Google Nexus S vs HTC Desire
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Google Nexus S and the HTC Desire, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Price | $39 | $174 |
| Our rating | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 1,500 mAh | 1,400 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 16 GB | 32 GB |
| Screen size | 4 in | 3.7 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 129 g | 135 g |
| Released | Dec 2010 | Feb 2010 |
Summary: Google Nexus S is ahead on battery, screen size, weight (lower is lighter). HTC Desire is ahead on our rating, storage (max).
★ Which should you buy? Google Nexus S is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED, 16M colors (GT-I9020/A) or Super Clear LCD (GT-I9023) | AMOLED or SLCD capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors |
| Size | 4.0 inches | 3.7 inches, 39.0 cm2 (~54.6% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 480 x 800 pixels, WVGA | 480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~252 ppi density) |
| Protection | Contour Display with curved glass | Corning Gorilla Glass |
Platform
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| OS | Android 2.3 Gingerbread, upgradable to 4.1.2 Jelly Bean | Android 2.1 (Eclair), upgradable to 2.2 (Froyo) and officially to 2.3 (Gingerbread via manual flash) |
| Chipset | Samsung Exynos 3110 (Hummingbird) | Qualcomm QSD8250 Snapdragon S1 |
| CPU | 1 GHz ARM Cortex-A8 | 1.0 GHz Scorpion (single-core) |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX540 | Adreno 200 |
Memory
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Card slot | No | microSDHC (dedicated slot), up to 32 GB (4 GB included) |
| Internal | 16GB (1GB internal storage, 15GB "USB storage") | 576 MB RAM, 512 MB ROM (150 MB user accessible flash storage) |
| RAM | 512MB | — |
Main Camera
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, autofocus | 5 MP, autofocus |
| Features | LED flash, geotagging | LED flash, geotagging |
| Video | 480p@30fps | 480p@15fps, 720p@30fps (via software update) |
Selfie Camera
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Single | VGA | No |
| Video | No | — |
Battery
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 1500 mAh, removable | Removable Li-Ion 1400 mAh battery |
| Stand-by | Up to 713 h (2G) / Up to 428 h (3G) | Up to 340 h (2G) / Up to 360 h (3G) |
| Talk time | Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 6 h 40 min (3G) | Up to 6 h 40 min (2G) / Up to 6 h 30 min (3G) |
| Music play | Up to 45 h | — |
Body
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Dimensions | 123.9 x 63 x 10.9 mm | 119 x 60 x 11.9 mm (4.69 x 2.36 x 0.47 in) |
| Weight | 129 g (GT-I9020/I9020A/I9023) | 135 g (4.76 oz) |
| Build | Plastic body | — |
| SIM | Mini-SIM | Mini-SIM |
| Other | — | Optical trackpad |
Comms
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, hotspot (Android 2.2) |
| Bluetooth | 2.1, A2DP | 2.1, A2DP |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | — |
| NFC | Yes | — |
| Radio | No | Stereo FM radio with RDS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
| Positioning | — | GPS, A-GPS |
Launch
| Google Nexus S | HTC Desire |
|---|
| Announced | 2010, December 06 | 2010, February 16 |
| Status | Discontinued | Released 2010, March/April |
| Release Date | 2010, December 16 (US) | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Google Nexus S or HTC Desire?
Google Nexus S — 1,500 mAh for the Google Nexus S versus 1,400 mAh for the HTC Desire.
Which is lighter, Google Nexus S or HTC Desire?
Google Nexus S — 129 g for the Google Nexus S versus 135 g for the HTC Desire.
Which is newer, Google Nexus S or HTC Desire?
Google Nexus S — Dec 2010 for the Google Nexus S versus Feb 2010 for the HTC Desire.
Is the Google Nexus S or the HTC Desire rated higher?
We rate the Google Nexus S 6/10 and the HTC Desire 7/10.
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