Samsung and Google have shed more local launch details on the Galaxy Nexus.

The mobile is the first to run Android  4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), the latest release of the Android smartphone platform.

Ice Cream Sandwich brings an entirely new look and feel to Android. It has a redesigned user interface with improved multi-tasking, notifications, WiFi hotspot functionality and Near Field Communication (NFC) support.

The new update introduces innovations such as Face Unlock which uses facial recognition to unlock your phone. The update also uses NFC technology, called Android Beam, to quickly share web pages, apps, and YouTube videos with your friends by simply tapping your phones together.

Additionally, the Galaxy Nexus features a 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED display technology at 1280x720 HD resolution and a 1.2GHz dual core processor.

"Samsung and Google have closely collaborated to push the mobile experience forward. We are pleased to deliver the best and latest Android smartphone experience for customers with Galaxy Nexus. We will continue to move forward with the Android platform to provide the most compelling consumer experience in the mobile world," said Paulo Ferreira, Head of Mobile Product and Business Solutions at Samsung.

"Ice Cream Sandwich demonstrates the Android platform's continued innovation with this release which works on phones and tablets seamlessly (and everything in between). Features like Android Beam and Face Unlock show the innovative work our team is doing, and Galaxy Nexus showcases the power behind Ice Cream Sandwich," said Andy Rubin, Senior Vice President of Mobile for Google.

The Galaxy Nexus will be available in South Africa from early Q1 2012 at a RRP between R 6999 - R7299.