The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the latest Google Nexus smartphone and the second made by Samsung. Generally released as a showcase for the latest versions of Google’s Android operating system, the Nexus series has enjoyed a decent level of popularity since the first installment, the Nexus One.
In this article, I’ll provide an overview of its key features, so you can decide if it’s the right smartphone for you.
Hardware
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus offers just about the best technology available in every aspect of its hardware. The screen is advanced, with Super AMOLED capacitive technology that provides a responsive and intuitive means of navigating the interface and applications. It’s also a pretty big screen, at around 4.65 inches, so it beats out a lot of competing phones like the Galaxy S2 and HTC Sensation. But the highlight of the screen has to be its resolution; At 720x 1280, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the first phone to improve on Apple’s “retina display” found in the iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S. This is, of course, great news for those who like to view photos, watch videos, play games, and browse the web on their phone. There’s plenty of storage space available for files like these, with 16GB and 32GB versions available. The phone lacks a microSD slot, but this shouldn’t be a problem for most users as the internal storage is likely to be ample. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a competent camera phone. Even though it’s only 5 megapixels (2592x 1944 resolution), it still has all the features you need to take good quality still images and even 1080p HD video. Autofocus and LED flash are included along with face detection and a front camera (1.3 MP) for video calls and self-portrait photos. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus has the specifications to provide very fast Internet browsing. The 3G coverage allows users to transmit data at a speed of up to 21 Mbps, putting it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S2, which is generally considered the benchmark smartphone in this regard. It also offers Wi-Fi connectivity and even a Wi-Fi hotspot feature that allows users to use the phone to provide Wi-Fi to other devices like tablets or laptops.
Software
As mentioned, one of the main functions of Google Nexus smartphones is to display new versions of Android and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is no different. The long-awaited version 4, known as Ice Cream Sandwich, makes its debut on the phone. Although not much is known about it yet, it will certainly include the same level of versatility and customization, as well as the opportunity to browse thousands of apps to download, that we have seen in previous versions. Of course, the full list of social media integration, web browsing, GPS, media player and many more apps are included as standard, making it a functional device out of the box, like most Android smartphones.
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is, in my opinion, the closest thing to the perfect smartphone yet. Features like its screen resolution really set it apart, and with new software there are likely to be many more who share this opinion. Many will be surprised by the 5 megapixels, where the standard for new smartphones seems to be 8 megapixels nowadays, but you can’t argue with its 1080p HD video capture.
If you are looking for an alternative to the iPhone 4S, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus would be my recommendation.