Nexus 4. Good first android phone?

[dazed_android]

Hi,

I'm thinking about giving android a try and am wondering if an unlocked nexus 4 would be a good device despite its age. It's certainly the right price so if I end up not liking the platform for whatever reason, I haven't sunk 700 into it.

I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS.

Thanks.

 

[bespinct]

Definitely. I find the Nexus experience is much simpler than the Touchwiz / Sense focus on features. Although, IMO Sense is well done and not as in your face as Touchwiz; same with XBlur.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[grumpycompuprof]

I got mine after trying the HTC One for a month. The only issue I had was configuring my visual voicemail, but if you Google it, there is a good writeup online about integrating Google Voice as a very suitable replacement. Works perfect for me. And the quicker OS updates are great as well. LTE is not so much of an issue for me, 12 Mbit with HSPA+ are not too shabby either. And now for the $100 cheaper, no question in my opinion.

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4

 

[grumpycompuprof]

http://www.techerator.com/2009/10/how-to-prevent-extra-rings-using-google-voice-as-voicemail/

http://productforums.google.com/forum/m/#!msg/voice/sRuFi7MJIU4/TPZj7pSPRyAJ

Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk 4

 

[PcNy]

Nexus 4 is my first android phone and I regret nothing.

 

[Krolt]

I tried a cheap zte off EBay as my first phone. Loved it, but it was stuck on ICS. So I decided to buy a Nexus (4) and I love it, running with a giffgaff sim @ ?7.50 a month, contract free.

 

[itic]

Sure, but just be patient b/c the learning curve can be kinda steep.

 

[booboolala2000]

Awesome first Android phone. Double twist should get most of you music off of iTunes. Spec wise its still pretty incredible. Quad core and the screen is great. Strong battery life and smooth OS. One tip, find the best widgets for you. HD and Beautiful Widgets here and are indispensable for me.

Posted via Android Central App and my Nexus 4 or 7

 

[dazed_android]

Thanks for feedback. The only thing it doesn't have is LTE, but that's not a deal breaker for me since my iPhone didnt have it either.

I'm gonna wait a month to see what new devices are coming out (nexus 5 maybe?) and then decide. For the price it's a great deal and a great way to try the android platform, without needing to sell the kids to buy an unlocked phone

 

[law2010]

Hi,

I'm thinking about giving android a try and am wondering if an unlocked nexus 4 would be a good device despite its age. It's certainly the right price so if I end up not liking the platform for whatever reason, I haven't sunk 700 into it.

I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS.

Thanks.

Arguably one of the best Android phones on the market. For the price you are paying to get an unlocked Android phone that gets all of Google's updates first, it is the best value on the market hands down. You won't be disappointed.

 

[bearda]

The Nexus4 is an excellent first Android phone, especially after the price drop. There are a couple limitations to Nexus devices that have caused me to migrate to a Galaxy S4. It's great for getting your feet wet and seeing what Android has to offer, especially coming from another platform. After a while you may find yourself looking for something a little different, though.

 

[anon4276835]

The Nexus4 is an excellent first Android phone, especially after the price drop. There are a couple limitations to Nexus devices that have caused me to migrate to a Galaxy S4. It's great for getting your feet wet and seeing what Android has to offer, especially coming from another platform. After a while you may find yourself looking for something a little different, though.

I was originally thinking of going to Galaxy.

If, I may ask what made you decide to migrate to the S4?

 

[Fairclough]

Very. My girlfriend is tech-illiterate, she figured it out herself for the majority of the features. Most are just common sense, the rest google is your best friend and if any issues just post up a question and i am sure you will get an answer quickly.

 

[bearda]

I was originally thinking of going to Galaxy.

If, I may ask what made you decide to migrate to the S4?

T-Mobile wifi calling was a big part of it. Support for various Bluetooth profiles that aren't available for the AOSP BlueDroid stack was another.

In the end it was a long term support issue, though. The Nexus devices get Android updates first, no question. The flip side of that is that they rarely get bugfixes outside of new Android versions. I got hit by a couple bugs (the ARP while screen is off problem, and after the 4.3 update the cellular radio shutoff issue) that really caused an issue for my from the standpoint of being able to trust my phone to perform what I considered basic functions reliably. Google had acknowledged the first for months and said the fix was coming in next Android update. The 4.2.2 came and the fix didn't make it in. Then 4.3 came and kind of fixed it, but introduced the second (larger) issue. Of course during this time Google never released any timeline for any of these to be addressed. In the meantime Samsung has released a couple updates, all of which based on Android 4.2.2, that have various S4 fixes or enhancements.

In the end I realized I'd rather have a stable 4.2.2 until I replaced the phone instead of chasing a ROM or firmware update that fixed all my major problems and didn't introduce any new ones.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Thanks for feedback. The only thing it doesn't have is LTE, but that's not a deal breaker for me since my iPhone didnt have it either.

I'm gonna wait a month to see what new devices are coming out (nexus 5 maybe?) and then decide. For the price it's a great deal and a great way to try the android platform, without needing to sell the kids to buy an unlocked phone

Highly unlikely we'll see the next Nexus before November, if Google holds to their historic pattern. Then again, since the 8gb version of the Nexus 4 is now sold out (with no apparent plans to restock), maybe we'll see a new phone sooner than we think. Personally I don't see a reason why you would not jump at the 16gb Nexus 4 now if you want to try Android out. You won't find a better phone for that price, and Google will accept returns within 14 days (like any manufacturer).

 

[mzanette]

Hi,

I'm thinking about giving android a try and am wondering if an unlocked nexus 4 would be a good device despite its age. It's certainly the right price so if I end up not liking the platform for whatever reason, I haven't sunk 700 into it.

I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS.

Thanks.

Nexus 4 was my first Android phone after iPhone 3G and iPhone 4.... I am never going back.

 

[JeffDenver]

Hi,

I'm thinking about giving android a try and am wondering if an unlocked nexus 4 would be a good device despite its age. It's certainly the right price so if I end up not liking the platform for whatever reason, I haven't sunk 700 into it.

I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS.

It will be exponentially better than a 3GS in every way. And if you are coming from iOS, this is definitely the phone you should start with.

The main limitation is you will not get 4G on it. You will get very fast 3G, but no LTE. It is technically capable of LTE, but there is no easy way to enable it, and you can only get it on T-Mobile even then. The camera is good but not great compared to other tier-1 phones (Galaxy S4, HTC one, probably the iPhone 5 too). It does good in bright light, and has excellent macro, but not great low light. On the other hand...it is one of the few phones with native Photosphere support, and photospheres rock.

Make sure you get the 16 gig version. It is only $250 now (retail!), which is dirt cheap for a high end phone (and even by today's standards, the Nexus 4 has excellent specs). 720p IPS display, wireless charging, NFC, quad core CPU, and vanilla android with first dibs on any updates...it doesn't get much better than that.

 

[JeffDenver]

If cost is not an issue for you, you should consider the Google Edition versions of the HTC One or Galaxy S4...they will be better than the Nexus 4 in every way, and will also be vanilla android (and will therefore also get updates quickly). The HTC One has front stereo speakers and more internal memory and a better display. The Galaxy S4 has expandable memory, an upgradable battery, and a 1080p AMOLED display. Both have better cameras.

 

[tonymhoffman]

Hi,

I'm thinking about giving android a try and am wondering if an unlocked nexus 4 would be a good device despite its age. It's certainly the right price so if I end up not liking the platform for whatever reason, I haven't sunk 700 into it.

I'm coming from an iPhone 3GS.

Thanks.

I started with a gs3 used it for 2 months and bought a n4. Perfect starter phone. Stock android is where it's at. These manufacturers that make skins like Samsung touch wiz are so bloated and laggy. Although sense 5 is decent. Just don't like options.

Go for it. Nows a great time to do it.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dazed_android]

I'll think I'll order in a few days.

A couple of questions.

How much was the 4 when it was first released? Would the 5 be a similar price?

Any good recommendations for cases? I'm use to otterbox but that's not an option here.

It seems many people replace the launcher, what would be a good one to try out?. I like the way ios has notification badges on its icons. Is there something similar in android?

Thanks