Am I the only disappointed Android user here? The Nexus 4 let me down

[monkeyluis]

I don't think iPhone can be ragged on anymore. No lte, no sd slot. It's not what the android fanboys made it out to be. I just find the double standard amusing. Defending the phone for doing what iPhone did. Whatever. I was going to go off contract for a direct nexus device. Guess ill stick with my gs3 with late updates.

 

[ihtc]

The reason LTE is important is because of the low Freq. atleast on verizon. I know here even in NYC, Tmobile gets great speeds... outside. The GSM networks in the US (again speaking from NY NJ experience) just aren't as reliable as Verizons CDMA. I would LOVE LOVE.. again LOVE to break free from verizon but two things keep me from it.. 1) I am on an old plan with heavy discounts so im not "over paying" 2) the service really is good. That being said if I had to pay their regular prices with the new share plans I wouldn't. Back onto the LTE vs HSPA+ subject, anyone who used both will tell you the latency alone on LTE makes it worth it and you never get the same reliable sustained speeds or latencey on HSPA+ IN comparison to to LTE... Remember don't judge by the speedtest app, real world usage is not sitting running speedtests but things like web browsing, email, and other forms of communication that rely on good latency. All this being said i will buy a nexus to try out on att prepaid (ST)

PS: Its a shame the general marketplace doesn't love a good stock android device as much as iphones or google could force the carriers to do as they say just like apple does to them.

 

[Ziptied]

Lack of LTE is a non issue with me, the speeds aren't that much better for the battery life or cost of the carriers who have it, and I have issues using more than 12gig's on my GNex, I love the N4.

 

[DirkBelig]

Back onto the LTE vs HSPA+ subject, anyone who used both will tell you the latency alone on LTE makes it worth it and you never get the same reliable sustained speeds or latencey on HSPA+ IN comparison to to LTE... Remember don't judge by the speedtest app, real world usage is not sitting running speedtests but things like web browsing, email, and other forms of communication that rely on good latency.

Latency. You keep using that word, but I do not think it means what you think it means. Web surfing and email have to be the LEAST affected by latency things you'll do online. We're not talking about needing a fast ping for an online shooter; we're talking reading an email. Perhaps waiting that 1/10th of a second longer for a web page to come up is brutal to you, but I suspect most people wouldn't even notice and if they did, they'd chalk it up to slow throughput.

 

[Woosh]

I don't think iPhone can be ragged on anymore. No lte, no sd slot. It's not what the android fanboys made it out to be. I just find the double standard amusing. Defending the phone for doing what iPhone did. Whatever. I was going to go off contract for a direct nexus device. Guess ill stick with my gs3 with late updates.

How do you know the same ppl who remarked anything about the iPhone and those features are the one who have no problems with the N4? I personally have never liked the iPhone because of ios, not because of its build.

The reason LTE is important is because of the low Freq. atleast on verizon. I know here even in NYC, Tmobile gets great speeds... outside. The GSM networks in the US (again speaking from NY NJ experience) just aren't as reliable as Verizons CDMA. I would LOVE LOVE.. again LOVE to break free from verizon but two things keep me from it.. 1) I am on an old plan with heavy discounts so im not "over paying" 2) the service really is good. That being said if I had to pay their regular prices with the new share plans I wouldn't. Back onto the LTE vs HSPA+ subject, anyone who used both will tell you the latency alone on LTE makes it worth it and you never get the same reliable sustained speeds or latencey on HSPA+ IN comparison to to LTE... Remember don't judge by the speedtest app, real world usage is not sitting running speedtests but things like web browsing, email, and other forms of communication that rely on good latency. All this being said i will buy a nexus to try out on att prepaid (ST)

PS: Its a shame the general marketplace doesn't love a good stock android device as much as iphones or google could force the carriers to do as they say just like apple does to them.

The problem here has been explained WHY they can't rly go LTE. There is no need to. I understand ppl want it who are on Verizon but why in the world with over a billion phone users on the planet does a simple 1/10th of them need to be fully satisfied. It's just not even feasible to do so since even if Google made the phone and made everybody super happy that they got a phone for Verizon, Verizon would say no thx we won't let you activate that here.

So Google did what they HAD to do. If ppl don't like it and are Verizon then show Verizon how much you hate their policys and move on.

As for LTE vs HSPA, you have a point with the frequencies. But again not much can be done. The above poster is absolutely correct.....Unless you have unlimited data and end up streaming, or using voip apps all day, or playing FPSers the latency should not exactly effect most phone usage. But the coverage sure is important and HSPA has more of it than LTE.

I encourage everyone to read this article explaining the lack of LTE in the Nexus 4: Slow lane: why Google's new Nexus 4 doesn't have LTE | The Verge If Android Central had run an informative article like this here, a LOT of the nerd rage and teeth-gnashing, including mine, would've been mitigated.

It was a great article but I think most if not all that information was said before even the release in the forums here.

 

[hodan]

I am as anti-apple as you can get. And I thought it was ludicrous that the iPhone 4s lacked nfc and LTE. Accordingly, I agree that 16gb is not enough in today's market. Models should've been 16gb and 32gb. I'm happy with my 16gb GNex, but 8gb seems too small. What Goodle has made clear with this phone is that it is truly a reference device, and meant to be sold to geeks like us, and not Joe Public. You are wrong about LTE however, because LTE is carrier specific and Google has this phone priced and positioned I the market as a world phone, usable in many many countries, and with good data speeds in the U.S. Try Sprint's 3g data for a month and then tell me you can't live with 5mb down on T-MO. Also, regarding pricing...this is true disruption, that dented and scratched iPhone 5 that you want so much will cost you 3x as much...but hey....LTE right? And more onboard storage which you'll need because iCloud is crapola.

 

[ihtc]

I feel the latency does matter, I am on an late iPad right now (verizon) and in an hspa nexus. The hspa nexus has plenty of raw speed to deliver good web browsing but the bad latency makes the experience much worse. I know this isn't an lte vs. hspa Thad but since we were on the subject I'd throw my 2 cents in. But it is what is it as far as the nexus and I can't blame google for their choice here.

 

[Woosh]

I am as anti-apple as you can get. And I thought it was ludicrous that the iPhone 4s lacked nfc and LTE. Accordingly, I agree that 16gb is not enough in today's market. Models should've been 16gb and 32gb. I'm happy with my 16gb GNex, but 8gb seems too small. What Goodle has made clear with this phone is that it is truly a reference device, and meant to be sold to geeks like us, and not Joe Public. You are wrong about LTE however, because LTE is carrier specific and Google has this phone priced and positioned I the market as a world phone, usable in many many countries, and with good data speeds in the U.S. Try Sprint's 3g data for a month and then tell me you can't live with 5mb down on T-MO. Also, regarding pricing...this is true disruption, that dented and scratched iPhone 5 that you want so much will cost you 3x as much...but hey....LTE right? And more onboard storage which you'll need because iCloud is crapola.

Ha Goodle.....

But you are forgetting a key demo that will be buying the phone even more than the geeks. That is the cheap, money saving, somewhat informed crowd. SD already has 38 pages of replies and over 138 TU right now, over 2 weeks before the stupid thing goes up for sale.

[NEW] Nexus 4- $299 (8GB) / $349 (16GB) - Slickdeals.net

This thing no doubt will sell to ppl who are smart enough to do their research. Because not only is this a great phone for Android fans, its simply the best deal for a phone hands down anywhere without needing to sign your life away to a carrier.

 

[John-Smith]

Well, I'm glad you asked.

I have one month left on my Sprint contract. The handsets I would consider getting from them (as a reference point) are the GS3 and the Note 2. $200 and $300 respectively, plus a $90/mo (at least) bill. LTE is not slated for my area, and my 3G speeds are sub 1Mb down, at all times. T-Mobile, on the other hand has their HSPA+ band up and running in my area, and the coverage is good throughout the metro which is where I spend nearly all of my time.

The reason I prefaced with that statement is because, as always, you have to consider what is going on in your neighborhood before making these decisions.

So $200 + 90(24) = $2360 for EDGE speeds and the update lottery prone GS3 (although in fairness to Sprint, they are getting it done with this handset).

Versus

$350 + $30(24) = $1070 for HSPA+ speeds, cutting edge hardware and updates directly from Google.

$2360 - 1070 = $1290 in savings over the length of a two year contract. Or, if you prefer to look at this way, buy two years off contract and get the next two years free and STILL have about $100 left over towards that new Nexus.

Haha, the carriers are crook'n us big time. It's a gouge, and I am more than happy to cast my vote towards the invisible hand in favor of both my wallet and of the consumer.

*shrug*

This is exactly what I was thinking and how I feel.

 

[Chex313]

I was under whelmed by the offering. No real compelling reason to replace GN. If anything does happen to my phone its nice that the replacement will be a nice uptick in specs. Would have liked LTE, but can do with out. Would have preferred a removable battery, but will do with out it. 16GB of storage is the most annoying thing I have to deal with. I take a lot of pics and vids and have to offload them twice a month. Oh and with LTE our At&t unlimited plans don't get throttled till 5GB without it we still get throttled at 3GB. Thats the most compelling reason why I wish they had made a few SKU's to cover most of the worlds LTE.

Yeah I would have preferred to pay $500 and had a few more bells and whistles. I am completely enamored with the pure google and I cant go back.

I hold out hope that there may be a high end offering from somewhere else, or maybe Motorola will put out a high speced phone with pure Android.

With all this said, Once all the reviews come out and I here a lot of my compadres here give their hands on opinions, I may opt in just to support the "Pure" cause!

 

[anon62607]

I feel the latency does matter, I am on an late iPad right now (verizon) and in an hspa nexus. The hspa nexus has plenty of raw speed to deliver good web browsing but the bad latency makes the experience much worse. I know this isn't an lte vs. hspa Thad but since we were on the subject I'd throw my 2 cents in. But it is what is it as far as the nexus and I can't blame google for their choice here.

I'd say generally browsing feels faster on my (work provided) HSPA iPhone 4S than it does on my LTE galaxy S3. Particularly nowadays, LTE doesn't feel that fast anymore and indoor coverage here is actually less reliable than the EVDO its supposedly overlaying, particularly in West downtown Portland.

 

[philly]

Hey guys. I've had Android since my LG Dare in 2008. Promise I'm not trying to hate or troll or anything here, but I am pretty annoyed at Google right now. I was dying to get the Nexus 4, until I heard it might only have 16GB onboard. Then I found hope in that it was only a rumor, and maybe cloud storage would make okay. Then I realized I can't run apps from a cloud, or listen to music without a data connection (I have 17GB of music alone). Then, Google made my worst nightmares a reality with only 8GB and 16GB options and no expandable storage. Is it too much to ask for 64GB? Even 32? Or a micro sd slot?! I don't care if the price would be higher. I need the space!!!! Then they announced no LTE. WHAT?! Remember the outrage over the iPhone 4 two years ago? That was a bit unjustified, but at this point, not including the latest technology is inexcusable for a flagship Android device. I don't need LTE, but as a marketing move this is the stupidest thing Google could have possibly done. Not to mention, even if I could get over all of this ridiculousness, I have Verizon (and no choice, because I don't pay my bill).

There is no way this phone will ever be a possibility for me. What am I supposed to do? I currently have a Droid X (the original) and it is a mess. Programs are corrupting (camera only launches 30% of the time, etc.), the screen is starting to fail (black spots in the LCD), the battery is fried, etc. I NEED a phone. This is a huge disappointment.

I might be interested in the Droid DLX or DNA, but it is just so big....5" is unnecessary even if it's 1080p....and it's still a rumor anyway. Any suggestions on what I should do? Should I suck it up (any why), wait it out (really would rather not), or switch to the dark side and the iPhone 5 (really really don't want to, but it may be my only viable option). Thanks for the help and sorry for the rant, but I can't imagine that I am the only one who is just a bit pissed off.

RAZR M

 

[philly]

Hey guys. I've had Android since my LG Dare in 2008. Promise I'm not trying to hate or troll or anything here, but I am pretty annoyed at Google right now. I was dying to get the Nexus 4, until I heard it might only have 16GB onboard. Then I found hope in that it was only a rumor, and maybe cloud storage would make okay. Then I realized I can't run apps from a cloud, or listen to music without a data connection (I have 17GB of music alone). Then, Google made my worst nightmares a reality with only 8GB and 16GB options and no expandable storage. Is it too much to ask for 64GB? Even 32? Or a micro sd slot?! I don't care if the price would be higher. I need the space!!!! Then they announced no LTE. WHAT?! Remember the outrage over the iPhone 4 two years ago? That was a bit unjustified, but at this point, not including the latest technology is inexcusable for a flagship Android device. I don't need LTE, but as a marketing move this is the stupidest thing Google could have possibly done. Not to mention, even if I could get over all of this ridiculousness, I have Verizon (and no choice, because I don't pay my bill).

There is no way this phone will ever be a possibility for me. What am I supposed to do? I currently have a Droid X (the original) and it is a mess. Programs are corrupting (camera only launches 30% of the time, etc.), the screen is starting to fail (black spots in the LCD), the battery is fried, etc. I NEED a phone. This is a huge disappointment.

I might be interested in the Droid DLX or DNA, but it is just so big....5" is unnecessary even if it's 1080p....and it's still a rumor anyway. Any suggestions on what I should do? Should I suck it up (any why), wait it out (really would rather not), or switch to the dark side and the iPhone 5 (really really don't want to, but it may be my only viable option). Thanks for the help and sorry for the rant, but I can't imagine that I am the only one who is just a bit pissed off.

RAZR M. Dream phone + your problem solved.

 

[Eric Kane]

Why is there all this whining about LTE and removable storage? I know it's a year later, but have we forgotten what a train wreck the Verizon Nexus was at the beginning? As far as LTE goes, it's this simple; the Nexus line does not sell enough to have enough clout to dictate the rules to the carriers. The iPhone, on the other hand, does. Do you remember when the Galaxy Nexus became available from the Google Play Store at $349? This was right after the S3 came out and there were plenty of people looking to return their S3 for the Nexus for a few reasons. Jelly Bean, no contract, price, etc. I was one of them. I returned my S3 immediately and picked up a Galaxy Nexus I had already used before in a way on Verizon almost a year prior. No LTE. No SD card. $349 for a 16 GB phone that was almost a year old.

So about 4 months later, a brand new device is being released with the same deal; 16 GB for $349 off contract. Only this device has a vastly improved screen. Bigger battery. Ridiculously fast processor. Better camera. Better build quality. In fact, in most areas we grade a smartphone on, it's better than any other phone on the market. And it's $349 off contract. Just like the Galaxy Nexus from the Google Play Store, it doesn't have LTE or removable storage. Would this phone be better if it had both of those things? Sure. Would it be more expensive? Undoubtedly.

So in a world where the cloud offers so many options for storage (Google+, Google Play Music, DropBox, Google Drive, etc) and HSPA+ in a lot of areas offers decent speeds (sometimes just as fast as LTE), the Nexus shines. It shines because it's two shortcomings have reasons behind them. It shines because it's an incredible piece of hardware. It shines because dollar for dollar, this is easily the best Android phone in the world.

For those of you who can't get past these things, you have so many options. Galaxy S3, Droid Razr (M, HD, Maxx HD), LG Optimus G, One X, etc. For those of you who can appreciate the build quality, the raw power, the beautiful display, and the uninterrupted updates, you've got a very attractive option in one hell of a phone. The best part about Android is that we can choose. And honestly? There's really no wrong choice.

 

[huzzyz]

I can solve the whole no extra space issue in a very simple way - "OTG Cable"

kthnx.

 

[NoYankees44]

LG dare was not an android phone...

Sent from my ADR6425LVW

 

[tcm1969]

Being able to get a device that's spec'd like this one, for $350 (16g) off contract is ridiculous! Tie it to a $45 unlimited everything plan from straight talk and it's a no brainer!
I currently use AT&T and for 3g of data, the minutes I need and unlimited texts it costs me (before taxes and fees) $110!

Sent from my HTC One X

 

[Jerry Hildenbrand]

I encourage everyone to read this article explaining the lack of LTE in the Nexus 4: Slow lane: why Google's new Nexus 4 doesn't have LTE | The Verge If Android Central had run an informative article like this here, a LOT of the nerd rage and teeth-gnashing, including mine, would've been mitigated.

If I had written an "informative" (with quotes because they missed the real reasons -- licensing and open source) I would have been treated like an animal. Read the comments on the blog anytime I say something that isn't popular.

I don't have it in me this week.

 

[dmmarck]

If I had written an "informative" (with quotes because they missed the real reasons -- licensing and open source) I would have been treated like an animal. Read the comments on the blog anytime I say something that isn't popular.

I don't have it in me this week.

Some people forget the true nature of Android. Oh well...

 

[Dementikko]

Wow, that's amazing price for such a device. Does anyone have any idea when will this hit the market? How much better is its processor than SGS3's? Should I sell my SGS3 and go for the Nexus 4? What's your opinion who have the Galaxy S3 right now too?