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Nexus 4 Mess: Not Worth the Wait?

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Since the middle of December, consumers have been unable to buy one of Android’s flagship devices, the Nexus 4. And with powerful devices on the way, like the HTC M7 and Samsung Galaxy S4, consumers are going to be facing some tough decisions in the next couple of weeks about whether or not they want to continue to wait for LG and Google to solve their supply issues.

Read: Nexus 4 Launch Remains a Mess into 2013.

Back on December 15th, the Nexus 4 sold out through the Google Play Store completely. The 8GB Nexus 4 had already been unavailable to purchase but after the 15th, the Nexus 4 became completely unavailable through Google Play after the 16GB Nexus 4 went out of stock. Since then, we’ve seen Google and LG point fingers at each other in regards to the lack of supply and neither company has said anything about when the Nexus 4 might return to stock.

LG-Nexus-4-unboxing-575x385

The Nexus 4 remains sold out through the Google Play Store, even as next-gen Android technology emerges.

As of right now, in the midst of CES 2013, the Nexus 4 remains completely sold out. with no relief in sight.

Failed Launch

It’s clear that the Nexus 4 launch was one of the biggest mobile failures of 2012. Both times the Nexus 4 appeared on the Google Play Store, users experienced site errors when trying to pick up the device. In addition, the Nexus 4 launch saw several other problems including:

  • Backorders.
  • Lengthy shipping times.
  • Misinformed and confused customer service reps.
  • Bumper case impossible to buy through Google Play.
  • Wireless Charging Orb failure to launch.
nexus4bump

The Nexus 4 bumper has been sold out along with the Nexus 4.

And above all, those looking to snag a Nexus 4 haven’t been given any solid indication about when the device might actually return to the Play Store with Google and LG choosing to bicker instead of soothing potential buyers.

What’s Next for the Nexus 4?

At this point, it’s impossible to say when the device might come back to shelves but we have heard that production might be increasing and we’ve heard that batches have been hitting customers so it could be that things improve soon. But given that prior to selling out, the Nexus 4 had absurd shipping waits (for the 8GB Nexus 4 had shipping times in the double digit week mark), it could be a bit before the Nexus 4 returns to the Play Store.

Read: How to Know When the Nexus 4 is Back in Stock.

And with CES almost over and Mobile World Congress on the way in February, it may be that the Nexus 4 may not be as desirable as it might have been had it been available on the Google Play Store for the past two months.

Upcoming Competition

The Nexus 4 should, at this point, be one of the bigger Android smartphones on the market as it combines high-end specifications with a low unlocked price. However, at this point, with Google refusing to speculate on when the Nexus 4 might return to stock, consumers are going to have some tough decisions to make in the weeks ahead.

That’s because CES 2013 has proven extremely fruitful to those looking to snag a new smartphone in 2013. While the show itself has not produced any household names, the Sony Xperia Z is about as close as it’ll get, we have seen some powerful hardware introduced that could arrive in some of the bigger name smartphones of 2013.

Qualcomm recently announced the Snapdragon 800 processor which is a huge step up from its current Snapdragon S4 chip found in many of the current Android smartphones. NVIDIA also announced the new Tegra 4 chip that should find its way into a host of smartphones in 2013. And lastly, the Samsung Exynos 5 Octa ship that might be coming with the Samsung Galaxy S4 in the first half of 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jsk-L1sbiGA

Companies have also showcased 1080p displays, slim designs made of quality materials, and we’ve seen companies start listening to their customer base by toning down their software interfaces over Android. For instance, Sony’s UI on the Xperia Z is so paired down that the UI doesn’t even have a name. We’ve also heard that HTC Sense 5, which is rumored to be coming in February on the HTC M7, has been slimmed down even further than Sense 4+.

Point is, the Nexus, despite being a Nexus, has some serious competition from both the hardware (lest we forget its lack of LTE) and software sides and competition means choice and choice means customers potentially giving up on the failed launch that has been the Nexus 4.

Have you given up on the Nexus 4 yet?

36 Comments

36 Comments

  1. John Davis

    01/09/2013 at 3:19 pm

    Something tells me LG won’t be getting to produce another Nexus any time soon. The order problems are all on Google, but considering the short period of time it has been available there can’t be that many orders that it should take this long.

  2. entigy

    01/09/2013 at 3:28 pm

    Yeah I’ve stopped waiting for my Nexus 4. Because it arrived on the 28 December !!!
    Mwah ha ha ha !!
    Sorry couldn’t resist it.

    • Ray

      01/09/2013 at 3:54 pm

      ROFL!!

      That’s something I would of said, but you got here earlier. So +1

  3. Jeremy

    01/09/2013 at 3:30 pm

    umm… the Nexus 4 has LTE on the AWS band…Tmobile is running their LTE over AWS so you can get LTE from Tmobile starting this year, nation wide.

  4. jonsi

    01/09/2013 at 3:49 pm

    All the big companies use the same tactic Why? create more hype or more buzz?
    I don’t know but it happens with all hyped products – can’t be a coincidence

  5. Ray

    01/09/2013 at 4:02 pm

    I stopped waiting exactly 29 days ago.

    Sent from my Nexus 4

    :) sorry

  6. hamalicious

    01/09/2013 at 4:33 pm

    Google really dropped the ball, I dont think you place any blame on LG here.

    If Google where communicative at all and gave us any idea when stock will hit particular regions around the globe, people would not be so frustrated. If we had to wait 6-8 weeks so be it at least we know. The lack of communication has really put me off this phone and any future nexus devices.

    Mind you if the play store had stock tomorrow I probably would by one, but I am over waiting and I really need a new phone!

  7. [-r.S.d-]

    01/09/2013 at 5:12 pm

    I got my nexus on the 27th hehe after boxing day

  8. Michael Philip

    01/09/2013 at 5:47 pm

    I’ve given up waiting and having now read many not so stellar reviews and getting over the hype, I’m glad I wasn’t able to purchase. I’ll stick with my Galaxy SIII, two batteries and 80 gig storage.

  9. sztanyi

    01/09/2013 at 6:22 pm

    I waited for the nexus 4 until mid december. It arrived on december 15th after I contacted Google and complained that dozens of people on reddit were posting pictures of their receipts and nexus 4s, which they ordered a few days earlier and it shipped right away. I ended up returning it thouh bc the nexus 4 was pretty underwhelming and disappointed me (the battery life was probably the dealbreaker). Now im the happy owner of a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and I couldn’t be any happier. Imo the Nexus 4 is not worth the wait

    • Jess (The Cozy Reader)

      01/10/2013 at 7:53 am

      Yet, you probably paid a butt load for that Note 2 didn’t you? And you’re probably on a contract? Either way, an unlocked phone that can be used with a $30/mon prepaid service is worth the wait to me.

    • Gabernasher (@Gnabergasher)

      01/13/2013 at 7:14 am

      You probably could have traded that N4 for an unlocked N2.

  10. Ed O

    01/09/2013 at 6:45 pm

    Got the Nexus 4 last week. Tried it on 2 carriers. I really gave it a shot, but in the end I found it to be hghly overrated. Yes, it is a nice $300 phone but it didn’t impress me as being far ahead of the competition. The screen has super resolution, but personally I prefer the vividness of the Samsung screens. I found the quality of voice calls to be sub par after using several different headsets and locations. The speakerphone is not loud enough for my taste. Lots of things in ICS 4.2 take extra steps to accomplish compared to earlier versions. I am glad I bought it because I just sold it for a profit.

    • sdfdsfsd

      01/09/2013 at 7:15 pm

      Jelly Bean 4.2

    • mark

      01/09/2013 at 7:49 pm

      ICS 4.2 really now!! Cool story bro.
      Sent from my hard to get nexus 4 running Jellybean 4.2.1 not ICS 4.2

      • Ed O

        01/09/2013 at 7:57 pm

        LOL – OK Jelly Bean which will soon be Key Lime Pie and I wonder what Google will come up with for L – it all makes me hungry….

  11. A taverner

    01/09/2013 at 7:29 pm

    I have slowly come to this sad conclusion as well. After LG/Google fills the last Nexus 4 backorder, Google should just go ahead and discontinue the Nexus 4, then design the Nexus 5 or Nexus 4.5 (maybe get HTC to make it). By the time all the backorders are filled, the Nexus 4 will be no where close to the “best”

  12. Hayden

    01/09/2013 at 8:10 pm

    Here in Aus they started selling them at 12pm Nov 12th, they sold out by 1pm.

    Have not been back in stock since.

  13. saad

    01/09/2013 at 9:07 pm

    ok, my message to google, you SUCK. I gave up finally. Buying IPHONE 5 today.

  14. seriously?

    01/09/2013 at 10:22 pm

    Moved to Nexus 4 from Galaxy Nexus. Both were running 4.2.1.

    Nexus 4 is faster of course, but like some guys are saying above its not really a God sent phone. Its certainly cheaper.
    I also fail to see the hype.

  15. james

    01/09/2013 at 11:15 pm

    where I am working now , when we get close to dead line we do anything to meet all the requirements like , number of items for sell .I cant believe why a company like Google can’t handle this issue

  16. bob

    01/10/2013 at 8:50 am

    I managed to be one of the first people to get one and I’m loving it. I can easily say it’s the best phone I’ve ever owned. You will not regret having the patience to wait for one.

    P.S. Put CyanogenMod on it for faster speed and better battery life.

  17. Ed O

    01/10/2013 at 10:18 am

    In my post above where I said I wasn’t impressed with the phone – I’m not implying it isn’t a great phone and for some folks it will be the best phone. Phones are a very personal taste. I prefer vivid Samsung screens others hate them. I liked Kodachrome film – other’s prefered Fujicolor. Both were great, and like phones are a very personal choice. To one person a phone’s speaker may sound “tinny” to another “clear”. The big problem with the N4 is that you can’t make that choice based on handling one, like you can with every other phone out there, to see if it is indeed the phone for you….

  18. Joe

    01/10/2013 at 11:14 am

    Simple – I’m sick of the other offerings.

    I don’t fall into the ‘average user’ category, but my wife does, and her experience is a great example as to why I’m waiting for the Nexus 4 instead of getting another device.

    I had the original Droid, a Droid 2 Global (currently using), my wife having the D2G, and currently the Galaxy Nexus. She went and played with every phone she could before getting the Galaxy Nexus, and came to some very simple conclusions.

    Manufacturers add crap onto their phones (unless being made as a Nexus device, obviously), and it makes them far less useful. Verizon (and other carriers) add crap onto their phones making them far less useful. A Nexus device is simply a clean Android device – no additional or unnecessary UI additions, no replacements for the dock, etc. Its just Android. And now with the Nexus 4, there is no carrier tie in either.

    If someone else out there were to make a great phone, make it a pure Android experience, sell it directly (or at least not through the carrier), at a good price point – yeah, I would buy that. The option for that right now though is a Nexus 4.

    I’ll be waiting for the Nexus 4 to be available, buying two, and moving to T-Mobile.

  19. Dug Doodle

    01/10/2013 at 3:54 pm

    Well, the initial launch for the nexus 4 was a fail if you didn’t get one, fortunately I I got one of the first ones ordered in November. The bigger issue is when the good cases are coming out!! Still using a cheap one from amazon waiting for the good ones to come out…

  20. Rachki

    01/10/2013 at 4:07 pm

    Im glad that in manila we dont have this problem. Unlocked Nexus 4 is easy to find around here. It was made available early this month. I can still say that it is worth the wait.

  21. randy

    01/10/2013 at 8:18 pm

    I was lucky. I called tmobile.com on 12/10 and they had a few in stock. It was shipped the next day. Absolutely love it. I waited a year for a phone i actually liked. This one is the best

  22. Shreshth

    01/10/2013 at 10:43 pm

    I scour the internet everyday for any news about Nexus 4 becoming available again. I have not given up yet.

  23. Alex

    01/11/2013 at 3:27 am

    I was one of the lucky ones who succeeded at buying the N4 on Nov 13th. Love its minimalistic stock Android. Love the fact that I’ll never have to wait months for the latest Android updates (I had to wait 10 months with HTC to get ICS). Never again!

  24. Jim

    01/14/2013 at 1:01 am

    If a nexus 4 suits you, an iphone is utterly illogical. Chalk and cheese. I have my n4 after a wait. It is smooth, the battery is strong (let it run down fully once then recharged overnight). Have zagg invisible shield full so dont need cover. (zagg protected HD2 for 3 years).

  25. Moku

    01/19/2013 at 8:37 am

    I think it’s sad that everyone wants the Nexus 4 badly. That being said, I got one a week after it came out (At 450$ for the 16GB), and I am incredibly pleased with it. I just hope others get to feel that same feeling with their possible nexus 4.

  26. Sid

    02/02/2013 at 7:11 am

    Totally negative post. Nexus 4 is really beautiful and I love it. Worth the wait!!

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