Samsung Galaxy Nexus Review Roundup: The Critics Weigh In

On December 15, Verizon officially released the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, and reviews have already begun rolling in from across the web.

The handset went on sale early Thursday morning at 1 a.m. for $299. So far, reviews have been mainly positive. General consensus among critics seems to be that the new operating system (Android 4.0, aka "Ice Cream Sandwich") is a strong upgrade to the Android platform, though some features, the camera, for example, leave something to be desired. Some reviewers are even comparing the device directly to the iPhone, for better or worse.

The phone's most noticeable feature, it's huge screen, left reviewers somewhat divided.Some hated the large face which measures 4.65 inches diagonally, more than an inch bigger than the iPhone. Others were more forgiving, saying that while you can't put it in your pocket, the phone's thinness makes it manageable to hold.

Check out the sildeshow (below) to see what else critics from Engadget, The Verge, The Associated Press, TechCrunch and CNET agreed and disagreed on.

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Comments

[IndependentRule]

07:57 PM on 12/23/2011

All that can complain about is a camera mostly used for "snapshots" ? LOL I keep my SGS II i9000 on 3MP and the pics are large enough look great and take up little space. Does anyone really PRINT 8X10s from a camera phone?

[Alison Sunshine]

02:36 PM on 12/17/2011

I cannot explain how much i hate this phone. But let me try... i would rather go back to my two year old original Android. Issues ive had so far with the nexus: autocorrect blows when you're not in messenging, autorotate takes foreverrrr or doesn't work at all, the internet was faster and more reliable on my original Droid, and best of all, the actual telephone function is the worst i have ever experienced. I have already had about 5 dropped calls and phone reception is awful. This is all in 48hours. I would not recommend this phone to my worst enemy. I now understand why release was delayed so many months... this phone should have never been released. It should've been thrown out and used as an example of everything not to do with the next phone. I am not exaggerating a bit. Huge disappointment.

[KarateKid]

09:33 AM on 12/17/2011

I like to watch movies and documentaries on my iPhone 4. It's not a problem if I convert it to iPhone size from a Blu Ray or HD format, but I sometimes wish the screen was a bit larger.

I plan to give the Nexus a good look, but it will have to have better screen resolution than what I've seen on earlier models, and on other Android phones, like the junky HTC.

[RecreationalPilot]

11:32 PM on 12/17/2011

My kids HTCs smoke the iPhone. Never fail before 2-year term expires. My niece just got the Galaxy S II today, not only is the CPU faster than on the Nexus (probably to preserve battery life on the LTE network) but with a simple work around the 64GB of storage limitation can be increased to 128GB. The 4G network speed is nice too.

[JasonMcl]

11:16 AM on 12/18/2011

The g-nex has a 720×1280 on a 4.65 inch display. 4.3 inches are dedicated to the standard screen functions and the rest consists of the on-screen buttons. When watching a movie though, the buttons disappear and the movie takes up the full screen.

A free app called MX player handles AVI's and pretty much all formats very well. And naturally there is always Netflix and Netflix HD.

[menschmaschine5]

07:01 PM on 12/16/2011

Seriously? The camera is the complaint? Not even the camera - the resolution of the sensor. Yes, 8 megapixels has become the standard, but it's really just a marketing gimmick unless you intend to make large posters or something. By all reports, the Galaxy Nexus camera takes very good pictures, just as the iPhone 4, with its 5 mp camera, generally takes better pictures than my Droid Incredible, with its 8 mp camera. The difference is in the sensor, not the resolution of the images.

[CT Independent]

11:46 AM on 12/16/2011

Android comes out with a new, much anticipated os and all they can talk about is the camera? seriously?

[RecreationalPilot]

11:34 PM on 12/17/2011

When there aren't many faults, they have to fabricate some, else it looks like a sales pitch.

[Yikes11]

11:21 AM on 12/16/2011

Thanks Tadeo.

[bring in swat]

11:16 AM on 12/16/2011

nice...iphone advocate reviewing the nexus...funny. the galaxy II blows both out of the water.

[StopMakingSense2]

01:30 PM on 12/16/2011

The GS2 does win the shootouts I've seem but doesn't blow the Nexus out of the water. The screen is much better on the Nexus if the size isn't a problem. It is for me. The GS2 was already pushing the size limits.

[bring in swat]

02:37 PM on 12/16/2011

agreed...so maybe "blow out" was a bit of a stretch... :)

[IndependentRule]

07:55 PM on 12/23/2011

Agreed. $650 has never been so well spent for my i9000. Best part. Unlimited data for $10 on ATT. It's a "dumb" phone in their system.

[Metacarius]

11:14 AM on 12/16/2011

I always find it pretty stupid when people complain about a phone camera. It's a phone. If you want quality pictures, get something that's made for taking pictures. Be glad it has any working camera at all.

[JohnTheMac]

01:01 PM on 12/16/2011

Except it's not stupid.
A lot of us have nice Digital cameras and camcorders. We love to use them when we are going somewhere we know we will want them. What about the other 99% of the time though? You never know when you will see something you wish you could get a photo of, and then, why be content with a blurry low quality image, as you recommend?
Further, when the photos come home, now from several sources, why run around syncing them to several computers? The camera on my 4s takes great shots, and with iCloud, they're able to be yanked out of the Photostream onto my wife's phone, or my laptop, or onto the desktop where our library of 45,000 photos resides. The ones that aren't worth saving? We just let them stream by. Now, for a lot of activities, we let the "Good Camera" sit safely at home. I'm pretty content with the camera now, and don't need anymore Pixels or improvements. If I did, my next move would be to get one of these:
http://www.macworld.com/article/163414/2011/11/ipro_lens_system_for_iphone_4_4s_bundles_valuable_accessories_into_a_well_integrated_package.html

There's a few of these systems out there, and they look pretty cool.
Not sure if they have these for Androids, since there are so many sizes and placements of lenses to manufacture for.
Some cool video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXzi99sYlmQ

[StopMakingSense2]

01:37 PM on 12/16/2011

It's that typical I don't get it so you shouldn't either thing. Ever hear of convergence? Who wants to lug around a bunch of single purpose devices? People can't see beyond their microverses. You know they make lens kits for the Iphone? Thanks for going to the effort to explain it to those who don't get it!

[Metacarius]

02:39 PM on 12/16/2011

Actually, I get it just fine. There's really a lot of ways I could reply to this. However, I think I'll settle for, I simply don't care for the concept in general. I'd much rather have my memories and save the photos for things I want immortalized.

[alexunlv]

11:12 AM on 12/16/2011

I was suckered once into buying Nexus One - thinking Google was a solid company that would support her products. No. Huge disappointment. I'll never buy another Google phone.

[menschmaschine5]

06:58 PM on 12/16/2011

What exactly was the problem with the Nexus 1? If it was hardware - HTC manufactured it. If it's the fact that it's not getting an update to Ice Cream Sandwich, well, Google determined that it's the end of life or something for the Nexus 1, and if you bought it around launch, you're probably due for an upgrade very, very soon. Also, if you were happy with the phone in all of its previous iterations (Eclair, Froyo and Gingerbread), I don't see why not getting Ice Cream Sandwich would ruin it for you.

[theroundearth]

11:04 AM on 12/16/2011

"The phone's most noticeable feature, IT'S huge screen, left reviewers somewhat divided...."

Has the adjective "ITS" definitively died?

[Yikes11]

10:44 AM on 12/16/2011

Any thoughts on the Samsung Mesmerize?

[jasper]

10:40 AM on 12/16/2011

These people should go buy a camera.

Also when talking about anything over 3mega pixels the issue is then the lens. The increase in resolution from 3 to 5 to 8 to 12etc is lost if the camera has a poor lens. So the discussion between 5 or 8 is meaninglessness on a phone when the lens is not going to be good quality.

[Yikes11]

10:37 AM on 12/16/2011

New to the latest in cell phones, so I need some advice.
Thinking about the I Phone 4S model or The Galaxy S II model. I need to be able to see the screen. Cost of apps for each? Does the camera work well? Which one is more user friendly. Thanks.

[Tadeo]

11:07 AM on 12/16/2011

Go to YouTube for a detailed comparison.
Samsung S II wins in almost all categories.

[RecreationalPilot]

11:37 PM on 12/17/2011

A simple workaround lets you put a 128GB card in it.

[JohnTheMac]

01:09 PM on 12/16/2011

The 4s has a great camera, and also gets you Photostream for sharing and syncing the photos.
Learn more:
http://www.apple.com/icloud/features/photo-stream.html

[menschmaschine5]

07:03 PM on 12/16/2011

And Google uploads all your pictures to Google +.

[toinfinityandbeyond]

09:55 AM on 12/16/2011

The phone still contains the Carrie IQ software. So if your not concerned about the government knowing everything your up to as well as your personal information, by all means buy it.

[Z-Liberator]

10:35 AM on 12/16/2011

Apparently you are not aware that the Nexus brand which are Google made phones do not carry Carrier IQ, Your safe here to the nearest Verizon store!

[JohnTheMac]

01:32 PM on 12/16/2011

What exactly can they do with this information, of where my phone is?

[CT Independent]

09:43 AM on 12/16/2011

Are these reviews about a phone or a camera, seriously. I have an iphone 4 and a Cannon xsi, guess which one I use to take pictures?

[Pectin]

10:26 AM on 12/16/2011

Because you don't care about a phone's camera quality then no one else should either?

[CT Independent]

11:41 AM on 12/16/2011

I think you missed the point. They are trying to review a phone but all i hear about is a camera... don't worry about it, you probably wont get it anyway.

[JohnTheMac]

01:36 PM on 12/16/2011

That's great, but between the iPhone and the Canon, which is more likely to be within arms reach when the unexpected photo comes along? (or video, for that matter)

[menschmaschine5]

07:05 PM on 12/16/2011

I mean, the iPhone 4 has a pretty good camera, even if it's only 5 megapixels (better than a lot of phones' 8 mp cameras...)