That ultimate Android device we’ve been talking about for months, the Nexus Prime, turns out it has a different name: Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Bummer, because we though Nexus Prime was just about the most bad ass thing you could call a smartphone. Anyway, the folks at Boy Genius Report got their hands on the spec sheet for the Galaxy Nexus, which they say will be announced next Tuesday at CTIA. It’ll pack a Texas Instruments OMAP 4460 dual core Cortex A9 processor running at 1.2 GHz, 1 GB of RAM, 4.65 inch 1280 x 720 pixel Super AMOLED HD curved glass display, 32 GB of built in memory, a 5 megapixel camera (seriously?) that can capture 1080p video, a forward facing 1.3 megapixel camera, support for near field communications, LTE (depending on the operator), and the best part is of course that it’ll run Google’s latest version of Android, codenamed Ice Cream Sandwich.
Said monster of a device will be a Verizon exclusive, which is rather odd. The first Nexus was initially a T-Mobile exclusive, but then a version with AT&T 3G appeared a bit later. The next Nexus, the Nexus S, also premiered as a T-Mobile exclusive, then versions that supported AT&T’s 3G network and Sprint’s 4G WiMAX network came later. Will the Galaxy Nexus show up for Verizon first and then reach everyone else? If we had to make a bet, we’d say that’s most definitely going to be the case. As for Europe … no word on that, but we wouldn’t be surprised to hear it crossing the pond by the end of the year.
Curiously, Samsung is going with a Texas Instruments chip. It’s likely that they wanted to ship the Galaxy Nexus with their new Exynos 4212, but couldn’t get it ready on time. TI’s website says the OMAP 4460 isn’t even going to start sampling until Q1 2012, so—yea, we’re just as confused.