Google Nexus 4 Review

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6440/google-nexus-4-review

by sciwiz • 14 years ago

122 122 14 years ago

anandtech.com

cryptoz4• 14 years ago

And it has a barometer!

phreeza• 14 years ago

Does anyone have an idea what the use of this might be? Altimeter? Weather forecasting?

untog• 14 years ago

The last Nexus phone had the same- I remember someone on HN showing off a crowd-sourced weather app they'd made. Basically, everyone added their phone to a sensor array that picked up barometric changes across the city and worked out what that meant.

Sadly, I didn't have a Nexus so I couldn't try it, but the tech is fascinating.

nl• 14 years ago

Yes - all those things.

But the real reason it is there is that it speeds up getting an initial GPS fix. It provides a quick way to guess altitude, which lets it calculate where satellites should be better.

genkaos2• 14 years ago

https://plus.google.com/112413860260589530492/posts/jVJhPyou...

"The primary purpose of the barometer is (at least, I've been told) to make GPS lockons faster. Locking on to a GPS involves numerically solving a 4-dimensional set of linear equations -- 3 dimensions in space, and time. ...

The barometer gives you a reasonable first-cut estimate for altitude."

cryptoz4• 14 years ago

I collect the barometric readings with pressureNET. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ca.cumulonimbu...

We have about 11,000 total users (half are active) and are VERY excited that the Nexus 4 and 10 both have barometers. We're looking to improve short-term, local weather prediction asap. The project is open source at http://cumulonimbus.ca

Penmane• 14 years ago

Anand's new battery test suite gives counter-intuitive real world usage suggestions; I don't turn on LTE to extend usage time on any mobile devices.

martythemaniak• 14 years ago

I'm glad to see Anand focus so much on the price in the conclusion. A lot of the other reviews talked at length about lack of LTE etc, but that misses the point of this phone.

While it may disappoint many people who just want the best at any price, you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. The price really is the killer feature of this phone.

I suspect there is lots of demand out there for this phone amongst regular folk. No want likes being chained to a carrier and everybody likes getting a great deal. I told my sister (non techie) about it and her eyes popped. She's very very excited about it.

MojoJolo5• 14 years ago

That's right! I'm buying this phone because of its price. It's cheap compared to other phones with the same specs. The lack of LTE is not really a setback to me (and I think to all others that live in a third world country). LTE is almost "not yet" existing in our region/country.

dagw• 14 years ago

you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class.

I wonder why the phone is so much cheaper (both in absolute and relative terms) in the US than it is here in Sweden. Here it's exactly the same price as the SGS3 and the iPhone 4S and quite a bit more than the HTC One X.

fierarul3• 14 years ago

I think it's actually illegal in the EU to sell products bellow cost. We call it dumping but it seems Amazon and Google are able to do it just fine in the US. So that might be one reason.

colin_jack• 14 years ago

I liked the fact they took it into account too. I did find this review of the IPad Mini particularly amusing:

"Lining those pluses and minuses up against those for the Nexus 7 – which garnered four stars – there's no doubt that this is indeed a five-star device. The 70% difference in comparative price is more than made up by the difference in build quality and software selection" (http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/oct/31/ipad-mini-r...)

Not arguing one way or the other but this and a few other recent reviews have made me wonder why tech reviewers seem to pay so little attention to price.

kenjackson3• 14 years ago

Ignoring OS, there are other phones that are getting much cheaper. Example is the new Lumia 920 that is $449 on ATT w/o contract. While it is $100 more expensive than the the 16GB Nexus you do get the following in addition:

* 32GB (+16GB)

* LTE

* [Removed]

Is this worth $100? I think probably so, but in any case, I think it shows that phones in this class (flagship like devices) are actually more price competitive than people may think.

Edit: To remove wireless charging per comment.

esolyt• 14 years ago

Nexus 4 does have wireless charging.

lawdawg2• 14 years ago

I'll take a lighter device + $100 over 16GB + LTE at least until LTE is widely available in my city (which is probably 2-3 years away).

But again, ignoring OS which is generally not a good idea when making a phone purchase.

weiran• 14 years ago

The 920 also has a much better camera, which is a big deal for some people (myself included).

nailer2• 14 years ago

The 920 is a great phone, but FYI in UK the price is almost exactly twice the Nexus 4:

GBP 554 Nokia 920 GBP 279 16G Nexus 4

Out of interest, would buyng the phone outright from AT&T mean it's unlocked? Also is the phone available in the US from a non-carrier shop?

abhigupta• 14 years ago

I am curious, in US, most carriers don't offer any discount for bringing your own device. So, how does spending $349 on Nexus vs buying a subsidized iPhone for $200 going to save anyone money or makes Nexus a better deal?

alanctgardner2• 14 years ago

If you want to upgrade before the end of your term you typically pay back a prorated amount of your subsidy. So your free $600 iPhone costs $400 after one year, or $200 after two years. For a user who upgrades every 18-24 months, this device is almost cheaper than that fee by itself.

At least here in Canada, we also have a few niche players (WIND, Mobilicity) who differentiate themselves with slightly lower costs than the big three, but no subsidy on phones. In this case, I can buy a $300 Nexus 4 and switch, saving about ~$35 a month on my bill. My prorated subsidy from Telus is $14 a month, so I still save $21 a month over buying a subsidized phone. Even the iPhone, which is very heavily subsidized, doesn't cover the price differential between these carriers and the big three.

In conclusion: find a small, regional carrier that doesn't offer subsidies, save big money.

stanleydrew2• 14 years ago

T-Mobile in the US used to discount their post-paid plans when you brought your own phone. They stopped doing that but started offering some pretty great prepaid plans:

http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans

I am on the $30/mo unlimited text, 5GB of HSPA+ data and 100 voice minutes plan and it's great. I reduced my monthly bill by 60%.

smackfu• 14 years ago

People who don't want a contract, or people who are on a contract but already used their subsidized phone.

Einherji• 14 years ago

I agree completely. With the N4 google is finally making good on their initial mission with the Nexus line, that is, to get rid of the carrier subsidies nonsense. With a phone that is $349 off contract, this can really save people a good deal of money on phone contracts to. As for the lack of LTE, there is a good reason for that as well, as the N4 seems specifically aimed at T-mobile customers. T-mobile offers some of the best cellular deals for off contract phones, and if the other big carriers see customers flocking to T-mobile they will hopefully be pressured to lower their prices as well. I think it's great that Google is putting pressure on the carriers to get rid of the outdated on-contract model.

mtgx• 14 years ago

I was actually surprised I didn't see more of Anand's jabs at Android or maybe too many comparisons with his conclusions with devices from other companies...and then I saw the article was actually written by Brian Klug. So good job Brian on this one.

Steko3• 14 years ago

> you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class.

You also can't ignore the fact that in the US other phones in it's class are subsidized by $400 or more, upending this comparison greatly. Yes you're locked into a contract but it's not like Nexus 4 users get some special monthly rate. For some use cases being off contract is a god send, for most though, a subsidized iphone 5 or galaxy s3 is a better option at $100 cheaper (and a higher resale in case you want to break that contract).

lallysingh• 14 years ago

On T-Mobile, yes, yes they do. I save $20 a month on my bill from bringing in my own phone.

stumm• 14 years ago

This not true for all carriers. T-mobile has cheaper non-contract plans.

No-contract is 50 dollars for unlimited everything ($70 if you want 4G): http://prepaid-phones.t-mobile.com/monthly-4g-plans

With a contract it is 90 dollars for unlimited everything (which I believe is roughly standard across the industry): http://www.t-mobile.com/shop/plans/individual-plans.aspx

tempnick5• 14 years ago

> for most though, a subsidized iphone 5 or galaxy s3 is a better option at $100 cheaper

Is it really, though? As an example, T-Mobile prepaid offers $30/month for unlimited data (5gb @4g) & SMS, plus 100min voice. Poking at ATT's site the most comparable contract plan I see for iphone 5 is about $90/month. That's over $700 more out of pocket in a year if you go with the subsidized phone.

f1codz• 14 years ago

I have a question here to ask: Why doesn't Google choose Motorola to manufacture its handsets?

ConstantineXVI2• 14 years ago

The official line is there's no special relationship between Motorola and Android beyond a common owner; thus they have to bid on Nexus devices like everyone else (and so far, there's nothing to suggest otherwise). As well, there's restrictions on how companies in the middle of an acquisition can communicate, which would make a Motorola-produced Nexus this cycle particularly difficult.

rplnt2• 14 years ago

We can also see that there's no connection in the lack of up-to-date Android on Motorola phones.

wmf• 14 years ago

Besides the silly wall between the divisions, the Nexus 4 was probably designed before Google bought Moto.

conradfr• 14 years ago

The phone with more reviews than stock :)

hadem• 14 years ago

I have wondered about buying unlocked phones in the United States. Does my monthly bill change when bringing an unlocked phone to Verizon or AT&T?

lawdawg2• 14 years ago

There are both cheaper plans available and you won't be locked in for 2 years. Both, combined, are worth more than the ~$300-$400 phone subsidy over two years that the telco provides.

Symmetry• 14 years ago

And with T-Mobile you can get the same plan for cheaper if you aren't on a contract.

socialist_coder3• 14 years ago

Month to month plans are not nearly as good or cheap in the US as they are in Europe. I've been doing a lot of investigation about this and it's frustrating because I want to buy a new unlocked phone here in the US but it's almost not worth it here because you still have to buy some absurdly expensive plan.

In Germany I was able to buy a 20 euro a month data only plan for my iPhone and I was perfectly happy.

I ended up ordering the iPhone 5 on Verizon at the subsidized rate ($300) and stuck it on my dad's Verizon account for $30 a month (cheapest data plan only) and then when I go back to Germany later next year I'll just cancel it and try to get out of paying the early termination fee. Even if I have to pay the fee it's only $350 which, added with the initial price of the phone, is the same price as out-of-contract iPhone 5.

k2xl3• 14 years ago

So I've been looking at reviews of Nexus 4 all week. I have had IPhone for the past few years (3g then 4).

I want to switch, but I don't know if Nexus 4 is the one to switch to... I don't quite understand the differences between Android versions of S3 and Note 2, but apparently this has a vanilla android version.

What is the best choice? S3? Note 2? Nexus 4? What advantages do each one have over the other?

MojoJolo5• 14 years ago

I think you might want to choose Nexus 4 because it's the cheapest. As I read, they have specs as close to each other. But if you think without having an LTE is a deal breaker, Nexus 4 is not a good phone for you.

k2xl3• 14 years ago

question: is the lack of LTE really that big of a deal? how much slower is this other thing nexus 4 uses?

blueski• 14 years ago

The S3 and Note 2 have a Samsung-tweaked version of Android. These amount to some different apps, slightly altered UI and in the case of the Note 2 some tweaks to accommodate the stylus.

It's not bad, but most prefer stock Android for the crispness of the UI, lack of bloat and fastest OS upgrades (they come direct from Google without delay while Samsung/another third party adapts their stuff).

I had the Note 2 briefly - it's a powerhouse but ultimately decided it was too big for my taste (5.5" screen vs 4.7" on the S3/Nexus 4). It needs two hands to operate most of the time and the screen is the same resolution as the S3 so you're only gaining in size, not detail. In the end I was happy to come back to my Galaxy Nexus.

The Nexus 4 runs stock Android and is the same size as the S3. It's also cheaper and faster. I'd say it's the clear choice right now.

emehrkay• 14 years ago

I've never had an Android phone, but from what I understand, the Nexus line are the phones that gets the OS updates when they are released. The other guys have to go through either the carrier or the manufacturer or, sometimes, both before an OS update reaches the phone.

If I were looking to make the switch, it would be this phone.

alec• 14 years ago

I have a Galaxy Nexus, last year's version of the Nexus 4. One thing I value about it is the Google/non-carrier-controlled experience, which I expect is similar to what you've had with an iPhone. There's not vendor crap on it and it gets updated by Google when there's a new release; apparently Android 4.2 is on the way. Non-Nexus devices have had some difficulty getting updates due to carriers or phone manufacturers.

Updates are nice because they extend the useful life of the phone.

blhack2• 14 years ago

I will say that I just switched from a iPhone 4 to a S3 and it seriously makes the iPhone feel like a toy.

boundlessdreamz• 14 years ago

How so?

cheald• 14 years ago

Your best bet, in general, is to get a Nexus-branded device. Those are straight from Google, run vanilla Android, and tend to get updates more quickly. Additionally, they are frequently among the most hacker-friendly Android devices, so custom firmwares and the like from the modding community tend to spring up quickly, so you tend to have lots of options about the software your phone runs as it gets older.

Often times, phones from Samsung or HTC or whatnot come with a customized version of Android, which has been made to look visually distinct, has some additional value-add packages, and whatnot. Most power users will tell you that they prefer vanilla Android. That said, most all the popular devices have aftermarket builds based on vanilla Android (AOSP), or a juiced-up fork of vanilla Android (CyanogenMod, my personal preference), and it's not that difficult to replace your factor-installed firmware with one of these packages if desired.

The S3 is a great device, though, and I don't think you'd regret it if you got it, but if you're looking to get an opinion of Android, a Nexus device is the way to go.

omnisci• 14 years ago

This is a tough one, and it really depends on what YOU want. What exactly did you like/hate about your iphone? That will help people respond to your question.

I'll tell you what I tell everyone looking for a new phone. Go play with them. Honestly, that is the best way to find the phone that you want considering most of the specs are similar unless you are a power user (ie, flashing new roms, rooting etc). Put the phone in your pocket, sit down, walk around with it etc and make sure it fits your daily life. This is specfically true for the Note 2 which is f'in huge. For me, it's size wasn't a huge deal and I returned my s3 for a note 2 last night. The note 2 is f'in awesome, but it may not be useful to you.

In response: S3: awesome phone, nice features, a few apps you can't delete (I had the AT&T version, YMMV) but overall a very nice feel. I really liked that phone and although it was large (4.7" screen), it was light and easy to use.

Note 2: LARGE. 5.5" screen..which is too big for most people. It also has a stylus (pen) that you can use to write on it and I really like that feature. however, if you have no use for that feature, don't bother.

Nexus 4: I haven't used this yet so I can't say much. what I can say is that it looks pretty bad ass and I'd highly consider it IF it had LTE connectivity. I live in NYC so LTE is all over the place and the difference between that and 3g is pretty significant. This, however, only matters if you have access to LTE networks.

Overall, I think you can't go wrong with any of the choices you are going to make. If you live in the states, and you are on contract, the S3 is going on sale at BestBuy for $50 on Black friday (2 yr contract required). If money is an issue, I'd almost think that is a no brainer.

To be short, just go play with the phone and see which one you like best. Everyone has an opinion, everyone has their own interests in mind, so the only way to really make the right decision is to just interact with the phone yourself. You aren't going to pick the wrong phone, all 3 of the phones you are interested in are pretty damn awesome:)

Oh and lastly, Youtube! Go search on youtube for the 3 phones and watch reviews.

peeters• 14 years ago

I've already decided I'm buying this phone, but I have to ask:

Why should I care about wireless charging? I can't see this feature enriching my life in the slightest. Ok, it looks cool sitting there. But docks look cool too. Is it more convenient? I would argue no (saves maybe two seconds of effort per charge). Is it more portable? Definitely not.

Is this only hyped up because of the "coolness" factor?

Maakuth• 14 years ago

I think the manufacturers are trying to make restaurants, public transport and maybe even office furniture companies to add those charging surfaces everywhere. That way your phone would pick up some power here and there.

ygra• 14 years ago

I wonder how much that would increase lost phones on public transport ;-)

Peaker• 14 years ago

My micro-usb cables are dying at about 1 per month.

Getting high-quality cables around here is pretty difficult.

I'd really love to toss away the cables (maybe keep 1 emergency one in my portable bag).

shardling• 14 years ago

I recently discovered you can buy those cables for a buck each in dollar stores.

phishphood• 14 years ago

I have a Samsung Galaxy 1 at the moment and after 2 and 1/2 years of poking usb thingy into the receiving port it came undone. Not completely, but it takes a fair amount of jiggling and negotiations to get the juice flowing.

Wireless charging makes a lot of sense, I am going to buy one as soon as it becomes available

cyclinghacker• 14 years ago

I like the concept, but I often use my phone while charging (in bed or at work). In these instances I'd want a cable.

klausa• 14 years ago

I have HP Touchpad tablet with Touchstone wireless dock - and I can't stress how awesome it is to be able to just put it down on a stand near my bed and not have to look for one of the two USB cables (because tablet requires more power than my phone, I need to pick the right one), just plop it down and it charges.

And same thing in the morning - I don't have to carefully pick it up, trying not to yank cord from charger, disconnect charging cable - just grab it, and go to bathroom.

And when I'm out of home, I can charge it with regular microUSB plug, but believe me, I curse it every single time.

eloisant2• 14 years ago

You don't realize how nice it is to save those 5 seconds, plus the mental effort of grabing the cable, finding the port, and plugging it in the right orientation until you get wireless charging.

spot• 14 years ago

yea seriously. cables are death.

VikingCoder• 14 years ago

I didn't even realize it had this.

For me, I'd love to be able to snap my phone in to a mount/charger in my car. My original Motorola Droid became useless to me when the micro USB connection started falling out unless I physically held it in place. Otherwise I'd still be using it.

baconner• 14 years ago

Here's a quick example. last night I docked my galaxy nexus poorly not pressing it down into the dock all the way. Over night it ran out of power and shut down leaving me with no morning alarm. My nexus one had this issue too especially after the charging pins wore down a bit.

Theoretically wireless charging could've saved me some trouble. Not a huge feature perhaps but nice.

mahyarm2• 14 years ago

It's the difference between using a wifi weight scale and using a normal weight scale and recording the value in an app. That removal of friction will make you weigh yourself more.

Wireless charging 5-30 second operation into a 2 second operation

MojoJolo5• 14 years ago

Are there other ways of buying Nexus 4 rather than online in Google Play Store?

apendleton• 14 years ago

Yes; TMobile will sell them. The pricing will be much worse than the Play Store pricing, though (I think around $200 on contract and $600 off), so probably not actually a good idea.

MojoJolo5• 14 years ago

So the "no contract" or "no carrier" version is only available in the Google Play?

nilsbunger• 14 years ago

In the US, what's the best kind of cellular service plans to get if you come in with an unlocked phone? I would love to get out of the 2-year contract thing.

But I have this vague understanding that a lot of the prepay, mvno, or non-contract plans don't give access to parts of the big guys networks (like roaming relationships).

Kerrick• 14 years ago

Straight Talk and Net 10 Sim are both great. You buy a SIM card, and then every month pay $45-50 for unlimited service. I think they use AT&T's network.

tupuli• 14 years ago

I've been using Straight Talk for a few months now with no regrets. The Nexus 4 is a good match for Straight Talk since LTE isn't available on the network (ST only provides HSPA+).

Note, the data plan isn't truly unlimited. AFAICT the company will simply terminate your account if you regularly exceed 2GB/month.

Nursie• 14 years ago

Wow that's pricy!

Over here in the soviet UK you can get a £10-15 pcm contract that gives you unlimited (not tethered) data and a reasonable about of other stuff, so long as you bring your own phone.

css771• 14 years ago

I used to use the T-Mobile $30/month Monthly4G plan. You get only 100 minutes but 5gigs of HSPA+ unthrottled data. If you use the GrooveIP app or set up another SIP client, you can make calls without a problem. Latency for those calls depends on the signal strength in your area.

eropple3• 14 years ago

In my experience, GrooveIP call quality is atrocious. I tried it for a while, but at this point I just wait 'till I get to a place where I can SkypeOut or just suck it up and pay the $0.10/minute if I go over (which has only happened twice).

antman2• 14 years ago

It does not have a removable battery? I consider this as an important feature me that I spend lots of hours outside the office. Also ejecting some mass when the phone drops is always a good thing. Two broken Iphones on my drawer say so.

bryanlarsen2• 14 years ago

It's not a "removable" batter, but it is easy to replace with the correct Torx screwdriver. That doesn't help in your two scenarios, but it will be useful if you want to keep your phone significantly longer than the 3 year half-life of lithium batteries.

UnoriginalGuy• 14 years ago

Is anyone else slightly concerned about the glass back? Several reviews including The Verge had their back crack while testing it.

For me that is the biggest concern. The nice thing about plastic is that it absorbs some of the energy from a drop or shock. Glass gets cracks and then shatters.

I would have liked to have seen the same "rubber" back the Nexus 7 (by Asus) has. I would have alternatively taken Samsung's "cheap" feeling plastic backs.

bitcartel• 14 years ago

The Play Store is selling a Nexus 4 Bumper - it's like the iPhone 4 all over again. Why do designers always pick form over function? What's the point in having a great looking phone that needs to be bubble-wrapped?

Still, the good thing about Android is you can choose from many manufacturers. This new Sony phone is waterproof:

http://www.sonymobile.com/global-en/products/phones/xperia-g...

habosa• 14 years ago

I don't get it, so I need someone to explain something to me. How can the iPhone consistently blow everything else away in performance AND battery life, despite having a smaller battery and seemingly lesser processor. I understand that Apple had a time advantage by getting into the touchscreen smartphone game first but how has nobody caught up yet? I am a huge Nexus fanboy but it seems that the IPhone is objectively faster and more efficient, even with googles full efforts to keep up.

socialist_coder3• 14 years ago

I am wondering the same thing. How is the iPhone 5 battery smaller and yet still gets almost double the battery life?

mahyarm2• 14 years ago

You'll notice they are very strict about background processing in applications and the usage of battery draining things such as GPS or cellular data. This helps battery life significantly. Google didn't start prioritizing view smoothness and efficiency until android 3 or 4.

The OS & apps are pretty much pure C from the ground up, with an objective-c application layer. The entire view system (Core Animation) is GPU accelerated with OpenGL from day one.

Objective-C on iOS does not have a GC, so apps are generally faster and more responsive with manual memory management. Many apps can drop into pure C or C++ to improve performance easily.

All of these performance choices give you a faster phone for less processor.

A slower processor also tends to use less energy too. Battery size is a pure weight/size vs capacity tradeoff.

bryanlarsen2• 14 years ago

The larger screen accounts for most of the difference. A 4.7 inch screen is 40% larger than a 4 inch screen and 80% larger than a 3.5 inch screen.

grecy• 14 years ago

It's also worth noting that Apple have been refining their power management code/chips for many, many years, so it's likely better than anything Google have come up with in the last couple of years.

socialist_coder3• 14 years ago

Wow, it has about a 50% bigger battery than the iPhone 5 but has considerably worse battery life.

2100 mAH battery vs iPhone 5's 1440 mAH, but iPhone 5 can browse the web for almost twice as long.

How is there such a big difference? Or are these stats not 100% accurate?

Synaesthesia• 14 years ago

Yes it is impressive. The iPhone engineers critically have done great work with the performance/power consumption of their CPU and their power management in the OS. They're also using a fantastic baseband which is extremely lower efficient on LTE it seems. Lastly the screen area of the iPhone is quite a lot smaller which does account for some of the iPhones lower power usage.

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