A month ago we reported a rumor that the popular Samsung Galaxy Nexus would be coming to Sprint on April 15th. With the 15th having now come and gone, that rumor was plainly wrong. But apparently it was pretty darn close. Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Nexus will be coming to Sprint this coming Sunday, April 22nd
Unlike Verizon, Sprint’s version of the Galaxy Nexus features Google’s NFC-based instant payment platform, Google Wallet. To encourage customers to use the service, Sprint is offering everyone who purchases a Galaxy Nexus $50 to activate their Google Wallet account within a week of getting their phone. You’ll get an instant $10 credit when you activate your account, followed by another $40 credit sometime in the following three weeks.
The Galaxy Nexus is the first phone on Sprint’s network to run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. It’s also one of only two phones (so far, the other being the LG Viper, which became available for pre-order last week) that will be compatible with Sprint’s 4G LTE network when it begins to go live later this year.
The Galaxy Nexus launched in December of last year on Verizon’s network and has proven quite popular. In addition to Google Wallet, it also includes Android Beam, another feature that makes use of the phone’s built-in NFC technology to share web pages, contacts, videos, apps, and more between NFC-capable Android devices. It also sports a 1.2GHz dual-core processor and a 4.65-inch Super AMOLED HD display.
The Galaxy Nexus is currently available for pre-order on Sprint’s website. Though Sprint doesn’t guarantee arrival by Sunday if you pre-order today, they promise to “do our best to get it to you” before then. It costs $199.99 with a 2-year service agreement.