Samsung Galaxy Nexus
For
Desirable design; fast, intuitive interface; brilliant HD screen; clean, punchy sound
Against
Battery life isn’t class-leading; no Flash support yet
If the world got anywhere near as excited about new Android handsets as it does with iPhones, this would melt the internet. It's the first phone with the Android 4.0 operating system, and the new star of the Samsung family.
In time the OS will come to other phones, but for now this has the march on its rivals.
The Nexus marries a svelte chassis with a premium feel as well as any phone we've seen.
There aren't even any physical buttons; everything is done on the huge, 4.65in HD Super AMOLED, 1280 x 720 screen. Yep, an HD screen.
Fast and slick to use
Three virtual buttons are omni-present at the bottom, with a new-look interface above. It's still instantly Android but it looks sharper and more exciting, and there's a vast amount of space to play with.
iOS-esque 'folders' – groups of apps hidden beneath one icon – are new, as are improved notifications, a shortcut to see all open apps (borrowed from the tablet incarnation of Android) and a clever data usage menu. All very slick.
It's rapid, too. The Galaxy Nexus has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and 1GB of RAM and, like a silver-service waiter, it's almost a step ahead of your every move.
Jump in to the browser and pages load quickly and are resplendent on the big screen, with crisp text, impressive contrast to pictures and clean whites beneath it all.
Flash is missing, but we're assured that this will soon be updated.
Great audio and video
MP4 and H.264 videos are supported, as is HD content, and it looks every bit as refined as we expected. Feeling no need to blurt out over-cooked colours, nor struggling to deliver deep, dark shades, it's a detailed, subtle watch. And pin-sharp, too.
The Android Video market is now live, with 'thousands' of films to rent in SD for around £3.49.
Music is delivered with insight and punch, bass is tight and vocals are clean: the Galaxy Nexus plays music better than any Android phone we've heard. MP3, WAV and FLAC files are supported, and you've got a 16GB (or 32GB) memory at your disposal (though no SD card).
The wealth of apps from the Android Market is here, there's a 5MP camera capable of recording 1080p video and deep integration of everything Google.
There's so much to play with it's perhaps no surprise the battery is average - surviving around a day of heavy usage.
This is the best Android smartphone we've ever seen, and it's closer than ever to iOS in terms of desirability and usability. It's a new Android benchmark.
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