Look, I’ll admit, we don’t tend to give every Android phone the same hoo-ha, din, and clatter that we give to the release of new iPhones. Not that we’re Android haters, just that there’s so many of them and the market is more diffuse over several different devices as opposed to the Ark of the Covenant style value of whatever Cupertino tosses into the world.
But! Galaxy Nexus! Maybe this is different! Kinda! And it’s finally available! And only on Verizon!
It’s the first phone to carry the Ice Cream Sandwich operating system.
Make no mistake, this is the best Android phone around today. It’s impossible to divorce Samsung’s hardware from the Ice Cream Sandwich experience, for the moment at least. That may change as more manufactures offer Android 4.0 phones, but for now it’s tough to think of going back to a Gingerbread or earlier device. ICS’ finessed software works beautifully with Samsung’s hardware and – with the exception of the camera, perhaps, which can be a minor blot on the Galaxy Nexus’ score sheet – the sum of the two parts is massively compelling.
Ice Cream Sandwich will spread, but even then the Galaxy Nexus’ hardware will likely prove a strong argument to go with the Googlephone rather than something else. The 720p HD display is incredible, the dual-core processor swift and the HSPA+ connection fast; that speed will only increase when the LTE version arrives. Those addicted to photography may want to look elsewhere, but everyone else can be reassured that the Galaxy Nexus is one of the finest devices on the market today.
The other big leap made here is the $299 price point (with new 2-year contract). That’s a hundred bucks more than an iPhone and most other Android phones. Will people go for it?
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