To say I've been eagerly awaiting a chance to review the Galaxy Nexus would be an understatement. As I mentioned last week,I've been thinking pretty seriously that this device would be the next phone I lay out cold cash for. And really,is that so crazy?
The Galaxy Nexus is a beast of a device. The phone ¡ª which was built by Samsung in conjunction with Google ¡ª is the same thickness as the iPhone 4S,but sports a massive,4.65-inch,720p display,and a speedy dual-core CPU. In the US,it will come equipped with LTE on Verizon's network,and will also be available internationally as a pentaband HSPA+ device (I tested the HSPA+ device). 9700i Cell Phone
But the big story is that the Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to run Google's newest mobile operating system,Ice Cream Sandwich (or Android 4.0,if you like). The new software is probably the biggest alteration to Android smartphones ever. The OS is a further evolution of the work Google started with Honeycomb,and is not only a complete revamp of the phone OS,but a unifying component of the entire platform,bringing Android tablets and phones to parity at last.
Want to know just exactly what the Galaxy Nexus is really like to use (and whether or not you should shell out the cash for it)? Read on for my full review below!
Battery life / performance
As I've had a very short testing period with the phone,I won't go into great detail on battery life just yet. I will say that I have concerns about the overall battery stamina given the time I've spent with the phone thus far. It might just be that I've been putting the handset through its paces,but I've noticed a faster dip in battery life than I would like to see. Obviously I can't speak to the LTE version's battery capabilities,though I should have Verizon's iteration in hand soon,and will add my testing results to this review.
Camera
When I originally saw camera shots from the Galaxy Nexus (during my interview with Matias Duarte at the Google campus),I was blown away by the quality of what I was shown. The pictures were taken on a sunny day at the beach,and they looked incredible. I'd like to report that all photo results on the Nexus are as impressive as the ones I saw that day,but that's not exactly the case. H9700i
The 5-megapixel shooter on the device is most definitely capable of taking great looking photos,and that's aided by a super-fast auto focus (with tap-to-focus as well),consistent face detection,and a generally forgiving sensor. The camera taking and photo editing software Google provides with Ice Cream Sandwich is truly outstanding. I was impressed by the panorama and time-lapse modes provided,and there are some relatively powerful tools for editing your pictures after you've done some snapping. Google is even providing a set of filters not wildly dissimilar to some of what Instagram is doing,obviously gunning for the retro picture craze that's sweeping the globe. The filters are good ¡ª though not as good ¡ª as the Instagram offerings,and they'll go a long way to salving the wounds of Android users who are envious of their iPhone-owning brothers.
Wrap-up
The Galaxy Nexus is the best Android phone ever made. It's one of the best smartphones ever made,and with a couple of minor tweaks (particularly to the camera),it could be the best smartphone ever produced.
Still,there's really not much to knock here. The hardware is elegant and smartly designed. The software is beautiful and useful. Google has cleaned up a lot of the bad,and replaced it with a serious amount of good. It's faster,smarter,and a lot more friendly than any of its predecessors. Ice Cream Sandwich easily gives iOS and Windows Phone a run for their money,and in many ways,it's a superior operating system than either of them.
If there's a bone to pick,perhaps it's with the size,which could be off-putting to some,or the fact that right now the only carrier you can definitely get the phone on in the US will be Verizon. But those are minor blips on the radar,not show stoppers. N8i+ Cell Phone
Since day one,I've been waiting for an Android device that lived up to the promise of such a powerful OS. I think I can stop waiting now.