What is it? The Samsung Galaxy Nexus
What Carrier? Verizon
Does it have a predecessor? Yes – The Google Nexus/Samsung Galaxy Series
Is it 4G/LTE or 3G? 4G/LTE
The Tech Specs:
4.65″ HD (720p) Super AMOLED Screen (Large Screen)
Contour Display (Curved glass)
CPU: 1.2 GHz Dual-Core Processor
Storage: 32 GB
Memory: 1 GB RAM
Camera: 5 MP continuous auto-focus, zero shutter lag, 1080p video, 1.3 MP front
Battery: 1850 mAh
OS: Android 4.0.2(Ice Cream Sandwich)
Tell me more! You got it:
If this is the next generation of Android phones, I’m really excited.
First things first – about the phone itself: it’s big and interesting. First, it feels slippery due to its very curved design – something I didn’t like at first but ended up appreciating in the end. The screen is enormous for my standards: nearly 4.7″ of wonderful Super AMOLED ownage. It’s a nice, pretty screen and it definitely makes you feel good just going through the phone to perform routine tasks. It weighs less than 6 oz too – so it’s definitely not a bulky phone in that respect. The cameras are average to other high-end Android phones – they’re good, but not knock-your-socks off good. Of course, the hardware (and okay battery life, about 14-16 hours on a full charge with moderate text/web use – don’t ask about 4G navigation) is only as good as the software, and the Galaxy Nexus brings the goods.
This high-powered piece of the little green bot boasts the latest version of Android – 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich – and the new OS shines with lots of new looks and features. It seems like everything has gotten one or more tiny (or big) changes – and mostly for the better. For example, you can now switch between open apps with a nicely dedicated “recent apps” button. Notifications have been redone and look sharper and more informative than ever. The keyboard, which has been a bit buggy and mishandled in past versions of Android, now feels more like a Windows Phone keyboard. And that’s one thing that is extremely noticeable about ICS – everything feels snappier. That’s to be expected from a new version of an OS, but this version definitely had more of a flowing-feel between selecting apps than previous versions of Android. And it certainly doesn’t hurt that a 1.2 GHz dual-core processor and 1 GB of RAM are backing the OS up – this thing is a fast Android device, possibly the fastest I’ve ever used. And in the short time I had with the Galaxy Nexus, it never crashed.
There’s a lot to like about the phone, but there’s a lot to diss about the phone too. The battery life is terrible when using 4G data for extended periods of time (as it is with all 4G/LTE phones at this point, or so it seems… maybe the Droid Razr MAXX will have something to say about that?) and the curved design of the glass/casing of the phone will turn people off. Finally, it’s pricey – $300 with a two-year contract? Yikes. That being said, you pay for power, and that’s something that the Galaxy Nexus does not lack. With some improvements, this line will be powerful enough to challenge any other smartphone on the market in a few years – especially when the battery problems have been addressed. For now, the Galaxy Nexus is a solid Android phone sporting Ice Cream Sandwich that will please early OS adopters and bring boos from the high-battery-life-loving crowd.
