I have a ATT Note 2 as my daily driver but took my Nexus 4 on spring break as my daily driver since the area we were going to did not have LTE. Just some thoughts on the Nexus 4 and of course as a Note 2 owner, you would know how this compares. I still think the Note 2 is the best all around device on the market today!
I have had the N4 since right before New Year but only just used it as my daily driver for a week this week while on spring break with my family. There is nothing about this phone that I discovered that I did not know, but it did reaffirm some things about me and my usage that I want out of my phone or at least my daily driver.
Things I really like:
Size and heft- good size and heft. Feels good in the hand and not too small to use to read and browse. Very clear and good resolution.
Great screen- Very good screen. No problems reading websites and forums and email etc.
Keyboard- It is very easy to type on for me. In some ways it is easier than my Note 2. I seem to make less mistakes. Although I love having the numbers on the keyboard with my Note 2 so I do not have to shift to use numbers and then shift back to letters.
Google Wallet- I used it a lot this week. I was surprised by how many places take it with the new paypass terminals! I think it i easier than pulling out your actual wallet.
Just works well- No major bugs that I noticed.
Things I want improved for my usage and preferences:
Battery- I may be spoiled by my Note 2 battery but it seems like by 4-5 pm daily I was looking to top off with moderate usage. I had not seen this earlier because I had only used the N4 on the weekend where my usage is very low, so the battery was never really taxed. I would have a hard time using this phone everyday while working. I travel a bit and am on the go a lot and do not want to have to plug in or top off until after the workday.
Camera- I took a lot of pics and video of the kids while on spring break this week and for ME, 16GB just does not cut it. I had to move my pictures and videos (they consume lots of storage as many of you know) to make room again on my N4. I used the cloud on wifi but it is slow...(I am an impatient type) with pictures and I made the mistake of moving video once on the cloud (a clip that was 50 or 60 MB) that took over 10 minutes, I think. The quality of the pictures was OK, but not great. My wife's S3 and daughter's ipod touch 5 took better pictures. Another concern was the auto focus on in the video mode. Seems like it shifts around a lot. I would love to see a better camera on the Nexus line. We had our 60D with us but for impromptu shots the phone cameras cannot be beat.
Storage- I want a minimum of 32GB. Yes I use the cloud, but to me it is not as convenient as local storage and with flash storage prices, no reason to have less than 32GB. That would allow me to have some pictures and video on my phone instead of worrying about running out of storage for the next series of shots. Just my preference.
LTE- Since I use the Note 2 on ATT's LTE network, I really missed it this week. I was in an areas that did not have LTE (which is why I took my N4) but it reminded me of how I like having LTE if and when I need it. I am on ATT LTE unlimited plan (5GB) and is is nice to have when you want it and wifi is not around. Most cites in Texas have it.
I still like my N4 and plan to keep it and use it on the weekends. I do think the skins have surpassed vanilla android in terms of functionality but they may be getting too functional. i.e. touch wiz notification bar is really busy. Of course, you get the bloatware with that. So for having a simple, functional device that will get the first updates, it is still worth having a Nexus device handy!
I have had the N4 since right before New Year but only just used it as my daily driver for a week this week while on spring break with my family. There is nothing about this phone that I discovered that I did not know, but it did reaffirm some things about me and my usage that I want out of my phone or at least my daily driver.
Things I really like:
Size and heft- good size and heft. Feels good in the hand and not too small to use to read and browse. Very clear and good resolution.
Great screen- Very good screen. No problems reading websites and forums and email etc.
Keyboard- It is very easy to type on for me. In some ways it is easier than my Note 2. I seem to make less mistakes. Although I love having the numbers on the keyboard with my Note 2 so I do not have to shift to use numbers and then shift back to letters.
Google Wallet- I used it a lot this week. I was surprised by how many places take it with the new paypass terminals! I think it i easier than pulling out your actual wallet.
Just works well- No major bugs that I noticed.
Things I want improved for my usage and preferences:
Battery- I may be spoiled by my Note 2 battery but it seems like by 4-5 pm daily I was looking to top off with moderate usage. I had not seen this earlier because I had only used the N4 on the weekend where my usage is very low, so the battery was never really taxed. I would have a hard time using this phone everyday while working. I travel a bit and am on the go a lot and do not want to have to plug in or top off until after the workday.
Camera- I took a lot of pics and video of the kids while on spring break this week and for ME, 16GB just does not cut it. I had to move my pictures and videos (they consume lots of storage as many of you know) to make room again on my N4. I used the cloud on wifi but it is slow...(I am an impatient type) with pictures and I made the mistake of moving video once on the cloud (a clip that was 50 or 60 MB) that took over 10 minutes, I think. The quality of the pictures was OK, but not great. My wife's S3 and daughter's ipod touch 5 took better pictures. Another concern was the auto focus on in the video mode. Seems like it shifts around a lot. I would love to see a better camera on the Nexus line. We had our 60D with us but for impromptu shots the phone cameras cannot be beat.
Storage- I want a minimum of 32GB. Yes I use the cloud, but to me it is not as convenient as local storage and with flash storage prices, no reason to have less than 32GB. That would allow me to have some pictures and video on my phone instead of worrying about running out of storage for the next series of shots. Just my preference.
LTE- Since I use the Note 2 on ATT's LTE network, I really missed it this week. I was in an areas that did not have LTE (which is why I took my N4) but it reminded me of how I like having LTE if and when I need it. I am on ATT LTE unlimited plan (5GB) and is is nice to have when you want it and wifi is not around. Most cites in Texas have it.
I still like my N4 and plan to keep it and use it on the weekends. I do think the skins have surpassed vanilla android in terms of functionality but they may be getting too functional. i.e. touch wiz notification bar is really busy. Of course, you get the bloatware with that. So for having a simple, functional device that will get the first updates, it is still worth having a Nexus device handy!
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