Apple's iPhone 4 may be the most popular smartphone on the market, but the latest range of Android smartphones is quickly gaining ground on Apple's juggernaut.
Deciding if you want to purchase the iPhone 4? Check out our HTC Desire vs iPhone 4, HTC Desire HD vs iPhone 4, and Samsung Galaxy S vs iPhone 4 smartphone showdowns.
The latest is Google's Nexus S — the second Google-branded smartphone to hit the market (succeeding the Google Nexus One), and also the first mobile to natively run the 2.3 version of the Android platform dubbed "Gingerbread". So how does the Google Nexus S stack up against the Apple iPhone 4?
Google Nexus S vs Apple iPhone 4: specs
| Feature | Apple iPhone 4 | Google Nexus S | Verdict? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Operating system (OS) | Apple iOS4 | Google Android 2.3 "Gingerbread" | Draw |
| Display technology | Capacitive retina IPS | Capacitive Super AMOLED | Draw |
| Display resolution | 640x960 pixels | 480x800 pixels | iPhone 4 |
| Multitouch | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Camera | 5 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging | 5 megapixels, LED flash, autofocus, geotagging | Draw |
| FM radio | No | No | Draw |
| GPS | Yes | Yes | Draw |
| Internal memory | 16GB or 32GB | 16GB | iPhone 4 |
| Expandable memory | No | No | Draw |
| Dimensions | 115.2 x 58.6 x 9.3mm | 123.9 x 63 x 10.88mm | iPhone 4 |
| Weight | 137g | 129g | Nexus S |
| Application store | Apple App Store | Google Android Market | iPhone 4 |
| Processor | Apple A4 | ARM Cortex A8 (1GHz) | Draw |
| 3G networks | HSDPA 850/ 900/1900/2100 | HSDPA 900/1900/2100 | iPhone 4 |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11b/g/n | 802.11b/g/n | Draw |
| Bluetooth | 2.1 with A2DP | 2.1 with A2DP | Draw |
| Quoted talk time | Up to 7 hours | Up to 6.7 hours | iPhone 4 |
| Quoted standby time | Up to 300 hours | Up to 428 hours | Nexus S |
| Removable battery | No | Yes | Nexus S |
| Adobe Flash support | No | Yes | Nexus S |
Both of these smartphones stack up reasonably well, with each possessing its own strengths and weaknesses. The Google Nexus S offers the standard or "vanilla" UI version of Android 2.3. Unlike Apple's closed iPhone ecosystem, Android has a highly user-customisable interface with a big focus on widgets. Out of the box the Nexus S is polished; it offers a revamped keyboard, better copy and paste, improved power management, and overall a much slicker user interface. However, the Google Nexus S still sits behind the iPhone 4 when it comes to overall intuitiveness and ease of use.
