Google Nexus 4 First Impressions/Reviews

[twinkle3]

If i had one gripe it would be the ringer and notification volumes are the same setting.
Getting a case helps give you grip, good camera fast and lovely to play games on

 

[DeadpoolJunior]

Been a week now since getting my replacement N4. Just wanna offer some more thoughts.

* Great for gaming. I never gamed a lot on my Vibrant or S2 minus Angry Birds, but on this I find myself playing hardcore games like Dead Trigger and Death Dome and enjoying it mightily. The form factor also feels great in the hand when holding it sideways.

* Battery life, cuz this is big for some of you guys. For ME, on average I can get through 10hrs comfortabley, and 12 hours majority of the time. Unplugged phone at 8am, music in the shower, social networks all the way to school and during, music emails texts phone calls etc etc. Wifi and Data used about evenly. 12hrs on average is what im getting.

* Bought a case, still sexy. Even had a iPhone 5 user hold my phone to take a look at a video today even he marveled at the design and screen. Case adds a good grip to it too so im dropping it far less.

* No buzz for me. No rattle. No tint. Phone is perfect.

* Heats up ALOT when gaming. Any game from Angry Birds to Death Trigger heats up for me after awhile.

 

[sonicresidue]

I've had mine for a week now. This is a HUGE upgrade from my iPhone 3G! I am still in the process of learning Android, since I have not had a chance to really sit down and tinker, but the basics seem pretty easy to figure out. It is simply a beautifully designed device. It looks and feels better than just about any other Android phone out there. I do not understand cnet.com's review stating that the design is "uninspiring".

As far as performance goes, obviously anything is going to be an upgrade given that I'm coming from a very outdated phone, so I can't compare it to anything from the last year or so. However, it has performed VERY fast and smooth, with no noticible lag. Voice call quality is just fine, and I have not had a problem with earpiece buzzing although I do get a slight rattle, which seems to be normal with most smart phones, as I have read it is related to the camera auto-focus. I also have not had any problem with a yellow tint on the screen as others have mentioned. I really like the notification system and ease with which I can pull down the "quick settings". Battery life hasn't been great, but seems to be getting better with a few full charge cycles.

There are a couple things I do not like, however. First, the speaker placement on the back of the unit means it is difficult to hear the phone's ringtones and notification alarms, unless the volume is turned all the way up. It would be nice if they could keep the speaker from being obstructed. I wish the screen would turn on and show text messages when they come in. I would also like to be able to reply to a text message from the lock screen instead of having to open the sms app. I did notice a few apps in the play store that can achieve this (mainly Sms Popup) and will be looking in to those. I had to jailbreak my iPhone to do this, but found it very valuable. I would also like it if the notification LED flashed more frequently, but again, I understand there are apps for this (Light Flow) that I will have to look in to. I also wish Google offered a way of backing up the entire phone with my Google account instead of just syncing my calendar and contacts, I would be interested in learning to root the device at some point. However, I feel it is best to spend some time learning how to use Android more fully first. As customizable as it is, I may not need to root, but learning how to would be interesting.

Overall, I'm very glad I purchased the Nexus 4. It is exactly what I wanted, and although I would have liked to have LTE, I will probably be ok without it for now. It took me several weeks to find a phone I liked after I decided not to go with the iPhone 5 and was pretty disappointed with nearly every Android phone out there. I'm very glad I waited it out, instead of compromising with something else.

 

[sonicresidue]

Also, what's the app that removes the bold font from the lock screen clock?

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[HTCTundaBow]

I absolutely love my N4! I've had it for about a week now, I finally got my bumper and Tmobile SIM card in. Here are a few pros and cons from my experience.

Pro's
- $55 A MONTH SAVINGS OVER VZW!
- screen looks amazing
- love 4.2
- the haptic feedback gives it that crisp feel unlike any other phone I've used.
- $55 A MONTH SAVINGS OVER VZW


Con's
- yellow tint when looking at screen from an angle
- touch sensitivity of the screen is annoying at times. I find myself having to touch links 2-3 times.




overall, I am VERY pleased with the N4. Top of the line phone for half the price. Why would I buy anything else?

 

[icemncmth]

UPS dropped off my phone on Thursday. I did get a chance to take it on a trip with my other phone. Reception was very good in areas where I use to have issues getting calls and texts. My wife said I sounded nice and clear even driving down the road. Very little road noise came through on her end even when I was in a noisy environment. One thing I did notice is how quickly my bluetooth headset and hands free system attached to the phone. My old phone would take around 30 seconds to recognize that I had turned on my headset. Then N4 takes maybe 3 seconds to connect. I was in an area where I was at the edge of reception. My old phone would switch from Edge to basic cell service frequently and that would drain the battery so I would have to remember to turn the Sync function off otherwise my battery would discharge pretty quickly. The N4 was actually pretty good and either holding the edge signal and or switching to standard cell without killing the battery.

I'm not going to go on about fit and finish or the things others have talked about but I can echo their fellings. I live in Oklahoma and I drive between Oklahoma City and Tulsa and beyond. Between the major cities data is pretty much worthless or not there so I downloaded a google map and turned on navigation and to my surprise the phone never missed a beat. I really was surprised at this. .

I will let you know more about the phone in the upcoming days

 

[TheLibertarian]

I don't understand YOUR argument. How would taking the wasted screen space and reclaiming it result in a SMALLER screen?!?

There is a half-inch of space between the end of the screen and the bottom of the phone, so why not put capacitive buttons in that area like the two outside buttons flanking the stupid protruding home button on the GS3? There's nothing going on in that area so why not improve the utilization of screen real estate?

If Google is dead set against such a thing, they should consider making that bottom row smaller because the usable area on the N4 screen is less than the slightly smaller GS2.

The on screen buttons disappear while watching movies and such. If Google used capacitive buttons, that screen real estate would only ever be capacitive buttons, hence Neo42's confusion in the logic behind your argument. Definitely prefer the merits of on screens buttons as well.

 

[badbrad17]

The on screen buttons disappear while watching movies and such. If Google used capacitive buttons, that screen real estate would only ever be capacitive buttons, hence Neo42's confusion in the logic behind your argument. Definitely prefer the merits of on screens buttons as well.

But the space below is still black space. Compare the DNA to the N4. The DNA has a sliver along the bottom. The N4 has onscreen buttons and extra space below.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[DeadpoolJunior]

Pretty simple. The wallbase HD app is a great place for great, high def wall papers. Really like the minimalistic ones they post like this one. Plain & simple.

EDIT: Wrong thread, sorry.

 

[TheLibertarian]

But the space below is still black space. Compare the DNA to the N4. The DNA has a sliver along the bottom. The N4 has onscreen buttons and extra space below.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

The space below offers a good grip for holding the device in landscape mode without touching any capacitive/on-screen buttons. I find it highly convenient, though I concede that's all down to personal preference. I do love the DNA (haven't used it yet), but having buttons all the way at the bottom of the screen seems like watching shows or gaming could be difficult with zero "dead" room to just hold the phone.

 

[ccgabe]

No separate volume control for Notifications on Galaxy Nexus was my biggest irritation too. At night I want to be able to hear the phone if it rings but not every email or message that comes in. That is a big mistake in my humble opinion.

 

[badbrad17]

No separate volume control for Notifications on Galaxy Nexus was my biggest irritation too. At night I want to be able to hear the phone if it rings but not every email or message that comes in. That is a big mistake in my humble opinion.

A lot of people have been talking about this lately. It's strange because I'd never heard it mentioned or cared because I always just put mine on silent, but it makes sense. There apparently are some apps that help on this though.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[spacecasespiff]

Its there. Its in settings under sound. If that's what you mean

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Horaland H]

Loving it and well worth the wait. Screen in amazing, battery life pretty good (20ish hours on first few days with fairly heavy use) and HSPA is giving me 10Mb/s which compared to my Nexus S is brilliant, can't see why I would ever need LTE.

Software wise most of the niggles I had with the Nexus S and Jelly bean are gone. I listen to podcasts on Podcatcher and autobooks on Audible and found having to unlock then fund the app to play or pause a real pain, the inline remote never worked (or played some random app) and the control on the alerts drop down always crashed the app. All this has gone away with the Nexus 4.

My only issue so far is reception in poor signal areas. My Nexus S got 2G signal in most of my house on Vodafone (no signal with any other network) but the Nexus4 only gets signal in the middle of the kitchen floor and the window and if I sit on the windowsill at the front of the house... guess I need to invest in a sure signal box. Out of the house I mostly seem to get HSPA.

 

[Phascinate]

Do you use a Galaxy S3? I'm wondering because you said something about the screen being washed out. I don't have the phone yet, but I was just wondering.

 

[badbrad17]

Do you use a Galaxy S3? I'm wondering because you said something about the screen being washed out. I don't have the phone yet, but I was just wondering.

people have mentioned it being washed out but I don't see it. It's an IPS display so it's different than AMOLED but it's certainly not washed out.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[TheLibertarian]

Do you use a Galaxy S3? I'm wondering because you said something about the screen being washed out. I don't have the phone yet, but I was just wondering.

GS3 is a bit over saturated, N4 a bit under. But between the IPS display and LG's "Zero Gap" design, the display is flat out incredible; my eyes couldn't get enough of that LCD.

There are also kernels out there that allow you to adjust the displays color reproduction, if you're into that sort of thing.

 

[badbrad17]

GS3 is a bit over saturated, N4 a bit under. But between the IPS display and LG's "Zero Gap" design, the display is flat out incredible; my eyes couldn't get enough of that LCD.

There are also kernels out there that allow you to adjust the displays color reproduction, if you're into that sort of thing.

There is a thread discussing some options on adjusting your display here http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=239311
Nexus 4 Screen is washed out Fix

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[TheLibertarian]

There is a thread discussing some options on adjusting your display here http://forums.androidcentral.com/showthread.php?t=239311
Nexus 4 Screen is washed out Fix

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

Much more information on xda regarding kernels and such. Still, that app seems useful to a degree.

 

[Croweater]

Loving it and well worth the wait. Screen in amazing, battery life pretty good (20ish hours on first few days with fairly heavy use) and HSPA is giving me 10Mb/s which compared to my Nexus S is brilliant, can't see why I would ever need LTE.

Software wise most of the niggles I had with the Nexus S and Jelly bean are gone. I listen to podcasts on Podcatcher and autobooks on Audible and found having to unlock then fund the app to play or pause a real pain, the inline remote never worked (or played some random app) and the control on the alerts drop down always crashed the app. All this has gone away with the Nexus 4.

My only issue so far is reception in poor signal areas. My Nexus S got 2G signal in most of my house on Vodafone (no signal with any other network) but the Nexus4 only gets signal in the middle of the kitchen floor and the window and if I sit on the windowsill at the front of the house... guess I need to invest in a sure signal box. Out of the house I mostly seem to get HSPA.

20 hours with " fairly heavy use"? Screen shots? If you're having signal issues in poor reception areas doesn't that eat your battery? Since the phone is looking for a signal.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2