This Is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Google’s New Official Android Phone

The Galaxy Nexus, the new Android flagship phone from Google and Samsung is finally out of the bag. I am like, omega-level excited about that screen, and Ice Cream Sandwich looks tasty, too. Let’s take a bite.

More:
- Samsung: Galaxy Nexus Designed Specifically to Avoid Apple Patents
- Best New Features In Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
- How To: Get The Best Android 4.0 ICS Features NOW

First off, it runs Android 4.0, a.k.a. Ice Cream Sandwich. ICS has a very new look and feel. It’s like Gingerbread and Honeycomb had a baby, and while there are bits and pieces from both mommy and daddy, there’s also a lot of new here. 1280×720 is ICS’s native resolution—and, what a coincidence, those are the dimensions of the Galaxy Nexus. Means all that beauty should run nice n’ quick on the Galaxy Nexus.

Speaking of 1280×720, this is the highest resolution we’ve ever seen on a Super AMOLED Plus screen. Super AMOLED Plus is bright, crisp and really beautiful, and now that the resolution has caught up to that technology, it should an exceptional, true HD experience. The 4.65-inch screen has a gentle curve to it, similar to the Nexus S, and there are no physical buttons anymore, which gives you that big screen without making the phone that much bigger in your hand.

The Galaxy Nexus has NFC radios, which will play a critical role in the upcoming mobile payments revolution (which may or may not change the way we pay for everything). It has a barometer for… well, who know’s why, but it has a freakin’ barometer! Gyroscopes and accelerometers and GPS as you’d expect. It will have LTE radios in certain markets/countries and HSPA+ in others, meaning you should get speedy internets no matter where you live (provided you have coverage).

The camera and its app look awesome. In the native app you can shoot panoramas and time lapse videos, even apply “hipster filters.” (Subtle guys.) You can also apply video-filters (fun, face-warping stuff) in realtime while video chatting. The phone has an instant shutter (like the iPhone 4S), and you can shoot video at 1080p. It’s just a 5MP sensor vs. the iPhone 4S’s and the 8MP, so we’ll have to see how it measures up in real world testing.

The phone and its screen look great, but Ice Cream Sandwich is the real star of the show here. You can read our full report on it (in just a moment), and you can see some of the tastier bits in this Galaxy Nexus video from Google.

So, what do you think? Did Apple leave the door open, and did Android step on in? We’ll find out when we get some real time with it. We know it’ll be available in November in the US (rumoured to be $299 on Verizon). Stay tuned for Australian details.

Here are the full specs:

Galaxy Nexus
Network HSPA+ 21 850/900/1900/1700/2100; EDGE/GPRS (LTE will be available depending on region)
Processor1.2GHz dual-core processor
Display: 4.65-inch 1280 x 720 HD Super AMOLED
OS:Android Ice Cream sandwich
Cameras:Rear cam: 5-megapixel, Front cam: 1.3-megapixel for video call
Video: Playback and recording at 1080p (30fps, MPEG-4/h.263/h.264)
Connectivity:Bluetooth 3.0, USB, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, NFC
Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, gyro, light, proximity, barometer
Memory: 1GB ram + 16/32GB storage
Battery: 1750mah standard battery
Size: 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94; 135g

It Knows What You Look Like!
You’ve always had a choice. Either leave your screen unlocked when you stow it and run the risk of pocket-dialing the entirety of your contact list or lock the screen and endure the tedium of entering a PIN every time you pull it out. The new Samsung Galaxy Nexus, however, knows when to unlock itself–just by looking at you.

Ituses its 1.3MP front-facing camera to scan and recognise your face, unlocking the phone when it senses your gaze. No PIN typing, no Puzzle-piece dragging, no bar sliding, nothing. Just look at the Nexus, it’ll look back at you, and then hopefully grant you access–though it did just Fail-Whale during the on-stage demo.