Nexus 4.. Too Plain?

[Rizy7]

So I just watched a series of videos about the Nexus 4 (phonedog uhm uhm) and all its pros and cons. One aspect the reviewer would not let go of was how the nexus 4 did not have the same value adds such as Touchwiz and Sense and how it was not fit for the mainstream consumer. Somehow he also came up with the conclusion that the more feature packed Touchwiz and Sense would be more easier and simple to use than the more plain Nexus 4 I have never used Touchwiz or Sense but what are these value adds he could be talking about? For me, anything that I wanted to do with this phone could be done and anything that was missing I could easily find on the playstore. Personally, the value of the latest updates immediately far outweigh the value of these UIs. Opinions?

 

[zkSharks]

I agree with you. I like Sense, dislike TouchWiz, and have a mostly neutral opinion of Blur. The 'feature additions' he is talking about are most likely things like Samsung's multi-view/window functions (for more than one app on the screen at a time) and Smart Stay (which keeps the screen awake when you're looking at the phone).

 

[runtmms]

My guess is most people in this forum would agree with you.


Sent from my Nexus 4 on Solavei

 

[gone down south]

The average user wants a phone you can turn on and use instantly. Carrier UIs give a lot of functionality right out of the box, even if the hobbyist prefers to set up their own custom inspection interface.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[planoman]

I think that Google changed things when they sold an unlocked, full featured phone for $350. Previously the Nexus brand was for those who knew a lot about android/developers and did not want the pull down toggles and wiz bang stuff of skins.

The Nexus 4 has changed that in that the price and the no contract option is bringing in a lot of new users but many of them are novices. So I can see how the features of the skins could be helpful. I also have a Note 2 so am very familiar with touch wiz and the settings and customization it brings versus Nexus. I know how to go get those things but many others do not yet. I predict with the new influx of less experienced android users, you will get vanilla android move quicker with more customization and seeing such as pull more down toggles etc. and dialer text integration etc.

 

[Lanhoj]

I personally like the blankness of stock Android.

If I want the added features of TW, Sense or another OEM there's almost always a way to get an App to do it.
However, if I don't want it I'm not stuck with it. For example I like toggles but I don't like TW's but I'm stuck with them on my S3.

I usually get around 3 Android devices per year & while I like things about Samsungs, HTC's, Motorola's, etc...I always go back to the most recent Nexus as I feel like that one is more easily customizable to truly look, feel & perform the way I want it, not the way the OEM wanted it.
I also get the newest iPhone each year...but I won't go into how restrictive those feel, LoL.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[scorpiodsu]

Yes I think it's plain. That's the point of vanilla android. I also agree that sense and touchwiz do offer features out of the box that makes the device more consumer friendly. To those users those devices would be best. For those that don't care about those "extras" and lime to tinker the Nexus is perfect. There's a reason that the Nexus brand is not marketed as heavy as other devices. I've tried almost everything and I always try to get rid of as much of OEM bloat as possible when I get a device and install a new launcher. I'm not a huge fan of the software on top on vanilla. As Google improves android it'll become more consumer friendly.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Android Central Forums

 

[ohyeahar]

I used to follow Phonedog but stopped quite a while ago when they clearly became anti-Android and pro-iOS. So take everything they say with a grain of salt. Or better yet, don't listen to what they have to say.

The things that manufacturers do to Android (i.e. Sense, Touchwiz, etc) do add features. Sometimes, they're value-added but most of the time, they're just there to differentiate from the competition. Just change for the sake of change.

You don't hear the Phonedog guys complain that the iPhone is "too plain" even though plain Android has more functionality right out of the box.