Samsung Galaxy Nexus Preview
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Our Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review is now published - click here to read it.
Being the very first handset to run Ice Cream Sandwich, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus represents a true milestone for the Android operating system. Ice Cream Sandwich was one of the most-anticipated Android iterations ever, since it finally bridges the phone and tablet experience. What this means is that both Android phones and tablets will run Ice Cream Sandwich (and the versions after it), and not two separate platforms, like it was until now with Gingerbread and Honeycomb.
The case with ICS is that it's built on top of Honeycomb and not Gingerbread. Because of this, ICS brings a brand new experience to Android phone users, equal to a complete redesign of the platform. Unfortunately, our prototype unit has a very early build of ICS installed, and it's not even optimized properly, so we can't draw any general conclusions about the platform yet. However, we do get to explore its main functionality with its interface and most core apps.
First of all, if you have used a Honeycomb tablet, you'll feel right at home with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, although it's not so much of an Android experience compared to other phones on this OS as well. As always, your homescreen is divided into multiple pages, on which you can place widgets, app shortcuts and so on. The beauty in this is that you can get instant access to various features of your handset like email, weather, etc., whereas on a device with a more static homescreen, like the iPhone, you have to launch a separate application in order to get to such information. Both approaches have their pros and cons though, and the one in Android isn't flawless by any means. More stuff on your homescreen means a more complicated environment and higher demand for system resources, but overall, it basically comes down to personal preference whether you'd prefer a more “open” approach like in Android or a more streamlined one like in the iPhone.
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The Samsung Galaxy Nexus is the very first handset to run Ice Cream Sandwich | |||
An interesting aspect of the ICS software is that, similarly to Honeycomb, the navigational keys “Back”, “Home” and “Multitasking” are part of the interface, and not separate touch-sensitive keys. So, these buttons do take a certain part from your screen real estate, but the Galaxy Nexus has enough of this with its 4.65” display, so there's still enough room for the important stuff. But of course, don't think there's so much of a benefit associated with this all-screen thing. Indeed, it looks cool, but that's pretty much the extent of it.
The notification dropdown has remained, but overall, notifications have improved, as now they can be swiped away one at a time. They are also accessible from the lock screen.
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Lock screen | Multitasking |
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Dialer | The new People app |
Overall, Google is moving to a simplistic interface, just as the one it launched on its web services. An example of that are the new messaging and email applications. Now, they are even better as Google has also improved auto-completion of recipients, among other enhancements. However, we can't comment on the usability of the on-screen QWERTY keyboards, as our prototype unit didn't function as it should.
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Calendar | Messaging |
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The overhauled Browser | |||
Google promised to strip shutter lag off the Camera app, and indeed we found the Samsung Galaxy Nexus to be extremely speedy with its camera operation. In addition, there’s a new panorama mode baked right in the application allowing you to take panoramic shots with a single motion. Live Effects are added to the video capture, so you can fool around with the Silly Face effect or change your background to a custom image.
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The Camera app | |||
Here are a few test samples taken with our prototype Samsung Galaxy Nexus for you to check out, but don't consider them as being indicative of the quality that will be presented by a final, retail unit. It might be pretty close, but we can't be sure.
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Outdoor samples made with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus | |||
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Strong | Medium | Low light | Darkness |
Indoor samples | |||
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Sample Video:
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Indoor Sample Video:
Expectations:
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As a smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus is a pretty strong performer. It features up-to-date specs, although nothing really groundbreaking. Yes, the camera is only 5MP, but if it does turn out to be capable of producing quality shots, we can live with that. At the end of the day, the Galaxy Nexus will be able to offer you a beautiful HD Super AMOLED screen, presumably fast performance due to a 1.2GHz dual-core TI OMAP 4460 processor, and a much-improved Android experience, all included within a relatively thin, curved and, unfortunately, plastic and uninspired body.
To draw our final conclusion about the Galaxy Nexus though, we'll have to wait until we get to play with a final product, which will happen sometime in November, when, however, the Motorola DROID RAZR will also set its heavy foot on the stage, challenging the Galaxy Nexus for the crown of the ultimate Android phone. As it seems, the Nexus will have the early advantage, due to the fact that it will come directly with ICS, while the DROID RAZR will rely on customized Gingerbread, but it will only be a matter of time before Moto's offering gets its ICS boost as well, and then... it will get interesting.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus Video Preview:
Our Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review is now published - click here to read it.
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94 Comments
1. remixfa posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:18 10 0
android owners dont need a flashy phone device. thats what an iphone is for. Id rather have it be all steak in the inside, instead of all sizzle on the outside. :)
those camera shots are pretty decent. no over saturation or anything like that. you should put them up against some cloudy day shots vs the SGS2 and i4s to give a comparison. I know its a non final unit your using, but its probably not going to change that much in the final.
6. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:43 5 0
I don't know what PhoneArena was expecting in terms of materials and build quality. It's no better or worse than the SGS2 from what I can see/read. And at least they gave it a non-slip back cover. Based on the Nexus S and SGS2, is anyone surprised that Samsung's next Nexus is also plasticky?
9. ayephoner posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:54 1 0
i dont think theyre conveying shock as much as continued disappointment. i guess there may have been some speculation a bit back that samsung would step up their materials for this very hyped device.
14. Synack posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:05 1 0
We were just hoping for a premium feel phone since that seems to be a big up for the iPhone and it would've made sense for Samsung to at least throw a premium feel back to it. At least kevlar or something. At least make the phone white if it's going to be plastic. I want my meat AND potatoes @remixfa :D
17. arcq12 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:10 1 1
Kevlar? why not get the RAZR? I cant recall Samsung for using anything other than cheap plastics on their top of the line devices.. so if you are looking for a premium feel, forget about Samsung.
19. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:11 4 1
If Samsung had put "premium" materials on a phone this size and with this much stuffed into it, the phone would be excessively heavy. This is Samsung's MO - great hardware in a lightweight, plain body. Samsung isn't going to turn into HTC when people are still buying their phones by the millions as is.
63. RORYREVOLUTION posted on 25 Oct 2011, 15:42 5 1
Yes, looking at the millions of sales the SGS2 has, I'm pretty sure there are millions of people who are just fine with the plastic design. Myself included, I actually perfer it. I always have a cover for the device, the thinner and lighter the device is with the cover, the better.
82. gtrxman posted on 29 Oct 2011, 09:43 0 1
The point is that on a premium device, one should expect premium materials. I don't care to have my phone feel like it was made by Fisher Price. Not knocking anyone else's choice, just saying that Sammy can and should do better. Galaxy S II is a nice device, but it just feels cheap. They don't need to build an HTC like brick, but just step it up to "classy."
29. remixfa posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:11 4 0
lol.. both is great, but if you had to choose sizzle or steak, i dont know about you, but i prefer an actual steak to the sound of one.. lol
I really liked those prerelease fan renders they did of the nexus prime.. that metallic nexus1 throwback was nice.
I know im in the minority, but i prefer samsungs use of light weight yet durable plastics and gorilla glass over heavier and more easily broken or dinged up glass and aluminum like HTC and Apple uses. Give me premium "dropped phone" quality, over percieved quality by material use.
38. arcq12 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:43 1 0
well i guess it doesnt matter whether these phones are made with wood, aluminum, glass, kevlar or plastic, they arent made or designed to survive inevitable 4 or 5 foot drops..
42. Synack posted on 25 Oct 2011, 11:41 4 0
Have you seen the Galaxy S2 dropped flat on it's face at about 5.5 feet or so? It survived.... Gorilla Glass is the s**t.
43. arcq12 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 11:50 1 0
well, i don't think thats enough though, and theres still a lot of aspects to consider when it comes to drops.. it still depends on the surface where it will be dropped, how it will land the surface and some other things.. i have dropped my inspire 4g several times and had it roll over my stairs and its still alive.. but im not assuming it will still be alive next time..
and i agree that gorilla glass is tough but its not only the screen that can be wrecked..
80. NeXoS posted on 28 Oct 2011, 00:03 0 0
Step up to what? Glass on the back? This is iPhone "quality" glass for ya!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIKsztSG63M
33. Alantef posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:22 2 0
Yea im shocked that everyone else is shocked about this...im getting this phone and getting an otterbox case with it (hopefully they make it) so i can care less about the build quality only....its whats on the inside that matters
34. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:32 1 0
And ironically the iPhone 4/4S with its vaunted premium glass exterior is rarely seen without a case. Why bother making it pretty when everyone covers it up?
Meanwhile I can rock my Nexus with nothing but a screen protector and enjoy its thin profile.
37. kshell1 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:41 0 0
samsungs plastic may not feel that great but they usually are more durable then aluminum which dents or glass which shatters into pieces (still dont get why you would layer the front AND back pf a phone with glass) apple is so dumb.
49. vette21man posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:24 3 0
I may be in the minority, but around the house I use my iPhone 4 out of the case. It's weird, but I still appreciate the design even after 13mos.
Then again, I like to sniff glue, love the smell of magazine print fresh out the plastic bag, and I was dropped on my head as a baby.
64. RORYREVOLUTION posted on 25 Oct 2011, 15:43 2 0
Yea one drop is all it pretty much takes from an iphone to shatter it. "oh man look how pretty my shattered iphone is! yep sooo much better than having a plastic phone that doesnt even have a scratch on it" lol
57. yungmel0 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 14:01 0 0
That's the beautiful thing about otterbox it fully protects your phone. But if you have a chance look up ballistic cases they look good and offers the same protection.
39. McLTE posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:47 1 0
How the F is this phone uninspiring and why is plastic so bad? If it feels good.. the weight savings is beneficial as long as the durability doesn't suffer.
I love reading how this phone is uninspiring designwise.. yet the Nokia N9 is freaking amazing??? WTF PA.
I don't know.. I find this phone FAR more sexy than the N9, regardless of the materials.
60. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 14:55 1 0
The N9 looks like my '08 iPod nano. Sure, it's more distinctive than the Nexus, but that doesn't make it original or practical.
47. ph00ny posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:12 2 0
As long as they use metal skeletal structure just like SGS2, i don't see a huge problem with plastic shells. Perceived quality can only go so far
62. Jasonhunterx posted on 25 Oct 2011, 15:34 1 0
You can just buy a metal cover if your worried about build quality
73. andro. posted on 25 Oct 2011, 19:00 1 0
This is the next step for android and is great leap in os standards. This phone is indeed itself and flashy phone and prob the most high tech there is to buy today.
The only reason it won't seem as flashy to the general public is that there won't be dozens of cring worthy "wow this is cool" "ooooh you love this" "this changes everything again" ads the likes apple uses to try make their devices appeal to their prime buyers which indeed as phonearena have said in an article here is teenage age group,the young who simply buy iphones to look cool,trendy,flash and in the most basic needs seem to 'fit in with their friends'.
Most know nothing of the phone just its cool,most would call a sony mp3 walkman an ipod and wouldn't know the difference. Unfortunately for all others Apple is very astute at taking maximum advantage of these vulnerabilities in their market age group and with patent absurdness will try to ensure onl;y their way will survive in the market
74. andro. posted on 25 Oct 2011, 19:02 0 0
This is the next step for android and is great leap in os standards. This phone is indeed itself and flashy phone and prob the most high tech there is to buy today.
The only reason it won't seem as flashy to the general public is that there won't be dozens of cring worthy "wow this is cool" "ooooh you love this" "this changes everything again" ads the likes apple uses to try make their devices appeal to their prime buyers which indeed as phonearena have said in an article here is teenage age group,the young who simply buy iphones to look cool,trendy,flash and in the most basic needs seem to 'fit in with their friends'.
Most know nothing of the phone just its cool,most would call a sony mp3 walkman an ipod and wouldn't know the difference. Unfortunately for all others Apple is very astute at taking maximum advantage of these vulnerabilities in their market age group and with patent absurdness will try to ensure onl;y their way will survive in the market
86. jackhammeR posted on 31 Oct 2011, 05:18 0 0
Flashy device? If nexus prime, galaxy nexus or whatever would be made of paper or tic tac plastic box would you say the same?
Interior must be as good as exterior. Otherwise it's nothing special.
We all know that sammy has never built nothing "wow" (except wave), so it's nothing new that nexus doesn't look to good...."premish" as it should be.
2. Mozarrt posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:18 2 8
Lots of hype building around a phone with pretty boring specs.
4. kshell1 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:34 7 0
how is it "boring"? it the first phone with ics the first phone with a 720p screen. it may not be the first 1.2ghz ti omap 4460 but when it gets overclocked itll be a lightning fast phone. just because it only has 5 megapixels doesnt mean its not a good cam for a high end android it also has to do with aperture and other camera technology. why was the iphone so hyped if it had barely any upgrades whatsoever? you know what ios gave you? a voice recognition system big f'n whoop. and you stole androids notification system and wp7 social integration idea.and apple sues samsung over a design and os simmilarity. screw you
7. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:47 3 0
People must've expected something mind-blowingly new, like a 1.5 Ghz Exynos, 2 GB of RAM, 64 GB storage and a 12 MP camera. None of which was seriously rumored for this phone. Galaxy Nexus about the ICS experience and the HD screen, not the specs. I'm not making apologies for the phone, people just didn't have realistic expectations.
16. Synack posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:09 0 0
They didn't need to, there is NO reason for any current ICS phone to be running faster than what the Galaxy Nexus is pushing out. The hardware is finally optimized and there are no games/programs or anything else out there that needs a processor/RAM/GPU combo faster than what is given here. Don't forget we ARE trying to deal with power consumption (battery life).
Now what would be badass is it we could buy mini sticks of RAM for the phone, along with overclocking the CPU/GPU, which we already can on the CPU.
30. remixfa posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:12 2 0
well, i was on board for the exynos :)
32. taz89 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:18 1 0
that's my only disappointment too but hey ICS seems to run super smooth and that's all that matters at the end.
35. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:33 0 0
That was you?
45. remixfa posted on 25 Oct 2011, 11:57 0 0
yes. i held on to hope with my last breath that samsung wouldnt break the tradition of showcasing the best of what the manufacturer offers with the nexus
nexus1- HTC brought us into 1ghz snapdragons and started the increase in screen sizes.
nexusS - samsung showcased super amoled + and the pure power of a hummingbird, which is the strongest single core, and as strong as a snapdragon dual core at the 1-1.2ghz range.
I was severely hoping that the prime would either include an exynos or especially the exynos 4212 which is even more powerful to showcase what is currently the most powerful chipset on the market by far.
but alas, samsung broke that tradition... at least it still has that swank screen and stuff :)
48. arcq12 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:20 0 0
well ofcourse theres a reason why samsung didnt give the nexus its best shot.. they're saving it for their own..
53. roldefol posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:44 0 0
I thought the Nexus S had pretty dated hardware by the time it arrived. 4" Super AMOLED (PenTile) and 1 Ghz Hummingbird were introduced on the SGS a good 6 months earlier, and even Verizon had two versions by the time it showed up.
The hardware items showcased on the Nexus S were NFC, a curved screen and non-removable storage - all of debatable value. Otherwise it was all about the stock Gingerbread experience.
40. kshell1 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:48 0 0
i know right. most people just want android phones to have super specs. but it aint the specs its how smoothly the phone operates and the functionality
24. SweetLou posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:33 0 0
haha he didn't even mention the iphone and you're going off on it....
8. kenshiro posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:51 5 0
That's a rather hypocritical statement coming from an Apple fanboy.
15. protozeloz posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:05 0 0
I have said that Nexus Cant go above the android standard to avoid repeating the errors on the nexus one, Nexus is also a measure on how much others will increase their hardware by Jan as the average and as a consideration of what a low end phone is, from 2012 on single core = low end
36. robinrisk posted on 25 Oct 2011, 10:34 2 0
I completely agree with you, the neXus line is about setting standards, not having the best phone out there. It is to set a line of hardware and design for manufacturers and control fragmentation, and then, the secondary reason of existence is to offer customers a stock android experience.
76. protozeloz posted on 25 Oct 2011, 20:11 1 0
Why nexus exist.
1. To provide a rounded standard of high and low end android phones.
2. To provide devs with a tool to make new software for android
3. To increase what stock android can support without being altered
4. Customer appeal, just need to see the pure Google experience started being branded with the nexus S
5. AKm007 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:35 1 0
this review is a bit unfair. The curved screen does make a difference to usability. And GSMarena said that the body doesn't feel cheap at all.And saying that the iphone's static app-launcher is better than this because its less complicated is utter bull-s**t.
10. clevername posted on 25 Oct 2011, 08:59 4 0
Dude calm down bro...the reason you don't like this review May be because it isn't a review. Lol its a preview man.
18. Synack posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:11 0 2
I can tell you one advantage to a curved screen.
You can't drop it flat on its face and murder it. If anything, it will crack either end of the phone, and nothing in the middle. This is probably why they did it.
50. vette21man posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:29 1 0
Actually, dropped face down, it will take MORE of an impact than say a SGSII BECAUSE it only hits the ends...the less surface area at impact, the more impact absorbed at those points.
What does it matter if it doesn't crack the middle? It's ruined either way!
The SGSII flat on its face exposes more surface area to better absorb the impact.
26. protozeloz posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:46 3 0
it says 4430 on the motodev web page
http://developer.motorola.com/products/droid-razr-xt912/
51. JayLeBlanc posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:30 0 1
I think it's more likely that both are 4430s....
52. arcq12 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 12:42 1 0
does this really matter? i don't think we'll see a difference in real world experience..
12. protozeloz posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:01 2 0
Guys this Is a preview... its a prototype. no conclusions to be drawn in here....
20. ledbetterp3 posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:20 0 0
The camera samples you provided are much better than the ones we've seen before! I was doubting the camera when I saw those.
25. sonisoe posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:43 0 4
am sick of android... the os may have more excellent features than ios or even wp7, though i dont what those additional features are... doesnt matter whether its dual-core let alone single-core, the os is just buggy - force-closes, freezes, stutters, worse - the keyboard, whether its stock or from the market, is far from the best. you would miss letters when typing a bit too fast, and appmarket's keyboards would stutter, lag, change from numbers to alphabets itself, etc etc. i've had 4 devices, enuff is enuff and battery sucks... i dont know how wp7 or iphone in terms of battery, but at least i heard wp7's pretty good.
27. vette21man posted on 25 Oct 2011, 09:54 2 0
ICS is apparently supposed to fix all your issues mentioned...remains to be seen for sure. I can't speak for WP7, but I will say that iPhone 4 battery life is very good, especially compared to more current models with LTE (e.g., thunderbolt, bionic).
I'm very curious about the Nexus in the real world and how other Android/WP7 devices act in the near future. I have liked the iPhone 4 a lot for the past year, and I'm excited for what the iPhone "5" may bring. I'm up for upgrade in 7mos...the landscape can change a ton in that time.
70. snowgator posted on 25 Oct 2011, 18:46 0 0
WP is fairly good to outstanding in those areas. I really recommend giving a shot if you are a little bored or had a bad experience with Android. But it is still a new OS, just over a year old and has it's disadvantages. It lacks in screen vibrance, memory options, form factors, and of course carrier support. I am a big WP fan, but just know it's limitations going in.
ICS should cure the "bored of Android" stuff. It really does look like it will have a fairly different feel about it from screen to screen. I am actually fairly excited to take this for a test run.
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