Galaxy Nexus First Impressions

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I got a Samsung Galaxy Nexus yesterday and @reillyhawk asked me to share a review. Disclaimer: I’ve had this device for 20 hours.

  1. It’s big, but it’s the same weight as my old HTC Incredible (135g vs 130g). It has an extra inch of screen space (4.65” vs 3.7”). The feeling in your hand is like a well balanced sword. Seriously.
  2. It’s so big my thumb can’t reach the opposite corner with the phone in the crook of my palm. The opposite corner is a common place for non-standard menus. Dear apps: use ICS menus! (bottom right instead of top right).
  3. It’s really fast. The screen is very responsive. The throw-weight of scrolling is increased (meaning it doesn’t coast as far for small throws) and it feels good.
  4. Swype isn’t available yet, even though I’m in the beta.
  5. The keyboard is easy to type on because of the extra screen size.
  6. ICS’s app folders are nice.
  7. Calendar widget is sweet.
  8. 32G on-device memory means no sd card needed, which is nice.
  9. I haven’t found a single piece of crapware yet.
  10. I’ve only used wifi (at home) so I can’t comment on 4G speeds.
  11. Browser is snappier, the zoom is much quicker. I love android’s text reflow.
  12. I miss Cyanogen’s tethering and ability to change the number of home screens (I like having one immovable screen). I haven’t looked into root options yet, and won’t for a couple weeks to make sure I’m keeping the phone and there are no problems.
  13. At minimum brightness when looking at solid colors or gradients, AMOLED banding is visible. I’m not too annoyed though. Really only happens and night and I should put the phone down and pick up the kindle :-)
  14. It comes with an earbud and mic combo. I haven’t tried them out yet.
  15. Headphone jack on the bottom is perfect, because you always put your phone into your pocket face-down, so the cables should come out the bottom.
  16. The lock button is opposite the volume button, so when you push lock you have to be careful not to brace against the volume keys. I can’t believe how many devices do this. My timex watch has the same issue. Put buttons opposite spaces in the frame!
  17. No hardware buttons is not a problem for me at all. I love the fact that it’s just a big hunk of screen. Looks awesome. Netflix is beautiful.

That’s it for now!

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