What was the first smartphone in Google's Nexus line called?

The first smartphone in Google’s Nexus line was called the Nexus One. Google developed the phone with HTC, which manufactured it, and released it on January 5, 2010. The device marked Google’s move into selling a phone directly to consumers as a reference device for the Android platform.

The Nexus One launched with Android 2.1 Eclair and was sold SIM-unlocked through Google’s online store. In the United States, Google offered versions compatible with T-Mobile US and AT&T. Its hardware included a 3.7-inch display, a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512 MB of RAM, and a 5-megapixel camera.

The phone also introduced features that were notable at the time, including voice-to-text transcription, turn-by-turn navigation, and a second microphone for noise suppression. It used a physical trackball for navigation, a design feature that soon disappeared from mainstream smartphones.

Nexus S, Galaxy Nexus, and Nexus 4 were later devices in the series. The Nexus One’s immediate successor was the Samsung-made Nexus S, released in December 2010.