SpecEagle review · Google

Nexus One review: The 2010 HTC-built phone that started the Nexus line.

SpecEagle Editorial·Jan 2010·$529
Overall
10/100
Class rank
#50 of 50
Tier
Flagship
Buy?
Look elsewhere
The verdict, up front

Where the Nexus program began.

The HTC-built Nexus One launched Google’s Nexus line and the direct-sales model. A foundational Android device, now a collector’s piece.

01Display

32/100

32/100 is one of the weaker display results among flagship phones of 2010 — 30 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

TypeAMOLED (later LCD)
Size3.7 inches
Resolution800 × 480 px (252 ppi)
ProtectionGlass

02Camera

20/100

20/100 is one of the weaker camera results among flagship phones of 2010 — 34 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Main5 MP, autofocus, LED flash
SelfieNone
Video720×480 @ 20 fps

03Performance

6/100

6/100 is one of the weaker performance results among flagship phones of 2010 — 43 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

ChipsetSnapdragon QSD8250 (65 nm)
CPUSingle-core 1 GHz
GPUAdreno 200
RAM512 MB
Storage512 MB · microSD

04Battery

28/100

28/100 is one of the weaker battery results among flagship phones of 2010 — 27 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

Capacity1,400 mAh (removable)
Wired~5 W
WirelessNo

05Build

38/100

38/100 is one of the weaker build results among flagship phones of 2010 — 20 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

06Value

22/100

22/100 is one of the weaker value results among flagship phones of 2010 — 23 points under the average. Check the rows below before buying for this.

What works
  • The first-ever Nexus phone — start of Google’s flagship program.
  • Fast 1 GHz Snapdragon for early 2010.
  • Removable battery and microSD.
  • Sold direct by Google online.
What doesn't
  • Tiny 512 MB storage; trackball input.
  • Single-core; weak camera.
  • Software ended at Android 2.3.6.
  • Discontinued — a true relic.
Cross-shop it against
Galaxy Note (1st gen)
$700 · score 75/100

How this review is built: every section score, spec row and comparison on this page comes from SpecEagle's tracked catalogue — scores weight measured specs against the 50-phone cohort of flagship devices released around the same time. We don't publish invented lab anecdotes. Spot an error? .