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Nexus 4 Review

Android devices are tempting, aren’t they? Not only for me of course; I admit to being a self-proclaimed Android lover anyway. Recently, I got a hold of a Nexus 4, and now its time for a quick review. Let’s take a look at what the smartphone has to offer, what I liked about the Nexus 4, and some of what I disliked about the smartphone.

Nexus 4 - review

Nexus 4: Specs and Overview

The Nexus 4 is a product of LG and the hardware quality is awesome (Like most other LG products). Combine that with vanilla Android OS, and you got yourself a nice little smartphone. When the Nexus 4 first hit shelves, the phone was short in supply; however, for whatever reason, things have changed in the last few days, so I suggest you order it right now from the Google Play Store.

First, let me discuss the configurations. It comes in two different configurations, the 8GB and 16GB, which are priced at $299 and $349 respectively. These come unlocked, but they don’t have a microSD expansion slot. This is a bit of a problem, these days even 16GB isn’t good enough for a smartphone, and well, 8 GB is downright laughable. Apart from the space crunch, I also wasn’t crazy about the fact that it didn’t have an LTE radio available.

Nexus 4 Design & Display

Personally, I loved the elegant look and feel of the Nexus 4. The device is a little heavier compared to an iPhone 5 (iPhone 5 weighs 112 grams, whereas, Nexus 4 weighs 139 grams). The glass protecting the True HD IPS PLUS display tapers off on the right and left edges, thereby making swiping natural.

The device is well built, and the rear Gorilla Glass is resistant to virtually any sort of scratches – just a bit slippery though. The Nexus 4 also has dust trapping gaps. I will suggest however, that you don’t put the Nexus 4 on any smooth surface; it might just slip right off! There are rubber gripsin the sides of the screen, which make it easier for you to hold the phone.

You won’t find a removable rear panel with the Nexus 4, and the SIM card will have to be placed on a tray that slides into the side of the phone. Google actually comes up with a micro SIM tray remover tool by itself, which is just a bit smaller than that of the iPhone 5.

Google nexus 4 review
Google Nexus 4

Nexus 4 Features

After you power up the Nexus 4, it automatically downloads all the previously installed apps from the Google Play Store. This makes the phone usable almost instantly. Apart from that, all of my contacts, and photos from Google+ were immediately retrieved. The phone comes with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and believe me, you love it the minute you start using it. All the widgets are neatly organized on the home-screen, making things nice and simple. To be honest, the Nexus 4 won my heart mainly because of the new Android version.

Nexus 4 has wireless charging support and NFC is enabled. However, the 4.7 inch screen takes a lot of battery power away. You probably need to charge the phone every single day. I also found the device often heats up, after activity that requires mobile data connectivity. The camera is a bit of a letdown. Nexus 4 has an 8 megapixel camera, and the image quality isn’t anything to write home about. Another annoyance is the auto-focus, it never seems to ‘focus’ on the exact object you want it to.

As you can see, based on my personal review, there are in fact some shortcomings, but there is still plenty features and specs to celebrate. The device is fast, highly capable and very affordable as well. The sound and video quality is very good too. I love my Nexus 4, and I recommend you give it a try.

Do you own a Nexus 4? Let me know what you think!