Samsung, Google delay Nexus Prime, Ice Cream Sandwich (updated)

Google and Samsung were set to debut a Samsung Nexus Prime (or Galaxy Nexus) on Oct. 11 at CTIA Fall in San Diego, but now the two companies have decided to delay the phone’s big introduction.

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They sent the following statement this morning to VentureBeat:

Samsung and Google have decided to postpone the Samsung Mobile Unpacked event during the CTIA in San Diego, previously scheduled for Oct. 11. Under the current circumstances, both parties have agreed that this is not the appropriate time for the announcement of a new product. We would ask for the understanding of our clients and media for any inconvenience caused. We will announce a new date and venue in due course.

Not only had Samsung posted a promotional video teasing a “big” smartphone that looks like the Nexus Prime, but Google apparently leaked when Ice Cream Sandwich would launch through a YouTube livestream placeholder. With all this pre-established hype, it’s strange that the two companies have decided to delay the launch.

Three possibilities come to mind for why the companies decided to postpone: First, they may not have attracted enough press to attend the event at CTIA in San Diego and decided to push it back to a New York launch where attendance will be higher. Second, perhaps Google needed a little extra time to polish the Ice Cream Sandwich OS. Third, the companies could have decided at the last minute to distance the launch of their flagship Android phone from the iPhone 4S launch by more than a week .

We don’t expect to wait long for another date to be set, though, because Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said Ice Cream Sandwich would launch before November. I absolutely believe that timeline because Google and Samsung will want to take advantage of increased holiday sales.

The Nexus Prime’s leaked specs do sound pretty impressive and could attract consumers disappointed by the iPhone 4S introduction. The smartphone will feature a massive 4.65-inch display with curved glass, a 1.2-gigahertz dual core processor and LTE 4G connectivity through Verizon.

Update: Google and Samsung have reportedly moved the debut of the Nexus Prime and Ice Cream Sandwich to London with an Oct. 27 launch. We will see if this event turns out.