Google Pixel vs Samsung Google Nexus S

Compare recorded specifications, size and practical differences.

+ Add a third phone

Key differences

Calculated from recorded specifications using minimum difference thresholds. These are differences, not an overall ranking. For three phones, numeric highlights compare the two extremes.

  • Weight

    Google Nexus S: 14 g lighter

    Pixel:
    143 g
    Google Nexus S:
    129 g
  • Width

    Google Nexus S: 6.5 mm narrower

    Pixel:
    69.5 mm
    Google Nexus S:
    63 mm
  • Screen diagonal

    Google Nexus S: 1 in smaller diagonal

    Pixel:
    5 in
    Google Nexus S:
    4 in
  • Depth

    Pixel: 2.4 mm thinner

    Pixel:
    8.5 mm
    Google Nexus S:
    10.9 mm
  • Height

    Google Nexus S: 19.9 mm shorter

    Pixel:
    143.8 mm
    Google Nexus S:
    123.9 mm
  • Release year

    Pixel:
    2016
    Google Nexus S:
    2010

Physical size

Relative size, not calibrated actual size. Front and side outlines share one scale and a bottom baseline. Generic outlines use recorded body dimensions, excluding camera bumps.

  1. 1. Pixel

    Height:
    143.8 mm +19.9 mm versus Google Nexus S
    Width:
    69.5 mm +6.5 mm versus Google Nexus S
    Depth:
    8.5 mm
  2. 2. Google Nexus S

    Height:
    123.9 mm
    Width:
    63 mm
    Depth:
    10.9 mm +2.4 mm versus Pixel

Weight

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. Pixel

    143 g

    +14 g versus Google Nexus S

  2. 2. Google Nexus S

    129 g

Screen size

Approximate rectangular screens calculated from recorded diagonal and aspect ratio at one relative scale. Rounded corners and cutouts are not subtracted. These are not phone outlines or calibrated actual sizes.

  1. 1. Pixel

    Screen diagonal:
    5 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    16:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    68.9 cm²
  2. 2. Google Nexus S

    Screen diagonal:
    4 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    5:3
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    45.5 cm²

Pixel has approximately 51.3% more rectangular screen area than Google Nexus S.

Memory variants

Each row compares the same storage capacity. Cells show recorded RAM alternatives, not combined maxima. Not recorded does not mean unavailable in every market.

No unambiguous storage/RAM pairings are recorded. See the original specifications below.

Pixel: Original memory entry

32/128 GB · 512GB 4GB

Google Nexus S: Original memory entry

16 GB · 512 MB RAM

Practical features

Explicit Yes and No values are shown directly. Qualified or regional records retain their details. Unknown means the record is missing.

1. Pixel

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
Yes
Memory card support:
No

2. Google Nexus S

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
Yes
Memory card support:
No

Battery capacity

Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.

Recorded battery capacity

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. Pixel

    2770 mAh

    +1270 mAh versus Google Nexus S

  2. 2. Google Nexus S

    1500 mAh

Specifications

Open a section for more detail. On narrow screens, swipe sideways or use Left/Right arrow keys while the table is focused. Unknown means missing data, not No. Recorded zero values are shown as recorded.

1. Pixel2. Google Nexus S

Everyday essentials
Everyday essentials — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Dimensions (HxWxD)
  • 143.8 Х 69.5 Х 8.5 mm
  • 123.9 Х 63 Х 10.9 mm
Weight
  • 143 g
  • 129 g
Technology
  • AMOLED
  • Super AMOLED
Screen size
  • 5" inch
  • 4" inch
Screen resolution
  • 1080 x 1920 px
  • 480 x 800 px
Internal memory Recorded storage / RAM variants. Entries are alternatives, not a combined maximum. Ambiguous formats stay as recorded.
  • 32/128 GB
  • 512GB 4GB
  • 16 GB
  • 512 MB RAM
Memory card support
  • No
  • No
Battery Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.
  • 2770 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Ion
  • 1500 mAh
  • Removable Li-Ion
Operating system OS
  • Android 7.1 (Nougat)
  • upgradable to Android 9.0 (Pie)
  • Android 2.3 (Gingerbread)
  • 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
  • not upgradable to 4.2 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset
  • Qualcomm MSM8996 Snapdragon 821 (14 nm)
  • Hummingbird
NFC
  • Yes
  • Yes
Headphone jack
  • Yes
  • Yes
Display
Display — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
Display colors
  • 16M
  • 16M
Screen area
  • 68.9 cm2
  • 45.5 cm2
Screen format
  • 16:9 (height:width)
  • 5:3 (height:width)
Screen to body ratio
  • 69.0%
  • 58.3%
PPI /points per inch/
  • 441 PPI
  • 233 PPI
Screen protection
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  • oleophobic coating
Camera and Video

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Camera and Video — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Rear camera, main
  • 12.3 MP
  • Single
  • 5 MP
  • Single
Camera specs
  • 12.3 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 1/2.3''
  • 1.55µm
  • PDAF & laser AF
  • 5 MP
  • AF
Functions
  • Dual-LED flash
  • HDR
  • panorama
  • LED flash
Video
  • 1080p@30fps
  • w480p@30fps
Front camera, selfie
  • 8 MP
  • Single
  • 0.3 MP
  • Single
Specifications
  • 8 MP
  • f/2.4
  • 1/3.2''
  • 1.4µm
  • VGA
DxOMark Main Score *
  • 90
Unknown
DxOMark Photo *
  • 90
Unknown
DxOMark Video *
  • 91
Unknown
Performance

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Performance — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Processor CPU
  • Quad-core (2x2.15 GHz Kryo & 2x1.6 GHz Kryo)
  • 1.0 GHz Cortex-A8
Graphics processor GPU
  • Adreno 530
  • PowerVR SGX540
Antutu 7 score *
  • 145789
  • 6890
GeekBench 4 Single Core *
  • 1626
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Multi-Core *
  • 4014
Unknown
GeekBench 4 RenderScript *
  • 7705
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Battery *
  • 1738
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Single Core *
  • 307
Unknown
GeekBench 5 Multi-Core *
  • 848
Unknown
General specs
General specs — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Release date
  • 2016
  • October
  • 2010
  • December
Colors
  • Quite Black
  • Very Silver
  • Really Blue
  • Black
  • White
Historical recorded price Legacy catalogue value; date unknown. Not a current offer.
  • 290 EUR
  • 170 EUR
Battery life
  • Stand by time- Up to 456 h (3G) Talking time- Up to 26 h (3G) Music play - Up to 110 h
  • Stand by time- Up to 713 h (2G) / Up to 428 h (3G) Talking time- Up to 14 h (2G) / Up to 6 h 40 min (3G)
Body build
  • Front glass
  • aluminum body
  • partial glass back
Unknown
Communication and Connectivity
Communication and Connectivity — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
SIM card
  • Nano-SIM
  • Mini-SIM
Network
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 -3G - HSDPA 800 / 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 12(700)
  • 13(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 18(800)
  • 19(800)
  • 20(800)
  • 21(1500)
  • 26(850)
  • 28(700)
  • 32(1500)
  • 38(2600)
  • 39(1900)
  • 40(2300)
  • 41(2500)
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
Speed
  • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
  • LTE-A (3CA) Cat9 450/50 Mbps or LTE-A (3CA) Cat11 600/75 Mbps
  • HSPA 7.2/5.76 Mbps
GPRS
  • Yes
  • Yes
Edge
  • Yes
  • Yes
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • dual-band
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • DLNA
  • hotspot
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
  • DLNA
  • hotspot
GPS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
USB
  • 3.0
  • Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
  • microUSB 2.0
Bluetooth
  • 4.2
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • aptX
  • 2.1
  • A2DP
Harmful irradiation
  • SAR - 0.92 W/kg (head) 0.58 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 0.33 W/kg (head) 0.61 W/kg (body)
  • SAR - 0.58 W/kg (head) 0.90 W/kg (body) SAR EU - 0.47 W/kg (head)
Music and Audio
Music and Audio — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Radio
  • No
  • No
Others
  • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Unknown
Other features
Other features — specifications for Pixel, Google Nexus S.
SpecificationPixelGoogle Nexus S
Dop
  • Sensors Fingerprint (rear-mounted)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass
  • barometer - Fast battery charging - Splash and dust resistant - Versions: Global
  • USA
  • North America
  • Sensors Accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass - MP4/H.264 player -MP3/WAV/eAAC+ player -Organizer -Photo/video editor -Voice memo/dial/commands -Predictive text input -Near Field Communications - Previously known as Samsung i9020