- Conclusion Get the lowdown
- Features How they compare
- Performance Real world benchmarks
- Differences Technical showdown
- Reviews Word on the street
- Competition Others to consider
- Discussion Answers and opinions
Compare with...
- LG Nexus 4
- LG Optimus L9
- HTC Sensation XE
- Samsung Galaxy Note II
- Sony Xperia J
Rated 100% by by Brian-Dortch--BrianDigital (Nov, 2011)The NFC google wallet app is very cool and I have to say its easier to make purchases(no pulling the wallet out sliding out the the debt card).
by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)The HTC Sensation XL is also equipped with an FM radio, which has a pretty simple interface.
Conclusion Which is better for you?
Features Key features of the Samsung Nexus S compared to the HTC Sensation XL
GHz1
Android 4.1 Jelly Bean 3.5G
Rated 40% by by Jeff-LeBlanc (May, 2012)The NFC capability is great, and the experience of using it is very good, until you actually try to make a call.
1.5 GHz
Android 2.3 Gingerbread 3.5G
by c|net (Oct, 2011)It feels rather big in small hands, but the payoff is that you get a very generous and colorful display for watching videos or surfing the Web.
screen size
4"
4.7"
Nexus S by Glibnus-Tau (Nov, 2011)ADDITIONAL PROS: Active NFC and Google Wallet, Excellent seamless integration with Google Voice, Chat, etc. (it's a Google branded phone what did you expect), great size, weight, and ergo shape, great display, terrific Bluetooth headset link distance both line of sight and non line of sight.
Sensation XL by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)On the contrary - we really like the big fella, but with a screen this size it will be rejected by many people as too large.
screen resolution
Nexus S by Mohammed (Nov, 2011)If you need something faster in data go with the Galaxy SII or better....Screen is excellen with vivd colors and sharp details...simply Samsung quality.
memory
| 0 GB | 0.75 GB | 0.8 GB |
processor
Nexus S by Matt (Jun, 2011)It is very, very fast, I know dual-core is the next big thing but I can't imagine needing anything snappier.
Sensation XL by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)Surprisingly, the XL was faster than the dual-core XE (that one had software issues we think).
camera resolution
| 0 MP | 8 MP | 8 MP |
Nexus S by Jonathan-Hefner (Nov, 2011)I can honestly say that the NS4G takes MUCH better pictures with less Megapixels behind it.
Sensation XL by c|net (Oct, 2011)There's also an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video capture, and it features several cool camera features like an automatic panorama mode.
Performance Real world tests of Samsung Nexus S vs HTC Sensation XL
cpu speed
Nexus S by M.-Cox (Sep, 2011)If rooting your phone is your thing, and you happen to want to adjust processor speed, one thing I found out while using the SetCPU app (my use is for down-clocking the processor when the screen is off to help save battery) - well, if you set a profile to down-clock the processor for screen off, DO NOT set the processor to its lowest setting in the profile settings.
Sensation XL by TrustedReviews (Feb, 2012)It's screen is low res, it's processor is slower than the competition, and all told other handsets simply offer more for the money.
browser benchmark
Nexus S by c|net (May, 2011)You will definitely notice a difference, but still, EV-DO coverage is reasonably fast, and it's more widespread.
Sensation XL by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)The fast boot feature is enabled on the HTC Sensation XL but it won’t work if you have removed the battery – in that case it will do a regular slow boot.
download speed
Nexus S by nettieo (Aug, 2011)It's not 4G, but on HSDPA I'm consistently getting download speeds of 6 - 7 Mbps and HSUPA uploads of 2 - 2.5 Mbps.
talk time
840 min
709 min
Nexus S by GSM ArenaThe battery is quoted at 6.7 hours of talk time, with a standby time of 17 days in 3G mode (scaled up to 14 hours of talk time and 29.7 days of standby in 2G networks).
Sensation XL by GSM Arena (Oct, 2011)Those numbers compare favorably against the competition, except the video playing performance, which is 2-3 hours behind the leaders of the pack.
Differences What are the advantages of each
Advantages compared to the HTC Sensation XL
| Screen uses OLED technology | Yes | vs | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| About half of phones are OLED; OLED screens are typically higher contrast and use less power | |||
| Supports NFC | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Enables payment by phone and other wireless communications | |||
| Much newer operating system | Android 4.1 Jelly Bean | vs | Android 2.3 Gingerbread |
| Newer Android OS; Get all the latest features and security updates with a more recent version | |||
| Significantly lighter | 129 g | vs | 162 g |
| More than 20% lighter | |||
| Significantly faster real world upload speeds | 2.23 Mb/s | vs | 1.13 Mb/s |
| Around 2x faster actual upload speed | |||
| Longer standby time | 42,780 min | vs | 21,600 min |
| Around 2x longer standby time | |||
| Sharper screen | 232 ppi | vs | 197 ppi |
| Around 20% sharper PPI; enjoy photo-realistic, crisp images | |||
| Smaller | 63 x 124 x 11 mm | vs | 71 x 132 x 10 mm |
| Around 10% smaller | |||
| Longer talk time | 840 min | vs | 709 min |
| Around 20% longer talk time; go days without charging | |||
| Faster real world download speeds | 8.03 Mb/s | vs | 4.34 Mb/s |
| More than 80% faster actual download speed | |||
| Lower network latency | 83 ms | vs | 163 ms |
| Around 50% lower network latency | |||
| Records slightly higher definition video | 720 x 480 @ 30 fps | vs | 1280 x 720 @ Unknown |
| Around 11.5x higher definition video | |||
| Slightly more highly reviewed by consumers | 76.49% | vs | 74.21% |
| Almost the same | |||
Advantages compared to the Samsung Nexus S
| Supports Adobe Flash | Yes (Android 2.3 Gingerbread) | vs | No (Android 4.1 Jelly Bean) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somewhat common; Many games and videos on the Internet require Adobe Flash | |||
| Supports FM radio | Yes | vs | No |
| Somewhat common; Listen to music and news from local radio stations | |||
| Significantly faster processor | 1.5 GHz | vs | 1 GHz |
| 50% faster processor; run computation-intensive applications, such as photo editing, faster | |||
| Significantly higher resolution front camera | 8 MP | vs | 5 MP |
| 60% higher resolution front camera; Video chat with other people | |||
| Bigger screen | 4.7" | vs | 4" |
| Around 20% bigger screen | |||
| Better browser benchmark | 1,245 ms | vs | 1,804 ms |
| More than 30% better browser benchmark; load pages more quickly on your mobile device | |||
| Thinner | 10 mm | vs | 11 mm |
| Around 10% thinner | |||
Reviews Word on the street
Samsung Nexus S | HTC Sensation XL | ||
 |    Rated by 192 users at amazon.com Rated 40% by by TTN Rated 60% by by J.-Palodichuk--Creature...-For-a-while. | Rated by 15 users at amazon.com Rated 100% by by swayz (Feb, 2013) Rated 80% by by Sonny-J.-de-los-Reyes (May, 2012) Rated 40% by by Ivan (Sep, 2012) | |
|---|---|---|---|
Competition What else you should consider
 | 1 | LG Nexus 4 Longest battery life during active use |
 | 3 | HTC Sensation XE 3-way tie: Records higher resolution videos |
 | 4 | Samsung Galaxy Note II Most built-in storage |
 | 5 | Sony Xperia J 7-way tie: Supports Flash |
 | 6 | Huawei Ascend G300 Rated the best by consumers |
