Samsung Galaxy Nexus Unboxing

Aaron Baker - Nov 25, 11 7:00 PM | More by this editor | 99+ comments | 149 reactions

More:android, unboxing, Samsung Galaxy Nexus, Samsung

The ultimate Android phone has arrived at PhoneDog. Aaron unboxes the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, the newest Google Experience device and the first smartphone to run Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). It packs a nice list of specifications, including a 1.2 GHz dual-core TI OMAP processor, 4.65-inch true HD 720p display with PenTile technology, 5-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording, a front-facing shooter, a 1,750 mAh battery, and HSPA+ connectivity on AT&T and T-Mobile (this is the unlocked, unbranded UK version) in the United States. It's available now at some online retailers for a pricey $749.99. Is the Galaxy Nexus really all it's cracked up to be?

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

About the author

Aaron Baker is the Editor-in-Chief of PhoneDog Media. An eight-year veteran in the wireless industry, he has worked for the four nationwide wireless carriers, a now-defunct MVNO, and several technology websites in various capacities. A frequent traveler, he has attended numerous trade shows, served on technology judging panels, and has contributed to publications like Wired.com and Singapore's "Asian Journeys" magazine. Aaron resides in the... - full profile

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Comments & discussions

149 Reactions to this post

"Is this the Android device that will finally beat the iPhone?"

Add Please limit your reaction to 140 characters or use comments for a longer reply :)

Dane NoroObviously Jaden is too ignorant to do research. Retina display is 2nd to Super Amoled screen. Adobe Flash, voice commands comparable to siri, swappable battery (extra charging always for me) a more DURABLE phone. Look up youtube 4s vs s2 drop test where the iphone was smash each time. that's just to start. have a good day =)from 2011
Lets RøckIphone was taken out of da game by the motorola droid razr and samsung galaxy s2from 2011
Adam AldayGS2 already bests the IPhone 4S.from 2011
Jaden NussbaumI don't think it is an iPhone killer at all. The camera isn't as good, It isn't as fast. Android sucks. And plus, the iPhone has Siri,which is amazing. The only thing this phone has that the iPhone doesn't have better is a very large screen. FUCK ANDROID.from 2011
Naram MosheKills 4S. Not in sales though. from 2011
Drew PageI think the market is big enough for both to co-exist. from 2011
Luis TorresGalaxy Nexus and Samsung Galaxy S II kills the Iphone 4Sfrom 2011
Brayden WareI think it beat the 4s, but the iphone 5 will be amazing! from 2011
AnonymousHelp! Should I get the Galaxy Nexus, Droid Razr, Htc Rezound, or the Galaxy S2from 2011
Robert Schmer@ Ronnie cave if it wasn't for the hippies in the bay area and the "I want to be trendy " bay area people the iphone would not sell near half what they sellfrom 2011
Robert SchmerDroid bionic has beat iphone 4s on many levels ... android is the wave of the future ....from 2011
Murad NaziThe Galaxy Nexus that Aaron bought came from this company http://www.expansys-usa.com/google-nexus-prime-android-smartphone-unlocked-16gb-224148/from 2011
Roy MendezNexus is the best,the problem is verizon is too expensive......I'm wainting for tmobile get itfrom 2011
Richard TerkelAaron what site did you get this device from?from 2011
Maxi FabiánThe best Phones reviews are made by PhoneDog.from 2011
Nic Gruwellit lags.. lmao nice job samsung and googlefrom 2011
Srinu Smartsure iphone 4Sfrom 2011
Michael JonesThe iphone was beat about 2 years ago when the evo came out and ever since then the high end android phones have reigned supreme over the iPhone!!!! The i in iPhone stands for Ican't afford/admit android is better.from 2011
James JeffersLmao. Um beat the Iphone? I thought the first Droid did That! Or was that all the other Blog spots and Top Gadget places and not Here?from 2011
Blake Quinlanlook **** **** **** N **** ****from 2011
Blake Quinlanwate is that **** out now?****.from 2011
Ronnie CaveLol, the only thing the iPhone is restricted on is a flash player, once jailbroken even that becomes possible, yeah apple releases a new iPhone every year or two, but how many android devices are made in that time? And still sales fall short of the iPhone. Face it, if it takes 20+ android(speaking phones and tabs) devices a year to compete with apple, something isn't going so well, androids OS sucks flat out, there is no denying it, so keep your open source all you want, I'll keep a jailbroken iDevice and stay happyfrom 2011
Jason YuWhat? iphone? I only know Android.from 2011
Nick Zhaowhat is an iphone? from 2011
John AlvesNope! there's no such thing! The iphone is unbeatable :)from 2011
Ara Buffness ZakarianYou can take the iphone, turn it sideways, amd shove it up any apple fanboy's a$$!from 2011
Miguel SahagunThe iphone is so last yearfrom 2011
Prabhath Jayampathiyahfrom 2011
Rob JohnsonVictor, no, my two years of android was not one android phone. It was SIX. Yes, SIX android phones. Wanna know why? Because they are so shitty they kept breaking and I kept having to get them replaced. Apple makes solid products. The hardware they use is solid, and so is the OS.from 2011
John SanchezGotta love iphone fanboys. Analyze the two devices and make a realistic argument. You bought a bitten apple plain and simplefrom 2011
Andrew CinnamonI think that in many area, yes, android has passed up iOS, but iOS will never be killed and iOS shines in many areas.......-also who says the iPhone has lag-----it doesn't from 2011
Peter KisWell, I'm typing this on a Galaxy Nexus. And yes, I definitely think that Android has finally taken the lead. The hardware has been better on many handsets for a while now. With ICS they've now taken the lead in the software department as well.from 2011
AnaG1998HELL YEA!!!!!!from 2011
Jay FourmontYou would think that with a new phone, it would be updated with a 8mp camera, the FFC to have at least 2mp and hd connector. Also include a boot loader and or a dual boot select. Whats the ram and OC specs with the phone? Why not elaborate on the hardware it has first other than telling us the CPU speed and dual core. Instead of just showing off how fast it is with the GUI. We NEED SPECS if were going to upgrade and make it worth the money if we buy overseas.from 2011
Rohit BhatiaNofrom 2011
Piterson Massenat Desirlol im a big android fan but nahhfrom 2011
Robert BratschNot unless the vendor and carriers got there hands in it. from 2011
Jerm TorresIphone's been beaten.. This is just another kick up the A**! hahahafrom 2011
Zach ClineThe iPhone was never killed. And iOS laggy? LMAO!!! Ok.from 2011
Anonymousnot worth my money its ok but i will play the waiting game maybe if i was on verizon i would cough up the lootfrom 2011
Miguel A NavarreteThe I phone was killed a long time ago..from 2011
Asher EncisoGSII has not lag. It beat the iphone 4s BEFORE it even came out. IOS actually has as much lag as the others but is has really nice transitions. Apple taking crap and making it look nice...from 2011
David HarnessNo such thing as beating the iPhone. It's personal preferancefrom 2011
Robert SmithIt will never beat the iPhone until lil fan boys and girls REALIZE that iPhone is i-overrated. To many restrictionsfrom 2011
pseagraveslooks very nice. I just don't care for Samsung and their build qualityfrom 2011
Ron BraggMy dick is bigger than yours. Haha!!! I beat you. :)from 2011
Andres BarroetaI hope the new gpu hardware Accelaration in 4.0 remove the buggy laggy of android from 2011
Andres BarroetaI hope the new gpu hardware on 4.0 fix the laggy in android from 2011
Andres BarroetaThe problem of android is the laggyfrom 2011
Mark MannIphone has been beaten since nexus 1 and still hasn't caught upfrom 2011
Andres BarroetaYes , it's from 2011
Erik RosliIt all boils down to personal preference and user experience. You know, sometimes I think that if I were to compare phonedog to a meme, I'd say PD is being a troll. Step 1: Start a flame topic between android and apple users. Step 2: Sit back and watch. Step 3: ??? LOLfrom 2011
Muzz Mackaytoo late, its already beaten.from 2011
Chris PeelerSat down with an apple fanboy, and within 30 minutes was drooling over my Thunderbolt, Lol. Funny how he didn't know all that android offers. Can't wait for this phone.from 2011
Henry MurilloDude the iPhone was beat a while ago... from 2011
Jay LopezSorry but remember when an iPhone 3g couldn't send mms and my moms razer could, that's when i realized this phone isn't for me or when the iPhone 4 had the attena issue and was close to a recall my Samsung vibrant wasn't doing that or better yet when the so called amazing iPhone 4s with siri which android users had well over a year ago and its battery life was shorter than Kim kardashians marriage i had a smoother faster bigger phone in the galaxy s2 basically if the iPhone had to release a phone every year it tells you that their previous hardware can't beat others out there...from 2011
Jiro AmanoTriple effin' like. This phone is the bauuuce.from 2011
Eric MitchellThere's been a lot of phones that beaten the iphone. from 2011
Patrick ScotThis beat tbe iPhone shit is old already. Just review the fucking phones as they come out iPhone isn't the standard of what a smartphone is anymore. Their screen hasn't changed much at all since the original iPhone so stop the comparisons.from 2011
Ervin Estebanobviously Yes. Not in total number of sales but in overall performance, power, features and user experience :pfrom 2011
Scott SmithHey Chris Keeley, You Pathetic little Iphone Fanboy. There is no compelling argument that anyone can give that says that comparing an operating system to a hardware device makes sense. None. We don’t see reports of Windows 7 being compared to a Dell computer and then making assumptions about market share based on their sales. Why? Because, that would be stupid. That would be like comparing one model of Mercedes against all cars that GM makes and saying the Mercedes is losing. It just doesn’t make any sense. You can’t have it both ways. You either have to compare hardware devices or operating systems, you can’t mix and match.from 2011
Scott SmithDefinitily going to be my next phone !!!from 2011
Rupinder Singh ChathaSamsung suck with software updates? My infuse waiting for gingerbread update. Never gonna buy Samsung again.from 2011
Alex EnglehartAlso you have ONE iphone and 30 different android devices, instead of device numbers sold (unless combined) you have to do all android devices vs the iPhone and not one single android device like the sgs 2.from 2011
Nick Damesyou know i like having phones unlock , because when you put the sim card in , its shows you the true network data connectivity and shows the real network coverage it nexus s for Cincinnati bell and its says 3G with one bar but if i had a unlocked version it would be H+ or 4G with two or three bars....smh -_-from 2011
Jim AntrikinI'm not a fan of anything Samsung. Cheaply built.from 2011
Alex EnglehartThe rezound laggy? Lmao righhhhhttttfrom 2011
Tomate FarcieExcuuuuse me?!! most high end android phones beat the equivalent iPhone in the market at the time of their release... doesn't matter if they don't outsell the iPhone. In specs alone, they do better. True, no device is completely superior to the others in all aspects but then it becomes a matter of personal preference, and what features are more important to the user... You're saying this like the iPhone is the absolute best device on the market, and it simply is not (no offense to Apple fan boys out there).from 2011
Joel RiveraNothing Against apple it just annoys me that one has to beat another they are both amazing OSfrom 2011
Kevin HardyWill never get another android...it will never beat apple...anyone who thinks otherwise is in denial/high from 2011
Joel RiveraNo. Idiots will stil prefer brand over use + technology advantages.from 2011
Roberto Sorianoit better go to sprintfrom 2011
William SellowJust got my nexus today, straight from the UKfrom 2011
Walt Alan Wilcutts@Victor Over the last 2yrs I've had well over a dozen Android phones. You're thinking contract term. I'm currently a 4s user and I'm not switching back.from 2011
Chad RichterTalk all the crap you want. I'll consider an android phone an iPhone killer when one single model outsells one model of the iPhone. So far not one has even come close. from 2011
Eric T PonceWhy say the first to beat the I phone? I've had my g2 for a yeat and it still kills the I phone 4s just too simple for my liking androids beastfrom 2011
Jason RamosHow is the GS2 better than the Nexus with it's 800x480 display and TouchPISS?from 2011
Alen TeplitskyDoesn't it only have a 5mp camera and lesser gpu?from 2011
Eskias McDanielsGo toe to toe in sales? Ya youre probably one of those people who think the backstreey boys are the greatest musical groups of all time cuz they sold a BUNCH of records. Sales dont always tell the story. Theres a bunch of people who buy things because they think everyone else is. Followersfrom 2011
Victor Perez^lol rob, u have been an android user for 2 years, that's one whole android phone...from 2011
Alberto GarciaThe SGS II already beat the iPhone. Its proven that Samsung has sold more of this than Apple has sold the iPhone. Software and hardware wise Android its better, but IOS is very constant. IOS is a great operation system and Android is too, I have the GS2 and for what I saw of this Nexus I think the S2 is slightly better if it wasn't for the Nexus's 720p display.from 2011
Warren Saundersgalaxy s2,evo 3d,sensation,motorola razr,the atrix and the htc edge is looking like a beast.allthough iphones are a decent phone they are not truly smart,however,apple IS,and marketing is their real power,they could add bluetoothing between devices and it would sudenley become revolutionary,even though my old nokia done it years ago.from 2011
Luis ReichAnd yes, There is an iFone 4S in my household. It SUCKSfrom 2011
Luis ReichAnyone who says the 3G, 3.5" screen, iFone is better clearly has not done the research... When you get a link on a message, go to the browser, can you just return to the message? No. Can you take a picture and share it with Facebook, twitter and other apps from the camera?? No, only twitter. Do you have a period on your keyboard without having to switch to the alt? No... And on and on and on......from 2011
Rob JohnsonAnd I don't care if an android phone has a dual core 1.5ghz processor. The android os is so shitty that it doesn't take advantage of it. They keep chucking all this fancy hardware at a shitty os. It just doesn't work. from 2011
Brandon EthingtonDude I thought you were Aaron's stunt double. I haven't seen an unboxing in a long time. Think. How did you don't Aaron. Congrats and again another nice review. Thanks.from 2011
Rob JohnsonNo android phones are currently beating the iPhone. Believe me, I was an android user for almost two years before coming to an iPhone. The iPhone blows any android out of the water. It is a much more consistent experience. And everything is way smoother and faster. Sorry but android is just too fragmented. from 2011
Galen Omkar Melchertlol that kid joshua has some serious anger issues. truth is buddy, ios gets pretty damn boring after a week or so. even with a jailbreak (which is buggy as fuck no matter what you do) ios just is so plain. some of us actually like having control over our devices and we also like having the cutting edge, not a piece of hardware outdated by almost a year. so dude, calm your balls and vent your life issues somewhere elsefrom 2011
Erman GuidoHopefully lolfrom 2011
George MrRager VasquezDepends what you mean by beat. Google Android is already the most popular OS in the world. Beating Apple's sales last quarter. Hardware wise, plenty of Android phones already have dual-core processors, bigger screens, and better cameras. Software, c'mon, there's no argument there, Android=open source. Android>Apple.from 2011
John Garbocant wait for the dog fight between Motorola droid razr and Galaxy nexus!!!!from 2011
Jeremy WhitmanThe IPhone has already been beaten ... Android has far surpassed them many months ago...from 2011
Douglas PrevoIts a trick question, beating the iPhone only exists our own personal opinions. If it does for us, it does, if it doesn't for me, it doesn't. People trying to answer this question or believing that phonedog is actually going to answer the question with anything more than "you decide" is kind of silly. Its only three of four more times silly for anyone to try to beat them to the correct answer in the comments.from 2011
Silver DiazSo a bunch a laggy devices ( rezound evo 3d) beaten the iPhone?from 2011
Daniel RubinoBut, will it blend?!from 2011
Will GreenPhonedog used to be awesome, but they really need to get off of apple's tit. be reviewers and quit being fanboys. Its just sad, apple got its ass handed to it along damn time ago.... just look at the sales figures!from 2011
Ben Conoverevery android device is better than the iphonefrom 2011
Kevin LoughreyMotorola razr far better than galaxy nexusfrom 2011
Solomon WattsIsn't every overhyped android device branded the "iPhone killer"? And after that, don't they normally suck?from 2011
Pierce SwanBeat the iPhone... im sorry by my last count the S2 is selling quite well alone against it and android dominates iphone market share... Multiple phones or not, marketing strategy like what windows did wins the war. So the iphone neeeding to get beaten deal has been over for some time... End.from 2011
Cesario Brito Jr.Finally? Umm there's already phones out there beating the iphone. Theres something called the Galaxy S II for starters. Phonedog, get of the BS already. SMH Anyone that disagrees, oh well.from 2011
Edwin PoloniaJoshua Rodriguez Becker what are you talking about the iPhone having good battery life? iPhone suck more than my Samsung Galaxy S 2, Epic 4G Touch "by the way I got them both just in case" from 2011
Everett C W ByrdRuss, the 32gb is 199 with LTE @ VZW, but nice try.from 2011
Nick Damesi want one for tmobile sooooooo bad ! like wtf uk gets it first, hey google , you are in the us !! -____-from 2011
Everett C W ByrdI love all these people making claims that aren't justified by facts... just like when Apple said that LTE would've made the 4S thicker, and the new RAZR is thinner. iDiots. from 2011
John Browny JacksonLolfrom 2011
Lupe RamirezI phone was beaten a long time ago haha.from 2011
Rita Fay CarterIf android phones were never put on the Verizon network, then I would say yes. from 2011
David HilgendorfAhhh yea, Aaron making us jealous lol...from 2011
Russ HemsathAmazing device but not worth $800 that's a little overkill for a phone!from 2011
Chris KeeleyUntil a android phone goes toe to toe with an iPhone and beats it in sales, the answer is a resounding no!from 2011
Micah MadruThe iPhone has already been beaten by A LOT of measures.from 2011
Cory WilsonSgs2 beat iphone 4s an sgs 3 going to beat iphone5from 2011
Anthony Torres OrtizWill it sale like the IPhone?!?! Probably NOT!!!!!!!!from 2011
Gabe PerezAaron lost a lot of weightfrom 2011
Mark Belkowskithat lag is a deal breaker for me too.from 2011
Alexander WrightGalaxy s 2, galaxy nexus, HTC Rezound and the HTC raider all beat the iphone by a long shot.from 2011
Pedro RodriguezThat will finally beat the iPhone? Aaron are you an Apple lover? Many Android devices did already! :Dfrom 2011
?????? ?????Many Android Phones Have Beaten the iPhone WTF Are They Talking About? APPLE Just Has a LOT OF FANBOYSfrom 2011
Verleen Shallowlittlebiitch WonderlyNo!from 2011
Joshua Rodriguez Becker4 things are needed to beat the iPhone, 1. Better fucking battery; Android's battery is complete shit and everyone knows it. 2. Android is a shit operation system and needs COMPLETELY rebuilt. 3.More apps in the Market; iPhone has 3 times more than Android. 4. Samsung, and the phone makers need to stop putting out shit products; actually develop them before putting them out. The EVO 3D Was a fucking fail, so was the HTC Thunderbolt, those both are pieces of complete and utter shit, especially on battery.... Face the music, Android will NEVER beat the iPhone... Apple may be completely fucking ridiculous with their requirements and lockdowns, but with Jailbreak I am fine, and I would rather take locked-down and good battery and OS, that Android's shitty, battery life, freezes, and fucking CONSTANT Fore-close... my iPhone apps NEVER do that!!!! I had the Aria, it was okay, then i had the Galaxy S Vibrant... that thing froze all the fucking time, fore-close CONSTANTLY. If Google did Android right, maybe a competition would ensue.. Most of the idiots that bash Apple know nothing... Android is shit and iPhone is way better... switch to an iPhone for a week.... Jailbreak it, and you will never go with Android again.from 2011
Daniel VincentI think its funny everyone talks about an iPhone killer, if iPhone works for u buy an iPhone, if u like android buy an android, all I care about is it a good phonefrom 2011
Ossama PervezS2 has already beaten iphone badlyfrom 2011
Jesse MooreHey. They're both good phones in their own rights. The end.from 2011
Topher Manic JohnsonUnfortunately the only thing that can beat the iPhone is Google's marketing and PR team. There are already Android devices out that completely kill the iPhone hardware and software-wise. It's Apple's marketing and brand recognition that's keeping the iPhone king.from 2011
Taylor MartinIs that an iPhone?from 2011
Jeremy De La Cruzall are good. Apple's better if you want a simple smartphone thats easy to use with a sexy design. Androids better if you want more free stuff, a variety, more customization and choice.Both are greatfrom 2011
Dan MallonHaha nofrom 2011
Adam Van WeeldenHa! That phone missed its time to shine. Already outdated beyond belief. from 2011
Yasser LassalleI want that phone so badfrom 2011
Pavan Aripakulaur lagging way back in terms of thinking? there are many android phones that already beat the iphone..from 2011
David BuiCan we just say that THIS phone is 299.99, compare to the easy price of a 199.99 iPhone? LOL. Everyone would just get the iPhone because its cheaper.from 2011
Justin FitzgeraldYour my hero, and now when is it out....that is the million dollar question.from 2011
Paris HiltonsOn another note fuck at&tfrom 2011
Jan Michael CruzAs far as I know, iphone was beaten long time ago, specwise.from 2011
Quentin HickmanFuck yall apple is where it's at !from 2011
Julius SepedaIt would be if google didnt fuk up the launch(and like apple) worldwide release it at once. # EPIC FAILfrom 2011
Paul-James WilliamsIf made by Samsung probably notfrom 2011
David BuiGalaxy Nexus? I'll pass.from 2011
Mike NanceHeck no....Galaxy S II is a MUCH better phone then that one...even without ICS....once SGS II gets 4.0, then there will be no competition from any other phone..from 2011
Ramon QuinteroWhat do u mean by beating? Sales or hardware wise?from 2011
James Gustavo HidalgoLmaooo I'm pretty sure many Android phones have already done that....stop sucking the iPhone pleasefrom 2011
Pascal HertingeS2 beats the iPhone (In my opinion) But the Nexus screen is too big..from 2011
Mark Belkowskii don't think the nexus is all that great. the rezound is a beast compoared to it.from 2011
Darryl CobbThat was the GS2 my good man. This is taking us a step forward.from 2011
Deon D-Will WilliamsIts been plenty of android phones that beat that wack ass iPhonefrom 2011
Àngel LoeraWat da faqfrom 2011
Farhan Technologic_|_from 2011
Jonathan Nope Recinos>implying the iPhone needs to be beatenfrom 2011