ASUS has been a strong force in the tablet game even before it set a new price-to-quality standard with Google’s Nexus 7. It looks like the firm could be tightening the budget screw even further, if some recent GLBenchmarks are to be believed. The details are sparse, but outline a product with model number ME172V (which follows from its pre-Nexus smaller tablet line), that runs Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean, sports a 1,024 x 552 (likely 1,024 x 600) resolution powered by a Mali 400 GPU and 1GHz chip. There’s no indication on the number of cores, or, well, much else for that matter. Various rumors are keen to suggest there’d be support for microSD, which if true, would make it unlikely to be a Nexus. But a budget tablet by the same manufacturer, is likely enough for many people all the same.
The difference between the Google Play Nexus 4 and the T-Mobile Nexus 4 is neither in the hardware nor in the software, but in the cost and agreement you’ll be making with T-Mobile – but that doesn’t mean we can’t give some more time to Google’s own smartphone hero for Android 4.2 Jelly Bean – for science! First be sure to take a peek at our original full Nexus 4 review as done by our own Vincent Nguyen, then have another dive in with the slight differences between it and the T-Mobile edition – must be something for the massive difference in price, right?
Hardware
I had major reservations about the LG Nexus 4 after having experienced the strangely slippery hardware of the LG Optimus G (see our full review here). I’m not talking about any sort of slipperiness in an ephemeral sense – I mean the plastic and glass that makes up the bulk of the device is literally slick. As it turns out here with the LG Nexus 4 though, any little bit of grip friendliness lost is more than made up for by the fabulously well-crafted curved edges of the front-facing panel.
Both the front and back panels on this device are made of Corning Gorilla Glass 2, the newest in undeniably tough glass action from the biggest name in reinforced glass panels for mobile devices today. Under the back panel you’ll find the same Crystal Reflection pattern that the LG Optimus G has, many different squares of reflective material creating an ever-changing pattern of light and dark. The name “NEXUS” sits on the back in big clear letters so you know what you’re using, too.
The display on this device is a lovely 768 x 1280 pixels across 4.7-inches of IPS PLUS LCD. That’s 320 PPI, just above Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus at 316 PPI (PenTile* in that case), and the Nexus S which was all the way back at 235 PPI. For comparison purposes: the iPhone 5 (and 4/4S) sit at 326 PPI and the highest sharpness on the market today exists on the HTC DROID DNA at a massive 440 PPI (across 5-inches of display, no less).
The Nexus 4′s display is as bright, sharp, and vibrant as your eyes can handle – so says DisplayMate. Touch sensitivity on this display has been nothing less than top-notch, and viewing angles are essentially perfect. This device works with an RGB subpixel arrangement rather than the PenTile we’ve seen on several recent device including the Galaxy Nexus. LG’s choice here means that that any pixelation you might have noticed in the Galaxy Nexus is gone here and the display experience is easily one of the best you’ll find on any smartphone or tablet out today.
This device also works with not just wireless mirroring in the near future with Miracast, but SlimPort as well. With SlimPort accessories you’ll be able to mirror your display via full-sized HDMI while your device charges at the same time – quite similar to what the HDMI converter accessories for MHL-compatible devices do. Here though you’ve got compatibility with HDMI, VGA, DVI, and DisplayPort too – though just the HDMI accessory exists at the moment.
Also note that the Miracast standard wireless technology exists on several devices at the moment, also including the Samsung Galaxy S III. You wont find so much as a peep from this technology in the Nexus 4 at the moment, though – we must assume that it’ll show itself once more accessories working with the Miracast standard hit the market. It is strange that Google would market the device as having said abilities without them being utilized right out of the box – isn’t it? Have a peek at a column by the name of Miracast Accessories: don’t jump in head first just yet for more information on the future of this technology – the imminent future, that is.
Camera
The camera is a vast improvement over the Samsung Galaxy Nexus’ clunky 5-megapixel shooter, and not just because you’ve got a few more megapixels to toss around here. It would appear that LG, Qualcomm, and Google have come together to create a camera experience here that’s sharp and clear. It’s not perfect, and we’re not quite ready to say it beats out the Samsung Galaxy S III, Nokia Lumia 920, or iPhone 5, but it’s certainly a contender.
The panorama mode as well as Photo Sphere create images that are impressive to behold, but again, are not perfect. While the stitching of images together to create a whole are rarely done without error, the final product is almost always worth keeping. Have a peek at a couple of Photo Spheres in action in the following: [Mall Parking Lot], [Gas Station], [Arcade] – each are posted to Google+ in full-on exploration mode so you can see them in their natural state. Google cross-promotes their social network and the software here as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean+ will bring on this Sphere ability to all devices that run with it from that point onward – fun stuff!
Initial Cost and Data Plans
Once again, let’s not forget that you literally get the same device from T-Mobile that you’d get from Google here, packaging and all. That said, the off-contract price for the T-Mobile-sold Nexus 4 is up at $499, that being approximately $150 more than the off-contract model you can buy from Google Play. Considering the fact that the Google Play online store is completely sold out of the device right now, with a 4 week wait (for some) before device delivery, you might want to drop that $150 to get it sooner.
The device is available from T-Mobile attached to a 2-year contract for $199.99 (this being that $150 less than the Google Play $349.99 price), which you might as well go for if you’re planning on working with T-Mobile one way or another. T-Mobile has a large collection of monthly plans for data, text, and talk, with the largest being a lovely $124.99 per month for unlimited action for all services with 10GB of data working at full speed (with throttling after that). This plan also includes hotspot abilities so you can share data from your smartphone to your other devices as well as 10GB of cloud storage.
Though T-Mobile does have several unlimited data plans, its worth mentioning that you will be “throttled” after the specified amount of data is used each month. Throttling data speed means you’ve got significantly slower data delivery than, in this case, T-Mobile’s 4G HSPA+ network normally delivers. You’ve also got a $79.99 per month plan that includes unlimited data, text, and talk, this time with 2GB of high-speed data before throttling.
Wrap-up
The LG Nexus 4 is just as awesome a Nexus device as any that’ve come before it. Google continues to bring forth stronger and stronger devices, amalgamations of power here in addition to standardization for developers. With this generation comes one of the most powerful processors on the planet along with one of the strongest cameras on the market and a rather top-tier experience for not just the expert Android user, but the average smartphone lover as well.
The only thing you’ll want to keep your eye on is the fact that this device does not work with 4G LTE – if you need data speed in a mobile way, this isn’t your best bet – not yet, anyway. If you’re in the shade of the great wi-fi gods on the regular: no worries. Outside of data speed, this is easily one of the most fabulous smartphones on the market today.
This afternoon you’ll find yourself once again racing against the masses to grab that one single perfect next-level smartphone: the LG Nexus 4. This device has been available previously on the Google Play store but was sold out in a matter of hours, while the T-Mobile edition (ever so slightly different in its software build) is also either up for sale right this moment (if you’re lucky) or will be again later this afternoon. Those of you looking for the unlocked model will be able to pick it up from either source, but the T-Mobile unlocked version (exactly the same as the Google Play store version) will cost you $150 USD more – so good luck with Google Play!
The Google Play store caters today to the USA with this set of phones, bringing on both the 8GB and 16GB versions of the smartphone to your loving palms. Notes sent out by Google today made it clear that both versions will be available starting at 12 noon PST on November 27th (that’s today) 2012. How long they’ll last is entirely up to you.
We’ve got a full review of the Nexus 4 in all its internationally lovely glory and will be presenting a slightly different angle later this week – here showing how the T-Mobile universe really keeps the device in its true Nexus form. Also feel free to check out our Nexus 4 tag portal as well as our massive Android portal for all the news surrounding this device and the greater Android environment that you can handle!
Also have a peek at the hands-on video above and up close and personal photos above and below. We’re in with this device for the long run, folks, as Google supports this device, the Nexus 7, and the Nexus 10 as their own personal heroes until the next Nexus wave is released. Let us know if you plan on picking up a $349 16GB iteration of the Nexus 4 or a $299 8GB version of the device today!
Google’s been emailing some good news for those that didn’t snatch up its new smartphone within minutes of its online launch a few weeks back. Anyone that asked to be kept up-to-date with Nexus 4 news has been told that new phone stock will be available starting at 3PM ET (Noon PT) — for US customers only. We’ve also heard rumors that customers will be limited to ordering up to two phones each, but at these prices, there’s likely to be plenty of online traffic jostling for this 4.7-inch slab.
Update: As of 3:08PM ET, it looks as if the Nexus 4 is sold out. These games are no fun, now are they?
Update 2: Google has just posted this update: “Google Play is currently experiencing very high traffic. Nexus 4 is not sold out and will still be available for purchase. Please try again shortly. Thank you for your patience.” So, keep trying, we wish you luck, and let us know how you get on in comments!
With the rollout of a major OS upgrade like Android 4.2, we can imagine it’s easy to forget something, but Google’s omission of the entire month of December in the People app was certainly a doozy. The beauty of the Nexus program is that Google can rectify little issues like that post-haste, however, and Mountain View has now rolled out Jelly Bean 4.2.1, a small update that adds back that all-too-important month. So far, Nexus 4 and 10 users have reported getting the update, according to XDA Developers, though there’s no evidence yet of any other fixes. Check your Nexus device (or the source) to see if it’s arrived in time for, you know.
If you happen to own a Nexus 4 or a Nexus 10, then you must consider yourself lucky because Google seems to be pushing out Android 4.2.1 to the aforementioned devices today. Folks over at XDA Developers were among the first to break the news. Some Nexus 7 owners are even saying that they also received the update. But before you jump up and down to celebrate, do note that the Android 4.2.1 update is merely 1.1MB.
But, according to some Nexus 4 owners, the update fixes the December “birthday” bug which basically prevented users from saving their birthdays or anniversaries during the month of December in the People app. That’s good news considering that December is already fast approaching. Additionally, the update is said to also fix the purported Bluetooth issues on the Nexus devices. Do note that the update will be gradual, so a little patience will definitely help. If you’re already getting the update via OTA, drop us a note okay?
Last Friday, I told you how to get your Google Nexus 4 working on LTE networks in Canada. All through this past weekend and today, I’ve been using that device as my primary phone on the LTE band the entire time. And despite some definite reduction in battery life, I couldn’t be happier with the Nexus 4 now that it’s playing nice with Rogers’ LTE network.
To be clear, the Nexus 4 was a strong contender to begin with. I agree with Chris Velazco’s review: Google’s done a great job creating an untouched Android experience in an attractive hardware package thanks to OEM partner LG. But the lack of LTE was a sore spot, and one that didn’t sit well with me, especially since, as primarily an iPhone user, I just got access to next-gen mobile networks on my daily device via the iPhone 5. And the speed difference isn’t inconsequential: you can see from my network tests in the original how-to post that the LTE network here is orders of magnitude faster than the standard HSPA+ 3G one.
In terms of practical use, that means lightning fast loading of web pages, effortless media streaming and just less time in general waiting for any kind of content grabbed from the web to display. The LTE network was consistently available and strong in my home network of downtown Toronto, and despite the lack of official support from Google or LG, I noticed no unusual drop-outs or failures to connect, in general.
The one sore spot for the Nexus 4 initially was that for some reason, being on a true 4G network disabled Google Now from refreshing. Since this is actually one of my favorite things about Android Jelly Bean, I was more than a little disappointed. Switching to 3G or Wi-Fi got it to refresh, but otherwise, it would just spend a lot of time trying to load and then produce its most recent results instead, ignoring my current location.
Luckily, as of Sunday night, Google now works fine on LTE connections, with no changes to system preferences or updates conducted on my part. It’s almost as if a benevolent fairy at Google flipped a switch and turned the feature back on, knowing it would make all of us Canadian amateur hackers very happy. Regardless of why, Google Now has been working consistently on 4G since.
The last remaining anxiety I had about using the Nexus 4 on LTE full-time was around battery life. But those fears have proven to be mostly unfounded. When Chris reviewed the Nexus 4, he found that it wasn’t all that strong on battery life: it was doing 5.5 hours on a testing loop. When being actively used on LTE, especially for data-intense tasks like streaming video, the Nexus 4 consumes power at a fairly rapid, almost alarming rate. But used normally, it still manages to conserve juice well when in standby mode, and I’ve found that I can at least make it from morning til night with my usual usage habits, which as you might imagine can be fairly demanding.
All in all, my experience with the Nexus 4 as an LTE device gives me plenty of hope that Google will officially support it in an update, and possible release LTE versions compatible with U.S. and international networks down the road, too. Even without it, a $300 smartphone this good is a triumph, but with LTE included, it’s a nearly unbeatable package.
After Google ran out of stock with Nexus 4 units after just minutes of becoming available, customers’ only hope was to wait until T-Mobile started offering it online and in their stores. However, after just hours of Google quietly posting up the link to T-Mobile’s website in the Google Play store, online stock of T-Mobile Nexus 4s are now gone.
While most users probably wanted a Nexus 4 off-contract, it seems the daunting thought of a two-year contract wasn’t holding people back from buying a subsidized Nexus 4. We’re not sure how many units T-Mobile received exactly for online orders, but you may have better luck at your local carrier store, where they still might have a few left in stock if you’re really desperate.
Buying a Nexus 4 at T-Mobile will cost $199 for the 16GB version after you sign a two-year contract. Of course, coughing up only $100 more could have gotten you an 8GB unlocked and off-contract Nexus 4, while $150 more would have you sealing the deal on an off-contract 16GB model. However, it seems a lot of Nexus fans are willing to sacrifice two years of their life in order to get the latest and greatest Google phone.
The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch 1280×768 IPS display with a pixel density of 320ppi. On the inside, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro CPU with 2GB of RAM. It comes with an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP VGA cam on the front. It comes running Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, as well as NFC and wireless charging capabilities, but no LTE.
While it was discovered that Google’s latest Nexus 4 smartphone does, in fact, have an LTE chip on the inside, the phone’s radios don’t cover the wide deployment of most LTE bands, resulting in unhappy users who yearn for faster downloads while on the go. However, a simple tweak has been discovered that allows Canadian users to take advantage of LTE on the Nexus 4.
Some hackers on the XDA Developers forum ended up finding a workaround that allows the Nexus 4 to use LTE in Canada using TELUS and Rogers networks. It turns out the Nexus 4 features unofficial support for LTE Band 4, which runs at 1700MHz and 2100MHz. However, it won’t work in the US, since most of the major carriers use alternate bands.
Then again, AT&T is licensed to operate on Band 4, and AT&T has said in the past that they plan to utilize Band 4 for its LTE networks, but there’s zero word on when and where that will happen. So far, users have had no luck trying to get LTE to work in AT&T’s network and other US carriers. It seems hackers and tweakers will have a hard time with this one.
However, T-Mobile plans to launch LTE on Band 4 within the year, and T-Mobile also happens to be the only carrier to partner with Google on the launch of the Nexus 4. What does this mean? Well, It’s still unlikely we’ll see official LTE support for the Nexus 4 on certain networks. Google doesn’t intend for the Nexus 4 to be an LTE device, and despite the simple tweak to enable LTE in Canada, the phone still doesn’t have all the necessary hardware for a reliable LTE experience.
Google is bringing the Nexus 4 to another carrier in the UK, expanding availability to Three after debuting the device with O2 as its initial partner in that country. The Android 4.2-powered smartphone will be available starting December 13 on Three, either on a £35 per month contract with an upfront cost of just £29 on the One Plan (unlimited data and high on-network text and talk limits, but with a two-year contract), or pre-paid for £399.99.
The added carrier partner comes just one month after the Nexus 4′s official launch, which saw quick sell-outs in the UK and the rest of the world. Google’s latest smartphone seems to be experiencing either very high demand, very short supply, or a combination of both (although new reports claim shipping times have improved), so it’s interesting to see Google expand availability so quickly.
The Nexus 4 should offer fairly good speeds on Three’s DS-HSDPA network, but the hack revealed this morning that allows users to manually enable LTE on the device will do Three customers no good. Even when Three’s planned 1800MHz LTE network begins to roll out, it won’t be compatible with the Nexus 4′s AWS LTE band support. Of course, that feature’s still not technically even official, and the phone is still among the best options for Android devices out there. The interesting thing will be to see how many people opt to buy through carriers, versus getting cheaper outright prices direct through Google and bringing it to the network of their choice.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
If you happen to own a Nexus 4 or a Nexus 10, then you must consider yourself lucky because Google seems to be pushing out Android 4.2.1 to the aforementioned devices today. Folks over at XDA Developers were among the first to break the news. Some Nexus 7 owners are even saying that they also received the update. But before you jump up and down to celebrate, do note that the Android 4.2.1 update is merely 1.1MB.
