Best Android Phone for 2012! Great User Experience and Ice Cream Sandwich

I bought GSM version of unlocked Galaxy Nexus phone in Thanksgiving weekend. It is a UK GSM version, and works well with both AT&T and T-Mobile here in US. After playing with it for several days, I would like to share some first hand thoughts on this phone:

Size: It is big comparing with iPhone 4S. The big screen is beautiful, but at the same time it may turn off some buyers who prefer to use smaller phones, especially female shoppers. I can fit it easily into my jean pocket and the size of it didn't bother me as much.

Weight: It is really light. I think Google and Samsung did a good job making this a really thin and light phone.

Features: The Ice Cream Sandwich Android system is much much better. After playing with it for a few days, the Gingerbread version of my old Galaxy phone looks old already. Among the features I really liked:
- face unlock: it doesn't work all the time due to light condition, but most of the time it works on 2nd try. It is preliminary, but very cool.
- App Management. All active apps can be called using just one button, and the swipe away feature make it really easy to manage both notification and also recent applications.
- Folders. iOS has this already, it is good to see it on Android system. It makes the apps management much easier.
- Google Apps. This is where Android shine when it comes to Google native apps (Maps, Gmail, Earth, Navigation, Youtube etc.).
- Google sync. The set up is ultra easy once gmail account information is provided. I am surprised my previous wifi settings were also stored in my Google profile. This makes it very easy to use the phone to connect to other wifi hotspots I used before using my old android phone.
- There are many cool features like NFC beaming, Panaroma phone, Phone editing etc. I didn't test them all as they are not my day-to-day applications.

Speed: Very very fast. I think both hardware and software play a role here, but the experience is very smooth and responsive.

Battery Life: Very good. A 13hr light work day use only takes about 40% of the battery. I don't need to buy an extra battery for this phone. Just remember to plug this in once every 2 day will be fine. It is also good to know that NFC feature is actually built into the battery itself. That makes it even less attractive to get another battery except for OEM version.

Value: Pricy at this point. About $750-$900 depending on where and when you purchase it. It is going to be at least a few months until AT&T or T-Mobile offers it, and the price may come down if it bundles with a contract. For an unlocked phone without contract, it is actually not that outrageously expensive, especially considering this is one of the best, if not the best Android phone for 2012.

Support: Very good. Google fixed the volume bug within 3 weeks of public notice and rolled out the change through OTA update. It is hard to image any carrier version phone will enjoy this type of speedy update. This phone will always enjoy the best software from Google (without all the junk bloatware from carriers) for at least two years.

Overall I give this phone five stars for features, ease of use and battery life, and a four stars for value. It is not for everyone (especially not for people who prefer small phones, or prefer not spend much money on buying a phone), but for die hard Android fans and gadget fans, this is the phone to get for 2012. You won't regret it.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Buy It New and Buy It Now on eBay!

If you are looking to upgrade, look no further, Galaxy Nexus is a must-have

Let me start off by saying that I am a former nexus one owner so it was time to upgrade. I ordered the Galaxy Nexus 16gb Pentaband version and am currently using it on AT&T (ATT). If I had to summarize my experience with the phone so far it would have to be 'amazing'(unprecedented?). This phone has blown me away at its capabilities on every level.

Hardware:

Its slim. Incredibly slim, at its thinnest its slimmer than an iPhone 4s, its curved glass gives it a little more sleeker look. The display is AMAZING, at 1280x720 resolution its comparable to all 720p TVs/displays. When the display is off, it has this futuristic no button look, larger than you average phone yet very comfortable to use.

Software:

Simply put, this should be your buying point. Android 4.0. Google has completely overhauled their operating system. Not only does everything 'just work' but it also works fast. very fast. with pretty much no hiccups at all. Activities that would take a few minutes, your their in a few seconds.

Overall Experience:

I honestly have gotten a satisfying feeling, a warm fizzy feel in my stomach, every time i turn on the phone, to check an email, or sms, or maybe just to play a game. overall UI experience feels very rewarding. A few of my gripes: Battery can be better. Don't get me wrong its good, its not bad, but its not excellent. If your a heavy user (like me) you want a better battery. Camera quality is underwhelming, the actual image quality feels like it hasn't changed since my Nexus One, with good lighting it can take great photos, but with poor lighting comes sub-par to acceptable quality of pictures. Again, its a good camera, not bad, but not excellent. The bottome line is GET THIS PHONE. Whether its gonna be from Verizon or some shady UK website, get your hands on this phone!

Google Phone Best of the year 2012 - Great quality & SO always updated

GOOGLE PHONE BEST OF THE YEAR 2012
Released on November 2011

My experience is great & i suggest this phone to everyone want find a good product at the right price and NOT look necessary for the last Top Gamma SmartPhone!
can be compared with Galaxy S2 that is better and younger but also with other Dual-core SmartPhone (can be paragonable with iPhone 4S)



work very good & without problems also with more apps open
FEATURES:
OS: Android v4.0.1 (Ice Cream Sandwich), upgradable to LAST v4.2.x (Jelly Bean)
CPU: Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9

smooth touch screen works very fast
SCREEN:
720 x 1280 pixels, 4.65 inches (~316 ppi pixel density)
Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
BODY:
Dimensions: 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm (5.33 x 2.67 x 0.35 in)
Weight: 135g (4.76oz)

battery is a bit weak but you can extended it if you need
BATTERY:
Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery (24h with intense use) you can replace with 2000 mAh or higher

camera is good, not is the point of strength of the phone
First CAMERA: 5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels
Secondary CAMERA: 1.3 MP, 720p@30fps
VIDEO: 1080p@24fps

one of the weakness of the phone not have the SD slot but the memory storage is 16GB
MEMORY:
16 GB storage, 1 GB RAM (in some nations 32GB)
SD slot - NOT HAVE!!!

For some, an excellent choice!

The Galaxy Nexus is one big honkin phone! It's just at the border of "too big" With a 4.6inch display- it is very bright and I prefer it over Apple's Iphone Retina Display, however Mr Gate's said it first.. you don't need anything bigger then 3.5" on your phone and he is right. The Galaxy is a clunky device, very light weight and I can see this device being a "Morning Dropper" for some folks, thankfully it can take some abuse. It is a FAST device, Pages load quickly, apps run smoothly and it runs flash! The camera is total garbage, Via display it is over saturated, and in gallery the photos look washed out and flat, Not what I expected in a 500.00 device. BUT it makes up for the cruddy camera with excellent performance. Battery life is on par with a smartphone, and you can trim settings to obtain decent life. Did I say it was Fast?? I run the phone on the T-Mobile network in New England and easilly obtain 9.5 MBPS down and 3.6 Up, Over wifi it will handle my 20mbps connection with no issues. Signal retention in fring area's surpass's the iphone. I generally get "No Signal" from my Iphone in a certain location, with the Galaxy I get 2 bars and calls do not drop. The speaker is a bit weak for hands free but I did not experience the tinny-ness others have claimed, in fact my phone sounds as good as my iphone, if not better with the noise canceling mics.

I rated the phone an over-all 4/5 mostly due to the fact it is not the phone for everyone, Women will hate the size (See size does matter) Guys will love the performance and styling but many people will be dissappointed in how many hoops they need to jump through to get the battery to last 8 hours It is very possible but a real pain in the neck. Overall a fantastic phone and certainly head to head with the iphone a bit more capable, The Iphone still will remain the overall winner for application stability,and camera quality, the Nexus will win in overall speed, web compatability and durability. Look away if programming your TV remote becomes an all day project..If you are a Tech it is obvious the first thing you will do is root the device and mod the stock rom.

AMAZING~!!

Simply amazing phone. I had thought that my last phone (iPhone 4 GSM) was excellent until i met up with this fantastic phone. No issues on my part so far.

Pros: The screen is just awesome. I have watched 3 long youtube movies, and have watched music videos and listened to tons of things, and the screen is always so VIBRANT, I really enjoy the quality of the speakers as well. Sounds as if I'm using a Bose to tell you the truth.

The Android Software is now not something I am new to, I have had 3 prior phones having this OS, and I can say without a doubt, this one has got the best OS, with the new ice cream sandwich OS.