The Verizon Galaxy Nexus seems to be the “in” phone for now, and probably for a while. So much, that many of us on the Talk Android staff already have one. In fact, I was sent a review unit, but I personally decided to go ahead and buy one right away. It’s not often that so many of us buy the same phone, so we thought it would be a good idea for us to chime in on our initial thoughts after 24 hours of playing with this bad boy.
I waited a long to time to finally pull the trigger on a new phone. Being on Verizon, there really hasn’t been anything out lately that has impressed me, so I stuck it out with my DROID X. The DROID Bionic was a flop and the DROID RAZR was cool, but I really wanted the same stock experience I had with my original DROID. Samsung is very popular, but I have never been a huge fan only because of their slippery and glossy plastic builds. I don’t like protective cases so I don’t want to feel like I’m going to drop my phone everytime I hold it. The textured battery cover is a welcome addition. I still feel like it’s slippery, but not as bad as other Samsung devices. The screen is really nice, but so far I am not wowed by it. That could be the fact that I had such high expectations for a 720p screen. The only other issue with the design is the volume rocker sticks out too much and I seem to hit it a lot. The battery also appears to be an issue early on. Right now I am sitting with 17% after a little less than 6 hours of use. There are some tweaks I can play with so I am not going to say this is a complete failure yet. With all that aside, the real reason to buy this phone is for Ice Cream Sandwich. So far I am having no issues with the buttonless display. I never liked it with Honeycomb, but I find that it works well on phones. I do miss the quick menu button though, but it’s not a huge issue. I am loving the new Roboto font and the easy folder creation. The newer GMail app is really nice too. All in all it takes a little getting used to the different functions and changes, but that’s to be expected since Ice Cream Sandwich is a major update. It will really be hard to review Gingerbread devices moving forward. Overall, I love the Galaxy Nexus and I wish I had more time to play with it. If you’re an Android nerd, there is no question that his is the phone for you.
After only spending a few hours with the GNex I can honestly say that it is amazing, not only software, but hardware as well. Of course I can nit pick a few downfalls of the device, but all in all I am really happy with the experience. I have used 4 top tier Verizon phones over the last 8 months (TBolt, Charge, Bionic, Razr,) and I can say this has to be the best device hands down. Sure, the device seems a tad bit slower on the download speeds and the 4G signal strength seems to be less, but I am hoping this will be addressed in future updates. The phone feels awesome in my hand and I love the curved screen, it’s very comfortable up to my face and in my pocket. I am not sure what these people are talking about when I hear that it “feels cheap”. The phone has a great weight and build quality seems good as well. This thing is going to be fun and I hope to explore more of it over the next day.
When I first got this phone I was blown away. The screen is crisp and the phone is so responsive. I did find myself trying to access the dedicated menu button from the older Android versions and there is a bit of a learning curve. I’m still getting used to menu placements and where everything is located. Folders are awesome and I’ve found them to be quicker to create than the folder options on the iPhone. I do like how the widgets are done, up but getting used to where they are located takes a little bit. I have had a few connection issues at first but they seem to have disappeared. Honestly I’d have to say that anyone in the market for a new phone should check this out, because after 24 hours, and using both the RAZR, and the Rezound, this phone blows away the competition.
So let me begin by simply saying, this phone is glorious! I’m loving everything about it so far. I really imagined myself not being a fan of the plastic construction, but it simply doesn’t feel like your typical plastic phone. It feels sturdy and robust. If it were colder to the touch I could mistake it for aluminum, and as far as plastic phones go, I’m very much in love with the texturized back. My former phones always had a feeling of falling, but this one is much better. Simply put, it feels great in the hand. The weight is perfect in my opinion, light but the battery keeps it satisfyingly substantial. Turning the phone on, you’re greeted with an absolutely gorgeous screen large enough to support a 4×4 grid of apps not including the dock. I’ve crammed all five screens with as many apps and widgets as I could and I still couldn’t slow it down. I’ve got 134 apps installed and it never misses a beat. The rumors are true. This is easily the best Android phone I’ve ever owned. Face unlock has never failed me, in varying light, with and without sunglasses, and it even rejected my picture displayed on a friends Nexus One. Watching my words typing as I speak is quite satisfying, and that camera! Wow. Just wow. Hands down, the Galaxy Nexus receives my highest recommendation. Of course, nothing is perfect, so I tried hard to forget the new found glitz and glamour and discover problems. In all honesty I didn’t find much. Nothing seems to be broken on this device but the following are a few things I found to be irksome. For instance, live wallpaper seems to be sluggish, even some of those included with the device. While it isn’t an issue, I sincerely miss the vertical app tray compared to this new horizontal paginated one. The former was simply way faster to navigate. Long pressing on the homescreen seems to only let me choose wallpapers now, rather than select widgets. For that I have to visit the app tray. Minor annoyance, but mostly for its uncoventionality in comparison to gingerbread. All in all, very minute things that some people may not even encounter in their general use. Either way, you’re going to be hard pressed to find a better device.