The combination of Google's software and Samsung's hardware makes the Galaxy Nexus one of the best candidates to compete with Apple's latest iPhone, though its price is steep. It will be available Thursday in the US for $300 with a two-year Verizon Wireless contract.
Like the previous phone in the Nexus line, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus was jointly developed by Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. It features a slim frame with a large, curved glass screen that's comfortable for chatting with friends and excellent for watching videos. There are 32 gigabytes of built-in storage space on the Verizon version of the phone, but no external slot for a microSD memory card.
The handset packs in some amazing features, such as a 720x1,280-pixel resolution 4.65-inch screen, a 1080p video camera and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The Galaxy Nexus is currently available from Phones 4u on a variety of networks, with monthly contract prices starting at £36. It's also available on pay as you go deals from companies like 3 and O2 for around £500, plus the cost of a standard top-up.
The screen, a pocket-busting 4.65 inches at the diagonal, makes the iPhone's 3.5-inches look diminutive. And despite the size, the Galaxy Nexus manages to weigh just 4.8 ounces, slightly less than Apple's offering.
With the latest version of Android under the hood, the Galaxy Nexus is packed with new and improved features. Many of them are great; others are simply great in theory.
Overall, the software looks fresher and less cluttered. The virtual "buttons" that usually sit at the bottom of the screen have been redesigned. There's still a "home" and a "back" button, but no "menu" button to pull up various options within an app. Instead, there's now a "recent apps" button that shows what you've been doing lately on the phone. Another neat change: The buttons are completely virtual, so they change directions when you flip the phone sideways and disappear when you're viewing photos or videos.
Other changes to Android include an overhaul of its virtual keyboard, meant to make it easier to type without messing up - something I've always had trouble with on the stock Android keyboard. I was often able to type more accurately than in the past, but sometimes still ended up with unintended words in my messages. The Android browser and Gmail are updated, too. Gmail's new functions include the ability to search emails while offline, while the browser is zippier and has a "request desktop" option so you can check out webpages in their non-truncated desktop version.
One new feature that falls into the "great in theory" category is Face Unlock, which uses facial-recognition technology to unlock the phone from standby mode. To set it up, you take a picture of your face with the phone. Then, all you have to do to unlock the phone is stare at the screen after you press the power button.
Ever since we reviewed the excellent Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone here at Mashable, everyone’s been wondering, when will it appear on Verizon? Now it’s finally official: The on-again/off-again smartphone, which we think is the best Android phone ever produced, will be available on Verizon starting Thursday, Dec. 15 for $299.99 with a two-year contract. That was announced late Wednesday in a press release from Verizon Wireless, Samsung and Google.
Unlike the Google plain-vanilla Galaxy Samsung Galaxy Nexus we tested here, this Verizon version will be capable of using a 4G LTE network. What will that mean for you? If you’re lucky enough to live in one of Verizon’s 190 markets with 4G LTE in the United States, the phone can download data at speeds of 5 to 12 Megabits (Mb) per second, and upload at speeds of 2Mb to 5Mb per second. What does this mean in layman’s terms? If Verizon’s network proves itself to be as fast as the company says it is in your area, with this smartphone you’ll be able to use the Internet at speeds similar to that of home broadband.
Just like our test unit, the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus will have the new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system on board, along with all the other high-tech capabilities that make it so appealing. For instance, the features we liked the best were its 4.65-inch 720p screen that has a delightful curved design, and its 9.47mm-thin form factor that felt just right in the hand and pocket. Read our Samsung Galaxy Nexus review for details.
Android 4.0 finally seems to have put those spectres to bed. Actions such as sending an email or posting a photo to Twitter take seconds to achieve. It almost feels as if the phone is one step ahead of you, such is the pace of the device.
While the Galaxy Nexus shames practically every previous Android phone in terms of usability, it struggles in some key areas. The all-plastic design is disappointing when placed alongside the iPhone 4S and HTC Sensation.
Samsung has a habit of avoiding the use of brushed metal on its phones. In this instance, we'd have liked to have seen a little more sophistication in the case design -- especially when you consider that the Galaxy Nexus retails for around the same price as the aluminium and tempered-glass iPhone.
More immediately useful was the phone's 5-megapixel camera, which is the snappiest I've seen on any Android phone. There was almost no shutter lag between shots, even when I had just turned the camera on.
Still, I would have preferred a higher-resolution sensor-8-megapixel cameras are quickly becoming common on smartphones. In addition, photos I took could have been brighter, though this can be improved on somewhat by using some of the available editing options, including numerous color filters and adjustable contrast options.
Like the iPhone 4S and some other high-end smartphones, the Galaxy Nexus can record high-definition videos in 1080p - the best resolution you can get on a consumer camera. I had some fun taking sunset videos with a time-lapse feature, and there are some goofy filming effects to play around with, too.
And yes, you can make calls on the Galaxy Nexus. Its thin body and curved screen make it comfortable to hold against your ear, and calls generally sounded good.
Sadly, high-speed networks guzzle battery power like a milkshake, so I wasn't able to spend a ton of time using the device on a single battery charge.
The phone Google loaned me to test was a version that works with AT&T or T-Mobile, so I couldn't test its speed or battery life with the carrier actually selling it in the US, Verizon, or with its high-speed 4G network.
Using both T-Mobile's standard 3G and speedier HSPA+ networks, at least, I got about three hours and 15 minutes out of the Galaxy Nexus for surfing the Web, streaming a movie, sending instant messages, chatting on the phone and other activities. The phone got quite warm with all this use. Over Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, it's possible that the phone's battery would drain even faster if you're doing a lot of downloading.
Another bummer: Verizon is blocking the Galaxy Nexus from supporting Google Wallet, which is supposed to allow the phone to be used to buy items in some stores by tapping it to payment terminals.
Like the previous phone in the Nexus line, the Nexus S, the Galaxy Nexus was jointly developed by Google Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. It features a slim frame with a large, curved glass screen that's comfortable for chatting with friends and excellent for watching videos. There are 32 gigabytes of built-in storage space on the Verizon version of the phone, but no external slot for a microSD memory card.
The handset packs in some amazing features, such as a 720x1,280-pixel resolution 4.65-inch screen, a 1080p video camera and a 1.2GHz dual-core processor. The Galaxy Nexus is currently available from Phones 4u on a variety of networks, with monthly contract prices starting at £36. It's also available on pay as you go deals from companies like 3 and O2 for around £500, plus the cost of a standard top-up.
The screen, a pocket-busting 4.65 inches at the diagonal, makes the iPhone's 3.5-inches look diminutive. And despite the size, the Galaxy Nexus manages to weigh just 4.8 ounces, slightly less than Apple's offering.
With the latest version of Android under the hood, the Galaxy Nexus is packed with new and improved features. Many of them are great; others are simply great in theory.
Overall, the software looks fresher and less cluttered. The virtual "buttons" that usually sit at the bottom of the screen have been redesigned. There's still a "home" and a "back" button, but no "menu" button to pull up various options within an app. Instead, there's now a "recent apps" button that shows what you've been doing lately on the phone. Another neat change: The buttons are completely virtual, so they change directions when you flip the phone sideways and disappear when you're viewing photos or videos.
Other changes to Android include an overhaul of its virtual keyboard, meant to make it easier to type without messing up - something I've always had trouble with on the stock Android keyboard. I was often able to type more accurately than in the past, but sometimes still ended up with unintended words in my messages. The Android browser and Gmail are updated, too. Gmail's new functions include the ability to search emails while offline, while the browser is zippier and has a "request desktop" option so you can check out webpages in their non-truncated desktop version.
One new feature that falls into the "great in theory" category is Face Unlock, which uses facial-recognition technology to unlock the phone from standby mode. To set it up, you take a picture of your face with the phone. Then, all you have to do to unlock the phone is stare at the screen after you press the power button.
Ever since we reviewed the excellent Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone here at Mashable, everyone’s been wondering, when will it appear on Verizon? Now it’s finally official: The on-again/off-again smartphone, which we think is the best Android phone ever produced, will be available on Verizon starting Thursday, Dec. 15 for $299.99 with a two-year contract. That was announced late Wednesday in a press release from Verizon Wireless, Samsung and Google.
Unlike the Google plain-vanilla Galaxy Samsung Galaxy Nexus we tested here, this Verizon version will be capable of using a 4G LTE network. What will that mean for you? If you’re lucky enough to live in one of Verizon’s 190 markets with 4G LTE in the United States, the phone can download data at speeds of 5 to 12 Megabits (Mb) per second, and upload at speeds of 2Mb to 5Mb per second. What does this mean in layman’s terms? If Verizon’s network proves itself to be as fast as the company says it is in your area, with this smartphone you’ll be able to use the Internet at speeds similar to that of home broadband.
Just like our test unit, the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus will have the new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system on board, along with all the other high-tech capabilities that make it so appealing. For instance, the features we liked the best were its 4.65-inch 720p screen that has a delightful curved design, and its 9.47mm-thin form factor that felt just right in the hand and pocket. Read our Samsung Galaxy Nexus review for details.
Android 4.0 finally seems to have put those spectres to bed. Actions such as sending an email or posting a photo to Twitter take seconds to achieve. It almost feels as if the phone is one step ahead of you, such is the pace of the device.
While the Galaxy Nexus shames practically every previous Android phone in terms of usability, it struggles in some key areas. The all-plastic design is disappointing when placed alongside the iPhone 4S and HTC Sensation.
Samsung has a habit of avoiding the use of brushed metal on its phones. In this instance, we'd have liked to have seen a little more sophistication in the case design -- especially when you consider that the Galaxy Nexus retails for around the same price as the aluminium and tempered-glass iPhone.
More immediately useful was the phone's 5-megapixel camera, which is the snappiest I've seen on any Android phone. There was almost no shutter lag between shots, even when I had just turned the camera on.
Still, I would have preferred a higher-resolution sensor-8-megapixel cameras are quickly becoming common on smartphones. In addition, photos I took could have been brighter, though this can be improved on somewhat by using some of the available editing options, including numerous color filters and adjustable contrast options.
Like the iPhone 4S and some other high-end smartphones, the Galaxy Nexus can record high-definition videos in 1080p - the best resolution you can get on a consumer camera. I had some fun taking sunset videos with a time-lapse feature, and there are some goofy filming effects to play around with, too.
And yes, you can make calls on the Galaxy Nexus. Its thin body and curved screen make it comfortable to hold against your ear, and calls generally sounded good.
Sadly, high-speed networks guzzle battery power like a milkshake, so I wasn't able to spend a ton of time using the device on a single battery charge.
The phone Google loaned me to test was a version that works with AT&T or T-Mobile, so I couldn't test its speed or battery life with the carrier actually selling it in the US, Verizon, or with its high-speed 4G network.
Using both T-Mobile's standard 3G and speedier HSPA+ networks, at least, I got about three hours and 15 minutes out of the Galaxy Nexus for surfing the Web, streaming a movie, sending instant messages, chatting on the phone and other activities. The phone got quite warm with all this use. Over Verizon Wireless' 4G LTE network, it's possible that the phone's battery would drain even faster if you're doing a lot of downloading.
Another bummer: Verizon is blocking the Galaxy Nexus from supporting Google Wallet, which is supposed to allow the phone to be used to buy items in some stores by tapping it to payment terminals.
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