With the news that the next Nexus phone will be a Verizon exclusive, we’re sure many people are happy to hear that. Many people are not so happy with that, too. Still, even if the handset does debut on Verizon, I can’t imagine that another version wouldn’t pop up for other carriers. While this is the first time we’ve seen a Nexus handset grace the largest US carrier, it would be wise of Google to follow Samsung’s Galaxy S strategy for the US and get the handset on as many carriers as possible.
I’m not necessarily thrilled that the handset may be a Verizon exclusive but it’s definitely easy to imagine that having the Galaxy Nexus on Verizon at all will definitely give more attention to the Pure Google line. The Nexus One first debuted on T-Mobile in early 2010, with an AT&T compatible version debuting not long afterwards. The Nexus S on the other hand saw an initial debut on T-Mobile, an AT&T compatible version, and then the Nexus S 4G landed on Sprint.
While history may not repeat itself completely this time around, it only makes sense to see some sort of new Nexus handset land on other carriers at some point in the future. If the Galaxy Nexus is a Verizon exclusive, and the rumors turn out to be true, does that mean the QWERTY-packing variant will land on Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T?
The idea of having a QWERTY-toting Nexus Phone released is a novel one but it’s certainly not an unlikely one. I don’t care what weight a keyboard adds to a handset. If it’s a good keyboard it’s worth the weight in my opinion and hopefully we’ll see a Galaxy Nexus Pro of some sort debut soon.
While I’m pretty much dead set on the Galaxy Nexus right now, I’m reluctant to join Verizon. In the past four years, I’ve been with T-Mobile and love the price I’m paying. When the first Motorola Droid landed in late 2009, I jumped ship to Verizon and ran into network problems immediately. Big Red’s customer support was anything but helpful. Not to mention I was paying nearly $30 more for 50 less minutes and text messages that never successfully sent. Verizon has left a bad taste in my mouth and it’s hard to see myself going back.
One thing is for sure, and that’s that Verizon will likely push the Galaxy Nexus hard, which is something the Nexus line has needed for some time now. That said, we certainly hope it’s not an over dramatic Droid campaign but the handset was luckily enough to not get the Droid branding in its name. Either way, those who aren’t aware of the Nexus line (the majority) will soon see what the fuss is all about.
I can’t say that I want to wait any longer than I have to for the Galaxy Nexus but if there’s a chance of a keyboard-toting version right around the corner and I don’t have join Verizon, it’ll be worth the wait.
Do keep in mind that virtually everything about the Galaxy Nexus / Nexus Prime is a rumor until proven otherwise by Samsung and Google themselves and we’ll see official specs in less than a week from now.
What do you think? Could you see a QWERTY-packing Galaxy Nexus land on Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T, or is it not in the cards?
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