Samsung Nexus S 4G (Sprint)

The Samsung Nexus S 4G brings an unadulterated Android experience to Sprint along with fast data speeds and Google Voice integration.

Sprint customers looking for a pure Android experience now have something to sink their teeth into. Like the original Nexus S that debuted five months ago, the $199 Nexus S 4G features the latest Gingerbread 2.3 software and a nifty curved Super AMOLED display
. No skins, no apps loaded on top, and no having to worry about when you'll get the latest OS updates (or at least that's the idea). The big difference this time around is that you get 4G speeds on Sprint's network instead of T-Mobile's 3G speeds. Plus, you can use your cell number as your Google Voice number. Check out our full review to find out if the Nexus S 4G delivers.

Design

Like the Nexus S, the Nexus S 4G sports an all-black glossy plastic design with a slightly curved shape. Samsung calls this a Contour Display, which is supposed to give the device a better feel in your hand and against your face. We didn't notice much of an ergonomic improvement, but we have to admit that's it's a nifty aesthetic touch. 

Despite the lack of metal, the 4.5-ounce Nexus S feels fairly solid. It sports a welcome ridge on the back side toward the bottom that makes the device easier to grip. Just beware of fingerprint smudges. A volume rocker lines the left side of the device, and the right side houses the power button. We would have preferred a camera launch/shutter button as well. Some might wish that the headphone jack were located on top, but we don't mind that it's on the bottom with the microUSB port. 

Four capacitive buttons sit beneath the eye-popping Super AMOLED display. From right to left, there's Back, Menu, Search, and Home. While responsive, these somewhat dimly lit buttons aren't easy to make out when you're outdoors.

The Nexus S sports two cameras: A 5-megapixel shooter with LED flash sits on the back, while a front-facing VGA camera rests above the display to the right of the earpiece. 

Display

The 4-inch Super AMOLED screen on the Nexus S 4G really pops, whether you're watching Netflix, flicking through photos, or just staring at 3D wallpapers. The viewing angles are also excellent. On other the hand, 800 x 480 pixels doesn't exactly wow now that you can get a qHD (960 x 540) display on Android phones such as the Atrix 4G. The upcoming EVO 3D for Sprint will sport the same resolution as the Atrix.

Android Gingerbread OS and Interface

There are a lot of benefits to running the latest Android Gingerbread software. For example, the Nexus S 4G lets you make video calls over Google chat. This device also supports NFC for reading information from objects such as stickers or posters.

Gingerbread on the Nexus S 4G also has a sleeker, more intuitive interface than older versions of the OS. For example, when you get to the end of a menu or web page, you'll see a glowing orange bar that serves as a visual cue. And both the notification bar and dialer are now done up in a sleeker black, which saves battery life. We especially like how the screen zaps off like an old-school TV when you press the power button or the display times out.

On the more practical side, you can now manage applications more easily just by clicking the Menu button from the home screen. From there you can see what's running and stop any resource-hungry apps. If you want to drill deeper and see which apps are using the most power, the retooled battery use utility provides a neat visual readout with a graph and percentages.

Google provides a total of five home screens, which you can easily customize with widgets. We also like the new selection of live animated wallpapers, including the trippy and colorful Microbes. We'd like to see the ability to toggle the Wi-Fi, 3G, and other wireless connections right from the notification area, as you can with Galaxy S phones. However, the Nexus S 4G does include a widget that lets you do this.

Keyboard

One of the best features of Gingerbread is the new virtual keyboard design. Although the letters themselves are smaller, the increased space between the keys and improved multitouch support allowed us to enter text faster and more accurately on the Nexus S 4G than on most other Android phones. Google also tweaked the suggested word area so that the options are easier to read and select. Plus, you can enter numbers and other special characters just by long-pressing one of the keys in the top row and then sliding your finger to the desired choice. Same thing goes with the punctuation key.