Last week somebody at Sprint prematurely released an advertisement that revealed that the carrier’s first LTE device will be the Galaxy Nexus. Though the ad looked legit, there remained the possibility that it was a clever Photoshop job. That doubt can be dispelled, as Sprint has officially announced that the Ice Cream Sandwich-running handset will be coming to the company’s LTE network.
Details beyond that are thin, but the marketing materials show that it’s the same Galaxy Nexus that Verizon customers are already familiar with. The 4.65 inch display, 16GB of internal storage, and NFC chip will all be in tow.
Why is it significant that the Galaxy Nexus is coming to Sprint? The first reason is smartly highlighted in Sprint’s advertisement: Google Wallet. Verizon finagled its way out of supporting Google Wallet in its version (it poses a threat to Verizon’s Isis mobile payment network). While there are ways tohack the payment system onto the Verizon Galaxy Nexus, Sprint’s version will support it out-of-the-box.The other big reason to get excited about Sprint’s Galaxy Nexus is unlimited data. While there was a recent hub-bub about Dan Hesse touting his ability to cut off “abusers” of unlimited data, the company does still offer all-you-can-eat data plans. There is the possibility that those will get cut-off before the LTE network and Galaxy Nexus launch, but — as Sprint has invested much in the marketing of unlimited data — it won’t likely disappear that quickly. While Verizon still offered unlimited data when its first LTE phone was released, the HTC Thunderbolt doesn’t compare — in terms of hardware or software — to the Galaxy Nexus. This is one of the (if not the) best smartphones on the market.
Sprint hasn’t confirmed a release date for the Galaxy Nexus, but we know that a) its LTE network will be launching within the first half of 2012, and b) the Galaxy Nexus will be the first phone that runs on the network. We would then expect it (probably) within the next four to five months.
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