Where is the Jelly Bean update for the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus?

As of the moment, the latest iteration of the Google mobile operating system is Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and this was announced back in June. As expected, pure Google devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Nexus have already gotten a taste of the Android 4.1 refresh along with a couple of tablets from Asus. In the smartphone scene, pure Google devices have no overlaid custom user interfaces atop their operating system such as Sense UI on HTC devices and TouchWIZ on Samsung smartphones.

So what is the delay in getting the Verizon variant of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus (which is also a pure Google device) from getting upgraded to Jelly Bean?

The Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon is on sale now starting at $49.99.

There are speculations that the CDMA technology being used in the Verizon version of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus has something to do with the delay but the sad truth is that it has nothing to do with it. In fact, there is nothing that would make Verizon’s version of the handset any harder to give a taste of Jelly Bean than the GSM variant of the device. And to add insult to injury, word on the street is that the international version of the Samsung Galaxy  S III, a smartphone running Samsung’s custom TouchWIZ user interface atop Android, is about to get upgraded to Jelly Bean in a couple of days.

Sad to say, we have known from the start that Verizon is not really that timely when it comes to updates. Basically, the wireless provider carries out a lot of tests to ensure the viability of an update for its devices. Verizon also does this to ensure that its customers get the best experience from their smartphones but unfortunately, this delays the update from getting rolled out unnecessarily. Come to think of it, users of the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus have always waited for the updates to land on their handsets. In fact, these same users waited from approximately 5 months for a bug fix update to be released after the handset hit the shelves late last year.

Is the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update coming to the Verizon Samsung Galaxy Nexus?  It definitely will but the question is when?

If you happen to rock a Samsung Galaxy Nexus from Verizon and are itching to give your smartphone a taste of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, you have the option of rooting your device and updating it yourself. In fact, there are already a couple of Jelly Bean ROMs that surfaced in the past and you can select from any of those. However, this is only advisable if you are brave and adventurous and you know what you are doing. After all, tinkering with your device could run the risk of you ending up with a CDMA building material (brick) and even if you and your handset survive the whole process unscathed, your warranty will definitely not. If you are of the faint of heart, then you are better off waiting for the official update to be rolled out by Verizon.

Buy the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Verizon now starting at $49.99.