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Samsung Nexus Prime Rumor Roundup: Features, Release Date, Carriers

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I think it’s pretty safe to say that besides Apple’s iPhone 5, there is no other phone on the planet that is more highly anticipated than a phone that is believed to be called either the Samsung Nexus Prime or the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Personally, I like the first name. It’s not up to me though. The Android faithful have been waiting for this device ever since Google announced Ice Cream Sandwich all the way back at Google I/O and finally, we’re getting close to an announcement.

And while there is indeed a lot of excitement, that excitement is based on speculation because Google has has been able to keep a pretty tight lid on the device. We’ve seen a bunch of phonies, heard some pretty credible rumors and have made some pretty bold assertions but we still can’t really put a firm finger down on what the next Nexus is exactly.

Nexus Prime

Translation: there is a lot of stuff out there.

So, as usual, we want to make it as easy as possible for all of you so we’re back with another rumor roundup in which we bring as much Nexus Prime/Galaxy Nexus stuff together in one post for your viewing pleasure.

Announcement

After weeks and weeks of speculation surrounding October and November, Google and Samsung announced a joint event called Samsung Mobile Unpacked 2011: Google Episode which will be taking place at CTIA in San Diego on October 11th. We still don’t know what the company’s will be announcing but we have a pretty good feeling that it’s going to be the next Nexus device.

That also means that there will likely be an Ice Cream Sandwich announcement as well.

In fact, expect a lot of the focus to be on the software rather than the hardware. Apple is expected to announce a killer feature at its iPhone 5 event on October 4th so Google will want to keep its fan base excited as well.

Carriers

Droid

We’re still unsure exactly where the Nexus Prime is headed. In the past, Nexus devices have shown up on AT&T (Nexus One, Nexus S), T-Mobile (Nexus One, Nexus S) and Sprint (Nexus S 4G) but they haven’t ever shown up on Verizon.

Rumor has it, things might change this year as Verizon took a pass on the Galaxy S II and might be primed and ready to release their own flagship version of the Nexus Prime.

Verizon’s device is rumored to be called either the Droid Prime or Galaxy Nexus with the latter being the front runner for the branding that shows up when it finally hits shelves.

What’s unclear is whether or not it will be announced on at CTIA. This is a Google and Samsung event and we haven’t seen anything that indicates that Verizon will be present. And seeing as though they skipped the Galaxy S II event, you’d think that this launch would call for some stage time, right?

It’s possible that we might see a surprise appearance though.

As for the other carriers, I would imagine that either AT&T and T-Mobile or both will likely be on board.

Sprint on the other hand is having to deal with an iPhone launch and I think that they are going to be devoting all of their resources to that. At least for the time being.

Nexus PrimeHardware

The hardware on the Nexus is unclear at this point. What we’ve heard is that it might feature a  4.5-inch 720p Super AMOLED HD display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor which may be an OMAP4.

And, as I’ve said, Verizon’s version is rumored to have 4G LTE on board.

Other than those specs, the Nexus Prime and Verizon’s Galaxy Nexus/Droid Prime are complete unknowns. We still don’t even have any confirmed photos  or video of either device.

If I had to guess, it’d imagine that we’ll see a Galaxy S II/Nexus S hybrid with beefed up specifications. I think we could call live with that couldn’t we?

Pricing

No details on pricing yet but we expect it to be competitive with Apple’s iPhone 5. That means that we’ll likely see it launch for $199 on-contract per usual. The unlocked price of the Nexus will likely be in the $550 range or so if history repeats itself. However, those only apply to the possible AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile versions.

Verizon’s device, if it has 4G LTE on board, will cost more. Maybe $250, probably $300. Don’t act surprised. The Motorola Droid Bionic is still $300 over on Verizon and I don’t see the Nexus costing any less than that.

And yes, the off-contract price on Verizon will likely be more than $550.

Release Date

Thus far, the only unconfirmed release date we’ve heard for any Nexus device is November 3rd, a date that originates from a poem written by a couple of individuals who are apparently in the know. Now, we thought that this might be the release for Verizon’s Nexus device but it’s certainly possible that it could be launch day for other carriers as well.

Thing is, we’ve also heard whispers about a launch of the Nexus Prime in October as well. It’s also possible that that October date was referring to the announcement and not the actual release.

So, like the iPhone 5 release date, the release date for the Prime remains unconfirmed.

Software

I don’t think there is any question about what version of Android will be on this (or these) device when it arrives. Eric Schmidt has confirmed that Ice Cream Sandwich will be rolling out in either October or November and we’re pretty sure that this CTIA event is going to be the launching pad for the software.

We first heard about Ice Cream Sandwich back at Google I/O in May and while we’re still a bit light on details, we do know that it features include a new, state of the art UI, an advanced application framework, a retooled camera interface, and face recognition technology.

It has also shown up on video and in some photos as well giving us a look at what will probably be Android 4.0.

17 Comments

17 Comments

  1. Dwight Schrute

    09/30/2011 at 12:55 pm

    The screen will be 4.65 inches on this…..not 4.5.

  2. BrianB13

    09/30/2011 at 7:41 pm

    You didn’t mention that both the SCH-i515 (rumored to be the Droid Prime) and the GT-i9250 (Nexus Prime) have passed Bluetooth SIG so FCC certification should be right around the corner for them.

  3. John Zampier

    10/02/2011 at 4:29 am

    I can’t wait to get this phone, but I also can’t wait for it to CRUSH the iPhone 5 with those specs!!!

    • Gary Conrad

      10/04/2011 at 8:49 pm

      And people use the iPhone because of specs? 

  4. Anonymous

    10/02/2011 at 1:59 pm

    please sign petition 
    Request for repair of its products during the warranty 
    Petition for Samsung (especially Samsung Poland) 
    https://petitiononline.com/4samsung/

  5. Grandpajohn

    10/02/2011 at 2:06 pm

    as long as it has 4g and under 249.99 I’ll get it. contract is up end of Jan so there will probably be 5 new pnones out by then…..

  6. Benjamin Roberts

    10/03/2011 at 9:17 am

    I like how Apple and now Google/Samsung have been very discreet in their invitations with what they will be uncovering. Here’s what I think we can expect at Apple’s media day tomorrow and the Unpacked event next week: https://bit.ly/pgrIOE

  7. Anonymous

    10/04/2011 at 1:26 pm

    Apple has lost, its Samsungs time. :)

  8. Anonymous

    10/04/2011 at 1:27 pm

    so iPhone 4S was the reason for lawsuits against Samsung. iPhone 4S, an epic fail!!

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