Nexus 4, Ok..I'm starting to fall in love with it

[dnast]

I'm hoping the Nexus 4 comes back in stock soon. I fought the hype and decided not to buy it during the holidays, but I honestly don't want to wait several weeks for the phone after I recover from holiday spending. Lately I've had to live with a Samsung Captivate running Jellybean 4.2 (CM 10.1) and admittedly I've been thoroughly impressed, but this phone only has 384MB of RAM according to "About phone" (I can't believe JB even runs on this) and I do notice that apps get killed pretty quickly and I have to wait for the launcher to load on occasion. Otherwise the interface is very snappy and I would be pretty content with this phone if not for those issues and the fact that I'm using an old AT&T phone on T-Mobile (stuck on 2G).

I can only imagine how happy I'd be with a Nexus 4 considering the improvement in hardware and "4G" support. With my old HD2 I could get up to 6mbps on 3G, so I'm excited to see what speeds I can get with HSPA+. After playing with CM10.1 on a friend's somewhat old SGS2 and seeing how much faster apps load/install and how much better games run, I can't wait to see the performance improvements from the latest Nexus phone running the latest version of Android.

Published a review on my blog: http://fpbecker.blog...s-4-review.html </shameless plug>

Good review. I have to ask - what made you want a new phone if you already owned an S3? Although I think I'd prefer an N4 over an S3 for my purposes, I'm not sure I'd buy an N4 if I already owned an S3.

[Richteralan]

I'm hoping the Nexus 4 comes back in stock soon. I fought the hype and decided not to buy it during the holidays, but I honestly don't want to wait several weeks for the phone after I recover from holiday spending. Lately I've had to live with a Samsung Captivate running Jellybean 4.2 (CM 10.1) and admittedly I've been thoroughly impressed, but this phone only has 384MB of RAM according to "About phone" (I can't believe JB even runs on this) and I do notice that apps get killed pretty quickly and I have to wait for the launcher to load on occasion. Otherwise the interface is very snappy and I would be pretty content with this phone if not for those issues and the fact that I'm using an old AT&T phone on T-Mobile (stuck on 2G).

I can only imagine how happy I'd be with a Nexus 4 considering the improvement in hardware and "4G" support. With my old HD2 I could get up to 6mbps on 3G, so I'm excited to see what speeds I can get with HSPA+. After playing with CM10.1 on a friend's somewhat old SGS2 and seeing how much faster apps load/install and how much better games run, I can't wait to see the performance improvements from the latest Nexus phone running the latest version of Android.

Good review. I have to ask - what made you want a new phone if you already owned an S3? Although I think I'd prefer an N4 over an S3 for my purposes, I'm not sure I'd buy an N4 if I already owned an S3.

In my buying habit I value no-contract unlocked international smartphone the highest, followed by timely updates. Those are the two factors I'm looking for.

Nexus 4 fits those two perfectly. The stock N4 is pretty fast.

[dnast]

In my buying habit I value no-contract unlocked international smartphone the highest, followed by timely updates. Those are the two factors I'm looking for.

Nexus 4 fits those two perfectly. The stock N4 is pretty fast.

Yeah, those are 2 reasons I'm interested in the Nexus 4, myself. I think I'll end up putting CM on it though because of the better text app, customizable lock screen slider (at least I don't think that's in stock) and probably a couple of other minor things I can't think of at the moment.

[Shadrack]

Yay. My replacement shipped.

[Richteralan]

Yeah, those are 2 reasons I'm interested in the Nexus 4, myself. I think I'll end up putting CM on it though because of the better text app, customizable lock screen slider (at least I don't think that's in stock) and probably a couple of other minor things I can't think of at the moment.

Heard CM is incompatible with a few custom kernels. Probably I'll try PA.

[dnast]

Yay. My replacement shipped.

Awesome. Now you can let us poor souls try to get one of our own :p

Heard CM is incompatible with a few custom kernels. Probably I'll try PA.

That's too bad. I'll probably try stock for a few days and see how that goes before flashing CM. But as long my battery life is okay I probably won't be changing kernels anyway.

[Richteralan]

Awesome. Now you can let us poor souls try to get one of our own :p

That's too bad. I'll probably try stock for a few days and see how that goes before flashing CM. But as long my battery life is okay I probably won't be changing kernels anyway.

MinCo is probably the best "near stock" custom ROM for now. Pair with Franco Kernel, which is what I'm using.

I tried PA last night but apparently needs a full wipe. I'll wait for a non-beta status PA ROM for now.

[ashpowell]

Yay. My replacement shipped.

That's mad! I ordered mine Dec 5th and still no word on shipping :(

[Shadrack]

That's mad! I ordered mine Dec 5th and still no word on shipping :(

Sorry :(. They probably prioritize RMAs over regular orders (because they hold a $350 CC charge until they receive your defective device back). The replacement order email stated "Ships in less than a week" and it was about that (+1 day).

Have they gone passed the ship date that they told you? If so, I'd call them up and cause a ruckus. Might not do much good as Google Play Support have like zero visibility on what is really going on with the Nexus 4 (as far as when they will come in and ship out). But they might be able to move you up the queue.

[typu]

i like my nexus 4 a lot. best phone i ever had. the battery seems good too. i cannot confirm the problems other experience. my standby is easily 2 days and i last trough a day very well even if im using it frequently.

the screen is superb, it feels very nice too. but tbh - the backside... thats not glass isnt it? i would say that is plastic.

[ashpowell]

It is glass as far as I know..

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

The back of the Nexus 4 is made of the same Gorilla Glass as the front.

[ashpowell]

Sorry :(. They probably prioritize RMAs over regular orders (because they hold a $350 CC charge until they receive your defective device back). The replacement order email stated "Ships in less than a week" and it was about that (+1 day).

Have they gone passed the ship date that they told you? If so, I'd call them up and cause a ruckus. Might not do much good as Google Play Support have like zero visibility on what is really going on with the Nexus 4 (as far as when they will come in and ship out). But they might be able to move you up the queue.

I think I'll just end up enjoying it more when it comes.. Can't wait though..

Nah the date is 16/01/12 apparently.. So hopefully I'll get it sometime this week. I sold my S3 LTE for it (couldn't stand touchwiz and CyanogenMod wan't available for it)

and now I'm stuck with this: http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_e1190-4034.php

Best thing about it is the battery lasts over 2 weeks, but thats probably cos you can't do anything on it lol

[Zumiiiiii]

I really love my Nexus 4 too. I moved from Samsung GS II. I guess I was lucky I ordered mine 4th December and it arrived 8am Christmas eve. Just need to find a case or some bumper to protect it.

[Shadrack]

The back of the Nexus 4 is made of the same Gorilla Glass as the front.

Except that it is noticeably thinner.......

My replacement N4 came in yesterday. The color was off...it had a yellow-red tint to what should be white. I used Franco's app to adjust the color and it is a bright white now. The volume buttons are a lot tighter to press as well (not as "clicky"). Just some observations.

[Knife Party]

I think I'll just end up enjoying it more when it comes.. Can't wait though..

Nah the date is 16/01/12 apparently.. So hopefully I'll get it sometime this week. I sold my S3 LTE for it (couldn't stand touchwiz and CyanogenMod wan't available for it)

and now I'm stuck with this: http://www.gsmarena...._e1190-4034.php

Best thing about it is the battery lasts over 2 weeks, but thats probably cos you can't do anything on it lol

CM 10.1 nightlies are out for S2 and S3, really stable, you could have had a brilliant experience

[ashpowell]

CM 10.1 nightlies are out for S2 and S3, really stable, you could have had a brilliant experience

They weren't out for the LTE (2gb ram & quad core) version when I last checked, only the normal version :(

edit: Just checked again, only unofficial builds at the moment (http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2063374) with nothing working, shame, as the build and power was great, but once you have got used to cm, touchwiz doesn't touch it.

[Shadrack]

Refunded my Nexus 4 :(. Really sad. The front facing camera on the replacement Nexus 4 that they sent to me would not work. I tried a factory reset on the device and it still would not work (there was no icon for it in the camera app). I also tried it in 3rd party apps such as Skype and Google+ hangouts and still no luck (wasn't even an option to change to a front facing camera).

This was my 3rd Nexus 4 that had a random problem and I'm done. I asked for a refund and sent it back to LG this morning. There are "specialist" reviewing my case to see if they will charge for a 15% restocking fee. I hope that they choose not to but if they do oh well.

I really wasn't interested in trying a 4th Nexus 4. I'd be constantly worried it would just stop working some night or some other random problem with it would develop. Last LG phone I ever buy, for sure. Loved the design. Loved the software. Just wish they didn't have so many assembly line problems. Receiving 3 separate devices, with 3 separate issues is just a statistical nightmare. Google Play Support wasn't even surprised; they didn't even try and troubleshoot it with me. They were like "Did you try a factory reset? Oh ok, would you like a refund or a replacement?"

Looks like I'm back on my iPhone 4 for now. Hope another phone comes out that strikes my fancy.

[OOOOOOOO]

I use an iPhone 5 as my personal phone, and I love it, and wont change to Android ... BUT ... I am the lead designer on our app on Android, and I must admit, the Nexus 4 arrived at my house today (I work from home a fair bit), and I have just fallen in love with it ... it's so lovely. Really lovely design, build quality, screen and of course stock Jellybean OS. Brilliant phone. Not quite as good as my iPhone 5 in my opinion, but damn, they're getting there. Well done Google and LG :)

57XjbGw.jpg

(Only reason there's no cabs in the screen is that it's a dev staging build... not live :p)

[ashpowell]

Mine finally got shipped this morning! woohooo

[way2quik]

Really slick device indeed. I came from a Nokia N8 to Nexus 4 and I'm impressed. After having the device for a month, I am not satisfied with the battery life. Rumors state 4.2.2 will come with improved battery performance. The camera is acceptable and I've concluded I'll never find a smartphone that will outperform Nokia's 808 Pureview or my N8.

Anyways, I do not regret my purchase of the Nexus 4. Lots of mods, Roms, and tweaks to play around with.

[ashpowell]

I like the Glass front and back.. but I dont like the back being glass also... Coming from a Galaxy Nexus is seems super fragile.

Screen is good.. but all that horsepower doesn't make any difference to me, it seems as fast as my Galaxy Nexus (both running cm)