Sprint will begin selling the Galaxy nexus on Sunday.
Sprint also offers the Galaxy Nexus with access to Google Wallet for mobile payments, something .
Of course, the biggest downside with Sprint is that the 4G LTE device -- the first with Android 4.0 -- already works over Verizon's LTE network in more than 200 cities; Sprint won't begin rolling out LTE until mid-2012, and then, in just six cities to start.
Sprint users will have to rely on Sprint's slower 3G data speeds in the meantime, the same way as when a Verizon user wanders outside of a Verizon LTE network and the device reverts to 3G.
Pre-orders of Sprint's Galaxy Nexus started today at . Sprint will continue offering unlimited data on the Galaxy Nexus smartphone, which means the monthly cost for voice, data and texting starts at $80.
The Google Wallet feature is software that uses the phone's Near Field Communication chip, and will work at 100,000 participating retailers. A user who activates Google Wallet within a week of activating the phone will receive a $10 instant credit on the Google Wallet prepaid card and another $40 credit within three weeks, Sprint said.
Sprint and Google on The Nexus S last September, but the feature has been slow to catch on. Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile all support a different mobile payment system in a consortium called Isis that is slated to begin using the NFC technology this summer.
Part of what makes the Galaxy Nexus attractive to users is a pure Google experience, minus interface add-ons from Samsung or Sprint. It has a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, a 4.65-in. Super Amoled contoured display and dual cameras, with 5-megapixels in the rear and 1.3 megapixels in front.
While the Galaxy Nexus in today's popular smartphones, HTC and other makers are heading to quad-core processors and 12-megapixel cameras.
Matt Hamblen covers mobile and wireless, smartphones and other handhelds, and wireless networking for Computerworld. Follow Matt on Twitter at or subscribe to . His email address is .
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