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Verizon Galaxy Nexus Review
Our friends over at Samsung have sent us the Verizon Galaxy Nexus For us to review. This is the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, and that is the latest version of Android. It is the latest official Google phone and it has landed on Verizon. And it is running on Verizon’s 4G LTE Network. It features some amazing specs and an amazing operating system. Now, let’s get started with the full review of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus!
Design
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is very similar to it’s HSPA+ counterpart. It is just a little bit thicker, due to the LTE antenna but features all of the same great features. It is not that thick at only 8.94 millimeters and weighs only 135 grams. It feels very comfortable in your hand. It features a curved display, very slightly curved though. On the bottom of the device you will find the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack and the micro USB port. On the left hand side you will find the volume rocker. The power/sleep button can be found on the right hand side. If we flip the device over to its back we can find the speaker, Samsung logo, Verizon 4G LTE logo, 5 mega-pixel camera and LED flash. The back cover is very easy to take off but, very hard to put back on the device. This is due to the plastic build and the difficulty of clicking it back into place. However, if you do take the back cover off you will find the Samsung 1,850 mAh Battery and the Verizon 4G LTE SIM Card. Above the screen on the front you have the earpiece and the 1.3 mega-pixel front facing camera. Since, this device is running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich there are no buttons below the screen. The buttons are built-in to the operating system. They are always available in the operating system and they automatically rotate to which way you are holding the device. They are the Back, Home, and Recent Apps buttons. Overall, these changes make the device much better. I cannot wait to see these changes appear on other devices. The design of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is great!
Display
Samsung is known for there awesome displays and the Galaxy Nexus has one of them. It features a gorgeous 4.65 inch HD Super AMOLED Display. It has a resolution of 1280 X 720. This is as good as a HD TV and the quality of the display is great. The colors are bright and vibrant and have amazing detail. When you turn this device one you can see how good the colors like, talk about a great first impression. The brightness of the screen is also very nice, it adds to the overall quality of the device. Watching videos over Verizon’s 4G LTE Network works great. The quality of the videos are just as good as some of the other HD Phones on the market like the LG Nitro HD or HTC Rezound. I’m not sure how Samsung has perfected it but, they are definitely on the top of my list when it comes to screens. When watching videos on the Galaxy Nexus playback is in full 1080pHD at 30 frames per second. So, this is probably the same quality as your TV in your house. With the Galaxy Nexus you can now enjoy that same quality where ever you may be.
Features And Network
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus also features some great hardware on the inside as well as the outside. For speed you get Verizon’s 4G LTE Network and a 1.2GHz Dual-Core Processor with 1GB of RAM. In the area where we were testing the Galaxy Nexus we had anywhere from 1 bar of strength to a full set of bars. However, no matter how many bars we were still amazed by the quality of the network. You can see our test results with the Galaxy Nexus below.
- Verizon Galaxy Nexus Network Test
- Ping 73ms, Download 13.57Mbps, Upload 4.19Mbps
- Ping 75ms, Download 15.90Mbps, Upload 6.36Mbps
- Ping 76ms, Download 9.40Mbps, Upload 4.38Mbps
- Ping 72ms, Download 22.96Mbps, Upload 13.84Mbps
As you can see we saw everything from 22Mbps for download and as low as 9Mbps for download. In terms of upload we saw 13Mbps and as low as 4Mbps. Overall, the speeds are very good and we are still very impressed with Verizon’s 4G LTE Network in the New York Metro Area. In terms of the reports of a Data Issue with the Galaxy Nexus, we could not find any issues with it. For connectivity the Galaxy Nexus has NFC(Near Field Communications), WiFi 802.11, Bluetooth 3.0, and USB 2.0 . For sensors we have a Barometer, Gyro, Proximity, Light, Accelerometer, and a Compass. No, the neither the HSPA+ or LTE Galaxy Nexus has a micro SD card slot. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus(LTE) features an internal memory of 32GB. While the HSPA+ version only has 16GB of internal storage. Overall, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus has some great hardware and an awesome network!
Camera
There are 2 cameras on the Galaxy Nexus. Now, Samsung is normally known for making great cameras on there smartphone. However, the Galaxy Nexus is a bit of a let down in terms of cameras. In terms of features the camera app is quite basic, but does throw in a few surprises. It features Scene Modes like Auto, Action, Night, Sunset, and Party! You can set the exposure, auto balance, flash, and more. It can also take panoramas, which is probably the coolest feature of the camera app. The back camera is a 5 mega-pixel auto focus with an LED flash. It also has zero shutter lag. It records video in 1080pHD Full HD Video at 30 frames per second. Keep in mind that we have seen better cameras on many other Samsung devices like the Galaxy S II’s from Samsung. On the from of the device you have a 1.3 mega-pixel camera that gets the job done. It is perfect for making video calls, joining in a Google + Hangout or taking self portraits. Overall, while the camera on the Galaxy Nexus is not the best feature, it does work well.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
The Galaxy Nexus is the first device to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich! Ice Cream Sandwich bring a good amount of new features to Android. And it is a very clean version of the operating system on the Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The only non-google software on the device is My Verizon Mobile and VZ Backup Assistant. It also does not have Google Wallet, hopefully this just for the time being. In terms of Google Applications it comes with the Android Market, Gmail, Google Earth, YouTube, Movie Studio, Google Maps 5.0(includes turn-by-turn navigation and 3D Maps), Google Calendar, and the Google + App! It runs very fast on the Galaxy Nexus, this thanks to it’s 1.2GHz Dual-Core Processor and 1GB of RAM. For more info on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich be sure to check out our full review!
Bottom Line
The Verizon Galaxy Nexus is an awesome device. It features Verizon’s amazingly fast 4G LTE Network, which gives you super fast speeds for data. It is the first device running Android’s latest operating system Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich! It’s only downside maybe it’s not so great 5 mega-pixel back camera. Overall, the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is a great phone and maybe the bets phone on Verizon’s network if you can live with a “okay” camera. The Verizon Galaxy Nexus will cost you $299.99 with a 2-year contract. You Can Get Your Verizon Galaxy Nexus, By Clicking Here. We would like to thank Samsung Mobile USA for providing us with a copy of the “Verizon Wireless Samsung Galaxy Nexus”.
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