Exclusive: Samsung Galaxy Nexus hands-on!

We haven’t done an unboxing around here for a long time and I thought after getting a review unit of this upcoming Samsung Galaxy Nexus, I thought I’d re-introduce the tradition. So here it is, hot off the oven — the Galaxy Nexus running on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

This is probably one of the very first few units to arrive in the Philippines and I’ve only been familiarizing myself with the unit for the last couple of hours. I have to day that despite being very familiar with Android Honeycomb, I was a bit confused on the first minute or two after booting it up.

The packaging is very simple and relatively small (I remember the box of the Nexus One is bigger) but slightly longer. Inside the box is the unit, the battery, micro-USB cable and USB charger, an in-ear earphones — that’s it, no pouch or sleeve or anything extra.

The splash screen during boot-up is really cool and, although ICS is pretty much patterned from Honeycomb, the UI is definitely fitting for a smaller-than-tablet screen.

If you look at the specs of the Galaxy Nexus below, it’s not that much of a hard-core selection compared to the other handsets we already have. In fact, in some areas the Motorola Droid Razr and the Samsung Galaxy Note has a bit of an edge over the Galaxy Nexus. See below for the complete specs.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus specs:
4.65″ HD Super AMOLED screen @ 1280×720 (315 ppi)
TI OMAP 4460 1.2GHz dual-core processor
PowerVR SGX540
1GB RAM
16GB and 32GB internal storage
HSPA+ 21Mbps, HSUPA 5.76Mbps
WiFi 802.11 b/g/n
Bluetooth 3.0
NFC
5MP autofocus camera w/ LED flash
1.3MP front-facing camera
1080p video recording at 30fps
1750mAh Li-Ion battery
Google Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich

What’s really refreshing to see here is how Android 4.0 fits into the over-all experience. I cannot make a definite conclusion right now but so far, it’s been pretty swell.

That large 4.65-inch screen is gorgeous and even the smallest of text on a web page is readable because of the dense pixel density. The device feels a little lighter than I expected (way lighter when the battery wasn’t there) and though it’s mostly made up of plastic, it’s got a pretty solid build and nice feel to it.

The interface is fluid and smooth but the UI needs a little bit of getting used to. For one, the “Settings” button we’re all too familiar on Android 2.x is no longer there and is replaced by the standard Honeycomb menus — Back, Home and Recent Apps.

The device settings is now accessible via the drop down menu from the top. If you have an Android Honeycomb tablet, this one should be easier to familiarize with. There are 5 home screens

There’s not much physical buttons here — just the power button on the right side and the volume control on the left. There are three metallic contact points on the right side which could be used to connect to a dock.

Anyway, I’m just starting to get to know the handset and how ICS performs but so far I am already impressed. More on this once we post the full review.

If you’re interested in getting one, it’s a whopping Php38,800USD 661INR 56,050EUR 630CNY 4,815 over here.

Disclosure: Widget City provided us with this review unit and is an advertiser on this blog.