Google Nexus 4 First Impressions/Reviews

[DirkBelig]

If the on screen buttons were dedicated under-screen buttons, then the screen would be that much shorter and there would be less screen space for full screen apps. I don't understand this argument.

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.

 

[emuneee]

For the 7 hours I was able to use my Nexus 4 before it died again, it was great.

The highlights were the screen, build quality, speed, and camera image quality. I am coming from a Galaxy Nexus and the Nexus 4 is better in every way except that fact that its a glass brick now (RMA on the way). The screen is great and a great change from AMOLEDs (I've had a Captivate and Galaxy Nexus (takju) for the past 2+ years). The build quality is great as well and the phone is not as slippery as I expected based on other people's perspectives. From a performance standpoint, its day and night speed wise over my Galaxy Nexus. Great upgrade over the GN.

Things I don't like....the power and volume buttons lack feedback.

 

[kobastal]

Thanks for the feedback. Much appreciated the details.

What I can't figure out is how the N4 can have worse battery than other devices with smaller batteries and bloatware. The One X is no champion in the battery ring yet it is layered with extra stuff. The N4 is clean and pure. What makes the difference?

The N4 and the One X are really close in battery life for me. Functionally, they are the same in that I can't get through a day without a charge. Only the Razr Maxx and Note 2 could do that. I probably should not have said that the One X was better. I think I am just kind of disappointed with the N4 since it is a bigger battery.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[jd914]

Here's my first impression and review:

My Nexus 4 is full of awesome!

 

[ChromeJob]

...

Is there an easier way to do this than digging into Settings>Location access>GPS satellites [uncheck]? My GS2 has toggles in the notification area for Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth and Silent mode (TouchWiz FTW!), but I'm not seeing as convenient a setup even with the new toggle area. They really should let us edit and add stuff there.

Get HD WIDGETS. Great switches that let you disable it...

 

[FYourProblems]

Lol I drive a Buick. The phone fell out of my pocket under my car, I shut the door and pulled off slowly. Noticed my phone wasn't in my pocket, turned around, saw it on the ground and the screen was cracked all over, but it still worked fine. Sold it for $75 on Craigslist.

That is insane dude, you probably got super lucky or something, congrats lol

 

[6tr6tr]

My impressions after playing with the phone for a few days:

- is the smoothest android phone I've ever used. it's the smoothest android device ice ever used. it blows the nexus 7 away.
- nothing makes this phone hiccup...except Netflix. when looking at a season's episodes on the Netflix app, it struggles for a bit. what kind of crappy coding could make this powerful phone struggle?!
- it's very slippery feeling. i thought the rubbery sides would be grippy based on the reviews. they're not. i never drop my phones. never. but with this phone i might get my first ever cover/bumper.
- is so thin. i have held a galaxy s3 before and although I've read that it's thinner than the nexus 4, this feels thinner
- it's beautiful
- really light. although it's a much bigger screen than the nexus s, although a lot thinner, it's much lighter
- very solid feel. makes the galaxy s3 feel like a cheap toy

 

[champvikas]

Do you used to do a lot of reading on iPhone 4 as i will also be getting my nexus 4 in month's time but want to clarify a few things with people who have used iPhones before?
I also have had the same number of apple devices as you have but recently shifted to android by buying GSIII. Only thing i didn't like was its screen quality as compared to my iphone 4S because i am used to lovely whites and clarity of iPhone LCD screen. So, I gave the phone to my sister and now eagerly waiting for nexus 4. So my question is ( provided you love reading and doing a lot of browsing on your iPhone):
How does the screen of your nexus 4 compare to your iPhone 4 in terms of clarity and the whites shown on various websites or reading applications like ibooks or instapaper? As both are IPS LCDs, i am hoping that they will be similar in quality.

Coming from iPhone, iPhone 3g, and iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad3, I must say that I am thoroughly impressed with both android and the Nexus 4. It took a little while to get the phone set up, but most of my issues were due to not turning off iCloud and iMessage. Once this was done, the nexus synced through google perfectly.

As for the hardware, it is sexy. Coming from the iphone 4, the screen is ridiculous! Huge, smooth, bright, vibrant, and the rounded off edges are very vice. The phone is much lighter than I expected. This is neither a positive or negative for me. To be honest, I would prefer if it had a bit more heft to it. Build quality is nice, but the iphone 4 was likely one of the most well built, solid devices I have ever held. Compared to other android devices I have held, nexus 4 gives me a premium feel that phones like gs3 could not deliver.

Speaker is loud, but I find the ringer and text message notifier not loud enough (yes they are on max volume). Youtube/Music plays loud, very good.

I will not comment on 4.2 due to a couple of factors. First, I am new to android and feel I cannot properly evaluate it without knowing all of which it can and cannot do. I will say that the phone is fast, in all respects. Browsing, scrolling, rendering webpages, etc..., this phone makes the performance of my iphone 4 laughable.

Overall, I am blown away. I will keep my iPhone 4, just in case i change my mind, but as of now I believe I will stick with android. One reason it took me forever to switch was investment into iOS and accessories. Apple eliminated a good portion of my switching costs by introducing the lightning connector. The need to purchase 5 $30 adapters for all of my accessories did not appeal to me, and honestly it pissed me off that a company with such a loyal customer base would extort money from them in such a way. The other reason I had not switched to android is that I had never come across a device that was the equivalent under the hood without being made of plastic.

In conclusion, the nexus 4 is a great device. Is it the end all be all of cell phones? No. Is it the perfect device for me? Yes. LTE, expandable storage, and removable battery are all non-issues for me. This effectively removes the only cons about the phone and makes it perfect for my needs. Should you get the phone? Sure, why not! Unless you have a GS3 or plan on getting a OneX+ or droid DNA, this phone is great. Great enough to convert and Apple die hard to Android.

P.s. I don't see myself buying an android tablet as I love my iPad. However, you never know.

 

[badbrad17]

Do you used to do a lot of reading on iPhone 4 as i will also be getting my nexus 4 in month's time but want to clarify a few things with people who have used iPhones before?
I also have had the same number of apple devices as you have but recently shifted to android by buying GSIII. Only thing i didn't like was its screen quality as compared to my iphone 4S because i am used to lovely whites and clarity of iPhone LCD screen. So, I gave the phone to my sister and now eagerly waiting for nexus 4. So my question is ( provided you love reading and doing a lot of browsing on your iPhone):
How does the screen of your nexus 4 compare to your iPhone 4 in terms of clarity and the whites shown on various websites or reading applications like ibooks or instapaper? As both are IPS LCDs, i am hoping that they will be similar in quality.

They will be similar. But I think the larger screen on the N4 will give you more room for reading too.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[6tr6tr]

an additional thing i recently noticed: i finally understand what everyone meant when they said the screen is so close to the front of the glass it looks printed on top. it really pops! you notice it the most when you tilt the phone away from yourself a little, its really amazing.

 

[Shravyastuti Maji]

can u tell me anything about how the nexus 4 handles the heat related issues???? i m planning to buy one so i just wanted to know abt it...plus i have read quite a few ppl saying it gets heated up really fast just by browsing for sometime without mulitasking....please enlighten me with this issue

 

[Shravyastuti Maji]

My impressions after playing with the phone for a few days:

- is the smoothest android phone I've ever used. it's the smoothest android device ice ever used. it blows the nexus 7 away.
- nothing makes this phone hiccup...except Netflix. when looking at a season's episodes on the Netflix app, it struggles for a bit. what kind of crappy coding could make this powerful phone struggle?!
- it's very slippery feeling. i thought the rubbery sides would be grippy based on the reviews. they're not. i never drop my phones. never. but with this phone i might get my first ever cover/bumper.
- is so thin. i have held a galaxy s3 before and although I've read that it's thinner than the nexus 4, this feels thinner
- it's beautiful
- really light. although it's a much bigger screen than the nexus s, although a lot thinner, it's much lighter
- very solid feel. makes the galaxy s3 feel like a cheap toy

can u tell me anything about how the nexus 4 handles the heat related issues???? i m planning to buy one so i just wanted to know abt it...plus i have read quite a few ppl saying it gets heated up really fast just by browsing for sometime without mulitasking....please enlighten me with this issue

 

[6tr6tr]

can u tell me anything about how the nexus 4 handles the heat related issues???? i m planning to buy one so i just wanted to know abt it...plus i have read quite a few ppl saying it gets heated up really fast just by browsing for sometime without mulitasking....please enlighten me with this issue

I haven't had the chance to do any gaming on the device yet, but from my web surfing, emailing, wifi-calling (grooveip, sipdroid, talkatone) it hasn't gotten hot yet. It hasn't even gotten noticeably warm.

 

[dobiegillis]

I've been using my Nexus 4 for a little more than a week and love it so far. Rather than gush about things I like I'm going to list a few niggles instead:

1. The back glass makes it quite slippery. I rarely drop my phones and I think I can hold onto this one as well when I'm out and about but what I've noticed is that this phone easily slips off of some tables. I've actually found it on the floor 3 times in three different rooms! Somehow it just decided to jump off the tables! Fortunately it fell on carpet or clothes so no damage. Plus I have a very bad habit of playing with my phone while sitting at restaurant tables...like I'll sit down and put the phone on the table while I eat, drink, or talk. Then I'll pick it up and flip it around in my hand and put it back down, sometimes with excessive force. I never worried much about that with my GS2-I mean it is all plastic-but honesty you can see lots of scratches in the plastic back I'm really not a fan of cases at all but I've already ordered one (that I done care much for) and have a bumper and another case on back order because I don't want to scratch the back glass (so far none!) The only other phone I regularly used a case with was the iPhone 4 but honestly I put a case-mate barely there on it mostly because I found the sharp edges uncomfortable to hold. I think this phone is fine to hold naked although I might change my mind if it was summer and I was sweaty it will be extremely slippery.
2. I find the vibration feature to be pretty weak. I keep missing notices and calls when it's in my pocket.
3. I love the fact that they put a notification light in it but can't figure out the logic of when it pulses or what the different pulsations are indicating. I need to research more. And hopefully find an app to customize it. Any suggestions??

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[sinistar25]

Very nice device overall. Very fast and battery life is good imo. The only major con I see is the horrible speaker design. In my experience, the alarm didn't wake me because the sound got extremely muted with the phone laying on its back. Also, volume levels are low compared to my iphone 4(yes, volume turned up to max) when headphones/stereo plugged into the aux jack. Maybe a case for the phone will help remedy the speaker issue.

 

[donm527#IM]

i just started playing with mine today and spending a couple of hours setting it up, nagivating through screens and apps to get familiar with it... some browsing and downloading a couple of apps and running speed test and benchmark test... i find the phone warms up pretty quickly on above average use and you can feel it. not extreme i think and we'll see over time... but coming from a 4s, it seems to get warmer than my 4s under similar conditions.

can u tell me anything about how the nexus 4 handles the heat related issues???? i m planning to buy one so i just wanted to know abt it...plus i have read quite a few ppl saying it gets heated up really fast just by browsing for sometime without mulitasking....please enlighten me with this issue

 

[davey11]

Some things that stand out for me:
I'm probably the only one here who doesn't care for the screen. Its washed out and off angle viewing is bad. It turns shades of yellow and blue when off angle.
Build quality is fantastic. The glass back adds a sense of quality. Every bit as good as an iphone.
Call quality is the best I have had on a cellphone. Crystal clear.
Very much keeping this phone mainly to get away from verizon. My monthly has been cut over half.

 

[Croweater]

I've been using my Nexus 4 for a little more than a week and love it so far. Rather than gush about things I like I'm going to list a few niggles instead:

1. The back glass makes it quite slippery. I rarely drop my phones and I think I can hold onto this one as well when I'm out and about but what I've noticed is that this phone easily slips off of some tables. I've actually found it on the floor 3 times in three different rooms! Somehow it just decided to jump off the tables! Fortunately it fell on carpet or clothes so no damage. Plus I have a very bad habit of playing with my phone while sitting at restaurant tables...like I'll sit down and put the phone on the table while I eat, drink, or talk. Then I'll pick it up and flip it around in my hand and put it back down, sometimes with excessive force. I never worried much about that with my GS2-I mean it is all plastic-but honesty you can see lots of scratches in the plastic back I'm really not a fan of cases at all but I've already ordered one (that I done care much for) and have a bumper and another case on back order because I don't want to scratch the back glass (so far none!) The only other phone I regularly used a case with was the iPhone 4 but honestly I put a case-mate barely there on it mostly because I found the sharp edges uncomfortable to hold. I think this phone is fine to hold naked although I might change my mind if it was summer and I was sweaty it will be extremely slippery.
2. I find the vibration feature to be pretty weak. I keep missing notices and calls when it's in my pocket.
3. I love the fact that they put a notification light in it but can't figure out the logic of when it pulses or what the different pulsations are indicating. I need to research more. And hopefully find an app to customize it. Any suggestions??

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

Light flow.

Sent from my Paranoid Nexus 7 using Tapatalk 2

 

[spacecasespiff]

OK just a quick review. Great looking device and feels great in the hand. I do have the slight rattle and I can hear a small buzzing when on a call. But for using it for about 3 hours I'm glad I got it. Its smooth as butter and I've had no issues with anything as of yet. Just wish my case from amazon would get here. I'm scared to take this out into the world without a case.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[shea-bird]

I have my 4 about a week now.

Coming from a One X (rommed with JB)

This phone is by far the nicest device I have owned (although the One X form factor was nice too)

Having AOSP out of the box is wonderful.

Things that impress: Screen (on par with One X), camera, BATTERY LIFE, form, build quality

Not much does not impress. in fact sitting here I cant think of one thing I can complain about

also patiently waiting for a case (nillkin from china). There is a thread over at xda about this case and ppl seem to love it