Samsung Galaxy Nexus, 10 years later: Retro Review!

Ten years before the Pixel 6, there was another milestone Android device, also developed in close partnership with Samsung, that represented a huge leap forward for the platform.

This is the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, launched a decade ago to revolutionize the Android ecosystem.

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[TheMrMobile]

I was one of those forced to live with the Verizon version. All you say is true: hugely delayed updates and the free extended battery that came with it *always* had to be in my pocket for that mid-day battery swap. Still in all, the first Android phone I truly loved. Great throwback dude.

[anima]

golden age of Android Gnexus with cyanogen was amazing

[Docavelli]

Ahhh.. rooting and ROMing. The old days were so fun.

[YgorCortes]

I owned one and aside from the first few years it was slow af, but oh man I loved this thing! The UI looked fantastic for that time!

[marco_evertus]

I remember getting a galaxy nexus shipped all the way from the US and the thing I was most exited about was the stock android and the 720p display I eventually switched to iPhones later but the GNex was one of my highlights in my android journey

[YgorCortes]

Project Butter on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was AWESOME!

[TuPhonezFree]

OMG! One device I truly miss outside my HTC and Sony phones! The Samsung Galaxy Nexus! One of my very first phone unboxings and reviews even on my Youtube Channel right now! So much history!

[adamszostek]

I was so hyped to get one, and finally, I did, but then I quickly replaced it with an even better Nexus 4 :)

[VKTR_Tech]

Oh I miss those times. Even HATING the camera. ICS was so futuristic looking I fucking loved it. Plus the on screen buttons were just phenomenal

[FlyingNDriving]

I remember it being so easy and cheap to swap out the battery and just keep going all day

[IanNiblett]

My memory of my GNEX was it was buggy as hell on 4.0, especially when using it with the official car doc, which you didn't mention. 4.1 changed all that and it was a great phone until 4.2 made it so laggy it was unusable. But the Nexus 4 was out by then and it was time to move on.

[adilmk]

Damn, this phone brings back memories

[DeadofWinter]

That Google Pixel 6 Pro be looking sharp af 😎🤙🏻🔥

[maiconedipo]

I still have a GNexus, here in Brazil, it was released as Galaxy X, due to a problem with a Telecommunications company using the Nexus name. Updates because of this came directly from Samsung, which delayed, so I decided to unlock the bootloader and install the original ROM so that the updates arrived faster straight from Google. Today, it's in my drawer, I installed a ROM based on Android 7, but it's too slow for daily use. Good times.

[lukasz]

I owed this phone in 2012 and I loved it. Camera was very good at the time

[MrQuest]

I had one for Sprint. I still to today think back to that phone. It's was just perfect at the time. I loved it. I miss it. 😢😢

[HannesDroid]

The Galaxy Nexus was my second smartphone ever, I bought it in December 2011 when it was newly released. What a great phone it was - and such a big upgrade coming from the first HTC Desire before! I still remember my friends and family being shocked by the back then huuuuge 4, 65' display. I also got the bigger battery later, which resulted in good battery life as I was using the 3G version of the Galaxy Nexus. Also got the official dock which was way to expensive, but I really had to have it. The Galaxy Nexus was my loyal companion for 3 years and then finally got stolen in October 2014 in Hamburg ... I then got the Nexus 5 which was also a great phone. Nowadays I have so much nostalgia for the Galaxy Nexus, it warms my heart to think back to that time. 😄

[zappykoenigg]

This was the first smartphone I ever owned. Got it when I was a sophomore in high school and I remember being absolutely in love with it. Then, it got stolen out of my locker at the beginning of my junior year and I ended up getting stuck with a cheap LG smartphone for a few months. I was super bummed because not even the Galaxy S4 I eventually got as a replacement was on the same level as the Nexus.

[DecAllTimeAlways]

Nexus One was my first Android phone. Never got another Nexus until my cousin gave me the 4.. in 2019. Then got a 5 a few months later. I still have my Nexus 5. GNex came with a weak TI chip.

[DecAllTimeAlways]

The best review for the Galaxy Nexus came from Josh Topolsky when he was still with The Verge. His Nexus 4 coverage was also awesome. Ice Cream Sandwich was the bigger game changer.