Galaxy Nexus Release Date: Device to Launch Nov. 16

By Vincent Funaro, Christian Post Reporter Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone is set for a Nov. 16 launch in the United Kingdom, according to Phones4U.

The online retailer posted this information earlier this week, and it is offering the smartphone through carrier Orange.

Neither Google nor Samsung have confirmed prices for the Galaxy Nexus, but on Verizon, experts are anticipating a $299 price tag. The handset will be 4G LTE ready.

The two companies are most likely gearing up to release this smartphone just in time for the holiday season.

Google confirmed recently that the upcoming Ice Cream Sandwich update would not be available for the Nexus One smartphone, according to The Telegraph.

The publication’s Hugo Barra stated that the Nexus One’s hardware is “simply too old” to run the new operating system.

Other publications, such as CNET, have also reported that Ice Cream Sandwich will not be available for Android smartphones that are two years or older.

Both the Galaxy Nexus smartphone and the Ice Cream Sandwich OS were announced for a November launch last week at Samsung's “Mobile Unpacked” media event in Hong Kong.

The smartphone was unveiled and is sporting one of the industry’s largest displays at 4.65-inches.

The new OS also has a facial recognition feature that allows users to unlock their smartphones by scanning their faces with the front facing camera.

“Mobile Unpacked” was originally supposed to take place a week earlier, but it was delayed due to the death of Steve Jobs. The Apple CEO was Samsung’s and Google’s biggest competitor.