Samsung Galaxy Nexus Android smartphone

Sharp shooter?

The benefits of the new OS are helped by the speed and efficiency of the handset. It’s fast, very fast, and the 1.2GHz dual core processor does a cracking job of whipping through the apps and keeping several running at once, with no sign of slow down. It clocked up AnTuTu Android benchmark of 5759, just shy of the similarly equipped Motorola Razr. Android benchmarking hasn't yet managed the same level of consistency as that on PCs, but it's still a useful guideline.

AntuTu benchmarks show some slight variations from the anticipated score

This pure Google handset will almost certainly be the first to get future Android updates too, unencumbered by any additional user interfaces that need to be configured and likely to slow down the update process.

Strangely, the camera takes a step down from the 8Mp model you’ll find on the Galaxy SII, with the return of the 5Mp from the previous Nexus S. While stills snaps have shrunk, video goes up from 720p to full HD recording at 1080p and there are a few other enhancements.

Sample Shots

Click for a full-resolution image

Click for a full-resolution image

Certainly, the camera’s very quick to get going – less than two seconds from a standing start and it’s ready to take a second pic virtually instantly. It has autofocus, a bright LED flash and several scene modes, including panorama. Picture quality is generally pretty respectable and there’s a good level of detail, though colour can appear a little washed out at times.