Google Nexus 4 First Impressions/Reviews

[DeadpoolJunior]

Got this phone last Tuesday, broke it on Saturday.

Overall, I love the phone. I am coming from iPhone 3G, Samsung Vibrant, and Samsung Galaxy S2. Didn't get into rooting and all that until midway through the 2nd year of my Vibrant. Loved the stock Android, so I did the same to my GS2 when I got it. With these phones, NEVER have I EVER broken them (except my GS2, but theres an explanation). Used them with and without cases, with and without screen protectors, dropped them all in various situations. Never a scratch on any of the screens. Used the 3G for maybe a year and a half, Vibrant for 2, GS2 for maybe 6 or 7 months before selling it recently and buying the Nexus 4.

I did break my GS2 by running it over with my car a day before I intended to sell it (so maybe two weeks ago). Ran it over, but it STILL worked with minimum damage. Everything worked fine, sold it w/o a problem. I buy this Nexus 4 and have it for less than a week, it slips out of my hand ONCE and BOOM. Screen is destroyed, nothing works, cut my finger a couple times too. Waiting on Asurion to send a replacement. This phone is increndibly fragile so be mindful of that. Would not recommend going naked (without a case) with this phone. Gorilla Glass 2 my ass. Also its slippery as hell!

....but other than that, I love this phone.

 

[ruddof]

Definitely get a bumper. So busy trying to buy on first day did not check bumper until they were sold out. Did shatter the back. Still works fine. Found a cover that looks pretty good, so will use it like that. But no more sparkles.

 

[ChromeJob]

You guys are convincing me to look into the full cover Poetic case, or a Dodocase slipcover..... :what:

(edit)

Wait. Posts from brand new members, few or no prior posts, claiming to have the N4 break on them right after purchase. Color me 'suspicious.' :-\

 

[FYourProblems]

I did break my GS2 by running it over with my car a day before I intended to sell it (so maybe two weeks ago). Ran it over, but it STILL worked with minimum damage. Everything worked fine, sold it w/o a problem.
.

You either drive a Hot Wheels or you're lying.

 

[Basscase]

• Aesthetics - Gorgeous! Love ever bit about the appearance of the hardware. Sexy, I'd say.
  
• Screen - Damned near perfect. So far it has been visible in all types of light and the auto dim is nicely aggressive.
  
• Hardware - A little slippery, but otherwise fantastic feel in the hand.
  
• Phone - including bluetooth & speakerphone usage - Sounds nice and clear, seems a little quiet sometimes though. Haven't used the external speaker at all.
  
• Overall User Interface - LOVE JB 4.2! The notification/(2 finger) quick settings dropdown is nice, the dialer is great, recent apps is useful now, Google now is shaping up to be pretty cool, we'll see when the novelty wears off.
  
• Widgets - Hardly use the stock widgets. Calendar widget is nice though.
  
• Signal quality (Compared to other devices) - So far...just ok. I keep bouncing back and forth between 3G and H a little too much for my liking. I imagine it's wreaking havoc on my battery.
  
• GPS - Haven't really used yet.
  
• Social Networking - Same as always.
  
• Email/Calendar - Digging the new calendar app.
  
• Battery Life - Not too bad...could be better (isn't that always the case though?)
  
• Performance - Snappy as can be. Butter. Using ADW EX, hasn't skipped a beat yet. Flying through homescreens and between apps is a pleasure.
  
• Media (music, movies, DLNA) - Haven't used it much for video, still haven't played a single game on it. Music is...music. Not a huge fan of the Google music player, has some weird default settings.
  
• Keyboard's - Liking it so far. Wish it was a little more "predictive" like SwiftKey. No getting writing/spelling habits from GMail?
  
• Camera (both still & video) - I don't usually use my phones camera too much, but so far it seems pretty nice. HDR is kind of worthless from my few tests. Photo Sphere is fun though.
  
• How the Google Nexus 4 compares to your previous smartphone (if applicable) - Coming from the OG HTC MyTouch 4G, it's a whole different beast. Faster, smoother, bettter in every way. I LOOOOVED the MT4G, and still do. They got everything right, hardware shutter butter button, quality feel, size etc. But the N4 just feels like a ferarri next to MT4G's current status as a Mini Cooper let's say.
  
• Disappointments (if any) - No hardware shutter button, Placement of charger port on bottom, power button adjacent to volume rocker gets annoying (keep turning up/down the volume when locking/unlocking), WEAK vibrate (wondering if something is wrong...sitting directly on my wood nightstand the vibrate alarm literally doesn't wake me up. I had to set the MT4G on a pillow on the nightstand to soften the blow) I have never once felt it vibrate in my pocket, no wi-fi calling, stock lock screen widget capability goes away when using a password/passkey (work email requires security, I use Widget Locker anyway), No built in contacts/FB integration, I'm sure there are more, just can't think of them right now.

Overall though I could not be happier! Got it on Saturday, it's now Wednesday and I'm still setting it up

 

[SpicyBigDad]

Had it, now, for about 6 hours. I got one of those backorder emails. I'm coming from a galaxy nexus from an iPhone 4S, and the nexus 4provides more than marginal improvement from the GN. I will never deviate from stock Android. I love it. The screen, although the same ppi, is somehow WAY better. I don't know why. The haptic feedback is more subdued than the GN but certainly responsive. The N4 is the zippiest phone I've ever used, although I don't have much to compare it to. I definitely recognize the difference particularly while browsing. As for battery life, I've spent most of the last 6 hours downloading hundreds of MB of app data, and constantly refreshing the tracking information for the case I ordered from Amazon. Battery has only drained 15 percent. The device feels so quality. I left iOS for the galaxy nexus, and Samsung has notoriously poor build quality. The N4 is solid, weighty (but not heavy) and I feel confident in its longevity, although reviews of its fragility make me nervous about its durability. I can safely say that, aside from Google's horrendous play store debacles, I will only ever buy nexus devices for my use.

 

[DeadpoolJunior]

You either drive a Hot Wheels or you're lying.

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.

 

[DeadpoolJunior]

You guys are convincing me to look into the full cover Poetic case, or a Dodocase slipcover..... :what:

(edit)

Wait. Posts from brand new members, few or no prior posts, claiming to have the N4 break on them right after purchase. Color me 'suspicious.' :-\

I specifically made an account so i could share this story because thats how frustrated I was when it happened. When I get my replacement Nexus (which still hasnt arrived from Asurion) i'll snap a picture and post it on here so you can see the damage. Seems suspcious, but I wouldnt lie about this. I dont know a reason too lie about it to be honest..im not trying to deter anyone from buying the phone. Im just warning people to be cautious because it IS slippery sometimes and it WILL break easily if you drop it. Its not as sturdy as a Samsung device was my basic point so those coming from a Samsung shouldnt expect a tank in my opinion. I have my nexus 4 case now (just arrived yesterday) just waiting on the phone.

 

[DirkBelig]

Quick thoughts after only one day; more to come:

* It's very slick and feels good in the hand, but setting it down on a desk makes that glass back *clunk* which makes me think a skin or case may be necessary. Drag, since it's so beautiful.

* I see why people think the display looks washed out because next to the SAMOLED of my GS2, my g/f was very blunt in stating it didn't look better. I'm going to compare it to my calibrated monitor when I get home, but I think it suffers because of the pitch blacks of AMOLED screens; they just look punchier and more contrasty. Now whether it's accurate is another matter. I suspect it's the visual equivalent to cranking the bass and treble controls up on a stereo. The off-axis polarization look that Phil noted is present.

* Battery life is disappointing, but I'm not sweating too hard because it usually takes a week of conditioning for batteries to reach peak efficiency/capacity. I ran down to 17% in only 7 hours at work with 90 minutes screen on time. My GS2, after I replaced the tiring OEM battery, loses about 10% per hour here with crap data connectivity.

* It is FAST and literally slick to the touch. You barely have to touch it to swipe things around.

* Consumers Reports says that AT&T is the worst carrier? How can that be in a world where Trudge exists?!? At my g/f's place, Speedtest reports 19X faster with ST/AT&T and at work it was almost FIFTY TIMES FASTER. I literally get DIAL-UP slows at my work on Trudge. You may laugh at "pokey" non-LTE speeds like 4800 kbps, but when you've suffered with 50 kbps as I have, it's STFU time.

Try toggling the gps off when you're not using it. I always find this makes a big difference.

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.

 

[Basscase]

Is there an easier way to do this than digging into Settings>Location access>GPS satellites [uncheck]?

While I see what you mean, it would be nice if we could add quick settings. It's really only two clicks after using the two finger swipe for the quick settings. I mean how often are you really going to be going back and forth between GPS and no GPS?

 

[ryanr509]

I specifically made an account so i could share this story because thats how frustrated I was when it happened. When I get my replacement Nexus (which still hasnt arrived from Asurion) i'll snap a picture and post it on here so you can see the damage. Seems suspcious, but I wouldnt lie about this. I dont know a reason too lie about it to be honest..im not trying to deter anyone from buying the phone. Im just warning people to be cautious because it IS slippery sometimes and it WILL break easily if you drop it. Its not as sturdy as a Samsung device was my basic point so those coming from a Samsung shouldnt expect a tank in my opinion. I have my nexus 4 case now (just arrived yesterday) just waiting on the phone.

I thought it was common sense that glass is going to be more fragile than plastic? Its not a design error or a problem. Its glass it falls it breaks. If they put plastic ppl complain because it feels cheap and not well made. They make a high quality perfect fitting glass design and now its fragile. Its a lose lose situation for the company that's for sure because someone will always complain

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I717 using Android Central Forums

 

[SpicyBigDad]

I use an app called "widgetsoid" which let's you put all kinds of toggles in your pull down menu. I have wifi, location, sync, flashlight, 2g data (for battery conservation) and a few others in a nice looking bar that stays at the top of my notifications

 

[peejay1977]

Hi all, got my Nexus 4 about 4 hours ago so haven't really had a decent chance to try it out but here are literally my first impressions :

• Aesthetics
  1. It's a very well designed phone, ergonomic, doesn't feel huge or weighty in the hand, nothing remarkable but it feels nice to hold for sure.
• Screen
  1. Stunning, really can't fault it and I wonder how I ever managed without the extra "real estate" on the screen. Colours are vibrant and look awesome.
• Hardware
  1. Can't really comment much other than to say it appears very well spec'd.
• Phone - including bluetooth & speakerphone usage
  1. Not had a chance to try this out yet.
• Overall User Interface
  1. It's taking some time to get used to it but it's a major improvement over previous versions of Android I played with.
• Widgets
  1. I like them, not tried too many, have noticed the Facebook feed widget keeps ceasing to function, maybe it hasn't been 4.2'd yet.
• Signal quality (Compared to other devices)
  1. Seems on par with my iPhone 4s.
• GPS
  1. It works, but thats about as much as I can say for now.
• Social Networking
  1. No comments yet.
• Email/Calendar
  1. Seems good, I like it.
• Battery Life
  1. Had it pretty much in my hand solid for over 2 hours and it was below 90% when I took it out of the box :
     
     
• Performance
  1. Blistering, no other word for it, super fast.
• Media (music, movies, DLNA)
  1. Haven't really had a chance to try this out.
• Keyboard's
  1. Equally as good as my iPhone, just different.
• Camera (both still & video)
  1. Not tried video but have to sat the flash is WAY over powered the auto white balance indoor is nothing short of appalling. The quality is fine though.
• How the Google Nexus 4 compares to your previous smartphone (if applicable)
  1. It easilly blows my iPhones 4S away in every respect, except the camera.
• Disappointments (if any)
  1. The camera so far, thats all.

 

[Cube1701]

After a day and a bit of usage, my thoughts:

- The phone looks amazing. A few people at work wanted one themselves after just looking at it. Then I told them the price, and how the specs are comparable to the high-end phones out there. Then I explained how I have no idea when they'll be available for purchase again. The back is amazing. That and the sides, and the front, and the subtle dark chrome bezel. Even the notification light looks great.

- It feels great in my hand. It's lighter than I was expecting, and it's a really good size. The curved glass on the sides of the screen are a brilliant addition - scrolling up/down and flicking left/right feels amazing.

- The screen is ultra sharp and the UI is incredibly smooth.

- I got the 8GB version, and I'm certain I'll be fine for storage. Especially with recently getting a Nexus 7, where all my Android gaming will take place. Spotify/Play Music lets me download/delete playlists at will.

- I'm impressed with the battery. Normal workday usage,17h 50m on battery. 20% remaining. I haven't been careful with the battery at all - WiFi has been on but not connected (so everything going through 3G), NFC is on, default sync times for all Google apps, Facebook, Twitter and a few others. Listening to music and using apps/internet on the bus to/from work (30 minutes, plus an extra 20 minutes listening to music while walking, this is both ways) and the odd usage throughout the day (probably more than usual due to testing out various things).

- Compared to my old Desire HD, it's an improvement in every way. It's a lot faster, looks amazing, feels great, the battery is much better (my DHD required a charger at work). There's nothing I miss about it. It also means I don't have to mess about with rooting and ROMs to keep up to date with the next few Android versions.

 

[six8]

Just got my replacement phone. No more spotty screen!

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[badbrad17]

Quick thoughts after only one day; more to come:

* It's very slick and feels good in the hand, but setting it down on a desk makes that glass back *clunk* which makes me think a skin or case may be necessary. Drag, since it's so beautiful.

* I see why people think the display looks washed out because next to the SAMOLED of my GS2, my g/f was very blunt in stating it didn't look better. I'm going to compare it to my calibrated monitor when I get home, but I think it suffers because of the pitch blacks of AMOLED screens; they just look punchier and more contrasty. Now whether it's accurate is another matter. I suspect it's the visual equivalent to cranking the bass and treble controls up on a stereo. The off-axis polarization look that Phil noted is present.

* Battery life is disappointing, but I'm not sweating too hard because it usually takes a week of conditioning for batteries to reach peak efficiency/capacity. I ran down to 17% in only 7 hours at work with 90 minutes screen on time. My GS2, after I replaced the tiring OEM battery, loses about 10% per hour here with crap data connectivity.

* It is FAST and literally slick to the touch. You barely have to touch it to swipe things around.

* Consumers Reports says that AT&T is the worst carrier? How can that be in a world where Trudge exists?!? At my g/f's place, Speedtest reports 19X faster with ST/AT&T and at work it was almost FIFTY TIMES FASTER. I literally get DIAL-UP slows at my work on Trudge. You may laugh at "pokey" non-LTE speeds like 4800 kbps, but when you've suffered with 50 kbps as I have, it's STFU time.


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.

I'm using a SGS2 so that's what I do. But I also use the Go launcher with the power widget. That still goes to the GPS settings but it is one click.

Do you feel the battery is better than your SGS2?

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[DirkBelig]

I loaded an app I used to use with my OG EVO, Quick Settings, and it puts an item on the notifications shade that I can tap and get at all the switches. I'd stopped using it with my GS2 because TouchWiz had the switches already.

One thing I'd feared I'd miss from TouchWiz is the ability to jump from a home or app screen to another by tapping the dots has come to be. That was a really convenient way to get to Yelp or YouTube instead of having to swipe a bunch of pages ever. friggin'. time.

I also don't care for the permanent onscreen keys. They simply eat up too much room and causes some apps to scale weirdly. This wasn't a problem on the Nexus 7 because that row wasn't such a large proportion of the screen area. They should've either done capacitive keys under the glass at the bottom (a la GS2) or thin that bar down to the thickness of the notification area up top. If we can hit that thin line there, there's nothing stopping us down below.

 

[Neo42]

I loaded an app I used to use with my OG EVO, Quick Settings, and it puts an item on the notifications shade that I can tap and get at all the switches. I'd stopped using it with my GS2 because TouchWiz had the switches already.

One thing I'd feared I'd miss from TouchWiz is the ability to jump from a home or app screen to another by tapping the dots has come to be. That was a really convenient way to get to Yelp or YouTube instead of having to swipe a bunch of pages ever. friggin'. time.

I also don't care for the permanent onscreen keys. They simply eat up too much room and causes some apps to scale weirdly. This wasn't a problem on the Nexus 7 because that row wasn't such a large proportion of the screen area. They should've either done capacitive keys under the glass at the bottom (a la GS2) or thin that bar down to the thickness of the notification area up top. If we can hit that thin line there, there's nothing stopping us down below.

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.

 

[kobastal]

I recently changed carriers and then had my phone stolen, so I have tried several phones recently. I had a razr maxx and then switched to at&t for the one x. I loved the one x, but it was stolen and I did not have insurance, so I figured it was a good time to play with other phones since I would have to pay full price anyway. My recent progression goes: Droid X, Rezound, Razr Maxx, SGS III on verizon for a bit, back to Razr Maxx, One X, Lumia 900, Note 2 on Sprint, iPhone 4 on straight talk, international note 2 on ST and now Nexus 4. So, I have a pretty good reference point for newish phones. I am still a little pissed at google for the way the launch was handled, but I kept it in the back of my head that this was an amazing deal (google definitely lost some trust though). So, with that:

Aesthetics: Hard to see how it could be much better. Kind of like the Razr Maxx, but far more premium of a feel. The curved glass is amazing in how much of a difference it makes. I do have the rattle, but I don't consider that a deterrent.
Screen: When looked at head on it is great. Not at one x level ( I don't even think it is close), but very nice. Head on it is much better than the note 2 and miles better than the Razr Maxx. The only real issue is that when viewed at an angle, the screen washes out A LOT. Overall though, the screen is very good.
Phone: Reception is as good as I have had. The Razr Maxx is supposed to have great reception,but I have had better luck in my area with this phone on straight talk. The speaker phone is plenty loud.
Overall user interface: I don't know why anyone would not just switch to either nova or apex. I don't like being forced into having the google search widget on top of every home screen. Nova allows for gesture controls that I would not want to do without.
As for on screen controls: I am still getting used to them. Kind of seems like wasted screen real estate to me. I actually miss the dedicated search button on the Razr Maxx and don't understand why Google is trying to move us away from that.
Basically, I preferred the UI on the Razr MAxx since I am just going to switch the launcher anyway, and would much rather have the search button always on the bottom.
GPS: excellent, immediate lock
Battery life (had it for about a week): pretty bad. It's not a deal breaker, but it is in a completely different category than the Razr Maxx and Note 2. Even the One X, with a smaller battery, performed better. I am a heavy user and can not come close to getting through a full day. I can live with it, but, man, could it be better.
Performance: Fantastic. Best android performance yet. Note 2 was close, but not the same. Still the occasional lag and stuttering compared to windows phone and ios, but when you consider how much more this operating system is doing, it really is amazing.
Media: Screen is good. Almost unfair to rate this though since I am coming from the Note 2 where the screen size difference makes watching video a completely different experience
Keyboard: there is something about typing on the N4 that seems so much more premium than any other device. Hard to describe, but the N4 is way ahead here.
Camera: Still testing this. Certainly passable, but falls noticeably short of the Note 2 and One X.
Overall: No brainer choice when you consider price. I don't like how Google seems to be forcing us into certain choices. Why not have a dedicated search on the bottom (isn't search that what Google is all about). I could understand the lack of sd card card support if Google bothered to give us an explanation that wasn't mildly offensive (really, Nexus buyers might find it confusing?!) But, you have to consider value: An unlocked phone, off-contract, right at the top of the smart phone heap for $350.00, why wouldn't you get that and get away from the carriers?

 

[badbrad17]

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?

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