Samsung Galaxy Nexus arrives in UK with Android 4.0

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus went on sale in the UK on Thursday. Among its notable features are the Android 4.0 operating system, 4.65-inch touchscreen display and a dual-core 1.2GHz processor.

The device is the first handset to launch in the UK that runs the most recent Ice Cream Sandwich (ICS) version of the Google Android operating system, which aims to harmonise the different forks of the platform used for smartphones and tablets.

It is available from Thursday in some O2 shops and from its online store, and will be available in all O2 stores from Friday, a spokesperson said. When ZDNet UK checked the online store, it was still showing as 'coming soon'.

Three will also be offering the device, but a spokesperson told ZDNet UK that it is currently still in pre-order stage and that the network is yet to announce when the Samsung Galaxy Nexus will arrive.

Vodafone also said it will be ranging the device in future but that it was still undergoing in-house testing.

"We're continuing to test the Galaxy Nexus software to ensure our customers get the best possible experience of the device," a spokeswoman said. "We'll provide concrete details on availability of the device once the testing process has been successfully completed."

Despite being the first handset to arrive running Android 4.0, T-Mobile said it had "no plans" to offer the phone. Similarly, Orange — sister-company to T-Mobile under the Everything Everywhere brand — has also decided not to offer the device.

Samsung also confirmed on Thursday that Galaxy S II handsets will be getting an update to ICS but could not say when it would arrive.

Photo Credit: Aloysius Low/CNET Asia