Google Nexus S or Motorola Atrix?

[HottSushiz]

I'm having difficulty deciding between these two phones. My budget is around $700NZD. I've had the iPhone 3GS for 6 months and these android phones have made me jump ship. Below is the subjective view of pros and cons of both phones.

Nexus S:
+Super AMOLED
+Faster updates
+Stock Android vanilla
+The look of the phone

-Lack of HD video capture
-No external storage

Atrix:
+Dual Core
+720p video capture
+1gb RAM
+Duel LED
+MicroSD CArd

-Motoblur
-Despite the qHD it's still LCD

Basically it's 720p recording or gorgeous display. I was hoping if anyone could help persuade me into either side because I'm in a dead lock. I want to upgrade my iPhone hopefully next week so i don't plan to wait for the next android device with X and Y specs.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

My vote is for the Nexus S. The Atrix is a nice phone but I will do prefer stock android over anything else (although HTC Sense 3.0 looks pretty nice). The lack of SD Card could make or break the case but if you can do with 16GB then the Nexus S is my choice (I haven't used up my 16 GB sd card in my Nexus One yet and I have 12 GB of music on it). The screen on the Nexus S is really nice, much more vivid then my old N1.

 

[HottSushiz]

Actually I only have 363mb left of my 32gb iPhone 3GS. But i though i won't have as much apps on android and i bought a 16gb iPod Nano 6th Gen so technically i have 32gbs.

Is the camera difference that huge from 480p to 720p. Or is it something that you need to phones beside each other to notice it like the blue tint on AMOLED.

 

[Mostly Harmless]

I should have asked this in the first place, what features are important to you when it comes to having a phone? Do you take all your pictures with it? Do you want to listen to music on it?

For example: I don't put too much emphasis on a phones ability to take quality pictures because I have a DSLR to do so, if I need to take quick shot of friends etc...any high end phone will do, but I do expect my smart phone to play and hold my music because I feel that I shouldn't have to carry around mutiply devices to do so (the opposite of what you did). I do a lot of commuting and I want one device to serve all my needs during that commute.

So what's important to you?

 

[HottSushiz]

Hmmm i guess when i look at a phone my top priority is music,memory,camera, and maybe smoothness.

I don't have any form of DSLR Point and shoot camera so my phone is the only camera i have. I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS and smoothness is something Apple has with pinch and zoom and just swiping across the screen.

Display would be another thing but when i think about. I will only notice the great screen only if it's next to another phone. My friend has a iPhone 4 and i don't even notice the high resolution.

I have 20gb of songs and it would be awesome if i can fit them all but it's not too important. I may not listen to all of them but sometimes i do like going through all my songs. 16gb would do fine since i have a iPod to fit the rest.

 

[Guamguy]

I've compared the two. If you're referring to just the hardware, the Atrix win out.

1. Screen of the Atrix is actually slightly bigger if you put the two phones side by side. Yet the Atrix has a smaller and thinner body. It feels more efficiently designed.

2. Richer colors on the Nexus S screen, but the Atrix screen is definitely sharper.

3. Despite being actually a smaller and lighter phone than the Nexus S, the Atrix houses a much bigger battery. The Atrix is truly an efficient design.

4. Despite bigger screen, bigger battery, the smaller Atrix also has more RAM and is dual core. Truly a lesson in design efficiency.

But the Nexus S got all the intangibles:

Gingerbread right now, though Motorola seems to be working on an Atrix update as well
Motoblur looks ugh, but can depend on your taste
Direct Google support
You can sideload apps right now, although that's promised on a later update
no locked bootloader and so on.

So this is a battle between superior hardware vs. superior software. One has to realize that software isn't going to upgrade your hardware into the same level as the Atrix. But remember if you want to be first in line for Ice Cream Sandwich or want to play with ROMs, the Nexus S is the better choice. If you're not really particular with ROMs and Android versions and all that, the Atrix is the better choice.

You can find your answer when you clarify your priorities.

 

[B2L]

I've compared the two. If you're referring to just the hardware, the Atrix win out.

1. Screen of the Atrix is actually slightly bigger if you put the two phones side by side. Yet the Atrix has a smaller and thinner body. It feels more efficiently designed.

2. Richer colors on the Nexus S screen, but the Atrix screen is definitely sharper.

3. Despite being actually a smaller and lighter phone than the Nexus S, the Atrix houses a much bigger battery. The Atrix is truly an efficient design.

4. Despite bigger screen, bigger battery, the smaller Atrix also has more RAM and is dual core. Truly a lesson in design efficiency.

But the Nexus S got all the intangibles:

Gingerbread right now, though Motorola seems to be working on an Atrix update as well
Motoblur looks ugh, but can depend on your taste
Direct Google support
You can sideload apps right now, although that's promised on a later update
no locked bootloader and so on.

So this is a battle between superior hardware vs. superior software. One has to realize that software isn't going to upgrade your hardware into the same level as the Atrix. But remember if you want to be first in line for Ice Cream Sandwich or want to play with ROMs, the Nexus S is the better choice. If you're not really particular with ROMs and Android versions and all that, the Atrix is the better choice.

You can find your answer when you clarify your priorities.

This answer says everything that i think needs to be said. It all depends on personal preferences. Do you want the latest software or the latest hardware? Although my buddy has an Atrix and let me say Motoblur really slows that phone down, he frequently has problems with lag. When compared to my Nexus S it never lags and really feels faster than every dual core phone i have played with just because stock Android is just that so much more smooth. And you don't have a UI that's overlayed on the top to slow things down.

 

[HottSushiz]

I kinda want a little of both but that doesn't seem like an option.

I might go with the Atrix because if i don't like the phone i can easily sell it with more value than the Nexus S.

 

[babepanda]

Atrix , 1900mah battery , good call quality and reception

 

[Guamguy]

One more thing, OP didn't mention where he is from. One has to consider the support and contract price angles as well.

If you are with AT&T, the Nexus S is a no contract buy from Negri Electronics and that would be relatively expensive. The Atrix on the other hand, has a contract price. Plus you can get direct carrier support if something goes wrong. You won't get that support with the Nexus S. Of course, Sprint has the Nexus S and Best Buy has the Nexus S for T-Mobile, but the mention of the Atrix with the consideration and the usage of iPhone suggests either an AT&T or Canada user.

If the OP is in Canada, all the carriers in Canada carry the Nexus S and have contract prices and support. The Atrix is supported in one carrier, which is Bell.

 

[wakela]

I'm wrestling with exactly the same question. I have a Magic from 2 years ago and have never used Blur/Sense/Touchwiz. People get pretty worked up about these. Do they make that much a difference? If I don't like the Blur widgets and apps on the Atrix can I simply ignore them?

I read that one cannot install third party apps on the Atrix. I'd like to play around with developing apps. Will I be unable to install them on the Atrix?

I'm still on Android 1.6, and I feel like I've been hung out to dry. Atrix seems to be the best phone around, but how do I know I'll get an update a year down the road?

Are there new phones coming out in June that I should hold off on?

I don't know that much about carriers (I'm just moving back to the US), and I'll most likely be moving to a major city in a few months but don't know which one (probably New York).