So, I received my Nexus 4 two weeks ago - I am not happy. The phone's pricing is amazing, and for $300 I wasn't expecting much, however, coming from an iPhone, build quality was my biggest concern. I plan on returning my phone tomorrow, as it's day 15. The Android OS is ugly, and confusing. I am a very tech-friendly guy, and work a lot with computers and other electronics, but the OS is just plain bad. I had friend after friend tell me that I would enjoy Android and the customization that it allows for - wow, were they wrong. I had grown tired of the iOS ecosystem on my iPhone 4S and wanted something new, and fell in love with the Nexus 4 and its price when I saw it.
I received the phone after 2 weeks of waiting, and ripped the packaging open like a kid on Christmas day. Initially, I was happy with what I saw -- the sparkly back, the smooth beveled edge of the screen, and the huge 4.7" glistening screen. I was disappointed by the lack of headphones, but remembered the price tag and assured myself all was well. I turned on the phone and took my first dive into the Android operating system, happy as can be. The first app I opened after setup was the music app, Google Music I believe. The UI of the app was terrible and 2006-ish. I tried to get over it and uploaded some music to the phone (which was a lot simpler than using iTunes - well done, Google.), and loaded up the app again, this time with a small part of my library on it.
As I maneuvered around the app, I realized that it was not only poorly designed, but a pain to navigate! I would switch from one artist to the other with 4-5 clicks, where on my iPhone it only took 2. The music app wasn't my only disappointment as I made my way around the phone. The next app I tried out was Google Chrome, which came pre-loaded on the phone. The app was sluggish and laggy upon first use. I tried going to Google, Yahoo!, and other popular websites, only to see that they all loaded slowly and inefficiently compared to my prior phone. Spec-wise, the phone seemed amazing compared to the iPhone, but I guess it's more about software than hardware on a mobile device.The camera on the Nexus 4 is sub-par compared to my iPhone 4S, and the software buttons take away that nice 'click' you get when you press the home button on an iPhone.
Build quality - lacking. The day I took my phone out of the box, I noticed that by the corner at the top left, the 'chrome' bevel was lifting from the black plastic part. To this day it's still separated and ugly. Speaking of the bevel, coming from an iPhone it looks and feels cheap. Plastic? Really, Google? Once again, price-tag. The screen, though, is definitely the Nexus 4's high point. It's a beautiful, smoothly beveled edge that doesn't scratch easily. The volume rocker and power button also look and feel cheap - not surprisingly. After the 2 weeks I've spent with the phone, the power button seems to make an annoying squeak when I press it, which it didn't the first few days. The notification light, I must say though, is pretty cool.
As far as smart phone's go, I wouldn't give the Nexus 4 as much praise as most people seem to be. The pricing is definitely amazing, but the flaws outweigh that pretty price tag to me. I was disappointed by the phone's OS, camera, and build quality. I was also impressed by certain aspects, such as the screen, the notification light, and the specs. The lack of available accessories from Google is also a bummer, but I'll let you decide whether that's a flaw worthy of dictating one's purchase of the device.
I received the phone after 2 weeks of waiting, and ripped the packaging open like a kid on Christmas day. Initially, I was happy with what I saw -- the sparkly back, the smooth beveled edge of the screen, and the huge 4.7" glistening screen. I was disappointed by the lack of headphones, but remembered the price tag and assured myself all was well. I turned on the phone and took my first dive into the Android operating system, happy as can be. The first app I opened after setup was the music app, Google Music I believe. The UI of the app was terrible and 2006-ish. I tried to get over it and uploaded some music to the phone (which was a lot simpler than using iTunes - well done, Google.), and loaded up the app again, this time with a small part of my library on it.
As I maneuvered around the app, I realized that it was not only poorly designed, but a pain to navigate! I would switch from one artist to the other with 4-5 clicks, where on my iPhone it only took 2. The music app wasn't my only disappointment as I made my way around the phone. The next app I tried out was Google Chrome, which came pre-loaded on the phone. The app was sluggish and laggy upon first use. I tried going to Google, Yahoo!, and other popular websites, only to see that they all loaded slowly and inefficiently compared to my prior phone. Spec-wise, the phone seemed amazing compared to the iPhone, but I guess it's more about software than hardware on a mobile device.The camera on the Nexus 4 is sub-par compared to my iPhone 4S, and the software buttons take away that nice 'click' you get when you press the home button on an iPhone.
Build quality - lacking. The day I took my phone out of the box, I noticed that by the corner at the top left, the 'chrome' bevel was lifting from the black plastic part. To this day it's still separated and ugly. Speaking of the bevel, coming from an iPhone it looks and feels cheap. Plastic? Really, Google? Once again, price-tag. The screen, though, is definitely the Nexus 4's high point. It's a beautiful, smoothly beveled edge that doesn't scratch easily. The volume rocker and power button also look and feel cheap - not surprisingly. After the 2 weeks I've spent with the phone, the power button seems to make an annoying squeak when I press it, which it didn't the first few days. The notification light, I must say though, is pretty cool.
As far as smart phone's go, I wouldn't give the Nexus 4 as much praise as most people seem to be. The pricing is definitely amazing, but the flaws outweigh that pretty price tag to me. I was disappointed by the phone's OS, camera, and build quality. I was also impressed by certain aspects, such as the screen, the notification light, and the specs. The lack of available accessories from Google is also a bummer, but I'll let you decide whether that's a flaw worthy of dictating one's purchase of the device.
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