The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is finally available in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless. The Nexus is the first device in the U.S. to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the most recent version of Google's Android operating system.
In reviewing the OS, PCMag mobile analyst Sascha Segan noted that ICS "adds dozens of features, changes and improves the interface, and makes much better use of the latest smartphone hardware." That makes the Galaxy Nexus an especially big deal.
The phone runs on Verizon's 4G LTE network, which just celebrated its first-year anniversary and is now available in 190 markets. Verizon now has a bunch of killer LTE smartphones, so we decided to see how the Galaxy Nexus stacks up against the current leaders, the Motorola Droia Bionic and the Motorola Droid RAZR. Take a look at the specs for each phone in the chart below.
The Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1280-by-720 resolution, which blows the competition away, both in terms of size and resolution. But it's powered by a dual-core 1.2-GHz TI OMAP4460 processor, which puts it right in line with the Bionic and the RAZR.
The Nexus has a 5-megapixel rear-facing camera and 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat. That's a step down from the 8-megapixel rear-facing cameras on the Bionic and the RAZR—though we were actually a bit disappointed by the Bionic's camera performance in our tests.
The Galaxy Nexus includes 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, but lacks a microSD card slot. The Bionic and RAZR, on the other hand, both come with 16GB of internal memory, and 16GB microSD cards, expandable to 32GB, so ultimately they can store up to 48GB.
The one spec that most people will be looking at, however, is support for Ice Cream Sandwich, and there's no competition there. While Samsung's Galaxy Nexus features ICS right out of the box, Motorola says the Droid RAZR and Droid Bionic will be getting ICS updates at some point in the future. But there's no word on when, and we've seen users wait on updates for quite some time in the past.
Then of course, there are also some features you can't compare in the box above, like the diamond-cut aluminum accents, tapered corners, stainless steel core, and laser-cut woven Kevlar fiber that make up the Droid RAZR. Or the incredibly sharp, incredibly large 720p display on the Galaxy Nexus. The next-gen handset also boasts a super-thin design profile and a curved back that's contoured for a "softer, more natural look and feel." The buttonless design and slip-resistant hyperskin backing are also worth mentioning. And don't forget the Droid Bionic's ability to transform into a desktop or laptop computer via some additional accessories.
So which phone should you get? If you want your Ice Cream Sandwich, and you want it now, get the Galaxy Nexus. But judging by the rest of the specs alone, there is no clear cut answer. Take a look at our reviews of the Galaxy Nexus, Droid Bionic, and the Droid RAZR to help you decide. And for more Nexus info, see our unboxing below.