Samsung Galaxy Nexus(Nexus Prime) - GNex Review
Today i'm gonna be reviewing one of the most popular piece on the market,The Samsung Galaxy Nexus also known as Nexus Prime/Nexus 3/GNex
A little introduction on my GNex,Purchased it on 27th May'12 and since then have been testing this beauty to get the maximum performance and output
Also,i do see that more and more members are getting interested in buying this piece (or have already bought it) so a little review on how this baby performes should actually help out the potential buyers.
INTRODUCTION :
Samsung Galaxy Nexus also know as Nexus Prime/Nexus 3 is the third nexus device straight out from Google released in November 2011,Its the first android device which comes preloaded with Android 4.0(Icecream Sandwich) and the UI is pure Google with no extra modifications like in the SenseUI(HTC) or TouchWiz UI(Samsung)
Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel to Android,The Samsung Galaxy Nexus' screen is huge(4.65"), but the software is a much bigger deal.The OS is just as customizable and versatile as before, but Android 4.0 seeks to make the user experience friendlier, more refined.
UPDATE -
As of Mid July'12,Google has started rolling out the Jellybean(4.1) update on all Galaxy Nexus platforms(GSM + CDMA) which brings a completely new user experience for the end users.JellyBean also known as "Project Butter" does serve its name well its a lot snappier and smoother than what Ice cream Sandwich was.
SPECIFICATIONS :
| Display and resolution | 4.65" 720p Super AMOLED capacitive multitouch screen(1280x720) |
| Storage and RAM | Internal Storage and 1GB RAM,No MircoSD card slot |
| Camera | Primary(5 MP, 2592x1944 pixels, autofocus, LED flash) Secondary(1.3 MP) |
| CPU | TI OMAP 4460 chipset with Dual-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A9 |
| battery | Standard battery, Li-Ion 1750 mAh |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX540 |
| Miscellaneous | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot, HSDPA(21 Mbps), HSUPA(5.76 Mbps), NFC and No inbuilt radio |
DESIGN AND INTERFACE :
The Galaxy Nexus itself is fairly big(4.65") with dimensions of 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9mm, it's marginally bigger than Samsung's Galaxy S2. The front is probably as minimalist as you can get as of now,all black and flat with no hardware buttons at all.In fact, all you have on the front is the screen, front facing camera and the proximity/brightness sensor.
The sides just have a power button plus dock port on the right and the volume rocker on the left,the bottom housing has the charge socket and a 3.5mm headphone jack.The Back portion does resemble Galaxy S2 with its textured finish over the battery cover and the speaker layout
Overall,the design of this Nexus phone is a little curvy but nothing very severe which also provides a overall good grip.
When it comes to the interface,The Galaxy Nexus is nothing like you have seen before from Android although some bits and pieces are the same as they were, on any Android OS out there in the market.
GNex comes pre-loaded with Icecream Sandwich(Android 4.0) which most of the users have already forgotten about as it is replaced by the snappier Jellybean Update(Android 4.1),I won't get into the details of how the whole ICS vs JB thing works and the complete walk-through as far as the new OS is concern.
Being said that,right now Galaxy Nexus is the only device out there which has the official Jelly Bean update(One the perks of having a Google phone)
Some pics on the Jelly Bean(Android 4.1) Interface :
PERFORMANCE AND BENCHMARKING :
Well,I have had this phone for almost 3months now and been installing a wide variety of custom ROM's out there to check how the phone actually performs with each of those ROM's.The strange thing i found is no matter which custom ROM you install,it doesn't really make a difference with GNex
The only benefit of installing a custom ROM is the pack full of mods that come along which improve the overall experience and usability of the phone.With Jelly Bean the performance of this phone has greatly improved with respect to the snappiness and lag-free environment that it provides.So i decided to run benchmarks on how the phone performs compared to the heavy duty competitors in the current market
I'm currently running stock JellyBean(Android 4.1) with Franco's Kernel and below are the bench marking scores with Quadrant Advanced and Vellamo
PROS AND CONS :
Pros -
- 4.65 inch SAmoled Display
- Android 4.0/4.1
- Hardware Acceleration
- 1080p recording at 30 fps
- 720p Resolution screen
- NFC Chip
- No Bloatware with pure Google Experience
- Zero shutter lag in camera
- No Hardware/Physical Buttons
Cons -
- 1750 mh battery(Mediocre battery Life)
- Average Camera
- No SD card Slot
BOXING AND ACCESSORIES :
Galaxy Nexus hasn't be released in india so most of us have bought it with a broken seal but that's really not a concern when dealing with a trusted/reputed seller.Sellers normally check the phone themselves before they purchase it from distributors and make sure its a working model.The outer box looks the same like the previous Nexus deviceand includes the following accessories -
- 1 x Phone
- 1 x Charger
- 1 x Data Cable
- 1 x Earphones
As a protective measure,you can apply a Scratch Guard easily available at a local store or can purchase it from either Ebay or Flipkart.As far as the outer protection goes i personally prefer using a TPU case which provides good damage control for rough users like myself
Currently using a TPU case from cruzerlite for my Chic White GNex
CONCLUSION :
Considering that this phone hasn't been launched in India,it has gained alot of popularity among the masses and has raised the overall smartphone expectations over a notch.Although a average smartphone consumer wouldn't be comfortable with its size but with its elegant appearance alone it stands out from the rest of the crowd.Overall,the Galaxy Nexus with its pure Google experience become a simpler yet a powerful device.
P.S - If you are a Galaxy Nexus Owner then there are some threads on TE which you might wanna have a look at
http://www.techenclave.com/reviews-previews/gagdetshieldz-galaxy-nexus-137494/ - By @seraph (Thanks for the Guide)
http://www.techenclave.com/guides-tutorials/guide-rooting-unlocking-your-samsung-132840/ - By me
http://www.techenclave.com/mobile-phones/samsung-google-galaxy-nexus-thread-132056/ - Galaxy Nexus Discussion Thread
And then again,please ignore spelling mistakes
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