Overall 4.5/5

As Google and Samsung once again partnered up to bring yet another stock Android device to the Nexus line, they shocked the United States by bringing it to Verizon, instead of the regular first carrier: T-Mobile. While there still isn’t a Galaxy Nexus being offered by a GSM carrier over here in the US, the Verizon version packs LTE into its slim body.

The Good -

• Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich
• Amazing 4.65″ Super AMOLED HD Display (1280 x 720)
• Dual-Core 1.2GHz TI OMAP Processor
• Verizon LTE

The Bad -

• 5MP Camera
• Lack of Exynos for connectivity reasons
• No Micro-SD card slot
• Battery life is so-so

Display

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus continues to live up the Samsung’s tradition of bringing high-quality screens into the market. The Galaxy Nexus has Samsung’s next-generation display technology: Super AMOLED HD. The Super AMOLED HD brings a whopping 1280 by 720p resolution. The display really makes everything on the Nexus look amazing, from web pages, to games, and even movies.  While some may think that the screen is too large, I disagree. As a matter of fact, getting use to larger screens isn’t hard at all. Back in July, I went from a 3.2″ Motorola Cliq, to a 4.5″ Samsung Infuse, with little issues. The large screen, combined with the amazing resolution, makes the Galaxy Nexus a device worth getting.

Performance

The Galaxy Nexus is powered by a T.I. OMAP 4460 processor clocked at 1.2Ghz with 1GB of RAM. In comparison, the Droid 4 is powered by the slightly older OMAP 4430 processor at 1.2Ghz. Performance was good, but not great. The Exynos powered Galaxy S II performs a lot better in graphical tasks such as gaming.

As we do in all of our reviews, we ran a Quadrant Standard test. Quadrant, available in the market, puts your phone through several tets, such as 3D graphics, 2D graphics and more.

The Nexus scored around 2600 consistently, which is a good score. But other devices, like the Galaxy S II, score much higher.

Camera

One thing that disappointed many customers was the 5MP camera. While the camera is decent, it was confusing that the Galaxy S II, which came out 6-7 months earlier, had an 8MP camera.  Nonetheless, the camera on the Nexus is amazing. It has many new features thanks to Ice Cream Sandwich, such as instant shutter, and panorama capabilities. Along with the still images, the Nexus records videos in stunning 1080p HD.

Colors on the Nexus’ 5MP shooter just were not as sharp as other devices, especially the HTC Rezound and iPhone 4S. Video, on the other hand, was great, and the time lapse video capture is much-welcome.

Galaxy Nexus camera spec sheet: 

• 5 megapixel rear camera, 1.3 megapixel front-facing camera
• LED flash for snapping photos and staying on when filming video in low-light
• Films video in up to 1080p HD video
• Does a surprisingly good job capturing images in low-light situations
• Captures time lapse video (intervals of 1 to 10 seconds)
• Apply live video effects and background images
• Capable of taking panoramic photos

Software

The Galaxy Nexus is the first device to ship with Android 4.0. And man is it nice. Ice Cream Sandwich ships with a ton of new features.

The Galaxy Nexus is compatible with Verizon’s blazing fast 4G LTE network. Currently, this network is available in more than 200 markets, including New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and covers 170 million Americans.

Using the speedtest.net app, I was able to consistently get 20-25mbps up and 5-9 up. ESPN’s mobile site loaded in a speedy 6 seconds.

I was very impressed with the Galaxy Nexus’ GPS performance as well. In a pair of commutes, it stuck onto satellites and updated my position more quickly and accurately than other phones I’ve used.

There are a pair of microphones on the Droid 4 for noise cancellation at top and bottom, and callers said I sounded like I was on a landline.  In a 20 call test, I had 2 dropped calles, which is on par with other Verizon devices.

Battery Life

Battery life on the Galaxy Nexus was so-so. Basically, it was on par with other Android phones. Which means you may be able to make it through a day, but a spare battery or two wouldn’t hurt.

Overall

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus was an amazing device to have. With a 4.65″ Super AMOLED HD display, Android 4.0, 1.5GHz dual-core TI OMAP, and Verizon LTE, you can’t go wrong with it.

Chance Miller contributed to this review.