Does the Apple iPhone 4S hint at big things coming for the Google Nexus Prime?

While many Verizon customers felt like that had taken a shot to the solar plexus when it was apparent that Big Red was skipping out on the Samsung Galaxy S II party, there had to be an upside according to customers of the nation's largest carrier. After all, the handset is considered the best Android phone ever made with absolutely mind-blowing Quadrant Benchmark scores. And after passing up on the first-generation Apple iPhone, you wouldn't expect Verizon to make the same mistake twice. So there had to be quite an amazing phone on the horizon for Big Red to pass on the Samsung Galaxy S II. And, many thought, that handset has to be the fifth-generation Apple iPhone.

Now that the introduction has been made, and the specs are released, the Apple iPhone 4S has been outed for what it is. The device is an Apple iPhone 4 with a fairly substantial improvement in software. The problem is that most of the improvements only match current Android specs such as HSPA+ connectivity. At the event, Apple tried to show that the iPhone 4S is just as fast as some other Android models using HSPA+, but the truth is that the chart really should have been used by Android manufacturers instead of Apple to show non-techies that despite Cupertino's constant propaganda, it is the Apple iPhone 4S that is just now catching up to the speed of other Android 4G models using HSPA+ pipelines.

An 8MP camera? Android models have had this for some time. Notifications? Again, nothing new for Android users. A dual-core processor? Heck, Android smartphones are supposed to have quad-core under the hood by Q1 2012. And we won't start another fanboy squabble by discussing the 3.5 inch screen on the Apple iPhone 4S as compared to the 4.52 inch display on the Sprint and T-Mobile variants of the Samsung Galaxy S II.

This is not to say that the Apple iPhone 4S is not a good phone. Nay, it might even be a great phone. But since in many ways it is just bringing Apple up to match Android specs, would Verizon pass on the Samsung Galaxy S II for the Apple iPhone 4S? Or could it be that the Google Nexus Prime, with its Ice Cream Sandwich goodness, will be truly amazing. Don't forget that anonymous 4Chan poster who claimed to have played with the device and passed along what he believes are the specs of the phone. The Google Nexus Prime will supposedly be equipped with a 1.5GHz dual-core processor and a 4.65 inch curved glass display with 720p resolution. 16GB of storage is on board and a 2000mAh battery powers the phone. According to the anonymous source of this information, the Google Nexus Prime is why Verizon said no to the Samsung Galaxy S II. And now that Samsung tells us that "Something BIG is Coming", we can only agree.