Google announced so many things at I/O yesterday that I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around everything they talked about during their keynote. There was one thing however, something they didn’t talk about on stage, that has completely and utterly blown my mind. The Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which hit the market late last year for well over $600, is now available in the United States for just $349. To put that number into some perspective, Apple sells the iPhone 3GS, factory unlocked of course, for $375 on their website as of right now. The Nexus is half a year old and has a 720p resolution screen and a dual core processor, meanwhile the iPhone 3GS is a three old smartphone with a 480 x 320 pixel screen and it uses a single core chip.
Here’s another number for you to think about: $649. That’s what Apple charges for a factory unlocked iPhone 4S. You can get two Galaxy Nexus phones for just $49 more. I can not stress enough how incredible this is. Samsung’s Galaxy S III and HTC’s One X may be getting all the attention from the press right now, but with a Nexus this cheap they honestly shouldn’t. Consider this: Amazon USA sells the Galaxy S III for $670 unlocked. Instead of paying that, why not get the $349 Galaxy Nexus and then spend the ~ $320 you’re saving on half a year of service from Straight Talk? You’ll still have over $65 leftover for apps!
Let’s also not forget that this coming Sunday marks the start of the second half of the year. What does that mean? We’re that much closer to the next Nexus, the next iPhone, the first Windows Phone 8 devices, and the second generation Galaxy Note.
If you’re a smartphone addict, then 2012 is easily the most difficult year for you in terms of decision making. There’s an incredible amount of awesome stuff on the market, and there’s even more exciting stuff that should be unveiled over the next few months.