Galaxy Nexus Review @ the Sweetest Aftertaste

 Today I have my hands on the latest phone from the Google/Samsung camp, running the newest version of Android. It’s called the Galaxy Nexus, and it’s powered by delicious and futuristic Ice Cream Sandwiches.

I’m quite confident that Google’s vision for the Galaxy Nexus was to make it the destroyer-of-all phones, running the absolute best operating system they have ever made and running on the best hardware that their partners Samsung could find. Most of this vision has made itself to the Galaxy Nexus, but as you’ll find it’s not a completely smooth ride.

As always, thanks to our partners over at Mobicity for providing this phone to review. It’s quite a joy to wake up on a Monday morning, horribly sick (at the time), to find a Galaxy Nexus awaiting my testing and review. Please note that this review was carried out on the HSPA+ Galaxy Nexus, and while most aspects covered in this review will be the same with the LTE version, some aspects will be different such as the design and battery life.

Specifications

Samsung have almost gone all out with the Galaxy Nexus, fitting it with a 1.2 GHz TI OMAP dual-core processor, 1 GB of RAM and the impressive 4.65” Super AMOLED HD display. NFC is also on-board, along with penta-band HSPA radios and LTE depending on your region. It’s also quite curved.

	Galaxy Nexus
Product Codes	GT-I9250 (HSPA+ model) i515 (LTE model)
GSM Bands	850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G/4G Bands	HSPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 LTE 700 (LTE model only)
Display	4.65-inch 1280 x 720 Super AMOLED HD 316 ppi pixel density 8-point capacitive multi-touch
Processor	TI OMAP 4460 chipset 1.2 GHz dual-core CPU ARM Cortex-A9 based
Graphics	PowerVR SGX540
RAM	1 GB
Storage	16 or 32 GB internal user storage
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n (dual-band) Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP A-GPS DLNA NFC
Camera	5 MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash 1.3 MP front camera 1080p video recording (rear)
Ports	MicroUSB (charging, data) 3.5mm audio jack Dock connector contacts
Sensors	Accelerometer Magnetometer Gyroscope Light sensor Proximity sensor
Battery	Li-ion 1,750 mAh removable
Launch OS	Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich"
Launch Date	November 2011
Size & Weight	135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm 135 g
Price	Unlocked & Outright: ~US$750 On Contract: US$299 (Verizon; estimate)

Unfortunately I do notice a few things just from the specifications that appear to be missing. I would have liked to see a microSD card slot here to expand the 16 GB of memory included, because if you’re loading the device with 720p videos the space can be used quite quickly. Another thing is the camera is only 5 MP, and while I understand that megapixels aren’t everything, for a top-of-the-line phone I was expecting 8 or even 12 MP.

Contents

1. Introduction and Specifications
2. Design & Display
3. Software
4. Performance & Battery Life
5. Camera
6. Media Playback & Calls
7. Video Overview & Conclusion