Galaxy Nexus Review

Once again, it is the Nexus time of the year. This time, Google has left the Gingerbread cookies and, together with Samsung, has brought to us the Galaxy Nexus to deliver the Ice Cream Sandwich. And while a cold dessert is totally out of place this holiday season, the latest release of Android is more relevant than ever.

The Galaxy Nexus packs an impressive spec sheet, but it is (yet again) the OS which is the device’s main highlight. After all, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich is widely expected to put an end to the fragmentation, which currently plagues Google’s mobile platform.

Unlike its Nexus S predecessor, which was essentially a re-branded Samsung Galaxy S, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a completely different device from the current flagship of the company, the I9100 Galaxy S II. The latest Google phone sports a different GPU and chip set, which are; well, not as powerful as those found inside the Galaxy S II.

Key features

Quad-band GSM; penta-band 3G support

HSDPA 21Mbps; HSUPA 5.76Mbps

Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich OS with stock UI

4.65” Super AMOLED capacitive touch screen with HD (720 x 1280 pixels) resolution; 16M colors; oleophobic surface

Slim profile at 8.9mm

Dual-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A9 CPU; Power VR SGX540 GPU; TI OMAP 4460 chipset

16/32GB built-in storage; 1GB RAM

5 MP camera (2592x1936 pixels) with autofocus, LED flash; 1.3MP front-facing unit

1080p video recording @30fps; touch-to-zoom while recording

Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n

DLNA; Wi-Fi hotspot

Bluetooth 3.0 with ADP

Charging MHL micro USB port with TV-out (1080p) support

GPS receiver with A-GPS support

NFC connectivity

Accelerometer, gyro and proximity sensors; compass; barometer

Back cover made of Hyper Skin material for increased grip

Excellent audio quality

A quick look at the key features of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will show you that the smart phone’s hottest hardware feature is its Super AMOLED screen with HD resolution – a first for a Samsung smart phone. The display combines amazing contrast ratio and superb viewing angles, with eye-popping size and resolution – a perfect match for the spanking new OS on board.

As far as the rest of the hardware is concerned, we heavily suspect that Samsung has intentionally omitted a couple of Galaxy S II features such as the microSD card slot and a superior 8MP camera unit. The superior screen of the Galaxy Nexus, while giving it a touch of exclusivity hardware-wise, will not be enough to cannibalize the strong sales, which the I9100 still enjoys.

The latest Google phone will be aimed at the Android purists – the crowd, which doesn’t like launchers or UI tweaks. And also the crowd that likes to get the latest OS updates from Google first. In this aspect, the smart phone is entirely in a league of its own.