The Samsung Google Nexus S is a landmark Android device that arrived in December 2010 as the second phone in Google’s Nexus line and the very first to ship with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Built by Samsung, it paired a 4.0-inch Super AMOLED “Contour Display” with a 1.0 GHz Hummingbird processor, positioning it as Google’s reference handset for pure, timely Android software.
More than a decade later, the Nexus S remains a fascinating study in early Android engineering. It was one of the first mainstream smartphones to include Near Field Communication (NFC), a curved-glass display, and a clean stock Android experience free of manufacturer skins. This article looks at where the Nexus S excelled, where it showed its age, and what it means for collectors and Android history enthusiasts today.
Full Specifications
Network
| Technology |
GSM / HSPA |
| 2G bands |
GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
| 3G bands |
HSDPA 900 / 1700 / 2100 |
| Speed |
HSPA 7.2/5.76 Mbps |
Launch
| Announced |
2010, December. Released 2010, December |
| Status |
Discontinued |
Body
| Dimensions |
123.9 x 63 x 10.9 mm (4.88 x 2.48 x 0.43 in) |
| Weight |
129 g (4.55 oz) |
| SIM |
Mini-SIM |
Display
| Type |
Super AMOLED |
| Size |
4.0 inches, 45.5 cm2 (~58.3% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution |
480 x 800 pixels, 5:3 ratio (~233 ppi density) |
| Protection |
Oleophobic coating |
Platform
| OS |
Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean), not upgradable to 4.2 (Jelly Bean) |
| Chipset |
Hummingbird |
| CPU |
1.0 GHz Cortex-A8 |
| GPU |
PowerVR SGX540 |
Memory
| Card slot |
No |
| Internal |
16GB 512MB RAM |
Main Camera
| Single |
5 MP, AF |
| Features |
LED flash |
| Video |
w480p@30fps |
Selfie camera
Sound
| Loudspeaker |
Yes |
| 3.5mm jack |
Yes |
Comms
| WLAN |
Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth |
2.1, A2DP |
| Positioning |
GPS, A-GPS |
| NFC |
Yes |
| Radio |
No |
| USB |
microUSB 2.0 |
Features
| Sensors |
Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass |
| Browser |
HTML, Adobe Flash |
|
MP4/H.264 player MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player Organizer Photo/video editor Voice memo/dial/commands Predictive text input Near Field Communications |
Battery
| Type |
Removable Li-Ion 1500 mAh battery |
| Stand-by |
Up to 713 h (2G) / Up to 428 h (3G) |
| Talk time |
Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 6 h 40 min (3G) |
Misc
| Colors |
Black, White |
| SAR |
0.58 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) |
| SAR EU |
0.47 W/kg (head) |
| Price |
About 170 EUR |
Our Tests
| Camera |
Photo |
| Loudspeaker |
Voice 68dB / Noise 66dB / Ring 69dB |
| Audio quality |
Noise -90.2dB / Crosstalk -90.8dB |
Price and Availability
The Samsung Google Nexus S offers a compelling combination of features and performance. While the base price is around €170, the actual cost may vary depending on your location and retailer. Below, you’ll find the approximate price of the Samsung Google Nexus S converted into various currencies. Please note that these are estimates based on recent exchange rates as of July 9, 2026 and may not reflect the exact price you’ll find at a retailer.
- United States: $194
- Japan: ¥31,538
- United Kingdom: £145
- Australia: A$280
- Canada: C$275
- Taiwan: NT$6,226
- Denmark: kr1.269
- Saudi Arabia: ﷼728
- South Korea: ₩292,526
- Germany: €170
- Brazil: R$1.000
- Vietnam: ₫5.087.315
- Kenya: KSh 25,078
- India: ₹18,531
- Indonesia: Rp 3.493.086
- Nigeria: ₦264,774
- Pakistan: ₨54,029
- Philippines: ₱11,941
- Bangladesh: ৳২৩,৯৩২
A Reference Device Built for Pure Android
The Nexus S was never designed to chase spec-sheet supremacy. Its purpose was to serve as Google’s lead device for Android 2.3 Gingerbread, giving developers and enthusiasts a clean, unskinned platform. Because it launched Gingerbread and later received Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, the Nexus S enjoyed faster and longer software support than most rivals of its era, though Google confirmed it would not move beyond Jelly Bean. That commitment to timely updates is the phone’s defining legacy and the reason it is still remembered fondly.
Design and Build: The Contour Display Curve
Measuring 123.9 x 63 x 10.9 mm and weighing a light 129 g, the Nexus S felt slim and pocketable for 2010. Its most distinctive feature was the gently curved front glass, marketed as the Contour Display, which Samsung claimed made the phone sit more comfortably against the face during calls. Available in black and white, the plastic construction kept weight down while the oleophobic coating helped resist fingerprints. A removable back cover exposed the 1500 mAh battery and Mini-SIM slot, a convenience modern phones no longer offer.
Display: Super AMOLED Ahead of Its Time
The 4.0-inch Super AMOLED panel was a highlight, delivering the deep blacks and punchy, saturated colors AMOLED technology is known for. With a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels and roughly 233 ppi, text and images looked sharp by the standards of 2010, even if the pixel density trails far behind today’s screens. The 58.3% screen-to-body ratio reflects the generous bezels of the period, but the vivid contrast and viewing angles still gave the Nexus S an edge over the LCD competition of its day.
Performance: Hummingbird and PowerVR
Under the hood, the Nexus S ran a 1.0 GHz single-core Cortex-A8 CPU on Samsung’s Hummingbird chipset, paired with a PowerVR SGX540 GPU and 512MB of RAM. This combination was among the fastest available at launch and handled Gingerbread’s smooth animations, web browsing with Flash support, and casual gaming with ease. By modern measures the single core and modest RAM are extremely limited, but in context the Nexus S was a responsive, snappy performer that helped set expectations for stock Android fluidity.
Camera: Modest but Capable
Photography was never the Nexus S’s strong suit. It featured a single 5 MP rear camera with autofocus and an LED flash, capable of recording video at 480p and 30 fps, plus a basic VGA front camera for the earliest days of video calling. The lack of 720p recording was a notable limitation even in 2010, and there is no memory card slot to expand storage for photos and video. Still, in good lighting the sensor produced acceptable snapshots, and the built-in photo and video editor added useful convenience.
Battery and Endurance
The removable 1500 mAh Li-Ion battery offered up to 14 hours of 2G talk time and around 6 hours 40 minutes on 3G, with standby figures reaching up to 713 hours on 2G. For a Super AMOLED device of its generation, that endurance was competitive, and the ability to swap in a spare battery was a genuine advantage for heavy users. By today’s standards the capacity is tiny, but the efficient single-core platform and AMOLED screen made the most of it.
Connectivity and the NFC Milestone
Connectivity is where the Nexus S quietly made history. It was one of the first phones to include NFC, foreshadowing the tap-to-pay and tap-to-share features that are ubiquitous today. Beyond that, it offered Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n with DLNA and hotspot support, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, GPS with A-GPS, and microUSB 2.0. A 3.5mm headphone jack and clear audio quality, measured at -90.2 dB noise in independent testing, rounded out a well-connected package. The absence of FM radio was one of the few gaps.
Who Should Consider the Nexus S Today
As a daily driver, the Nexus S is long obsolete, unable to run modern apps or receive security updates. Its real audience today is collectors, Android historians, and retro-tech enthusiasts who value it as the phone that introduced Gingerbread and helped popularize NFC. For roughly 170 EUR at launch, it delivered a clean, forward-looking experience that influenced a generation of devices, making it a meaningful piece of smartphone history rather than a practical purchase.
Conclusion
The Samsung Google Nexus S earns its place in smartphone history as the flagship of pure Android’s early evolution, blending a striking Super AMOLED Contour Display, a capable Hummingbird processor, and pioneering NFC support into a light, developer-friendly package. Its modest camera, single-core chip, and lack of expandable storage clearly date it, but that was never the point. As a reference device it delivered timely Gingerbread and Jelly Bean updates that few rivals could match. Today we recommend the Nexus S only to collectors and Android enthusiasts who appreciate its historical significance; anyone needing a functional daily phone should look to a modern Android handset instead.
References
- Google Nexus S Tech Specs – Official Google product specification page for the Nexus S; useful for baseline hardware specs such as display, processor, memory, storage, cameras, battery, sensors, and dimensions.
- Official Google Blog – Introducing Nexus S with Gingerbread – Primary launch announcement confirming the Google-Samsung collaboration, Android 2.3 Gingerbread lead-device status, release timing, and key features including 4-inch Contour Display, 1GHz Hummingbird processor, 16GB storage, cameras, and N
- FCC Equipment Authorization – Samsung GT-I9020T – Official regulatory filing source for the Samsung Nexus S variant GT-I9020T; useful for verifying model identity, radio approvals, wireless bands, SAR, and certification details.
- GSMArena – Samsung Google Nexus S Full Phone Specifications – Established mobile specification database useful for cross-checking detailed specs, network variants, physical dimensions, display, camera, connectivity, and battery information.
- AnandTech – Nexus S and Android 2.3 Review: Gingerbread for the Holidays (anandtech.com) – Respected technical review source for deeper hardware validation, including display behavior, NFC, storage layout, performance, and limitations such as lack of microSD and 720p video.
