Google unleashed Ice Cream Sandwich and Galaxy Nexus on the unsuspecting public and the first reviews are quite positive.

In addition to Android 4.0, the new Nexus sets itself apart from the rest of the Android crowd with a gorgeous 1280x720 curved screen. A few years back such a resolution was the norm for 15-inch notebooks, but now it’s on a 4.65-inch smartphone screen.

Of course, some might argue that anything over 4- or 4.5-inches is a tablet, but the Nexus isn’t too bulky despite the massive screen. It measures 135.5 x 67.9 x 8.9 mm and weighs 135g, which is rather light, all things considered. Speaking of appearances, it’s worth noting that Google dispensed with the capacitive Home button altogether and it seems three buttons will be the norm for all Android devices in the future. It’s probably a good idea to standardize the layout, but it will take some getting used to.



There’s really no revolutionary changes under the bonnet. The new Galaxy Nexus apparently features a dual core TI OMAP 4460 processor clocked at 1.2GHz and 1GB of graphics. However, it sticks with the PowerVR SGX540 graphics core, the same one used on the previous Nexus S. Like its predecessor, the Galaxy Nexus also lacks a microSD slot and it will apparently be available in 16GB and 32GB versions.

For some reason Google chose not to upgrade the 5MP camera, which is quite odd given the trend towards 8MP units in new high end phones. Of course, the pixel count is not very relevant to most tech savvy consumers, but the regular Joe on the street just wants a bigger number.

The new Galaxy Nexus seems like a pretty good effort on Google’s part and it is a sign of thing to come. However, it is not perfect. Many consumers will moan about the lack of a microSD slot, just like they did with the Nexus S, but more importantly 4.65 inches might be a bit over the top for a phone, especially for consumers used to more compact sub 4-inch phones.