Now that ICS is here, don’t buy an Android that’s not the Galaxy Nexus

ICS is the cream of the Android crop

Last night, the first official Ice Cream Sandwich (Android 4.0) specs were released. It was released on Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus, the latest “Google” phone. The ”Google” phones get the first updates, and are continuously updated. Android 4.0 is the ‘One Android to rule them all.’ It is designed to be the intersection of Gingerbread and Honeycomb – to be a unified OS for both tablet and smartphone.

The 4.65 screen is HD and truly revolutionary

We’ll take a further look at ICS in other posts, but what this post is all about is picking the right Android phone. Just like my post regarding the iPhone 4S (and it’s lack of LTE), I think that one needs to be more than a little forward looking in their purchase of a cellphone. Just like I believe the iPhone 4S isn’t much good without LTE, I’m not sold on any phone that still relies on HDSPA+ for the modem (Android or iOS). And we all know CDMA is simply not fast enough for today’s smartphone requirements. The answer is 4G, and LTE is the best (or only option). WiMax has failed, so only LTE remains.

When I consider the most recent Android devices available, a few stand out – the Motorola Droid RAZR and the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. The new Droid RAZR is Kevlar lined, has very similar specs to the Galaxy Nexus and is a great phone, but it is not a “Google Experience” device, and it does not have ICS.

The Galaxy Nexus has four capabilities that separate it from other Android offerings:

ICS – the latest Android looks great, adds a bunch of new capabilities and is only available on one device
An HD Screen – the Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone with a true HD screen – 1280×720 pixels. This 4.65 inch screen will be the standard for all future phones
A Barometer – there is much speculation that barometers could be cool in the future and might have some very interesting use-cases
Google Experience – this means that there is no “MotoBlur” or “TouchWiz” launcher or “Sense” to clutter up the phone (and delay updates).

These capabilities make it the only Android phone that you should buy before Christmas (and maybe after) and the LTE makes me think that the only carrier I’d purchase for is Verizon. Please share your thoughts on ICS/LTE or Android devices in the comments.