Verizon Wireless to Sell Galaxy Nexus for $299.99 on Two-Year Contract: Report

The highly anticipated Galaxy Nexus for Verizon Wireless, the latest high-end smartphone from Samsung, will sell for $299.99, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the situation.

The smartphone has already been launched overseas, but the WSJ report didn't say when U.S. stores will get them. However, there have been rumors that the Galaxy Nexus will be launched on Thursday.

The smartphone is widely anticipated to be in American stores before the end of the year.

Earlier, Engadget posted a screenshot allegedly showing the Galaxy Nexus listed in the Best Buy inventory system. It had a starting date of Dec. 11, but the tech Web site stated that in-stock date is not always a true representation that the device will be on store shelves on that particular day.

The Galaxy Nexus launched in Europe on Nov. 17 and comes with 4G connectivity.

The Galaxy Nexus is the first smartphone that will launch with the new Android 4.0 operating system known as Ice Cream Sandwich.

PCMag.com's mobile analyst Sascha Segan has said Ice Cream Sandwich will be a game-changer for the Android market.

This is a huge deal. Ice Cream Sandwich is the biggest upgrade to Google's Android OS since Android 2.2 hit in May 2010, and possibly the most important update ever, Segan wrote in a November note, Hands-on with the Galaxy Nexus. From what I've seen so far in a day with the Samsung Galaxy Nexus phone, Android users should be demanding their share of Ice Cream -- and it should absolutely make a difference in your phone purchases.

The writer also noted that the Galaxy Nexus raises the bar for smartphones in a crucial way with its 1280-by-720 Super AMOLED Plus screen.

There have also been recent images on the XDA forums showing the Galaxy Nexus smartphone in what is being said to be retail packaging.