Samsung Gets Jumpstart in Smartphone Market with Google Preferred-Vendor-Status and the Galaxy Nexus
Google’s upcoming Galaxy Nexus, manufactured by Samsung, ushers in the latest Android OS – “Ice Cream Sandwich.” Introduced in Hong Kong recently, the smartphone promises to be the most influential mark of mobile technology to date, with a slew of more handsets on the way. Ice Cream Sandwich also touts the ability to run on any mobile device, unlike previous versions.
“Ice Cream Sandwich demonstrates the Android platform’s continued innovation with one release that works on phones and tablets and everything in between,” Andy Rubin, head of Google’s mobile business, said recently.
Samsung and Google definitely have a growing love for one another, considering Google chose Samsung again as the manufacturer for their Nexus-brand flagship phone. (The Google Galaxy Nexus is the successor to the Google Nexus S by Samsung.) Samsung hasn’t historically led the way in the Smartphone industry, but over the course of the last couple of years, their Galaxy line has dominated the scene, particularly with their recently introduced Galaxy S II phone.
When the Nexus S entered the market last year, it was pure Google, and it boasted some specifications unlike any phone the public had scene. Samsung won’t disappoint this year with the all new Nexus phone, the 8.9-mm Galaxy Nexus. Housing a screaming 1.2 gigahertz dual-core processor, it shines with a 4.65-inch 1280×720-pixel Super AMOLED HD screen, 1GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a distinctive curved-shape that molds to the face.
Additionally, there’s a 5-megapixel zero-shutter-lag camera, a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chats, and support for 1080p HD video capture and playback.
Google plans to launch the Galaxy Nexus in November in various markets including U.S., Europe, and Asia. But it won’t be launching amid a competition-free market. Announced around the same time was Motorola’s 4G LTE Droid Razr, a few weeks after the Droid Bionic announcement and amid news that Apple is still selling iPhones like gangbusters.
[amazon_my_favorites design=”2″ width=”250″ title=”” market_place=”US” ASIN=”B004USPRM4″ color_theme=”Orange” columns=”1″ rows=”1″ outer_background_color=”” inner_background_color=”” background_color=”” border_color=”” header_text_color=”#FFFFFF” linked_text_color=”” body_text_color=”” shuffle_products=”True” show_image=”True” show_price=”True” show_rating=”True” rounded_corners=”False”/]Google premiered the Google Nexus brand 3-years ago with the Nexus One by HTC. It was the Mountain View, California-based company’s first attempt at selling smartphones directly. Since then, it has used the Nexus line to introduce the latest iterations of Android OS.
The Nexus brand is actually a very valuable one. The chosen vendor who gets to manufacture the next Nexus gets the benefit of seeing Android OS improvements early. This is useful because it allows that manufacturer a jump-start at planning out the rest of their Android line-up. Samsung has held that coveted title with the last two versions of Google’s Nexus phone line, which has allowed Samsung to jump out from the pack in smartphone offerings. The Nexus S, for example, introduced NFC and Google Wallet. The Galaxy Nexus will also have an NFC chip.
Will Samsung continue to support the Nexus line? Some industry experts think not. Google plans to enter into the hardware business with its plan to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. And while Google’s strategy of working with multiple partners has catapulted them as a mobile market leader, this Motorola purchase may not be the smartest move. It didn’t work with the Nexus One, and it remains to be seen if a second stab at direct smartphone marketing will be successful.
Check out Google’s Galaxy Nexus Promo video…
