Google’s “Nexus Prime” smartphone is said to be set for an October release, according to a report from Korean-language technology publication Electronic Times (via BGR). The Nexus Prime will likely be the first phone to run Google’s upcoming Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) mobile operating system. If the rumors are true, this would put the Nexus Prime in direct competition with the other smartphone powerhouse set for October release, Apple’s iPhone 5.
News of the Nexus Prime’s release coincides with reports from earlier this month, which indicated that Google planned to push release for Ice Cream Sandwich to October for the specific purpose of competing head-to-head with the iPhone 5 and the new iOS 5 platform.
Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) is said to be not just a simple update from the current version of Android. Instead, ICS is intended to be a multi-device OS, which created a unified user experience across Android tablets, phones and Google TV. This could help solve some of the fragmentation problems that Google has with Android, and is one of the primary weak points in its battle with Apple’s seamless iOS.
According to BGR, the Nexus Prime (also known as the Nexus 4G) will come loaded with a 1.2GHz or 1.5GHz next-generation dual-core processor. Also packed into Nexus Prime will be a 4G LTE radio, 1GB or RAM, a 1-megapixel front-facing camera and a 5 MP rear-facing camera. (The iPhone 5 is said to have an 8 MP rear-facing camera.)
Nexus Prime will also have a massive 4.5-inch screen — big enough that it could almost be considered a small tablet rather than a smartphone — with 1280×720 resolution. And it will have no physical buttons; everything will be based on touch-screen controls.
Of course, all of this is still speculative, as Google has not given official word about the Nexus Prime or the release date for Ice Cream Sandwich. But the rumor does have our hopes up about us having a very eventful October.
