Samsung Galaxy Nexus (GSM)
Reviewed by jagger27 (Currently owns)
The cameras and display, though better than every smartphone I've ever had (iPhone 3GS and HTC Desire), aren't entirely satisfying. The cameras need a ton of light to do anything useful, but I've been very happy with video in most cases. The display is very bright, rich in terms of colour, has excellent viewing angles, and works very well in sunlight. My only complaints are how solid colours appear grainy when the backlight is low and the jaggedness of text. This is due to the "Pentile" display. At arms length the font issue disappears. The system performs very snappily. All Google apps are very responsive. Battery life is perfectly acceptable. I typically get more than 16 hours between charges. This is with WiFi tethering on for about 4 hours every day, with somewhat poor carrier reception, and about 40% backlight brightness.
The Android market continues to disappoint when compared to iOS. Few apps have been updated to work with Ice Cream Sandwich. I'm certain as more phones get ICS, more apps will follow. Ice Cream Sandwich alone is by far the best Android experience I have had. The uniformity of the UI is refreshing, and all interactions are silky smooth. A few things, like adding widgets and apps to the homescreen, have moved, but those are simple quirks.
The Breakdown
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- Design 9
- Display 8
- Camera(s) 7
- Reception / call quality 8
- Performance 9
- Software 9
- Battery life 9
- Ecosystem 7
