Google Nexus One vs HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)

A spec-by-spec comparison of the Google Nexus One and the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular), taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.

Google Nexus One

From $130

Full specs, price & review →

HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)

From $3,724

Full specs, price & review →

Head to head

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Price	$130	$3,724
Our rating	7/10	8/10
Battery	1,400 mAh	1,400 mAh
Storage (max)	32 GB	32 GB
Screen size	3.7 in	3.7 in
Main camera	5 MP	5 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)	130 g	135 g
Released	Jan 2010	Aug 2010

Summary: Google Nexus One is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) is ahead on our rating.

★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Google Nexus One is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.

Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.

Display

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Type	AMOLED (initially), later Super LCD due to supply shortages	Super TFT LCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Size	3.7 inches	3.7 inches
Resolution	480 x 800 pixels, WVGA	480 x 800 pixels (WVGA)
Protection	Not specified	Gorilla Glass (unconfirmed, but common for high-end at the time)
Features	PenTile matrix (AMOLED), 254 ppi	Multi-touch, Accelerometer, Proximity sensor

Platform

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
OS	Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.3.6 (Gingerbread)	—
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon QSD8250 (Snapdragon S1)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S1 QSD8250
CPU	Single-core 1 GHz Scorpion	1 GHz Scorpion (single-core)
GPU	Adreno 200	Adreno 200

Memory

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Internal	512 MB RAM, 512 MB storage (190 MB application storage)	512 MB ROM, 576 MB RAM (approx.)
Card slot	microSDHC, 4 GB included, supports up to 32 GB	microSDHC, up to 32 GB (8GB card included)

Main Camera

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Single	5 MP, autofocus, LED flash	—
Features	2x digital zoom	Autofocus, LED flash, Geotagging, Face detection
Video	720x480 pixels at 20 FPS or higher	720p@17fps
Modules	—	Single
Resolution	—	5 MP

Selfie Camera

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Single	None	—
Modules	—	None

Battery

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Type	Removable Li-Ion 1400 mAh	Removable Li-Ion 1400 mAh
Talk time	Up to 10 hours (2G) / Up to 7 hours (3G)	Up to 5 hours
Stand-by	Up to 290 hours (2G) / Up to 250 hours (3G)	—
Standby time	—	Up to 10.5 days (252 hours)

Body

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Dimensions	119 x 59.8 x 11.5 mm (4.69 x 2.35 x 0.45 in)	119.38 x 60.96 x 12.7 mm (4.7 x 2.4 x 0.5 inches)
Weight	130 g (4.59 oz) with battery, 100 g (3.5 oz) without battery	135 g (4.76 oz)
Build	Metal wrap-around casing	Plastic body with metal trim
SIM	Mini-SIM	—

Comms

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g	Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
Bluetooth	2.1, A2DP, EDR	2.1 with A2DP
Positioning	GPS	—
Radio	Not specified	—
USB	microUSB 2.0	microUSB 2.0
GPS	—	A-GPS

Launch

	Google Nexus One	HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)
Announced	2010, January 05	Q1 2010 (International), August 2010 (U.S. Cellular)
Status	Discontinued July 18, 2010 (online store)	Discontinued
Operating System	—	Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradeable to 2.2 (Froyo)
UI	—	HTC Sense UI

Frequently asked questions

Which is lighter, Google Nexus One or HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)?

Google Nexus One — 130 g for the Google Nexus One versus 135 g for the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular).

Which is newer, Google Nexus One or HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular)?

HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) — Jan 2010 for the Google Nexus One versus Aug 2010 for the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular).

Is the Google Nexus One or the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) rated higher?

We rate the Google Nexus One 7/10 and the HTC Desire (U.S. Cellular) 8/10.

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