Samsung Galaxy Nexus on Sprint vs Motorola Photon 4G with Ice Cream Sandwich

Sprint customers waiting for higher network speeds have big choice to make when the new LTE network debuts this summer. The question will be whether to buy the Samsung Galaxy Nexus or the Motorola Photon 4G with Ice Cream Sandwich. It's all very preliminary, starting with the fact there are no dates given for the Galaxy Nexus releas, LTE opening or Photon 4G updating. What we do know is Motorola will update the Photon 4G to Android 4.0 starting as early as July, right about the time Sprint says it will debut the LTE system in Atlanta, Houston, Baltimore, Kansas City, San Antonio and Dallas.

Because the Galaxy Nexus is an LTE-enabled phone, it stands to reason this will be the around the time it goes on sale. Sprint could bring it out early, of course, and it would run on their 3G network, but we just don't know yet. The last thing we don't know is how much the Galaxy Nexus will cost. On the Verizon network, it's $300, but Sprint has never sold a $300 phone (except the 32 and 64 gigabyte iPhone 4S). As always, one of Sprint's big advantages is they offer unlimited data plans, unlike AT&T or Verizon. Whatever price the Galaxy Nexus debuts at, it will be more than the $100 on contract price of the Photon 4G, and that's why these two phones need to be compared. You could buy the Photon 4G now and wait for the update, as opposed to waiting four more months for the more expensive Galaxy Nexus.

Photon 4G features a 4.3-inch 960x540p resolution qHD display with Gorilla Glass, 16 gigabytes of storage, full gigabyte of memory, dual cameras, mini-HDMI port and microSD card reader. It's a solid device if you don't mind the Motorola software overlay or lack of laptop dock connectivity. There is an HD dock that adds two full-size USB ports and HDMI port for connecting to a laptop or HDTV.

Galaxy Nexus ships with a 4.65-inch HD 1280x720p resolution Super AMOLED curved glass display, 32 gigabyte of storage, full gigabyte of memory, dual cameras,super thin profile (9.5 mm compared to the Photon's 12 mm), 1080p video capture and micro-USB port that includes MHL technology. That means it both charges the phone and connects to an HDMI cable for connecting to an HDTV. There's no microSD card reader, however. If price is an issue, the Photon 4G is a solid choice, but if you can afford the Galaxy Nexus, and don't mind paying an extra $100 to $200 for it, you won't be be let down. Tell us in the comments if you're a Sprint customer and if you're waiting for the Galaxy Nexus.

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