While Verizon's version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus bears the same design and name as the GSM Galaxy Nexus, many folks don't think of the Big Red variant as a "true Nexus" because it's not updated with the newest versions of Android as quickly as typical Nexus devices. For example, the GSM Galaxy Nexus was recently bumped up to Android 4.2.2, but the Verizon model is still sitting on Android 4.1.2. If a member of the XDA-Developers forum is to be believed, though, it may not be long before the Verizon Galaxy Nexus is finally same software as its Nexus siblings.
XDA forum user El Madhatter claims to have a tester version of the Verizon Galaxy Nexus that receives updates before they're rolled out to the public to ensure that there aren't any major bugs inside. According to El Madhatter, he recently received an over the air update that features the build number JDQ39 and brings the Verizon GalNex up to Android 4.2.2, the latest version of Google's mobile operating system. Packed inside the update are some new radios.
Along with El Madhatter's report, there are a couple of other pieces of information that suggest that Verizon is planning to push an update to is Galaxy Nexus soon. Droid-Life claims to have been told by a source that the next Verizon Galaxy Nexus update will indeed bump the device up to Android 4.2.2. On top of that, the official Verizon Wireless Support account on Twitter recently told one user that an update will be coming to the Galaxy Nexus "soon."
This is all still very much a rumor at this point, but if it holds true, Verizon Galaxy Nexus owners could soon have cause for celebration. As I noted before, the GSM Galaxy Nexus is currently running Android 4.2.2, as is all of the other recent Nexus hardware, and even the Sprint version of the Galaxy Nexus has been updated to Android 4.2.1. That means that the Verizon flavor of the Galaxy Nexus is pretty far behind in updates for being a Nexus-branded product. That may not come as much of a shock to some, as Verizon is known for occasionally taking longer than other carriers when it comes to pushing out updates due to its testing process, but it's still kind of a disappointment for Galaxy Nexus users. We'll keep an eye on this whole situation and give you Verizon GalNex folk a shout when we learn more.
