Globe isn't the exclusive Philippine distributor of the Nexus S

You read that right. And frankly, I wish someone had told me sooner. I only found out from a seemingly clueless MemoXpress saleslady whom I almost didn't take seriously. But I'm glad I did, because it turned out to be true: the Nexus S is also available contract-free in the Philippines, courtesy of Abenson. There is absolutely no need to commit to a two-year contract with Globe to get your hands on a Nexus S. I got mine at Avant Trinoma, and the salesman I spoke to told me that they have been selling it for approximately three months now, and that they are the only official Philippine distributor besides Globe. The price, pegged at P16,000 cash, seems reasonable too. I think it was cheaper than the Galaxy S by a grand. And it naturally comes with a year of local warranty, which is important to many people, including me.

It comes in a nice little box

The phone comes in the typical Nexus box - small and simple. Inside is the phone itself, a pair of in-ear earphones, a micro-USB charger, a micro-USB data cable, a safety precautions card, and a warranty card. That's it. Should you need anything else, you can look underneath the box cover: it says "google.com/nexus." 

I do have a couple of gripes: I hate the included earphones. I'm not even going to try to use them (I hope you're reading this, future buyer of my Nexus S). I hate in-ear earphones in general, and these stock earbuds are no exception. They don't fit, and even if they did, I still would not use them because I hate in-ear earphones. They just feel wrong. Another thing: I don't appreciate how there's a charger, AND a data cable. I wish Samsung had gone the Motorola/HTC way and just made them into one thing --- a microUSB cable + a power adapter. That way, I'd only have to lug around one object and have both (data cable AND charger) with me. And it would have been much more environment-friendly too, so I really don't understand what Samsung was thinking here.

One more thing: I'm all for the package minimalism that seem to be a hit with manufacturers these days. The "google.com/nexus" underneath the lid and the clear lack of manuals/documentation in the box sure make a statement --- that this is a device that was meant to be used online. But I would have appreciated even just a tiny quick start guide about the hardware. I took me a few minutes to insert my SIM card because I could not figure out how to remove the stupid battery! Would an additional tiny leaflet have hurt the minimalism that much, Samsung/Google?

But I love the box. The first time I saw it (when the salesman brought it out), I felt butterflies in my belly. Kidding. But really, I kind of did. (So yeah, all gripes are forgiven.)

The hardware is better than I expected

The phone looks better in person than in photos. And it feels amazing. The plastic looks cheap, but it feels great. Of course I hated the Corby-ish backplate initially, but I got over it after one day. Seriously. The protrusion at the lower back helps in the ergonomics and makes the phone really nice to grip. The weight distribution is great (thick and heavy at the bottom, thin and light at the top) and overall it feels awesome in the hand.

The curved screen ("Countour Display," as Google calls it) lends a lot of character to the phone. I dig it a lot. It doesn't only make the phone look interesting, it also makes it much nicer to hold and use, and the difference, especially in the grip, is noticeable. I wouldn't say it's a huge improvement (holding the phone to my face for a phone call doesn't feel wildly better, for example), but it's a welcome touch. I love how it looks from the front, which is how I look at it 99% of the time, so yeah I guess I love how it looks.

I was initially worried about the power button, which, in typical Samsung fashion, is placed on the right side instead of the top, but it turned out to be okay. Like the volume rocker, it's easy to reach and press. I'm just going through some sort of acclimation phase because my fingers are used to the Milestone, where the power button is at the top and the volume rocker is on the right side (instead of the left). Not a big issue, but worth mentioning.

Overall, the hardware is better than expected. It does not feel as cheap as I thought it would, and the phone feels so nice to use that I have actually decided (for now, anyway) to not use a case and a screen protector (I hope you're not reading this, future buyer of my Nexus S). But there are cases available for the phone --- check out the Capdase shop at SM North EDSA. I just feel like I want to use the Nexus S the way it was engineered to be used (i.e. naked), at least for a while.

Love the screen

It's not as sharp as the Retina Display on the iPhone 4, and its blacks aren't as deep as those on the Super AMOLED Plus display on the Galaxy S2, but that's not to say that the Super LCD screen on the Nexus S isn't good. The screen is beautiful, and the colors pop enough. With auto-brightness turned on, I have had no trouble reading the screen in bright sunlight. And it's super responsive too.

Another thing I realized: 4 inches is the sweet spot. I personally would have liked a 4.3-inch screen (as on the Galaxy S2) but I can understand why some people would have reservations about a screen that big. The Nexus S showed me that 4 inches is big enough without being too bulky for most people. It's the sweet spot. Seriously. The screen size provides a perceptible advantage in browsing the web, reading books, ot watching movies, without adding any deal-breaking bulk. I seriously looked at my friend's iPhone last night and marvelled at how tiny and cramped it felt.

If people would just step out of Steve Jobs' reality distortion field, they'd realize that 3.5 inches is too small for today's smartphones. I'll say it again --- 4 inches is the sweet spot, people.

There is no notification light WTF

Not a dealbreaker by any means, but definitely a bummer. My past two phones have had notification lights, and I've gotten used to having that tiny little bulb above the screen that not having one on the Nexus S is becoming a major pain. Why anybody would decide to forego this really nifty feature is beyond me.

The camera is fine

The camera is decent, but not mind-blowing. I don't know if this is the same camera that Samsung used in the Galaxy S phones (some reviewers feel like it's slightly different), but in any case, it's miles ahead of the camera on my Motorola Milestone. Photos usually come out sharp and detailed, but they have a tendency to look washed out, although I think this has more to do with the presets rather than the camera itself (just like how the iPhone 4's camera is preset to oversaturate to produce colors that pop). I find that adjusting the white balance usually is a good remedy: switching to "Daylight" from "Auto" works wonders, producing much more saturated colors. Focus is plenty fast (although there's no touch-to-focus --- that'll come in Ice Cream Sandwich), and the camera can produce some really impressive macro shots. Overall, the camera's fine. It's no Galaxy S2 or iPhone 4S, but it's fine.

Here are a few sample shots. 

 

Everyday performance and battery life = impressive

It's fast. It does not have a dual-core processor like the Sensation or the Galaxy S2 do, but you wouldn't notice the difference. I have not installed a task killer (I usually use Watchdog) yet because, one, the functionality is baked right into Gingerbread, and two, I don't need it. I can switch from Aldiko to Cut The Rope to Pulse to Facebook Messenger to Seesmic and not have to close anything because it doesn't slow the phone down. I'm amazed. Overall performance is buttery smooth --- it's still no iPhone, but it's more than good enough. I've only had one app crash on me, and it was Fruit Ninja (and I have a strong feeling that it was the app's fault and not Android's). Other than that, things have worked the way one would want and expect them to work. This is Android at its best. 

Battery life is actually surprisingly good. Yeah, I still prefer to recharge every night but I know I could stretch a charge to two days if I wanted to. 

 

The keyboard is very much improved

This is the first all-touchscreen phone that I've ever bought, and I have to say, I am not missing the hardware keys so much. The new stock keyboard in Gingerbread is very easy to use, and is a gigantic improvement over the stock keyboards of previous Android versions. I can type really quickly and accurately on it, even in portrait mode. I prefer to type in landscape most of the time though, especially when I'm walking about. Overall, the keyboard is still not as good as the iPhone's, but it will get you through most typing tasks. I have not even tried to get Swype or Swiftkey onto it at all because the stock one is really fine. The word prediction engine is amazing too, and is very, very useful when I'm typing in English. There is no Filipino dictionary yet, unfortunately, although there's Go Keyboard in the Android Market which can be downloaded for free and which claims to be fluent in Filipino (have yet to try it though).

 

A ticket to Ice Cream Sandwich

This is definitely worth mentioning. I bought the Nexus S for many reasons, and one of the main ones is updates. Being a Google device, it is going to see more updates than other Android phones, and at a faster rate than other Android phones. Case in point: the impending Ice Cream Sandwich update, due to be released before year-end. Guess what? The Nexus S will be the first one to get the update (the Galaxy Nexus doesn't count because it's launching with ICS). In fact, ICS has already been ported to the Nexus S, unofficially. I'm just hoping that the updates won't stop with Ice Cream Sandwich --- Jellybean sounds like a sweet treat too.

 

Final thoughts

I'm really, obviously happy with the Nexus S. It has lived up to, and in some cases exceeded, my expectations. This was one of the easiest decisions I have ever made in my life.

Would I recommend it to others? That's a bit more complicated than yes or no.

To someone who wants an iPhone really badly but is considering getting an Android phone because iPhones are just way too expensive? I'm not entirely sure. As much as I love Gingerbread and my Nexus, Android still hasn't reached the level of polish and responsiveness of iOS. The iPhone just feels a tiny bit faster in everything. Typing out a text message or slicing watermelons in Fruit Ninja feels a teeny weeny bit smoother on the iPhone than on the Nexus, for example. It's good and fast enough on Android, but there's just a little extra responsiveness on iOS that I can't explain so well. Also, there are apps, like Instagram, that still haven't crossed over to Android. The Market is decently stocked with almost all the apps you'd ever need, but if you're into games, you might do better sticking it out for an iPhone instead. Lastly, iOS is still simpler to use than Android. That's not necessarily a good thing (I personally find the iOS homescreen shockingly bland and boring, but that's just me), but it does make the iPhone easier to navigate and use than Android (it's good for grandpa, is what I'm saying).

To someone who wants an iPhone but wants a lot of other things as well? You could do a lot worse than the Nexus S. The Nexus S is certainly a better proposition than a BlackBerry, for example. (Anybody who would need me to explain why would have to be terribly uninformed.) It's also better than the typical iPod touch + regular cellphone combo (I would hate having to lug around two devices, and so would you, I think). For the money you'd spend on the Nexus S, you'd get a really smart smartphone that just works. I know it's an Apple tagline, but it's seriously true for the Nexus S. It is fast, and it works the way Android was supposed to work. This is Android at its best (I think I've already said that). If your mind is not entirely made up on getting an iPhone, the Nexus S would more than make for a wonderful alternative. And it's a lot cheaper too.

To someone who wants Android? If you really require excellent build quality and you really need the horsepower (for a really hardcore game, for instance) and you have the money for it and you don't mind a little delay in your updates and several interface customizations here and there, then the Galaxy S2 or the Sensation might be better choices. But if you're like me, who answered NO to all the previous questions, then what the hell are you doing still reading this? Just buy the Nexus already.