Posted by laffen
Samsung and Google today announced Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone running version 4.0 of the Android operating system.
Esato News
At an event in Hong Kong today, Google introduced version 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich of the Android operating system and the first smartphone running the new OS. Samsung Galaxy Nexus is an smartphone with a curved 4.3 inch touch screen. Most of the specifications and images of the devices was leaked days before the actual announcement so we had already updated our phone directory with this info.
Apart from being the first Android 4.0 ICS smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus impresses with a rounded shaped 4.65 inch touch screen. The rounded shape and the Contour Display makes the Galaxy Nexus fit perfectly in within the hand. The screen resolution of 1280 x 720 is nothing more than impressive. The resolution is even higher than the 10.1 Galaxy Tab tablet. Only a handful smartphones has a pixel density (PPI) higher than 300, and those screens are all below 4 inch in size. Galaxy Nexus has 315 PPI and a 4.65 inch display.
The thickness of 8.9 mm makes the Galaxy Nexus one of the thinnest smartphones in its class. The 1.2 GHz dual core processor powers the device enough to capture videos up to 1080p quality. A 5 megapixel camera is a little disappointing in a flagship model but the image quality can still be good.
Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich brings countless new features to the market. Such as the gimmick feature Face Unlock where the phone can be unlocked by switching on the phone and looking into the camera. Android Beam is another feature where active apps can share photos, links, contacts etc by holding two NFC enabled devices close to each other and push the display to beam the content over to the other phone. Voice typing is a voice to text feature for all applications.
As we have seen in a couple of other newly released Android devices, Samsung Galaxy Nexus features a new function for panorama shots.
Galaxy Nexus will be available in two versions. One GSM version which will have 4G using HSPA+ and the other version with LTE.
Samsung Galaxy Nexus highlights
- Size: 135.5 x 67.94 x 8.94mm
- Weight: 135 gram
- Networks: GSM/EDGE 850/900/1800/1900, HSPA 850/900/1900/1700/2100, HSPA+ (alternatively LTE)
- 4.65 inch Super AMOLED display, 1280 x 720 pixel resolution
- 5 megapixel camera, autofocus, LED light, panorama shot
- 1.3 megapixel front camera
- Wi-Fi a/b/g/n
- 1080p HD video capture @30 fps
- Bluetooth 3.0
- USB
- NFC
- A-GPS
- 3.5 audio jack
- 1.2 GHz dual core processor
- 1 GB RAM. 16/32 GB internal storage
- Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system
- 1750 mAh battery
- Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, gyro, light, proximity, barometer
[ This Message was edited by: laffen on 2011-10-19 05:52 ]
Posted by jplacson
See? They CAN make a phone that doesn't look like an iPhone!
Any news on availability?
Posted by laffen
Available in U.S, Europe and Asia in the beginning of November.
Posted by razec
See? They CAN make a phone that doesn't look like an iPhone! Any news on availability?
Yes but only with google's intervention
GSMArena says it should be available on November
[ This Message was edited by: razec on 2011-10-19 05:52 ]
Posted by goldenface
A good, well rounded device, the OS is the interesting part for me, although I still think the voice thing is over rated.
Posted by semo
The screen resolution and the new Android are the only two really impressive points here. We'll see how the 1750 mAh battery handles these. Whereas design is just... like many, many others.
Posted by adsada
Hmmm...looks like they've copied Sony Ericsson's layout with the 2 apps either side of the app launcher on the bottom row of icons
go and sue!
Posted by Geezay
The OS is definitely the highlight for me. It looks more refined and elegant. Reminds me of Windows Phone 7 in a way... Check out the video for those interested.
I am a bit disappointed by the Galaxy Nexus, especially the processor and imaging department. The Samsung Galaxy SII has a 1.3MP and 8MP camera at the front and back respectively, and this trounces the Galaxy Nexus! And a 1.2Ghz dual core processor? HTC have already hit the 1.5Ghz mark. So why so "restrained" Samsung? Is this Samsung's way of making sure that when they release the SG SIII it will be better in every way than the Galaxy Nexus?
Posted by Bonovox
So Google does not have their say on the specs of their pure Android breed of phones then?? Shame as the announcement of this phone something big is coming sounded exciting. Another anti climax. And no not every Samsung looks like the iphone my Samsung Wave 2 is nothing like it. The Galaxy Ace is the worst one for iphone looks
Posted by randomuser
Is it just me or the back of this phone looks plain hideous
Posted by skblakee
What I don't get is why the step down in the camera department. This is like the iPhone 4s, nothing fresh new and exciting.
@Geezay, I agree with you totally.
Edit, you know what, I want to believe that Sammy will come with something we did not expect otherwise forget it.
[ This Message was edited by: skblakee on 2011-10-19 12:04 ]
Posted by Tsepz_GP
EVERYTHING we saw in the rumours came true
-Holographic UI aka Honeycomb UI
-Button less phone, as i had said in another topic, if you have used Android3.0 Honeycomb you will know that ICS will not require buttons!
-Android3.0 widgets that are resizable
-There are no major system requirements other than GPU as Ice Cream Sandwich brings Hardware Accelerated UI, majority of Androids have a GPU.
-HD 1280x720P screen res support.
-Android3.0 task manager
-Android3.0 Web browser
etc etc...
Looks amazing, im very fond of the Honeycomb Android3.0 UI on my Galaxy Tab10.1 and i always said its more mature and elegant than the phone UI so im glad to see Google also realised this and made it for phones to.
Apparently its also now possible to "disable" preinstalled apps so they dont use any resources and dont appear in app list, also an advanced data manager that even allows you to set it to stop data transfer when reaches a certain limit.
Loads more here: http://developer.android.com/[....]0-highlights.html#UserFeatures
Personaly VERY happy with the announcement, Android4.0 is mature, elegant, highly functional, and a major step forward for Android.
The SAMSUNG Galaxy Nexus was NEVER going to be mind blowing, for goodness sake its a DEVELOPER PHONE its just a benchmark to give developers and manufacturers an idea of what Android is capable of and what is expected, dont expect Nexus devices to be great in imaging or power.
This runs a TI OMAP4460 dual-core CPU with PowerVR SGX540 GPU, its decent and being a TI OMAP chip will give the Tegras and Snapdragons a run for their money despite being clocked lower.
See this as an idea of what to expect from SE, MOTO, HTC, SAMSUNG, LG etc... when they bring out Android4.0 phones and update the other to 4.0, they will put their own skin over it, but this is a very good base for them as major functionality has been added, all the OEMs have to do is bring a nice up to date skin and some of their proprietory apps, but they will require less work in 4.0.
[ This Message was edited by: Tsepz_GP on 2011-10-19 12:25 ]
Posted by skblakee
Okay so can any one say when we will see this start rolling out to current phone owners?
Thanks.
Edit, okay found this - http://www.phonearena.com/new[....]tically-in-the-mix-too_id23087
What do you think?
[ This Message was edited by: skblakee on 2011-10-19 12:26 ]
Posted by Bonovox
Ok yes would love ICS but not in this device
Posted by julias
I don't like this phone and I don't like Android.
Posted by Geezay
On 2011-10-19 13:22:39, skblakee wrote:
Okay so can any one say when we will see this start rolling out to current phone owners?
Thanks.
Edit, okay found this - http://www.phonearena.com/new[....]tically-in-the-mix-too_id23087
What do you think?
[ This Message was edited by: skblakee on 2011-10-19 12:26 ]
OEMs will be mostly interested in pushing out new devices as opposed to giving owners of current devices a reason to hold on to their current phones and not to upgrade. Having said that, I think the newer recent crop of popular devices will get ICS, lest there is public outcry as was the case when HTC announced that the HTC Desire would not get GB.
Sadly I see this also as the beginning of the whole "will-my-device-get-ICS-or-not" rants on the web! Sigh
Posted by Bonovox
I must admit I am looking forward to seeing ICS in full play!! A whole new experience
Posted by Tsepz_GP
Some potential reasons why Google chose a TI OMAP chip for its latest Nexus: www.phonearena.com/news/Why-G[....]droid-ICS-poster-child_id23089
Personaly ive always had mad respect for TI OMAP chips since the days of the N93, their chips have always had both power effeciency and multimedia as major strengths over the rest, and hoped SE's next crop of droids use a TI OMAP chip, this TI OMAP4460 has an overclocked GPU and the CPU is underclocked to 1.2GHz, considering that Android4.0 supports UI HW Acceleration it means the UI depends less on the CPU and now off loads some work to the GPU, and thanks to multi-core support to it means both cores do the work with the dual-core CPU, this thing is going to be INCREDIBLY smooth, and so will all the other Android4.0 ICS devices and those that get the update.
Realy hope my network has it by December, the more i read about it the more i want it.
Posted by Bonovox
Hands on preview http://www.gsmarena.com/samsu[....]_nexus_hands_on-review-663.php
This device seeing it in the video is starting to look sexy!! The new browser loaded so fast
[ This Message was edited by: Bonovox on 2011-10-19 22:12 ]
Posted by etaab
This will be my next phone, next month.
My contract is up for renewal now so this is the only choice seeing as the iPhone 5 didnt show its head.
Initial thoughts are:
- love the looks from the front, side and ends
- hate the look of the rear
- confusion, some sites say there is a micro sd card slot, some say there is not. Images show no slot anywhere sadly..
- disappointed about the low resolution camera, a move to stop it stealing the limelight from the S2 perhaps
- disappointed about the cpu speed of 1.2ghz, i would have expected a little more around 1.5ghz
- love the UI of ICS
- love the HD screen and its size
- love the overal user interface videos of the phone
Im really looking forward to the Galaxy Nexus, but less than what i thought i would seeing as one or two key features are still missing which i'd have liked. However, with apps like ChatOn from Samsung im sure the phone will be well stocked with great features not found in many other devices.
Posted by Caspa
I... WANT...
Posted by skblakee
@Geezay, remember that Google made OEM's agree to update their android phones every number of months (which I don't recall) so that manufacturers will have to update their current crop of phones to ICS.
Posted by false_morel
Could someone justify for me the lack of a Gorilla glass?!! I thought the days where we had to look after these screens from the slightest scratches are long over!!
Is it the curvature?!
Also the screen itself misses the "Plus" of Samsung's AMOLED! And it's not about just a minor plus from what I was reading!!
Also the camera seems to be underperforming examining those early photos.. Will wait for a proper review or more reliable pics..
And is it only me or the design is a bit awkward?! To my eyes, it's nowhere near the sexiness of the GSII despite the big similarity...
And what about the Galaxy SII HD?!! It will be released this quarter.. Probably during November..
Is it coming to Europe?! For me, it's an obvious choice over this GN.. Despite missing on ICS for few months and lack of instant updates as soon as they get released from Google..
I really don't get it why there are always these deal breakers to all Nexus phones!
[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2011-10-24 02:29 ]
Posted by Supa_Fly
Tsepz_G ... completely agree about mad respect of the TI OMAP processor ... they MADE what ARM chips are supposed to be ... always been the benchmarks. BTW .. the OMAP4460 does NOT have an overclocked GPU ... its a newer GPU (not new just newer) than other smartphones/tablets using OMAP4430 or equivalent ARM Cortex A9 chips - including Snapdragon and others. This GPU will rock others.
TI (Texas Instruments) is THE leader of licenses for ARM's chip designs ... if you think NVidia's first 2 Quad-Core mobile ships are going to rock ... then I'm telling you the A15 from TI will be the next SHIIIIIT!
I'm VERY highly considering the Galaxy Nexus vs iPhone 4S; however I need to wait and see what HTC will offer in terms of a 720P resolution smartphone. I'm a Mac user so the IP4S appeals to me in terms of sync and compatibility.
Posted by etaab
Im still a bit unsure now about this phone. I think it'll be great and all but i think it might be worth waiting for the Galaxy S3 next year. Im disappointed in its looks, the lack of a plus super amoled screen and average megapixel camera, even if it takes great snaps.
@ false_morel - i think the lack of gorrilla glass is simply down to the curved screen i read on several sites.
Posted by Bonovox
No Gorilla glass?? That happened on the last Nexus
At this price point is bad too.
Posted by etaab
I just like the SGS2 design better than the Galaxy Nexus.
Every time i see the SGS2 i love it more. I just hope when i hold a Nexus in my hand i feel the same. At the moment im tempted at getting either the SGS2 or the 4S.
And is it just me or does ICS look dull and boring ?
Posted by Bonovox
I was thinking the same ICS looks dull with not much colours
Posted by etaab
Im sure it'll look better with Touchwhiz or Sense overlapped on it, but i think Samsung could have made the Nexus look a bit prettier by putting the default wallpaper on the demo phones something more colourful than the dark blue theme every phone seems to be using.
Posted by Bonovox
Maybe it's the Apple patent thing they made it look less like an iphone
Samsung need to re think their designs
Posted by etaab
If that is the case then its a very stupid one. Of course many phones will look like the iPhone if they're touchscreen devices, flat and slim, few or no buttons and a full face screen.
To me, its like claiming all cars copy Volvo because they have windscreens too. They're bound to look similar more now than ever since most phones tend to come with full face touchscreens.
Posted by masseur
but do you not see the irony in saying that most phones will look like the "iPhone" if they're touchscreen?
no one says "most phones will look like a Nokia, or a HTC or"... they always say they look like an iphone so clearly Apple deserve some credit for phones being as usable as they are.
But that shouldn't stop other manufacturers being innovative and coming up with something different rather than simply doing the same "because"..., and these patents are not just about looking the same, they are about the interaction and other aspects
Posted by Miss UK
Gosh this REMINDs me of my HTC sensation
what the heck
Posted by etaab
@ Masseur - i do see the irony, but i totally disagree with your suggestion that people thinking all phones look like an iPhone due to something Apple have done, if anything it proves more my point which ive mentioned in threads about Apple products that Apple simply have a brand which has become so strong people buy into it regardless of how limited and featureless their phones may be.
Not to turn this into the usual Apple vs the rest of the world debate as usual of course.
Phones like the original Galaxy S and pretty much all other touchscreen phones look the way they do simply because they have full face touchscreens rather than keypads.
Posted by false_morel
Apple won nothing against Samsung regarding their Galaxy smartphone line-up!! They lost all cases!
The only patent case they won was about the standard Gallery which Samsung have nothing to do with. And it's insignificant.. A minor tweak to the scrolling mechanism did it.. Samsung already celebrated their win..
Apple are winning against Samsung with th tablet law suits.. And it's only about design.. They also lost all Android patents there.. And they won only in Germany and Australia.. In The Netherlands and other places they lost!
And regarding the form factor of the iPhone, it wasn't Apple who introduced it anyway! They only managed to popularized thanks to iOS.. The same they did with the app store.. Nokia introduced the idea in 2006 and Apple popularized it.. But of course they must be given the credits for that.. But not to that extent some tend to do it and depict Apple as doing the impossible!!
The original iPhone was a useless brick! It was even dumber than the dumbest feature phone back then!
What's so hard in producing such a product?!
The trick is to adopt the new form factor and maintain the functionality.. A thing it took them four years to finally implement!! Do you think the likes of Nokia, Samsung, and SE couldn't do such a product back then! Even LG did it before Apple! Nokia had the Maemo tablets project going, and that was way before Apple introduced the iPhone..
Everybody was keen of the new era we're heading in.. Nokia had Maemo.. MS were already working on transitioning WM before they ditched completely and went for a totally fresh start.. Difference between Apple and others, is that they introduced a product at its very early stages with minimal functionality. While others were developing their products to reach first an acceptable state of functionality as they can't afford to do the same step as Apple's.. And then we all know the rest of the story..
Same they did with the Macbook Air.. They were the first to implement the form factor in a retail unit, but with previous generation chipset and half the features a notebook offers!! What's so hard about doing that?!
The trick is to implement such a form factor with the current chipsets and maintain the feature set..
Problem is if others do it, these products won't kick off. Same they did with the iPad!!
What's revolutionary in producing a 10" iPhone with even less features than the iPhone itself!!
You think Samsung couldn't back then produce a 10" Galaxy S?! But if they did everybody would mock them for their miserable try and question what's the use of it.. Apple do it, and it's revolutionary..
Ah! Apple! The only revolutionary product to me they did and deserve big credits for is the iPod and iTunes.. With the iPhone they set the pace for the new modern era of smartphone.. By introducing the philosphy of UX first, functionality second, implemented through iOS... And popularizing the application store..Also they deserve credits for that, but I see it as a marketing revolution more than a technological revolution..
@ etaab
Why don't you consider a WP device?! I know the app store isn't there yet, but the OS itself is simply amazing. And I know the Lumia 800 isn't quite there yet, but looking forward, I can only expect another camera revolution coming its way from Nokia with their upcoming flagship, along with their unique premium designs.. For now, there are the Titan and Samsung's WP flagship which is the GSII running WP.. Then one could jump to Nokia later.. It's different from jumping from Android to WP..
Just my two cents..
Posted by etaab
Ive thought about it but theres two main issues with me and WP, first off im bored of WP before ive even owned one. I just dont like the interface simplicity, its like operating a PS3 XMB interface. Second, im kind of annoyed with Nokia at the moment. In fact enraged is one way of saying it. Im annoyed mostly with their customer support last year when my first N8 was broken, it took them weeks to organise me a replacement. Im also annoyed how when software updates are available, they take a further month or two to become available over the air. So i have to mess around going on a pc to load up the buggy Ovi suite to update. Symbian's built in clock still suffers from dementia too, which has been a problem since at least 2006. You turn off an alarm and it still goes off !
So im left only with Android as an alternative platform.
Posted by Bonovox
And WP does not support SD cards
Posted by false_morel
@ etaab
I can't argue much in favor of WP if there are some features you need which aren't there.. But regarding the interface and the live tiles, beieve me, once you try it out, you'll change your mind.. It's simply amazing and for sure more powerful that it looks out to be..
But anyway, if you insist on Android, if it were me, I'd go for the Galaxy Note without any hesisation..
I know it's not a pure smartpone as it tends to have some tablet personality in it.. But as long it fits in my standard side Jeans pocket, and could be handled by one hand, that extra screen is all welcome!!
I'd use it as my phone with all pleasure..
Actually, I'm just wishing Samsung would release a WP version of it.
There is also the GSII HD.. It's a 4.65" Galaxy SII with 720 screen resolution.. Not sure it's coming to Europe though..
If not, then you're left with the GSII, the only viable Droid at the moment, and the only one doing good sales as well!
@ Bono
16GB + 25 GB of Skydrive are all good for me.. And I think this is good for the vast majority..
[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2011-11-01 20:48 ]
Posted by Bonovox
I love the WP OS but that is not as convenient as an SD card is it??
Posted by false_morel
Of course it is not.. But I can't see it as a deal breaker.. At least for me.. And I think to the vast majority as well of consumer base as well..
[ This Message was edited by: false_morel on 2011-11-01 21:40 ]
Posted by etaab
The Note is nice but too large for me. Its not really an option.
Posted by Bonovox
I seen the Note review on Phone Arena and in the video it looked massive in his hands. Nice to use at home but as a tablet type as the specs and that screen are cool
Posted by etaab
The Note's size and old version of Android put me off it. Now ICS is on its way its hard to think of buying any Android handset other than the Nexus at the moment. To be truthful, im considering waiting for the Galaxy S3 next year now.
The Nexus might have a fast processor and great specs but i was expecting it to be at least 1.5ghz, i was expecting it to have at least a proper RGB 720p screen and not a pentile matrix and the real deal breaker is lack of a SD card slot.
Ive been looking forward to it all year and disappointed. I love the S2 but feel its been out too long now to sign up to a contract on it.
Posted by false_morel
I tried the Galaxy Note.. It's definitely pocketable.. Check this video..
While handling it is a bit of an issue.. It really depends on your hands size and whether you prefer such a big screen and the extra built-in stylus functionality or not..
To me, I managed to handle it with one hand and dial a phone number for instance. I reached the "1" full streched out, but did reach it like I reach it on standard size phone.. That was the limit for me though. I definitely can't handle larger than that one handed in portrait like any other phone..
Of course reaching all corners isn't quite as smooth as smaller phones.. But just needs a bit of getting used to I think..
Unless of course you have smaller hands or the extra stuff you get from the Note aren't of any interest to ..
Of course guys with bigger hands will even enjoy it even more.. I guess this would be a standard size phone for an NBA player for instance..
So yeah, it can't be recommended just like that for anybody.. But I thought such a device would be what you're looking for etaab..
If you haven't tried it out, just do it, you could change your mind..
And as we're speaking of size, I tried the Titan as well, and this ones feels exactly like any of the HD7, GSII, Sensation, and all other 4.3 inchers feel.. Mainly due to the fact that it's about the same width.. While Note's main problem is its width obviously..
Posted by etaab
I think i'll just wait for next year. Im hoping for a quad core cpu phone, like the new Asus transformer tablet. See its benchmark result here. Once they stick similar chipsets in phones like the SGS2 and call it the SGS3, it will make even the Nexus look so old.
Posted by Bonovox
Do we really need quad core in a mobile though??
Posted by masseur
what a limited view you have of the world...
what we called when I got my first pc with an 8mhz 286 pc with 640k ram, was WOW!
as time went by we went though so much that even now any phone I could buy would put that pc to shame (deservedly)
Why would we think that quad core would be any kind of limit or need?
eventually quad/quinn/oct core etc will get a name such that we no longer care how many cores a processor has (it will just be a marketing term), but even then we will still expect more from whatever comes next because there is an ever increasing amount of data (video/voice/image etc) that needs to be processed to meet our everyday needs
Posted by Bonovox
I don't have a limited view of the world I just think quad core in a small device is a little over kill. A PC is different.
Posted by masseur
quad core and much more is coming in mobile devices... believe me... making hardware for this is relatively easily but it is largely dependant on o/s support (utilising the cores and multi threading etc efficiently requires o/s, compiler etc support), but it will happen as demand/battery and other factors allow/require
a year ago I remember many topics discussing the need for dual core but here we are now somewhat dismissive when a device is announced without that!
Posted by etaab
Its all about progression. Think about it from your S2's point of view. If it was just a single core cpu equipped phone, it would be about the same as an Arc in terms of benchmark scores. Which is rarther mid range in the Android flagships.
Also, arent multi core cpu phones easier to stretch out longer battery life ?