HTC Legend Vs Google Nexus One

Overview:
The Google Nexus One has been likened to the HTC Desire quite a bit- probably because they're practically the same phone. But what if you want something a touch different? This is where the HTC Legend steps in- it's been out in the UK for only a couple of months and isn't as high spec as the Desire, but that means it isn't as high-price. So how does the Legend compare to Nexus One? Let's find out.

Comparison:
First and foremost the HTC Legend is smaller than the Nexus One. With a screen size of 3.2 inches versus 3.7, it's easier to watch a movie or surf the web on Google's handset.

This also makes for a bit more initial inaccuracy when typing out messages on the onscreen keyboard, but HTC has followed in Apple's footsteps in providing a plethora of spelling correction suggestions as you type.

The smaller screen does make the Legend an overall more portable device though, and it feels noticeably less bulky than the Nexus One.

Both handsets run Android, but HTC has differentiated its user interface by overlaying HTC Sense, which has been a success in many HTC Legend reviews.

With seven homescreens that you can organise all of your widgets on, Sense is simply a joy to use, and you still feel like you have the level of customisability that Android was designed for.

While we loved using the Nexus One, the user experience just wasn't as exciting as an HTC phone with Sense on.

The Legend and Nexus One also differ on the hardware side, with Google opting for a trackball versus HTC's optical trackpad.

Benefits of the trackball is that we found it easier to control exactly where you wanted to navigate to within the phone's menus. The optical trackpad on the Legend is actually quite tricky to control, and its extreme sensivity meant we were constantly overshooting the mark with where we wanted to get to.

The trackball is a moving part though, which is prone to failure. For people on 24 month contracts, it can be a bit annoying if your trackball has clogged with dust or has stopped working for some other reason within its first year.

Seeing as both phones are touchscreen, it can be argued that the trackball/trackpad features are irrelevant, so we don't see these down points as a deal breaker for either handset.

The HTC Legend looks the better phone as well, with its solid metal case and rubber chin. The Nexus One is minimalistic, but a bit on the drab side, though we like the soft-touch feel of the two-piece casing.

Unique feature-wise, the Nexus One boasts active noise cancellation, which makes the most of two microphones to eliminate background noise when you're on the phone.

The Legend comes with HTC-exclusive widgets such as People, which brings all of your social networking and email contacts together in your phone book automatically.

For budding photographers, the Nexus One and Desire each have a 5 megapixel camera with flash.

Both handsets are powered by a 1Gz Snapdragon processor, so there's no clear winner on operating speeds. To compare mobile phones, we've looked at a range of different qualities, so which is our overall winner?

We Say:
The HTC Legend is a smaller level phone, but packed with the same processor as the Nexus One, it's exactly as zippy. If you're an avid movie watcher on your phone, the screen on the Nexus One will make for a better viewing experience just because of its larger size. We can't go past what HTC has achieved with its Sense user interface though, so this battle goes to the Legend.