Well, I could’t say I didn’t see this one coming. Sprint has officially given the ax to the Nexus S 4G, according to The Verge. This suggest that The Now Network is clearing shelf space for the newer Galaxy Nexus that released on the carrier a few weeks ago. The Nexus S was a popular device to many, because of its unique form factor (people dug the chin), and its normal sized 4-inch AMOLED screen.
Although it was popular in its day, it left many Android users with heavy heartache filled with missed promises. Personally, the Nexus S 4G is the hand that pushed me over the edge to the iPhone 4S, after a faithful three or so years with Android. Why, you ask? Well, when I jumped into the phone September of last year (on a new two-year agreement by the way); I knew at the time, I was getting into a “dated” phone, especially with the Samsung Galaxy S II Epic Touch 4G rolling out. I didn’t think much of it then, as I was buying a Nexus device with the perceived notion of a “top notch” experience. Boy, was I wrong.
Google released the code for Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) to the masses sometime in late November (correct me if I’m wrong), after the international version of the Galaxy Nexus hit store shelves. Then Verizon finally launched its version of the Galaxy Nexus in mid-December, and after that, Android announced on its Google+ page that its rolling out Android 4.0 to all Nexus S (GSM version) devices “over the coming month.” To only then pull the update for “battery drain issues.”
Meanwhile, while all of this is going on, us Nexus S 4G owners were sparingly left in the cold, without explanation for when we should expect our piece of Ice Cream Sandwich. In what seemed like an eternity of waiting (especially for a Nexus device), the Android 4.0 update finally came to Sprint customers early April, a whole six months after it was released. Not nearly a Nexus experience.
I know, some of you out there are naive enough to let Google off the hook with the debacle that was the Nexus S 4G. Before you go to blaming Samsung or Sprint, you must realize first that this is a Nexus phone, and ultimately it is Google’s responsibility to come through on its flagship devices — stop promising a “pure Google experience” that’s also fragmented.
Did you have a similar experience with the Nexus S 4G?