Ever since we reviewed the excellent Samsung Galaxy Nexus smartphone here at Mashable, everyone’s been wondering, when will it appear on Verizon? Now it’s finally official: The on-again/off-again smartphone, which we think is the best Android phone ever produced, will be available on Verizon starting Thursday, Dec. 15 for $299.99 with a two-year contract. That was announced late Wednesday in a press release from Verizon Wireless, Samsung and Google.
Unlike the Google plain-vanilla Galaxy Samsung Galaxy Nexus we tested here, this Verizon version will be capable of using a 4G LTE network. What will that mean for you? If you’re lucky enough to live in one ofVerizon’s 190 markets with 4G LTE in the United States, the phone can download data at speeds of 5 to 12 Megabits (Mb) per second, and upload at speeds of 2Mb to 5Mb per second. What does this mean in layman’s terms? If Verizon’s network proves itself to be as fast as the company says it is in your area, with this smartphone you’ll be able to use the Internet at speeds similar to that of home broadband.
Just like our test unit, the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus will have the new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich)operating system on board, along with all the other high-tech capabilities that make it so appealing. For instance, the features we liked the best were its 4.65-inch 720p screen that has a delightful curved design, and its 9.47mm-thin form factor that felt just right in the hand and pocket. Read our Samsung Galaxy Nexus reviewfor details.
According to Verizon, besides that $299.99 price for the phone, a subscription to a Verizon Wireless Nationwide Talk plan is required, with prices starting at $39.99 per month. In addition, you’ll need a data plan, priced at a minimum $30 per month for 2GB of data.
Doing a bit of simple math, we figured that the monthly tariff not including the phone, fees and tax will start at $69.99, but if you figure in the cost of the phone, over a two-year contract you’ll be paying a total of $1979.75, or $82.48 per month, not including taxes and fees. Sounds expensive, but smartphones aren’t cheap — even so, over a 2-year contract the Galaxy Nexus is about $380 cheaper than the lowest-priced Verizon iPhone 4S.
I like its minimalist design.
It might be too big for small hands. Hold it in yours before you buy.
Notice how the glass is straight at the top but starts curving toward the bottom.
It's not rubberized, but its nubbed surface offers you a substantial grip.
It's a short plateau, and doesn't spoil the back's good looks.
Not much to see here.
Here's another view of that gentle curve. That's the volume control, on the left as you look at the screen.
Micro Mini USB, 3.5mm audio jack
That's the on-off switch there, which I accidentally pushed a few too many times. It's something you'll have to get used to if you're accustomed to having the power button on top.
Its light weight and this slight chin at the bottom give you a good hand-hold.
Not outlandishly thin like the Motorola Droid Razr, but it fits easily in a tight pants pocket.
I don't think this is a bad chin. The angle I shot of it here exaggerates it, so it'll never look worse than this no matter how you look at it..
Unaltered except for a size reduction to our maximum 616 pixels wide for galleries, there's a surprisingly low amount of noise in this low-light shot.
The iPhone 4S's camera handled low light just about as well as the Nexus.
Even though its camera is 5 megapixels, it still did a good job of capturing this scene.
This shot looks sharper at full resolution, but not by as much as I thought it would.
[Via-Mashable]
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