The Nexus Prime is undoubtedly the most highly anticipated Android phone of 2011. While it was to be the first Android phone to feature 720 x 1280 (720p) resolution, that crown has since been claimed by Samsung’s Galaxy S II LTE HD. But there’s still plenty to be excited about. For starters, Nexus devices are “pure” Google phones (ie: they lack manufacturer/carrier customizations such as ugly, performance sucking skins). Even better, however, is that because of their “pure” nature, updates are received far faster and for longer into the future too. Finally, perhaps the most exciting feature of the next Nexus device is the fact that it will showcase Android 2.4/4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich).
But there’s a catch. There are currently two Nexus/Prime devices — the SCH-i515 (Droid Prime) and GT-I9250 (Nexus Prime).
Hop on past the break as we take a look at the numerous rumors surrounding what are sure to be two of the biggest mobile devices of 2011…
First, a brief history…
Back on June 27th BGR broke the news concerning the next Nexus device, the “Nexus Prime”. Since then details have swirled about its feature set and release date. Fast forward many months and the details haven’t changed much though are still pretty much a crap shoot whereas the date is now public knowledge (for the most part).
On September 6th a user agent profile (UAProf) was “leaked” by Samsung themselves. The only problem: the specs were hardly bleeding edge and no where close to Nexus worthy. Though it quickly became obvious that the “GT-I9250″ as it was listed was merely filling in spaces with false specs as to keep the real beast lurking within Sammy’s inner walls a secret.
For all intents and purposes, the GT-I9250 is considered the “Nexus Prime”, multi-carrier, “pure” Google phone.
But what about the “other” one?
A few days later on September 9th a post appeared in the Phandroid forums by an alleged Best Buy Mobile employee which showed an image highlighting the “Sammy Prime” (read: SCH-i515) as replacing the current DROID Charge — one of Verizon’s first LTE devices.
This device is the VZW exclusive device that is apparently bested by the HTC Vigor according to TheDroidGuy whom cites an unnamed VZW phone tester that claims the Vigor is actually the more impressive device. Considering the current DROID Charge’s slightly less than top-tier specs, we can see how the VZW specific Samsung/Droid Prime might take a similar role.
With history behind us, what do we know?
Manufacturer
First and foremost: Manufacturer. Since day 1 of Nexus Prime rumors the phone has been said to be another child of Samsung. Some may cringe but overall we feel this is a good decision. The last Nexus device, the Samsung-made Nexus S, was a good looking if not somewhat plain device. It was easy to hold though, so it’s easily our favorite. Something about the Nexus S made us want to use it.
We’ve heard a rumor or two say the Nexus Prime will take a somewhat similar shape. No word on the Droid Prime.
Display
The Nexus Prime’s display is said to feature a higher resolution 720p (720 x 1280) display. While screen size hasn’t yet been officially released/leaked, given the current field of 4.3-inch+ devices we’d say that’s a good starting point. In fact, we’d even go on a limb and say Samsung will stuff in one of their newer, larger 4.5″ displays (or even the 4.65″ display found on the Galaxy S LTE HD) for good measure.
Processor & RAM
Processor speed is still somewhat of a mystery. While many would think the flagship device for Android 2.4 (Ice Cream Sandwich) would pack the best hardware available, the last Nexus device, the Google Nexus S, made do with a 1 GHz single-core processor in a world quickly filling with dual-core variants. Add to that the Droid Prime’s first-gen sibling, the Droid Charge, which made to with a single-core 1 GHz processor when dual-core phones were starting to get hot and you can see our point.
So what will the Nexus Prime feature? We don’t have any reason not to believe that the maker of the next Nexus device will ship the device with at least a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, and most likely (read: hopefully) a 1.5 GHz or faster piece of silicon. If that is the case, two likely candidates are the current TI OMAP4460 (dual-core @ 1.5 GHz) or the newer, faster OMAP4470.
If we’re allowed to let our dreams take control, we’d cast a vote for either the faster 2.0 GHz dual-core or lower-clocked quad-core processors that are due out in phones/tablets later this year.
RAM, regardless of processor, will be at least 1 GB.
Connectivity
This is easy: 3G, WiMAX/LTE, WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and NFC.
Availability
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt confirmed recently an October/November release time frame. A couple weeks back, two Twitter users, @tfleming223 and @Black_man_x claimed via an elaborate poem that the VZW specific Sammy/Droid Prime would officially hit the streets on November 3rd. This falls in line with Schmidt’s statement regarding an October/November release, though doesn’t say much for the non-VZW, multi-carrier Nexus Prime.
Conclusion
The Droid Prime/Nexus Prime have easily surpassed the Galaxy S II in our books as “the” Android device(s) of 2011 — and we haven’t even seen a single shred of confirmed information outside of the vague October/November release date. With that said, we’re eagerly anticipating the moment more news becomes available — on either device should there actually be two.
At this point it’s still unclear which device — either the SCH-i515 or GT-I9250 — is the real Nexus device we’ve been lusting over and what the biggest differentiating features will be. We’d assume, however, that both devices will be of “flagship” quality. In late 2011 that means big screens (4.3″+) and dual-core processors. We also think it would be highly unlikely for Samsung, Google, or any of the other players involved in this little dual-Nexus event to actually put out two devices with similar names. In the end either the Verizon-specific Samsung Prime or the cross-carrier, open Nexus Prime will get a new name. **A commenter below pointed out that Samsung already put out two similarly named devices with the Galaxy S and Nexus S — something we completely overlooked.
Until we have something more official, weigh on the information we already do know listed above. As always, take what you see above with a grain of salt.
