What a difference firmware makes. When we tested the first version of the Verizon Wireless Galaxy Nexus with Android 4.0, it had serious problems connecting to Verizon's network and making voice calls. But here's Sprint's Galaxy Nexus ($199.99 with contract), running Android 4.0.4, and it's better all around. While it doesn't quite get our Editors' Choice over the HTC EVO 4G LTE ($199.99, 4 stars), it's a solid Android phone that's better for Android purists and heavy voice callers. But you can't bank on getting Sprint LTE coverage, because the carrier has only announced six inaugural cities, but hasn't provided specifics about who else will be covered.

Physical Features and Voice Calling

The Galaxy Nexus is a large phone, at 5.3 by 2.7 by 0.4 inches (HWD) and 4.5 ounces with a 4.65-inch, 1280-by-720 Super AMOLED screen. When I reviewed the first Galaxy Nexus, it was the largest phone I'd seen up until then, but since then, these huge phones have become a popular trend.

There's a 1-megapixel camera on the front, a 5-megapixel camera on the textured plastic back, Power and Volume buttons on the sides, and a standard 3.5mm headset jack on the bottom panel. The Galaxy Nexus has a removable battery, but there's no card slot to add to the 28.13GB of internal memory. More importantly, especially for Mac users, no memory card means no Mass Storage mode, which means having to use an awkward, separate file transfer app to upload and download files on Macs. (Windows PCs have no such problems.)

I was very pleasantly surprised by the voice quality on this version of the Nexus. It's got a lot of sidetone, and is very loud without distorting. The tone is trebly, which some people will hear as "harsh" while others will prefer as "sharp." The Nexus and the EVO have very different default voice tones, and you should pick the Nexus if you prefer sharp treble, while the EVO will please those that prefer warm bass. Transmissions were clear and preserved a lot of the core voice tones, and noise cancellation was excellent. I had no problem connecting a Bluetooth headset for voice dialing.

I was able to get 7 hours, 33 minutes of CDMA talk time from the 1850mAh battery, which is very good. But you can't use that to draw conclusions about LTE battery life, as LTE draws a lot more power than CDMA does.

The phone also supports NFC including Google Wallet, but Sprint has locked that feature.

Similar Products

Our Current Picks for How to Find the Right GPS App for Your Phone

The Irritating Mystery of Sprint LTE

You're going to want to use a lot of Wi-Fi with this phone. For now, the Galaxy Nexus runs on Sprint's nationwide CDMA EVDO 3G network, which is slow. According to our Fastest Mobile Networks report, Sprint had the slowest nationwide 3G network, with average download speeds of 480kbps. The Nexus also got lower speeds than an HTC EVO 4G LTE  on the same 3G network.

LTE will be much faster than EVDO, but Sprint has so far only announced six cities for LTE service so far: Atlanta, Baltimore, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, and San Antonio. The carrier has also said it will cover 120 million Americans with LTE by the end of 2012, but steadfastly refuses to say which 120 million Americans.

So if you pick up a Sprint LTE phone now, you might be speeding along on fast 4G LTE soon. You might have to wait until 2013. Until then, it's a good thing this has Wi-Fi, supporting 802.11 b/g/n networks, excitingly including the faster and less crowded 5GHz band.

Processor and Apps

The Nexus is built around a dual-core TI OMAP4460 processor running at 1.2GHz. That isn't as fast as the 1.5GHz Qualcomm S4 processor in the HTC EVO 4G LTE, but it's fast enough for most uses. (Its one weak spot is a much slower Nenamark graphics score, which means the EVO should be better for gaming.) The phone's apparent speed is also improved by the unadulterated version of Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" which eschews any extra manufacturer skins or widgets, which can slow things down.