Prior to the Google I/O conference, Google elected to reduce the cost of the Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ to $349. I was already strongly tempted by the $399 price tag and the thought of getting Android updates within days of their release. At the time I was using a radio band unlocked Droid Pro running Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and the $50 discount was enough to tip the scales and made me go for it. Since the phone is purchased through Google, it costs more than signing a 2-year contract (However it doesn’t come with a contract!). It does come completely unlocked so I can switch to any other GSM carrier I want at any time and can take it internationally and use a local pay-as-you-go carrier. I have been using the Nexus for a little over two weeks now.
I am absolutely loving the device. When I picked it up, one of my first impressions and the impression of everyone else that I hand it to is how the Nexus is very lightweight. From looking at the size of the phone and it’s 4.65″ screen, I assumed it would be a hefty device, but it is not heavy at all. I think it’s a beautiful design, the curved glass makes it look elegant and it’s a thin phone. The Galaxy Nexus feels very comfortable in my hand. I did read in some of the reviews about the Super AMOLED display not being perfect and I do occasionally notice some oddities, particularly when the screen is mostly white. However, I have not been impacted by these slight aberrations.
Some of the pluses for me:
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Software keyboard is terrific –
I’ve been a hardware keyboard guy when it comes to phone, but these devices have pretty much disappeared, especially any device with the latest version of Android. The on-screen keyboard has functioned perfectly for me and I haven’t had any issues typing. It has been an adjustment making that kind of switch (mainly I can’t type as well without looking at the device), but it has not been unpleasant. -
Great battery life –
The battery has lasted the longest of any smart phone I’ve owned besides a Blackberry (I think the Blackberry lasted longer because it just was not that fun to use and I did not pick it up every other minute to check something or use an app). Even when doing a lot of web searches in poor reception areas, I’ve gotten great battery life. The battery life is certainly a combination of hardware and mature software, but one thing I’ve noticed in particular is the battery lasts for a long time when the phone is on idle. With previous phones there was no way I could charge the phone in the evening, leave it unplugged over night and expect to have significant battery life in the morning. With the Galaxy Nexus, very little power drain occurs over night. -
Ice Cream Sandwich (4.0) and now Jelly Bean (4.1) are very polished-
I was running Ice Cream Sandwich or Android 4.0 for the first week and a half until I received Jelly Bean in an Over-The-Air (OTA) update. Coming from a Motorola skinned Droid Pro, my biggest impression of the software was polish. Google has really done a great job making the OS smooth to look at and smooth to use. Little things such as the menu to set the default application to complete a certain task or the menu that pops up when you want to share something are visually appealing and simplified. My favorite part is the multitasking, the thumbnail previews and jumping in-and-out of multiple apps is quick, easy and awesome. There are lengthy reviews devoted to detailing what’s new in 4.0 and 4.1, so I will conclude by saying that anyone looking to upgrade to a new Android phone should really make sure they get one with at least Ice Cream Sandwich.
In summary, I am very happy with my purchase of the Galaxy Nexus and I think it is a great value for $349. When friends ask what smartphone to get, I generally recommend to get the latest available device and not last year’s/the previous model (e.g. iPhone 4s instead of iPhone 4, or Galaxy SIII instead of SII) even though there may be $100+ savings up front, even last year’s cutting edge phone often does not get all of the latest updates (or any depending on your manufacturer). The Galaxy Nexus is one of the few devices where I would recommend buying last year’s device, despite being an inferiorly spec’ed device compared to some of today’s top phones, because it is guaranteed to be the first phone to get the latest updates from Google. I honestly believe having the latest version of Android is worth more than having the latest hardware that runs yesterday’s version.