Google Nexus 4 official

[John Kotches]

THere was supposed to be a google event in NYC today, but it was canceled in advance of Sandy / The storm of the 21st century.

Impressive specs, but if they are 100% accurate it's also a bit of a letdown in the 4G Arena. Specs only indicate HSPA+/21 which is 21 Mb/second. I'm hoping that this gets clarified and that the US version will have LTE onboard. Otherwise, for me, it'll be a no sale.

I'm debating between this and the Note 2, and without LTE the Nexus 4 is out of the hunt.

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[Ronnie-]

I am also reading about it not having LTE. That seems quite the step back considering the last version did have it.

 

[Ronnie-]

The why?

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569688/why-nexus-4-does-not-have-4g-lte

The Nexus 4 is an impressive smartphone that ticks off every modern spec checkbox you could ask for, save one: LTE. Instead, the Nexus 4 will only come unlocked with HSPA+ radios. It is a disappointing omission, driven by both Google's complex philosophical desire to build open devices as well as the fairly simple economics of building a halo product for a small niche of early adopters.
For Google, Nexus is a flagship brand that represents the best of Android, with Google leading by example to show other hardware manufacturers what Android can be. And though partners build the hardware, Google wants direct control of the software on Nexus devices with no carrier intervention. That alone means Google can't sell an LTE device, as there's simply no access to LTE networks without working with carriers in one way or another: Verizon and Sprint's LTE networks still require compatibility with their 3G CDMA systems, and there's essentially no such thing as an unlocked CDMA device. AT&T's infant LTE network runs on different frequencies than other LTE networks around the world, so Google would have to build a custom phone for just 77 markets in the US. Doing that without AT&T's financial assistance makes little sense.

A promising device completely off of my list of potentials in the future, and now the Nexus will not be as big a boon for LG as it might have been.

 

[John Kotches]

Thanks for that link to the article on The Verge.

For those that are/were interested...
here are the specs.

Based on what The Verge is reporting, it looks like the decision was made to minimize the number of SKUs worldwide. I guess they truly are expecting this to be more of a developer's platform rather than as a mass market phone. Terribly disappointing, especially given its quite reasonable unlocked price of US$349.

Too bad, as a number of us like the concept of an unlocked phone, no contract phone at barely more than a subsidized price for other phones.


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[Ramy]

No LTE? No Nexus 4. Plain and simple.

 

[mike123abc]

Probably best on T-Mobile where you can buy a phone for a reasonable price with the HSPA+ network.

 

[John Kotches]

RAMY:

A lot of people agree with you. I'm on the fence myself. It's between this and the Note 2, though I am leaning towards the Note 2. The problem with HSPA+ is that it's still on the clogged up 3G bandwidth. I've checked, and according to the map, ATT 4G is everywhere in my area that I need it to be. I'm going to get a loaner LTE phone (the advantage of working at a large company) to confirm that theory.

Cheers,



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[Ramy]

RAMY:

A lot of people agree with you. I'm on the fence myself. It's between this and the Note 2, though I am leaning towards the Note 2. The problem with HSPA+ is that it's still on the clogged up 3G bandwidth. I've checked, and according to the map, ATT 4G is everywhere in my area that I need it to be. I'm going to get a loaner LTE phone (the advantage of working at a large company) to confirm that theory.

Cheers,



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I have a Verizon 4G phone already and I don't want to go backwards.

 

[Ronnie-]

I have a Verizon 4G phone already and I don't want to go backwards.

My feelings exactly. For AT&T and Tmobile it is not quite as big of a deal as their HPSA+ is not that bad. For Verizon customers, it is step back to much slower 3g speeds.

The phone is nice otherwise, but I will pass.

 

[John Kotches]

Of more concern for me is the lack of MicroSD.

The Galaxy Note 2 on ATT is supposed to have an unlocked boot loader, which opens up a world of possibilities if it's true.

 

[meStevo]

My feelings exactly. For AT&T and Tmobile it is not quite as big of a deal as their HPSA+ is not that bad. For Verizon customers, it is step back to much slower 3g speeds.

The phone is nice otherwise, but I will pass.

Yup, can never go back to 3G, one of the many reasons the 4S wasn't an option for me.

Coincidentally we're just a year removed from the 4S launch where all the Apple guys said they didn't need a bigger screen or LTE, the internals are faster and that's all they needed.

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