Galaxy Nexus Release Date: Costco to Sell Smartphone for $289
The Samsung Galaxy Nexus may not have an official release date, but Costco will sell it for $289 with a two-year contact on Verizon Wireless.
Inventory screens and various training documents, leaked by The Droid Guy and Android Central detail that the Galaxy Nexus will sell at Costco, the wholesale retailer, for $10 less than its original proposed price of $299.
Both the leaked inventory and training documents show Verizon Wireless as the sole carrier of the Galaxy Nexus.
"Verizon Wireless is the exclusive launch partner for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus 4G LTE smartphone, the first to offer the Android Ice Cream Sandwich operating system," said the leaked documents.
However, several industry insiders still speculate that the Galaxy Nexus may eventually release on other network, such as Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile.
Much mystery has surrounded the release of the Galaxy Nexus. Despite a November release confirmed at its unveiling in October, a definitive date has not yet been revealed.
A recent leak of Verizon's advertising "Roadmap" suggested that the phone would release on Nov. 21. Insiders have also suggested a release during or slightly after Black Friday weekend.
However, Verizon has only stated that the Galaxy Nexus would release "later this year," but has not confirmed an exact date.
Previous inventory leaks have priced the Galaxy Nexus at $299 at Verizon retailers that do not offer wholesale discounts like Costco. While insiders are confident that the price is accurate, the price has also not been confirmed.
The training documents detail most of the information already known about the Galaxy Nexus; such as its Face Unlock screen and its NFC powered phone-to-phone sharing mechanism, Android Beam. The Galaxy Nexus is also the first phone to power Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, the latest Android operating system.
