The straws that broke the camel's back... Why the Nexus 4 isn't for me

[chadmd23]

Is it just me, or is the OP just a troll? I highly doubt he even used a N4 from his 'issues'. The browser never lags, even when I have 15 tabs open. And group messaging works great.

Maybe someone sold him another phone and called it a Nexus 4, or he's a troll.

 

[anon(847090)]

Is it just me, or is the OP just a troll? I highly doubt he even used a N4 from his 'issues'. The browser never lags, even when I have 15 tabs open. And group messaging works great.

Maybe someone sold him another phone and called it a Nexus 4, or he's a troll.

I feel the same!! wonder Op creates similar threads for all phones out there.

 

[chrisbd1]

You express some good points that are very valid concerns. I will be moving from an iOS platform back to the Android platform with the release of the N4. There are many points where my iPhone and iOS 6 is superior in areas to the Android OS nd Jellybean but likewise there are some great components of Jellybean 4.1.1 or the newer 4.2 release that beat out iOS 6.

I did a comparitive breakdown on whay I like and use in my N7 on Jellybean and what I like and use on iOS 6 and in this round I have decided there are more positive reasons to switch to the N4 at this point than there are positive reasons to stay with my current iPhone. But with the competitive nature of the smartphone industry and new OS clients being released and developed that could always change.

The biggest piece I will regret loosing is the Find My iPhone App, my wife will keep her iPhone and we use this app since she works on the road and it is a nice security app to always have her location tracked. Hopefully with some research we can find a cross platform app that will allow us to still do this with the internal GPS in the devices.

Great post, I have wanted to be able to combine the best features of several devices for a long time to come up with the ultimate phone for me.

The Android lost app is a great solution.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

Cerberus is really good too. Lookout is pretty good but they charge for some features.

 

[gtg465x]

Is it just me, or is the OP just a troll? I highly doubt he even used a N4 from his 'issues'. The browser never lags, even when I have 15 tabs open. And group messaging works great.

Maybe someone sold him another phone and called it a Nexus 4, or he's a troll.

I posted this thread before the Nexus 4 was released genius, so of course I didn't have the phone then. I couldn't have known that group messaging was included in 4.2 because it wasn't mentioned in any reviews.

I do have the phone now though, and my points about Chrome stand true. Compared to the AOSP browser, it is laggy. I'm not the only one saying that either. Read a few reviews and take a look at xda. You'll see plenty of complaints about Chrome's performance.

 

[gtg465x]

I feel the same!! wonder Op creates similar threads for all phones out there.

Yes, because trolls generally articulate valid concerns with detailed explanations.

 

[Ricolando]

The OP was pretty clear in his post that he isn't a n00b so my reply is more a general statement, but isn't the beauty of Android that you can essentially replace any app you don't like with a 3rd party solution? It's almost like saying IE and Windows Messenger suck so I'm not getting a PC, or Safari and iMessage are awful so I'm not getting a Mac, even though you can install a different browser or instant messenger in those cases. I guess you could say iOS is "maintenance free", but when solutions are so easy to come by with Android it really just sounds like the OP preferred iOS over Android when he made his original post, which is totally fine of course.

gtg465x do have any other complaints now that you actually have the phone in your hands? Chrome seems like a pretty simple issue to get around. I have personally always used Dolphin as my primary browser.

 

[qkhang]

Was totally excited about using chrome, but it sucked and would always end up being unresponsive. I now use Dolphin, which is awesome.

 

[sdoo25]

The biggest piece I will regret loosing is the Find My iPhone App, my wife will keep her iPhone and we use this app since she works on the road and it is a nice security app to always have her location tracked. Hopefully with some research we can find a cross platform app that will allow us to still do this with the internal GPS in the devices.

Lookout will work for the N4 and you can find the location on their website.

 

[mikehell]

Lookout will work for the N4 and you can find the location on their website.

Not only that... you can install it and run it AFTER losing your phone by using their "Plan B". Just go to the play store from a desktop computer and have it installed onto your phone.

 

[badbrad17]

Not only that... you can install it and run it AFTER losing your phone by using their "Plan B". Just go to the play store from a desktop computer and have it installed onto your phone.

I love this option. So cool. Go Google.

Sent from my SGH-T989D using Android Central Forums

 

[frettfreak]

Man.. That's a relief. I thought I was going to bread this and hear some "ah ha" stuff that actually made me hesitate to buy this but scrolling performance in chrome and group testing? Wow is about all I can say. If scrolling performance and group testing are your only complaints this phone is awesome. My HTC One S scrolls pretty darn smooth in chrome and I can imagine the nexus being worse. For the ultimate group texting you should be on a blackberry... Or just grab one of the many apps in the play store.

 

[gtg465x]

I have seen rumors that Google is working on an update to Chrome that will improve performance. Expected early 2013. Hopefully that's true.

 

[gtg465x]

The OP was pretty clear in his post that he isn't a n00b so my reply is more a general statement, but isn't the beauty of Android that you can essentially replace any app you don't like with a 3rd party solution? It's almost like saying IE and Windows Messenger suck so I'm not getting a PC, or Safari and iMessage are awful so I'm not getting a Mac, even though you can install a different browser or instant messenger in those cases. I guess you could say iOS is "maintenance free", but when solutions are so easy to come by with Android it really just sounds like the OP preferred iOS over Android when he made his original post, which is totally fine of course.

gtg465x do have any other complaints now that you actually have the phone in your hands? Chrome seems like a pretty simple issue to get around. I have personally always used Dolphin as my primary browser.

There are some minor issues, but nothing major. And Chrome isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Better than on the Galaxy Nexus and One X I used to own. It could still be a lot better though.

 

[guinnkevinr]

I don't know about you but group texting seems to work great for me...

 

[CoolBeit]

I'm busy too - full time job + overtime, wife, and a new baby. But I can certainly find the time to install a browser and a messaging app on my phone. If you can't find the time to install a couple apps, why do you have a smartphone in the first place? I'm SURE you could find a third-party app to your liking. You don't need to do anything complicated to solve these problems.

Anyway, I hear this reasoning from people who want to stick with ios all the time. The "it just works" reasoning. Unfortunately, "it just works" often means "there is no way to fix it besides waiting a year for the new version of ios, so I'll just deal with it." It's your opinion and you're the one who has to use the phone, so pick the one you like more. But my experience as a former, long-time ios user is that I will eventually find plenty of annoyances with the first party apps (ie the messaging app and safari), and then I won't be able to do anything about those annoyances without jailbreaking or something similarly inconvenient.

I truly hope you enjoy your phone, and I'm not kidding about that. But please make sure it's really the right phone for you and that you're not just trying to convince yourself iphone 5 was the right decision because, from an outside perspective, the arguments you posted are just not that strong.

 

[gtg465x]

I'm busy too - full time job + overtime, wife, and a new baby. But I can certainly find the time to install a browser and a messaging app on my phone. If you can't find the time to install a couple apps, why do you have a smartphone in the first place? I'm SURE you could find a third-party app to your liking. You don't need to do anything complicated to solve these problems.

Anyway, I hear this reasoning from people who want to stick with ios all the time. The "it just works" reasoning. Unfortunately, "it just works" often means "there is no way to fix it besides waiting a year for the new version of ios, so I'll just deal with it." It's your opinion and you're the one who has to use the phone, so pick the one you like more. But my experience as a former, long-time ios user is that I will eventually find plenty of annoyances with the first party apps (ie the messaging app and safari), and then I won't be able to do anything about those annoyances without jailbreaking or something similarly inconvenient.

I truly hope you enjoy your phone, and I'm not kidding about that. But please make sure it's really the right phone for you and that you're not just trying to convince yourself iphone 5 was the right decision because, from an outside perspective, the arguments you posted are just not that strong.

If you read the thread, you'll realize that I broke down and bought a Nexus 4.

I did begrudgingly install the AOSP browser, and to my disappointment, it doesn't even run as smoothly as it did on the Galaxy Nexus. Probably because Google didn't optimize it for the Nexus 4 (obviously, since it didn't ship with the Nexus 4). Chrome got an update the other day that improved performance and smoothness, so I can live with Chrome, but I still don't think it's as smooth as what it should be considering the specs of this phone.

Also, I was the first to notice that group texting was added in 4.2 so people can stop pointing that out now. Maybe I need to go back and edit my original post.

 

[rickydavis1051]

Chrome has worked flawlessly for me. I must be the only one

Sent from my Nexus 4, you jelly bro?

 

[6tr6tr]

1) The exclusion of the stock AOSP browser. Chrome is a great browser, don't get me wrong, but there are some things about it that irk me. Smooth and responsive scrolling is extremely important to me, and in that respect, the AOSP browser is king.

What are you talking about? Dolphin or Firefox are king on Android. And you can download both for FREE from the Play Store. This is NOT a reason not to buy Nexus 4. In fact, that freedom to install any browser you want is a reason to get the nexus 4!

2) The lack of proper group texting support.

I don't do this myself but are you sure there isn't an SMS app in the play store that can do this? I remember reading about that feature somewhere.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

What are you talking about? Dolphin or Firefox are king on Android. And you can download both for FREE from the Play Store. This is NOT a reason not to buy Nexus 4. In fact, that freedom to install any browser you want is a reason to get the nexus 4!



I don't do this myself but are you sure there isn't an SMS app in the play store that can do this? I remember reading about that feature somewhere.

Just wondering...did you read the thread? Or even the OP's post just a few above yours?

 

[taj7575]

Thank you so much for this post, and I completely agree with almost everything you said, especially dealing with you being busier, having a job, etc...

I love the Android experience, but why is it so hard for Google to come out with a properly refined product? For example, it seems having a Nexus product comes with many sacrifices that are just annoying, especially when you become busier and have more tasks. When you don't have time to root anymore/find that perfect ROM, it just seems like a hassle sometimes.

As much as people make fun of Apple (myself included), I bought myself my first ever Apple product ever this summer, a MacBook pro, and for getting work done more efficiently with less hassles, I find it tough to beat OSX. Even with iOS, the refinements are so smooth that I still wonder every day if I should switch to an iPhone 5.

I really wish Google listens to these complaints, because I just can't take it anymore. I've been with Android since the turn of 2010 ( starting with the HTC Hero), but I'm just getting busier and need things to work properly, and although I love Google and it's awesome apps, I may just have to switch over to an iPhone for less headaches and a more refined product.

(PS: I did order the Nexus 4, and am totally excited for it. I am hoping for future updates to fix/patch things up. There is so much potential for this to be an absolutely amazing phone).