Galaxy Nexus 2 / Plus (GT-I9260) – here’s what we know so far

The Nexus-related news keep coming in these days, which is only natural considering that every Android fan and their grandmother expect Google to unveil at least one new Nexus smartphone in the coming months if not more. Of those, we keep hearing about a Samsung GT-I9260 handset, whose model number is awfully close to last year’s Galaxy Nexus (GT-I9250).

The Leaks

We’ve seen the GT-I9260 in several leaks so far, with various sources spotting it in a number of instances. Naturally, the device is not official yet and we have a plethora of names for it: the Galaxy Nexus 2, Galaxy Premier, Galaxy Nexus Premier and Galaxy Nexus Plus. Of those, the last two name versions seem more credible because we’d be surprised to see Samsung use “Nexus 2” in any name combination for its devices and because “Galaxy Premier” is not exactly a suitable name for a Nexus device.

The Galaxy Nexus Plus can be spotted right away when going to Carphone Warehouse’s site (thanks to our tipster). Once you try to trade-in your Galaxy Nexus handset – just type in Galaxy Nexus on this page here – you’ll notice how two choices appear: the Samsung Korea GT-I250 / Galaxy Nexus (the current model) and the Samsung Korea GT-I9260 / Galaxy Nexus Plus (the Galaxy Nexus 2 we keep talking about).

Sure, this is a mistake made by the staff of the UK electronics retailer. The same staff put up a trade-in page for the Galaxy Nexus Plus (see image below) but the handset can’t be ordered just yet. In fact, searching for the handset on the site will not return any results.
A few days ago, we saw a few images captured with the camera of the Galaxy Nexus 2. The images, uploaded on Picasa, revealed that they were taken with the GT-I9260 and shared some details about the camera’s characteristics.
Before that, the User Agent Profile of the GT-I9260 has popped up, basically confirming that Samsung is working on a new Galaxy Nexus version, the “Superior” version we heard of back in August.

Specs and features

Although the GT-I9260 is likely to be a Nexus-branded handset, it doesn’t mean we’re looking at a flagship device by this year’s standards. In fact, should Samsung launch it as the Galaxy Nexus Plus, then we can only expect it to feature a limited number of improvements, just like other Samsung smartphone “Plus” versions did before it.
There’s isn’t a clear set of specs and features yet for the device, but here’s what’s expected of the device:

• 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display
• 1.5GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core processor
• 8-megapixel camera with f/2.65 aperture and 4mm focal length
• 16GB storage
• microSD support
• Android 4.1 Jelly Bean

When it comes to design elements, common sense suggests that the handset will be rather similar to its predecessor, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see Samsung try to include some of the design lines of the Galaxy S3 / Galaxy Note 2 in this new Nexus, especially considering its ongoing legal squabble with Apple.
It’s worth noting that we’re only speculating on the design of the GT-I9260 for now, as we don’t have any leaked images of the handset.

Release date and pricing

We have no idea really when this device will hit stores, but considering what we know about the Galaxy Nexus’ launch, and its delayed release especially in the U.S. last year, we would expect the handset to hit stores by the end of 2012, with European markets likely to get it before North American ones. As for pricing, the Galaxy Nexus Plus could be launched for $99 on contract, considering the price of its predecessor (currently available for $349 unlocked), but also the fact that the Galaxy S3 is still a hot handset, already selling for less than its original $199 on contract price. Not to mention that the Galaxy Note 2 will also be launched in several markets in the upcoming months.

Finally, we can’t disregard the other Nexus-related rumors out there. According to those, it’s not only Samsung that’s making a Nexus smartphone. LG, Sony and HTC are also rumored to work on their own Nexus handsets. Product names like the LG Optimus Nexus, Sony Xperia Nexus and HTC Nexus 5 have already been mentioned in the wild, albeit unofficially.
Moreover, a recent rumor suggested that LG may be providing a high-end Nexus smartphone this year, largely based on the recently introduced Optimus G flagship.
We’ll be back with more news about the Galaxy Nexus 2 / Nexus Plus once we have them. Meanwhile, let us know what you want from your next Nexus handset in the comments section below.

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