10 reasons why the Galaxy Nexus is THE phone to buy

There’s absolutely no lack of Android phones and as you can imagine, it’s not easy trying to find which one’s the right one for you. You could just go out and buy the most expensive one out there, but then you don’t want to waste so much money on it either. If you’re looking to spend somewhere between Rs. 18,000 and Rs. 27,000 on an Android phone, we feel that you should blindly go out and buy a Samsung Galaxy Nexus. No, it’s not ‘officially’ available in the market, but drop in at your local, buzzing mobile store and you’ll probably find it there for somewhere between Rs. 23,000 and Rs. 25,000, depending on where you are. No, you won’t get a warranty on it most likely but that’s a risk you have to take. Now, let’s look at why it’s THE Android phone to buy.

Jelly Bean available... right now

No waiting for Jelly Bean

Everyone’s talking about Jelly Bean and how their brand new Rs. 40,000 smartphone is going to get it really soon. If you’re as excited about it, you’ll be happy to know that the Galaxy Nexus already has it. Of course, if you have one, and haven’t received the update, here are some quick instructions on how to get it.

It’s Google’s iPhone!

Apple’s got the iPhone and if there’s one phone that can be called Google’s own phone, it’s this. While Samsung makes the device, the Galaxy Nexus most certainly is Google’s latest official phone, at least, at the moment. If you’ve always wanted to have the pure Google Android experience, without any third party interfaces and apps, this is the best device to have. All future updates that Google puts out will come to this phone before almost any other phone in the market.

720p screen

The screen on the Galaxy Nexus spans 4.65 inches, almost identical to the Galaxy S III and the HTC One X. Very few phones in this price range have such a large screen, that too at 720p. The screen may not be as vibrant as the ones on more expensive smartphones in the market, but it’s certainly way better than other phones in its price range. It’s a Super AMOLED display, so there’s decent detail and reasonably good colour reproduction as well—a joy when you’re viewing HD content on it.

Dual-core CPU performance

More cores means more performance, at least theoretically. The Galaxy Nexus comes with a rather speedy 1.2GHz processor, which means very good, smooth performance. Google’s Project Butter on Jelly Bean only makes the experience better.

Decent camera, with full HD video recording

Panorama shooting takes seconds

The camera on the Galaxy Nexus might only be 5MP as compared to some of the other phones, but in broad daylight, it’s able to click some very impressive photos. The camera lets you choose panorama by simply moving the phone from side to side. The phone not only lets you view full HD 1080p content on it, but even record it.

1 GB of memory

For most of us, the processor is the most important part of the phone but the amount of memory is what lets you run multiple applications simultaneously with negligible drop in performance. The Galaxy Nexus comes with 1GB of RAM. When it comes to storage, the phone doesn’t have any microSD slot, but there’s 16GB of internal memory.

NFC support

NFC can be very convenient

NFC used to be advertised as one of the biggest changes to come to mobile phones. In the case of the Galaxy Nexus, you don’t pay a premium for it. Although NFC isn’t widespread in India yet, it’s still a neat little feature that lets you quickly share apps, Youtube videos, links and contacts by simply touching the phone to the back of another NFC-enabled device.

It looks great

Simple, solid attractive design will attract eyeballs

While most mainstream devices have a boring design, Samsung and Google have ensured that the Galaxy Nexus is an attractive phone to hold in your hand. The front has no buttons on it and all the basic controls are carried out through the screen itself. The only physical controls are the power and volume control buttons. The back has a thin textured grip that only makes the device look even slicker.

It’s exclusive

People love bragging rights, and owning the Galaxy Nexus means that it’s not like the Galaxy Note or the S III; phones that every other person on the street has. The Galaxy Nexus isn’t as popular as it should have been here in India. If you own it, you’re one of the few people to have one. Hurry, because it’s one of the few phones also to run Jelly Bean as of now.

It’s pretty darn good value for money

Price is a key part of any purchase and it’s no different for the Galaxy Nexus. Rs. 23,000 might seem like a lot of money, but in fact, this phone offers way better value money than the more expensive options. For all practical purposes, superphones such as the HTC One X and the Samsung Galaxy S III only have a faster processor and a slightly better quality screen. For the money you’ve spent on them, you still don’t get the latest Android updates. Take any other phone priced around the Rs. 23,000 mark and you’ll begin to appreciate the kind of hardware you get for the price. Most of the phones in this price range come with a single core processor and won’t have a screen with this resolution, let alone its several other extras.

So if you’re willing to sacrifice the warranty and are looking for a good value for money Android phone, then look no further. The Galaxy Nexus is THE phone for you.