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5 New Thoughts on the Nexus 4

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Today, Google finally unveiled the worst kept secrete in Android, the LG Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 will replace the Samsung Galaxy Nexus as the company’s latest generation Nexus smartphone and will compete with the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2, Motorola Droid RAZR HD MAXX, HTC One X+ and the iPhone 5.

Google’s latest Nexus features some impressive hardware and software. It offers a 4.7-inch display with HD resolution, a powerful quad-core processor, two cameras, 2GB of RAM and of course, Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Google’s latest operating system.

It will be out in a few short weeks, unlocked and on T-Mobile here in the United States, and it definitely will appeal to those looking to get a powerful Android smartphone with solid specifications and a good price.

Read: Nexus 4, HTC 8X & Lumia 810 Hitting T-Mobile on November 14th.

Screen Shot 2012-10-29 at 1.58.05 PM

I won’t be buying the Nexus 4 for several reasons.

As a Samsung Galaxy Nexus owner, I have mixed feelings about the Nexus 4. There are some things that I really like and some things that I really don’t like. I already gave you my pre-launch thoughts on the Nexus 4 and now I wanted to share what I’m thinking about the official, confirmed version of the Nexus 4 by LG.

Here are my thoughts on Google’s latest Nexus phone.

No 4G LTE is a Deal Breaker

While AT&T and T-Mobile HSPA+ are both nice, the lack of 4G LTE on the Nexus 4 is a deal breaker for me, plain and simple. After using 4G LTE with my Galaxy Nexus and iPhone 5, there is no turning back. I am too accustomed to the amazing speeds of 4G LTE for web browsing, email checking and more while on the go and HSPA+ would just be too much of a downgrade for me.

For many others, HSPA+ will be fine. It’s still faster than 3G, the video above will give you a good idea, but for someone like myself who is constantly out and about, it just won’t cut it.

Signing a contract on T-Mobile for a HSPA+ phone with 4G LTE on the way, to me, is just ludicrous.

Thanks, Verizon

Google admitted that the poor user experiences on the Samsung Galaxy Nexus were part of the reason why Google decided not to include 4G LTE on the Nexus 4. Verizon made it impossible for Google to control the software on the Nexus, something that it wants to do, and that combined with the poor battery life made Google turn away from 4G LTE models for the Nexus 4.

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The Galaxy Nexus experience on Verizon is one reason the Nexus 4 doesn’t have LTE.

Verizon was slow to releasing the phone, slow to putting out a bug fix update, and slow to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, which clearly didn’t sit well with Google and again was a contributing factor in Google’s decision.

I can’t explain to you how frustrating the Verizon Galaxy Nexus experience was but I can try. For the first five months, I used my iPhone 3GS willingly over my Verizon Galaxy Nexus. The experience was that bad.

Impressive Specs

There are some attractive things about the Nexus 4 though. A quad-core processor with 2GB of RAM will run Android 4.2 Jelly Bean like a dream. The massive IPS display 320 features 320 pixels-per-inch which will make for crisp text and images.

It’s running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the latest version of Android, and it will have minimal carrier interference which means quicker updates and faster bug fixes. It also features wireless charging and a large 2,100 mAh battery that should give users fantastic battery life.

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Overall, this is a solid smartphone. Yeah, I hate the fact that it’s built with plastic, but the pros of the specs outweigh the cons by far.

unnamed1Except for…

4G LTE isn’t the only deal breaker for me. The fact that the phone only comes in 8GB and 16GB flavors, even if it’s a way to cut down costs, is unacceptable for my usage. I had a terrible time dealing with 16GB on my iPhone 3GS and I’ll never again buy a phone that possesses less than 32GB.

I do not envy those that buy an 8GB Nexus 4 and think that many will realize their mistake a week or two after buying it.

Pricing is Outrageously Good

While I won’t be buying this phone, I will say this. The pricing of the phone is outrageously good. $299 for an unlocked 8GB version of the Nexus 4 is an extremely good deal, even if I wouldn’t buy into that amount of storage, and $349 for a 16GB Nexus 4 is even better, considering the specifications that are on board.

If I could live with 16GB and HSPA+, this is certainly a phone that I would heavily consider. But, alas, I can’t.

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Chris

    10/29/2012 at 2:34 pm

    I don’t blame you at all for disregarding this amazingly-priced phone. A close friend of mine loves his last-gen Nexus and brags about it anytime we’re comparing phones.

    But, at the end of the day, I’m much happier with my One X than I probably would be with his Nexus (or even this new Nexus!). The idea of ultra-quick Android updates and a vanilla interface are attractive, but they’re not dealbreakers for me. Besides, I’m a huge fan of HTC’s Sense, and don’t feel like it hinders the Android feel at all. I actually prefer the Sense interface/look compared to a vanilla Android system.

    Anyway, great write-up!

  2. Ed

    10/29/2012 at 2:46 pm

    Sure, signing contract on for a HSPA+ phone if 4G LTE is only “on the way” *is* ludicrous…so don’t sign a contract. You can sign up for T-Mobile’s monthly service for just $70 a month with up to 5 GB of data at “4G speeds”.

  3. sean

    10/29/2012 at 5:23 pm

    Due to Samsung’s incredible snails pace in getting the Note 2 released in Canada, it forced me to wait. Thank God they did because now I want the Nexus really quite bad. With all the leaks regarding the product, I was initially unimpressed. But at $350 I’m all in!!! Disappointed that it doesn’t have expandable memory or removable battery, but I can live with it. In return I get android updates as they happen. How much is this going to tick off Sammy having to compete with a $350 price tag

  4. Rob

    10/29/2012 at 9:43 pm

    I paid full price for a Galaxy Nexus LTE in January. The connectivity was so bad that after the original and 2 replacements (the last one being a Certified Like New replacement) because I was outside of the 2 week window. Verizon was unsympathetic. Then I was switched to a Droid RAZR Max and that phone had a lot of bugs after updating to ICS, so I switched to a Droid 4. The hardware keyboard was sublime but the screen was horrible and the phone was surprisingly susceptible to scratches. After Verizon updated the GNex to 4.1 I called and got my D4 exchanged to a GNex. This phone is much better now. Connectivity issues are gone. Jelly bean is great. I’m mixed about the Nexus 4 too. The storage is not enough and no LTE is a deal breaker for me too. Other than lousy battery life, the GNex is great.

  5. george

    10/30/2012 at 1:34 am

    People that can’t manage with 16gb of storage in these cloud driven times really shouldn’t get a phone like this…..and could they please give my regards to 2008 on the way out.

  6. Bidyut Mukherjee

    10/30/2012 at 4:27 am

    Adam, low internal memory is not an issue for an Android user anymore.
    We live in OTG era, & the system of USB OTG (On-The-Go), enables us to have infinite storage on our devices.

    You might even get an 8 GB Nexus 4, & considering everyone now carries at least 16-32 GB Flash Drive, the memory issue gets next to moot, if not fully eliminated.

    • Cornelius

      01/30/2013 at 10:52 am

      Nexus 4 doesn’t support OTG, even if it’s rooted.

  7. Greg

    10/30/2012 at 7:57 am

    Large on-board memory isn’t important anymore, music, videos and pictures are stored in the cloud. That by far uses most of the space on Android. I have 83 apps installed, tons of games on my Galaxy Nexus and still only use a quarter of the space available. I have 2000 or so songs on Google Music etc.

  8. Jimmy

    10/30/2012 at 10:37 am

    I had tmobile in chicago and i use to get 21megbits per second where it was available. The speed he shows in the video was what it would be when it dropped to 3g

  9. tom

    10/31/2012 at 5:52 pm

    love this phone almost got the iphone 5 good thing i saw this one

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