Samsung Galaxy Nexus & Motorola RAZR Android superphones

Two new super 4G LTE Android phones are coming, here's a quick roundup of features of the two best phones.

Samsung is releasing the Galaxy Nexus with the new 4.0 version of Android called Ice Cream Sandwich. Motorola is introducing the new superthin RAZR.

While both phones seem similar there are a few key differences.

Motorola RAZR Samsung Nexus

BETTER SPEC IS MARKED

The Motorola RAZR should be a very durable phone, yet superthin at 7.1mm. Its casing is made of Kevlar fibre, best known for its use in body armor and heavy duty rope. A nano coating is added which is said to help the phone become water resistant.

Unfortunately the phone ships with Android version 2.3.5, not the newly announced 4.0. Although it's certain an upgrade will be available, its possible this won't be until the better half of next year.

It has the newest version of Bluetooth 4.0 like the new iPhone 4S. While this is a brand new standard and many devices are not even available to take advantage, its promised to be low power and have many new advantages over version 3.

The camera is an 8 megapixel which is finally making phones a true replacement to carrying a seperate camera.

Finally, accessories are promised that can turn the phone into an Android laptop. While this was originally introduced with the previously released Motorola Atrix. It was disliked by most reviewers and users. Hopefully this version will be better.

If it shipped with Android 4.0 and had an NFC chip this would make the phone irresistable.

The Samsung Nexus is another superthin device to wait for and was announced with Android 4.0. Its highlights are a display with a resolution of 1280×720 also known as 720p Hi Def on TVs. Imagine holding a device in your hand that has as many pixels as your large screen TV, amazing.

Unfortunately it seems it will not include a mini SD card slot. This was one of the huge advantages Android had over the iPhone is that you could add storage and swap cards on the road. For the mini film makers for example, you could shoot and then just pull the card out and put in a fresh one. Just like a standard digital camera swapping cards keeps you shooting, not stopping to transfer the data in the middle.

While it comes with a standard Bluetooth 3.0, not the newer 4.0, it does come with an NFC chip.

NFC or Near Field Communications is also a new wireless standard. Its promised to be the new way for us to spend money without reaching for our wallets. These chips, like smart chips in some credit cards, will allow you to tap your phone like a credit card for payments at participating retailers. Google calls this service Google Wallet and while its not ready for prime time, its exciting.

Another dissapointment is the camera is a standard 5 megapixel, not the newer 8 ones we see in newer phones. While 5 megapixels is nothing to be upset with, its not the latest and greatest. But its shown to have a zero shutter lag, which might make up for it. Zero shutter is truly shot the instant you touch the button. Great for real world shooting where people always seem to blink or move micro seconds before the camera snaps the shot.

Finally a feature we would not think of wanting, the phone comes with a barometer which will apparently help GPS aquire a signal quicker.

Both phones have incredible specs. The RAZR seems like a superthin bulletproof like power house. We wish it had Android 4 out of the gate, but Bluetooth 4 and an 8 megapixel camera in that superslim size make it something to watch for. The Samsung Nexus looks to be the latest head turner with Android 4. Also the NFC payment chip could help you leave your wallet at home. The camera's instant shutter could change all our expectations of cameras in phones for the future. But the lack of the bigger 8 megapixels and microSD slots leave us wondering.