Hot on the heels of the latest and greatest iPhone, Google has just launched the next in their flagship “Nexus” line of phones. The Google “Galaxy Nexus” is once again made by Samsung, the same company that made the Nexus S, a very popular, and well-received Android phone. The Galaxy Nexus doesn’t look like its set up for the same level of success however, even though it looks to be a much better phone spec for spec. But that kind of thinking is the problem with Android to begin with…

The Battle for Spec Supremacy

Android has been winning a PR battle lately with the tech press insisting that spec by spec comparison is the best way to compare smartphones. It’s reminiscent of the same kind of comparisons made in the PC world between Macs and PCs. That kind of thinking has been wrong in that industry, and its proving just as wrong in smartphones.

The Galaxy Nexus has hugely impressive specs. A 4.65” screen (because bigger is always better) with a (impressive) resolution of 720p (1280 x 720), a dual core 1.6 GHz processor (that still can’t make the phone feel snappy), a Gig of Ram (but you still need a task manager to kill off rouge apps). The Galaxy Nexus is a very nicely spec’d phone, but the specs alone hardly make for an amazing phone experience, that’s more up to the software people.

Design Matters

Google under new CEO Larry Page seems to understand the importance of functional design. Not just making things look good, but making them work well and consistently. Interface designer Matias Duarte (who created the designs for the Sidekick and Web OS) has been working on this version of Android (called Ice Cream Sandwich) for months, and his attention to detail and consistency shows all through the interface. This seems like the first fully realized holistic attempt at an Android interface. Did they “borrow” a few ideas from Web OS and other competitors? That’s for the courts to decide. In the meantime this is probably the best version of Android they’ve ever made, and only 3 years into its life it’s starting to show some serious promise.

But Who’s Gonna Buy It?

Google has this sticky little problem with their Nexus phones. They use them to demonstrate the latest and greatest android software, and they usually come in pretty good hardware wrappers. The only problem? They only really sell to geeks. Google’s hardware partners and carrier partners aren’t overly fond of the Nexus phones.

Because Google insists that they run only stock Android, and be sold unlocked, the phones offer a little too much freedom for their partners’ tastes. The result? The best Android phones available are probably going be the hardest to find, and the least promoted in phone stores. Thanks to Google’s partners, the most open version of their open OS is the one you’re least likely to see.

Wrap Up

Google has done a good job with their new flagship phone. It has a coherent software base, and excellent hardware, and it looks like the beginning of a more mature, user-friendly Android experience. Unfortunately very few people are likely to experience it, until the handset makers get their chance to make “improvements” to the software, and close that “open-ness” just a little bit.