Carphone Warehouse and Best Buy UK have secured an exclusive deal for the launch of Google’s new Nexus S smartphone.

The new phone, manufactured in partnership with Samsung, will only be sold by the two chains until after Christmas. Carphone and Best Buy UK COO Andrew Harrison said the phone “represents a giant leap forward for smartphones.”

It is the first phone to run on the latest version of the Android platform. It is also the first mobile phone to have a curved screen, and features Near Field Communication (NFC) technology, allowing the phone to read information from “smart” objects such as movie posters embedded with NFC tags.

The phone will be free with a deal from £35 a month. Google will also launch the phone exclusively in the US through Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile.