Samsung Galaxy Nexus vs Samsung Nexus S
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus and the Samsung Nexus S, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Price | $45 | $30 |
| Our rating | 7/10 | 6/10 |
| Battery | 1,750 mAh | 1,500 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 1 GB | — |
| Storage (max) | 32 GB | 16 GB |
| Screen size | 4.65 in | 4 in |
| Main camera | 5 MP | 5 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 135 g | 129 g |
| Released | Nov 2011 | Dec 2010 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Nexus is ahead on our rating, battery, storage (max), screen size. Samsung Nexus S is ahead on weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Samsung Nexus S is the cheaper option.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors (Super LCD in some markets) |
| Size | 4.65 inches (~63.5% screen-to-body ratio) | 4.0 inches, 45.5 cm² (~58.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels, HD (~316 ppi density) | 480 x 800 pixels, WVGA, 5:3 ratio (~233 ppi density) |
| Protection | Dragontrail Glass | Oleophobic coating (mentioned for 4G variant) |
| Features | — | Contour Display (slightly curved glass) |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to 4.3 (Jelly Bean) | Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), upgradable to 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Chipset | TI OMAP 4460 | Samsung Exynos 3 Single (Hummingbird) |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 | 1 GHz Cortex-A8 |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX540 | PowerVR SGX540 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Internal | 16GB or 32GB storage, 1GB RAM | 16GB iNAND (partitioned as 1GB internal storage, 15GB 'USB storage') |
| Card slot | No | No |
| RAM | — | 512MB (384MB for OS, 128MB for GPU) |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Single | 5 MP, 2592x1936 pixels | 5 MP |
| Features | LED flash | LED flash |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | 480p |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Single | 1.3 MP | VGA |
| Video | 720p | — |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery | Removable Li-Ion |
| Capacity | — | 1500 mAh |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Dimensions | 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm (5.33 x 2.67 x 0.35 in) for GSM variant | 123.9 x 63 x 10.9 mm (4.88 x 2.48 x 0.43 in) |
| Weight | 135 g (4.76 oz) | 129 g (4.55 oz) for GSM, 131 g (4.62 oz) for 4G |
| Build | Plastic body, Dragontrail curved glass front | — |
| SIM | — | Mini-SIM |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n |
| Bluetooth | 3.0, A2DP, LE | 2.1, A2DP |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS | Yes, with A-GPS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Radio | No | No |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Nexus | Samsung Nexus S |
|---|
| Announced | October 2011 | December 2010 |
| Status | Released November 2011 | Discontinued |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Nexus S?
Samsung Galaxy Nexus — 1,750 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus 1,500 mAh for the Samsung Nexus S.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Nexus S?
Samsung Nexus S — 135 g for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus 129 g for the Samsung Nexus S.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Nexus or Samsung Nexus S?
Samsung Galaxy Nexus — Nov 2011 for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus versus Dec 2010 for the Samsung Nexus S.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or the Samsung Nexus S rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 7/10 and the Samsung Nexus S 6/10.
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