New Nexus 4 owner - 2 day impressions

[JeffDenver]

sd cards are slow and u reliable

How are they either? I have been using them for years...SD speeds are exactly the same. And I have never had lost data on any SD card on any of my phones.

Even if they were slower and more unreliable...why would you want fewer options anyway? If nothing else you could just use it for long term storage.

The only time I would really want a removable battery is when traveling

I would not want it to swap out...I would want it to upgrade. Going 2 days on a charge without having to turn stuff off is awesome and I miss it already.

 

[fernandezhjr]

I would not want it to swap out...I would want it to upgrade. Going 2 days on a charge without having to turn stuff off is awesome and I miss it already.

From recent experiences, I find that that manufacturers are placing the largest capacity batteries in devices they possibly could. So if they did make a larger capacity battery for the N4, it would most likely have be larger in physical size and not fit in the device. Sure, you could look around and find batteries that say they are greater capacity, but usually that is false and with those that do have more capacity, it is always a real small amount. Now, I can understand the need if one is gonna carry an extra battery to swap out. For me, I just carry an extra travel charger in my car, plus anytime I'm in my car, I plug the car charger in. In find this phone charges really fast, until it gets to 90% when it switches to a slow charge mode.

 

[TheLibertarian]

How are they either? I have been using them for years...SD speeds are exactly the same. And I have never had lost data on any SD card on any of my phones.

It's not uncommon that SD cards become corrupted, and it's far slower for a device to access an SD card than its own internal storage. There's a reason Google has moved away from removable storage, and this is one of them.

And I stand by what I said earlier: do you have to be entertained every second of the day? Seriously? What in the world would you have done in the days before portable media storage (smart phone, MP3 player, portable CD player, portable cassette player)?

How is this relevant? And what does it matter how things were done in the past? That's like saying, "What do you need electricity for? Humans got along just fine without it in the past."

It concerns me you seem to think there's a right and a wrong way to own and operate ones own property. What business is it of ours how the OP wishes to use his device? Maybe he does need to be entertained every second of the day, so what?

 

[JeffDenver]

From recent experiences, I find that that manufacturers are placing the largest capacity batteries in devices they possibly could. So if they did make a larger capacity battery for the N4, it would most likely have be larger in physical size and not fit in the device. Sure, you could look around and find batteries that say they are greater capacity, but usually that is false and with those that do have more capacity, it is always a real small amount.

I know this is wrong from personal experience. My Rezound got less than 12 hours total stock...with the extended battery it gets a day and a half. More if I turn down settings. My experience with the Galaxy S3 is similar...extended batteries do indeed work. This is why removable batteries are awesome...if battery life is important to you, you have the option to upgrade it.

Now, I can understand the need if one is gonna carry an extra battery to swap out.

You do not understand...I am talking about replacing the battery with a larger one. Not swapping out. You do not need to swap out extended batteries.

For me, I just carry an extra travel charger in my car, plus anytime I'm in my car, I plug the car charger in. In find this phone charges really fast, until it gets to 90% when it switches to a slow charge mode.

You can do all that with extended batteries as well. But you will have to do it less often, because the extended battery charge lasts longer.

 

[fernandezhjr]

I know this is wrong from personal experience. My Rezound got less than 12 hours total stock...with the extended battery it gets a day and a half. More if I turn down settings. My experience with the Galaxy S3 is similar...extended batteries do indeed work. This is why removable batteries are awesome...if battery life is important to you, you have the option to upgrade it.


You do not understand...I am talking about replacing the battery with a larger one. Not swapping out. You do not need to swap out extended batteries.


You can do all that with extended batteries as well. But you will have to do it less often, because the extended battery charge lasts longer.

Lol. I'm know you are not interested in carrying an extra battery. I was only rationalizing in consideration for those that would. As far as the extended battery, I'm not buying it. There is only so much juice you can fit in a certain size, to add more you would need to go bigger, unless less capacity was was put into the original battery than posdible. With today's efforts to slim down phones, this is doubtful. It would make no sense for the manufacturers to do this considering the power required to drive these multi core processors. I'm pretty sure they are giving us all they can give us. Just because the battery is sealed in the phone doesn't mean you can't change it out, but good look finding a higher capacity one that will fit in the phone that isn't some Chinese variant that is most likely misleading.

 

[anon(829886)]

I just replaced my Note 2 with a Nexus 4. After looking at huge new crop of Android phones the Nexus 4 made the most sense. As an iOS and Android user I prefer the speed and simplicity of stock android. The Nexus 4 gets far worse battery life then my iPhone 5 btw.

That's troubling to read. I'm using an iPhone 5 now and while I like it a great deal I'm considering a white Nexus 4 next month. I'd already be sacrificing LTE but worse battery life might be a deal breaker.

I'm not holding my breath but I do hope the white Nexus 4 also includes the introduction of a 32 GB varient. I could get by on 16 GB using Google Music and pinning my very favorite music for offline use, but 32 GB would just make everything a bit easier and nicer.

 

[CoMoNexus]

it's far slower for a device to access an SD card than its own internal storage.

I hear that complaint a lot from app developers. They can believe it at their peril. For example, one messaging app dev told me faster performance is why his company locks their app so users can't move it to the SD card. Yet the developers of Skype, Pandora, Box, Evernote and tons of other household-name apps allow their apps to run on the SD card. I never noticed any sluggishness.

Devs that won't allow their apps to be moved to the SD card run the risk of having them uninstalled to make room for apps that users consider more valuable, especially among people whose phones have vendor and carrier crapware that can't be uninstalled or moved to the SD card. With my previous phone, if I downloaded an app and found that I couldn't move it to the SD card, I immediately uninstalled it unless it was something I absolutely had to have. That's why I uninstalled the aforementioned developer's app.

 

[JeffDenver]

Lol. I'm know you are not interested in carrying an extra battery. I was only rationalizing in consideration for those that would. As far as the extended battery, I'm not buying it. There is only so much juice you can fit in a certain size, to add more you would need to go bigger

Of course you need to go bigger. Almost all extended batteries are bigger than normal...thats why you can't get them for phone's without removable batteries. Yes, a 3500mAh extended battery will last significantly longer than a 2100 mAh battery. The difference is night and day. Ask anyone on this forum who has used them.

With today's efforts to slim down phones, this is doubtful. It would make no sense for the manufacturers to do this considering the power required to drive these multi core processors. I'm pretty sure they are giving us all they can give us.

I am pretty sure they are not, which is why you are still seeing threads complaining about battery life. For phones with removable batteries, there is an easy fix for that. Phones without removable batteries will just have to get used to crappy battery life.

Just because the battery is sealed in the phone doesn't mean you can't change it out

Have you seen the videos for removing iPhone and Nexus batteries? It is not a quick or easy process. I could do it on my rezound in about 15 seconds, and without tools. Removable batteries rock.

 

[fernandezhjr]

Of course you need to go bigger. Almost all extended batteries are bigger than normal...thats why you can't get them for phone's without removable batteries. Yes, a 3500mAh extended battery will last significantly longer than a 2100 mAh battery. The difference is night and day. Ask anyone on this forum who has used them.


I am pretty sure they are not, which is why you are still seeing threads complaining about battery life. For phones with removable batteries, there is an easy fix for that. Phones without removable batteries will just have to get used to crappy battery life.


Have you seen the videos for removing iPhone and Nexus batteries? It is not a quick or easy process. I could do it on my rezound in about 15 seconds, and without tools. Removable batteries rock.

By bigger, I meant physically bigger. Like then it won't fit in the phone. ding, ding, ding. Crying on this forum is not likely to get this changed for you. In fact, I can guarantee it. You should go cry to Google. Or just sale the Nexus, and get you a device that has a removable battery. Get you one that has a sd card slot while you are at it. Next time do your research before you buy a phone. It was not a big secret that this phone had a sealed battery and no sd card slot when you bought it.

 

[CoMoNexus]

Handset (and tablet) OEMs use nonremoveable batteries because that design makes it easier for them to use configurations that last longer between charges and still meet customer preferences for thin devices.

 

[JeffDenver]

By bigger, I meant physically bigger. Like then it won't fit in the phone. ding, ding, ding.

Thats why they come with replacement back covers. ding, ding, ding.

Crying on this forum is not likely to get this changed for you. In fact, I can guarantee it. You should go cry to Google.

You say that as if we can't do both. If enough people complain, it is more likely to change. But pretending it is not a problem will not fix the problem.

Or just sale the Nexus

If there was a better option, I would. I like this Nexus best in spite of these obvious flaws, not because of them. I do not worship google like a God and treat every decision they make as perfection that cannot be questioned.

If Google told you the sky was green, would that make it green for you?

 

[JeffDenver]

Handset (and tablet) OEMs use nonremoveable batteries because that design makes it easier for them to use configurations that last longer between charges and still meet customer preferences for thin devices.

Yeah...and I know there is a demand for thin. But Samsung has proven you do not necessarily need to compromise on that...their phones are very thin despite having removable batteries. So it is possible to have both.

 

[fernandezhjr]

Thats why they come with replacement back covers. ding, ding, ding.


You say that as if we can't do both. If enough people complain, it is more likely to change. But pretending it is not a problem will not fix the problem.


If there was a better option, I would. I like this Nexus best in spite of these obvious flaws, not because of them. I do not worship google like a God and treat every decision they make as perfection that cannot be questioned.

If Google told you the sky was green, would that make it green for you?

Most consumers don't want to make the phone thicker. That is why there is a push by the manufacturers to make phones slimmer. Complaining here, no matter how many people, is not going to change anything. You need to find the right channels and hope that will do some good. Nobody here is going to have any sympathy for you when you made a bad choice for yourself. The specs for every phone are out there. Next time do research beforehand.

 

[JeffDenver]

Most consumers don't want to make the phone thicker.

With a removable battery, the consumer gets the option. Samsung's phones are very thin, but give you the option of expanding storage and battery capacity if you want. You get a thin phone and still get options...how is that a bad thing?

Nobody here is going to have any sympathy for you when you made a bad choice for yourself.

What makes you think I made a bad choice? I already said this was the best choice available...there are no phones as good or better that also have SD/removable battery.

Do you read what you are responding to?

 

[fernandezhjr]

With a removable battery, the consumer gets the option. Samsung's phones are very thin, but give you the option of expanding storage and battery capacity if you want. You get a thin phone and still get options...how is that a bad thing?


What makes you think I made a bad choice? I already said this was the best choice available...there are no phones as good or better that also have SD/removable battery.

Do you read what you are responding to?

I didn't say it was a bad thing. The manufacturers are going to cater to the majority, not the minority. I fail to see why you say the N4 is your best option when hardware is so important to you. There are phones out there that meet your hardware needs of which you can root and flash a custom rom. What is about the N4 that makes you feel like it is your best choice vs doing that?

 

[JeffDenver]

I didn't say it was a bad thing. The manufacturers are going to cater to the majority, not the minority.

I have not seen evidence that the majority prefers not having an option to expand storage or have a removable battery. The Samsung phones are the best selling Android phones and have both.

I fail to see why you say the N4 is your best option when hardware is so important to you.

Because it is Vanilla Android (and all the extra options it gives me, like Google Now and Photosphere) without bloatware. Because it has a very fast CPU and 2 gigs of RAM and awesome display and NFC. Because I like the physical design (curved glass is awesome).

There are phones out there that meet your hardware needs

Like what? Please list for me all the Vanilla Android phones out right now that meet my hardware requirements. List the top 5.

Even the ones you can root will never be as seamless or smooth, and you will still never get updates as fast as with a Nexus device. And rooting and ROMming is hardly without risk.

 

[fernandezhjr]

Because it is Vanilla Android (and all the extra options it gives me, like Google Now and Photosphere) without bloatware. Because it has a very fast CPU and 2 gigs of RAM and awesome display and NFC. Because I like the physical design (curved glass is awesome).


Like what? Please list for me all the Vanilla Android phones out right now that meet my hardware requirements. List the top 5.

Even the ones you can root will never be as seamless or smooth, and you will still never get updates as fast as with a Nexus device. And rooting and ROMming is hardly without risk.

Well I'm glad to hear you think the N4 is the best option out there. I agree with you. Enjoy your phone and good luck.

 

[mset]

Really? Thats the thing I love about this phone...I can read it in direct sunlight with sunglasses...have never been able to do than on any of my previous phones. And it has very deep blacks despite this...it has the darkest blacks I have seen on a non-AMOLED device.

So you're not running it rooted with one of those kernels that allows you to adjust the display properties?

Hmmm, not sure why I'm having trouble, but I basically can't use it in direct sunlight without shading it somehow. My screen brightness is about 60% to save battery.Anyone coming from an iPhone will know that this is necessary to get a day's worth of battery with moderately heavy usage. Right now, on most average work days I am getting the battery warnings right near the end of my day which is fine with me.

Love most everything else about the phone though.

 

[JeffDenver]

So you're not running it rooted with one of those kernels that allows you to adjust the display properties?

Nope. I am running 100% stock right now. I am rooted, but otherwise stock.

Hmmm, not sure why I'm having trouble, but I basically can't use it in direct sunlight without shading it somehow. My screen brightness is about 60% to save battery.

To view in direct sunlight I have to run at full brightness. But I have it at full all the time anyway.

Anyone coming from an iPhone will know that this is necessary to get a day's worth of battery with moderately heavy usage.

Unfortunately, it is necessary, since Google decided to deny us the option of upgrading the battery. Coming from a Rezound with extended battery, I am spoiled...I am used to getting well over a full day with everything on full.

I charge throughout the day so this has not been a problem so far. I will be buying a power pack in the near future to compensate for google's design flaw.

 

[Garymeister]

Hi, yeah there are portable usb batteries you can precharge (2600 mAh being smallest up to 10/13 thousand mAh) and carry with you on Amazon and I have also come across an extended battery phone case for nexus 4 going for around $80 by Mugen and Seidio.