84
Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Reception and call quality No comments
- Display Good, but not great compared with the 720p screen on the Rezound, or even the One X or the Galaxy Nexus.
- Battery life Better than on the One X, I found, though still had to be careful that I didn't kill the battery during the day.
- Camera No comments
- Ease of use No comments
- Design and form factor Outstanding in every way, it's beautiful, well-crafted, with an attention to detail that is all too rare these days.
- Portability (size / weight) Thin, light, and feels great in the hand.
- Media support No comments
- Durability No comments
- Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) No comments
Detailed review
The One S is without a doubt one of the best designed phones I've ever used. It feels great in the hand, it's thin, and is so light that when I first took it out of the box I thought that it still needed to have a battery popped in.
There's one big downside for me, though, and it's the screen. Yes, QHD is nothing to sneeze at, but after seeing the stunning 720p display on the Rezound, which has the same 4.3-inch screen size, it's a little hard to be content with the One S. This isn't to say that it's not great, just compared with how crisp text is on the Rezound (and other 720p phones like the One X and the Galaxy Nexus), it's hard to go back.
Otherwise it all comes down to what's most important to you. Sense 4.0 is pretty good -- and way better than TouchWiz (even if that's a low bar) -- but for some people anything by stock Android is unacceptable since it means additional delays in getting the latest version of the OS.
Given a choice between the two I'd pick the One X. The One X is slightly larger and heavier (though about the same in thickness), and doesn't have the nice metal casing of the One S, but I prefer the extra pixels of the One X's 720p display and I find the larger screen easier to type on. And for what it's worth, the One X isn't all that much bigger than the One S when you actually compare them side-by-side.
That's not to discourage anyone from going with the One S. It definitely feels like the fancier of the two phones -- even if the One X is the flagship -- and I've been impressed with it every time I pulled it out of my pocket over the past few days.
There's one big downside for me, though, and it's the screen. Yes, QHD is nothing to sneeze at, but after seeing the stunning 720p display on the Rezound, which has the same 4.3-inch screen size, it's a little hard to be content with the One S. This isn't to say that it's not great, just compared with how crisp text is on the Rezound (and other 720p phones like the One X and the Galaxy Nexus), it's hard to go back.
Otherwise it all comes down to what's most important to you. Sense 4.0 is pretty good -- and way better than TouchWiz (even if that's a low bar) -- but for some people anything by stock Android is unacceptable since it means additional delays in getting the latest version of the OS.
Given a choice between the two I'd pick the One X. The One X is slightly larger and heavier (though about the same in thickness), and doesn't have the nice metal casing of the One S, but I prefer the extra pixels of the One X's 720p display and I find the larger screen easier to type on. And for what it's worth, the One X isn't all that much bigger than the One S when you actually compare them side-by-side.
That's not to discourage anyone from going with the One S. It definitely feels like the fancier of the two phones -- even if the One X is the flagship -- and I've been impressed with it every time I pulled it out of my pocket over the past few days.
good review!
9 people find this review helpful
gRagib
The PenTile matrix bothers me on the Nexus One and DROID RAZR, but not on the Galaxy Nexus and Galaxy Note.
jhhiii
fabiopsousa