feel of the iPhone and some previous Android phones.”
Samsung is highlighting the Nexus S’ “contour” design in its promotional materials. To you, that means that the front of the device is slightly concave. more on tablet and smartphone info at http://www.mobile10.org .The idea is to make it more comfortable to hold the phone against the side of your head. We’re not so impressed, though. The curve is so slight that we didn’t notice any difference when talking. We may feel differently after long-term use, but the curve seems like a gimmick so far.
Im looking forward to Nexus S very much! But ill have to wait two months for it to come to Denmark ;/