Samsung Galaxy Nexus Announced!

William Judd

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus was announced yesterday at Samsung’s Unpacked event in Hong Kong. The phone, which was originally due to make an appearance on the 11th of October, one week after Apple’s lacklustre iPhone 4S launch, boasts a curved 720p screen and the latest version of Android, code named Ice Cream Sandwich.

The phone is the first of a crop of HD-capable smartphones, packing 1280 x 720 pixels into a 4.65″ screen, roughly equivalent to 316 pixels per inch. Under the hood, there’s a 1.2GHz dual core processor, a full gigabyte of RAM and a capacious 1750 mAh battery. The rear camera is similar in spec to the iPhone 4, offering 5 megapixels and 1080p video capture.

Connectivity is also top notch: As well as the standard array of Bluetooth 3, USB and Wi-Fi N, NFC communication will be included, making use of Ice Cream Sandwich’s Android Beam. LTE (4G) capabilities are also due to make an appearance in some regions (but not likely in the UK).

Speaking of Android, the latest version seems to include quite a few achievements. The unified OS, which combines the tablet-specific Honeycomb and phone-specific Gingerbread, offers tweaks and changes from the previous versions as well as a few new features.

Physical buttons on new devices such as the Galaxy Nexus have been replaced with equivalent on-screen icons. Taking a note out of Apple’s book, it’ll be possible to access the camera and notifications from the lock screen. Multi-tasking has also been improved, with a clever live-updating tile for each running process. The OS also includes support for face recognition unlocking, NFC communication via Android Beam, and enhanced voice input which allows the phone to constantly listen for instructions.

Here at Mobile Fun, we’re already getting ready for the handset’s release date, which is due to be in November. We’ll be the first retailer in the UK to stock Samsung Galaxy Nexus accessories, including Galaxy Nexus cases and Galaxy Nexus screen protectors. We’ll also have slightly more interesting Galaxy Nexus accessories, hopefully including a nice and expansiveSamsung Galaxy Nexus battery.

All in all, it’s definitely an impressive launch, and I’m already beginning preparations to flog my just-bought Galaxy S2 when the time comes. Look for more details on the phone and its accessories as we get closer to launch!