That's a lot of talk about the clock?
As Apple has taught us so well, details matter.
Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
111–120 of 169 posts
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#112I'm sorry. I don't think the GNex vs. Nexus 4 decision is as cut and dried as this reviewer makes it.
Storage: The Nexus 4 has only 16GB of storage, with no way to expand (GNex had 32GB). That's a step backward IMO.
Screen: Yeah, yeah, yeah. AMOLED has fewer sub-pixels. So what. The blacks are blacker, and the screen is more vibrant. I know the color gamut is different, but the contrast is better. The Nexus 4 looks washed out next to the GNex.
Network: Sorry, lack of LTE is a deal breaker for me. Verizon LTE is solid where I live, and very, very fast. That may not be the case for everyone, but I'm sure as heck not going back to 3Gesque speeds. And for what features? A slightly faster processor? More RAM? and a breakable glass case?
Fahgetabahtit.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#113Am I the only one that finds it somewhat funny that a phone with no LTE, non-removable battery, no SD card slot and glass front and back is the most talked about Android phone to date?
As an iPhone user (4S) that all sounds pretty standard! On a more serious note, I don't understand all the fuss about LTE. IIRC it's something like 20Mbps in practice, which is faster than most Internet connections in the US. What is the use case for such bandwidth on a phone? YouTube already plays just fine with HSPA+.
Tethering. If you're travelling a lot, tethering to your LTE phone would give you a relatively consistent, fast internet connection.
Aside from that, it's just another way for carriers to charge you $$$ for a feature that is only marginally useful.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#114Earlier quoted context omitted.
According to The Verge, it was a choice between faster data on the one hand, and timely updates, better battery life, and lower price on the other. I'm guessing for a lot of the Nexus's target market, and for Google, faster updates win out. http://mobile.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569688/why-nexus-4-do...
I'm just surprised they're alienating so much of the U.S. market. People here were writing off the Galaxy Nexus because of the missing SD card slot alone. Take away LTE and the removable battery and this thing has absolutely zero chance of being successful in the U.S.
I'm not so sure that people in the US are "writing off the Galaxy Nexus". Especially when combined with a prepaid plan (such as Straight Talk, Simple Mobile, or TMobile Monthly4G), this phone is a really good deal. $300 is similar to the starting prices for some phone ON contract.
A lot of people really don't need the extra space from an SD card, and LTE is just a more costly option with slightly higher speeds. The lack of a removable battery is somewhat of a let down, but be honest, when is the last time you replaced your phone's battery? I never have. People also seem to indicate that you can still replace the battery by removing a few screws, it is just a little more difficult.
I think the US market is moving towards prepaid, non-contract plans, and this is the PERFECT phone for it. On top of that, most of the rest of the world uses prepaid phone plans, which this is perfect for.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#115After my blackberry died around 4 months ago I've been grappling with the issue of what to replace it with. I really enjoy my Transformer Prime tablet and am 100% sold on Android, but the major issue for me is phone size. Why on earth is every decent phone so bloody big? Now, I've never had a "large screen" phone before so my concerns may be unfounded but I feel that as I don't carry a handbag/manbag and my phone res…
I had similar concerns when switching from the Nexus S to the Galaxy Nexus, but I'd find it difficult to go back to the smaller phone now. The slightly thinner build of the larger phones vs the Nexus S does slightly make up for it, but I do understand where you are coming from.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#116After my blackberry died around 4 months ago I've been grappling with the issue of what to replace it with. I really enjoy my Transformer Prime tablet and am 100% sold on Android, but the major issue for me is phone size. Why on earth is every decent phone so bloody big? Now, I've never had a "large screen" phone before so my concerns may be unfounded but I feel that as I don't carry a handbag/manbag and my phone res…
If someone made a phone the size of the new iPod Nano, they would have my sale.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#117Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#118After my blackberry died around 4 months ago I've been grappling with the issue of what to replace it with. I really enjoy my Transformer Prime tablet and am 100% sold on Android, but the major issue for me is phone size. Why on earth is every decent phone so bloody big? Now, I've never had a "large screen" phone before so my concerns may be unfounded but I feel that as I don't carry a handbag/manbag and my phone res…
Also, my mother is aging and the size of this screen would be perfect for her.
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#119It hasn't caught much attention or focus but could this be the first phone that makes any sort of headway in the US against the two year plan/subsidy model? If yes, that has ramifications for the overall industry much greater than any one phone. Anyone in the US know how much you'd save on a realistic smart phone plan if you bought your own vs doing the two year subsidized model?
Not sure what you'd 'save' - any major carrier you want to use with a data plan doesn't offer any (at all?) savings on monthly service plans. Prepaid pricing sucks for data. Do you want to pay $199 plus $90 month for airtime and data? Or $299 for an unlocked phone and... $90/month for airtime and data?
TMobile offers some interesting prepaid plans (such as the $30/month 100 minute, unlimited SMS, 5GB data plan) as others have mentioned, but if you are looking for a family plan, they do offer some other interesting choices.
Their value plans do still require a contract, but you aren't subsidizing the cost of your phone, so the plan prices can be significantly cheaper: http://slickdeals.net/f/4793292-t-mobile-Value-Plan-100-for-...
Re: Nexus 4 Review: Beautifully Crafted, Premium Android Phone
#120Earlier quoted context omitted.
Not sure what you'd 'save' - any major carrier you want to use with a data plan doesn't offer any (at all?) savings on monthly service plans. Prepaid pricing sucks for data. Do you want to pay $199 plus $90 month for airtime and data? Or $299 for an unlocked phone and... $90/month for airtime and data?
Yeah that's what I was worried about. Seems like the only real benefit then is the ability to switch providers at any point in time vs 2 year lock in. So you'd have to be willing to pay a $15 per month or so premium for the ability to switch at any time?
The ability to upgrade phones is also in there.
The 2 year lock in includes MSRP hardware amortization (at least on my provider), so if you attempt to break the contract, you're paying not only the cost of cancelling the contract, but also the remaining 'cost' of your hardware. That could add up to quite a bit, given that I've seen carriers state that a Galaxy S3 is worth 650. Breaking the contract halfway through its term might result in you paying 300+ for hardware that you actually wanted to get rid of.