First Impressions of the Google Nexus 4

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

So, I finally received the 16GB Nexus 4 I ordered a few weeks ago when limited stock was made available to Canadian buyers. The latest and greatest Nexus smartphone, made by LG, is one powerful device but also lacks some key features that some users really want.

In terms of design, the Nexus 4 (CAD $309 for 8GB, $359 for 16GB)  continues where the Galaxy Nexus left off.

Abandoning the curved glass treatment of the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 still retains the general look and feel we've come to associate with Google's Pure Android smartphones. This means rounded edges, software buttons for back, home and open apps and lack of slots for memory expansion. The result is both oddly familiar and comforting.

Differences from the Galaxy Nexus are the use of a microSIM, a sealed-in battery and the dots for magnetic sync/charge plug are gone.

LG has made copious use of Gorilla Glass for the front that covers the entire display as well as the rear which is finished off in an attractive holographic design that simulates movement when it catches light, A big NEXUS logo emblazons the top rear under the camera and LED flash. The 1280-by-768 4.7-inch screen is beautiful and responsive and is probably the upper limit of the size of screen I would carry.

The use of glass makes the Nexus 4 susceptible to cracking when dropped but it also adds a degree of solidity and density that we haven't seen in a Nexus-grade smartphone since the HTC-made Nexus One.

Build quality is very good, volume and power buttons feel rugged enough and the rubber bezel holding the two glass panels together gives substantial grip.

The LG Optimus G, from which the Nexus 4 is based, feels marginally more solid but is more slippery. The Nexus 4 is a better looking smartphone in my opinion and feels better in the hand. I'm making a bold prediction that LG is going to really separate itself from its the smartphone competition in 2013. They've always tried to have the best processor and RAM and now the rest of the industrial design and feature set of their devices is catching up. The Optimus G and the Nexus 4 are prime examples of what they can bring to the market.

In terms of performance, Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean absolutely flies on the Nexus 4. Credit this to the stellar and efficient 1.5 GHz quad-core processor and 2GB of RAM and the Adreno 320 graphics architecture plus having the latest software that takes full advantage of all this makes a big difference.

The Nexus 4 is a penataband smartphone that's rated for HSPA+ data speeds which top out at 21 Mbps to 42Mbps depending on the carrier. It has been discovered that the Nexus 4 does have an LTE chip, albeit a limited one that just happens to work on Rogers and on TELUS here in Canada.

I did try the workaround and a 4G icon did show up although I have not tested the speed and performance in this mode. While it is great that 4G-LTE speeds can be enabled, users have to work the hack each time they turn the phone on. then there's the issue of Google Now not working on LTE (presumably fixed) plus the substantial battery drain resulting from using 4G-LTE in a device that's not optimized for it yet.

The Nexus 4 would be one of the best smartphones in the market today if availability issues were addressed.

I also feel that the new sealed-in battery design, the persistent lack of microSD card expansion (unthinkable on what is supposedly a developer device) do slightly limit the device's appeal. How much more would it have cost to have 4G-LTE and a microSD card slot standard?

The Nexus 4 is still a pretty spectacular deal for an unlocked Pure Google smartphone. Having owned and used all of the Nexus devices, I can say that this is the best one yet. I will be testing it over the holidays as my main smartphone to see just what it has to offer. But so far, it is a very impressive device.