While Google cancelled today's press event for the launch of their new Nexus 4 smartphone and Nexus 10 tablet, the company has still announced the technical specifics, launch dates, and prices of the new Android devices. According to a post over at the Google blog, the new Nexus 4 smartphone made by LG sports a 4.7" (320 ppi) display, Android 4.2, 8 megapixel camera, wireless charging, and a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor -- which Google is insisting is the fastest on the market.
Most interesting however is that the device will not have an LTE radio. Google, as we saw with early Nexus implementations, wants to bypass the carrier subsidy model and will instead be selling the Nexus 4 directly to consumers as an unlocked HSPA+ phone.
That leaves it technically behind the iPhone 5, but it's an interesting play all the same -- by appealing directly to Android fans who prefer the stock experience and want to minimize carrier device meddling. Still, by making it HSPA+ only you're limiting the consumer experience to fewer carriers (just T-Mobile and AT&T here in the States), though you can likely expect an LTE model(s) as LTE Becomes more ubiquitous.
The Nexus 4 is expected to ship on November 13, the 8GB version costing $300, and the 16 GB version costing $350. T-Mobile will offer users the 16 GB version for $200 through T-Mobile, but only if you sign a two-year contract. The company has also announced a revamped Nexus 7 tablet, and a new, larger Nexus 10 tablet, both of which will also ship on November 13.
The pricing and launch dates of the various devices:
•Nexus 4: 8GB for $299; 16GB for $349; available unlocked and without a contract on 11/13 on the Google Play store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada. The 16GB version will also be available through T-Mobile for $199, with a 2-year contract.
•Nexus 7: 16GB for $199 and 32GB for $249; available in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan, and also through our retail partners Gamestop, Office Depot, Office Max, Staples, Walmart.
•Nexus 7 with 32GB and mobile data: $299 and unlocked, on sale 11/13 in the Google Play store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain and Canada.
•Nexus 10•: 16GB for $399; 32GB for $499; available on 11/13 in the Google Play Store in U.S., U.K., Australia, France, Germany, Spain, Canada and Japan.
If so, that is going to be a limiting factor. I know they said it is going to be unlocked, but it would be nice to see what other carriers will allow it.
If so, that is going to be a limiting factor. I know they said it is going to be unlocked, but it would be nice to see what other carriers will allow it.
The new nexus 4 has a pentaband HSPA+ radio, so it will work on any GSM carrier worldwide. In the US that means AT&T, T-mobile, and associated MVNOs. T-mobile will be the only carrier that subsidizes the new nexus, but you can still pop in an AT&T or MVNO SIM since it's unlocked.
This is crazy: $350 16GB to apples $650 (no contract) and a phone w/ superior specs. A pure google phone, no carrier lock. Who cares about the DMCA.
This phone w/ work on any GSM carrier and HSPA for most. In the US that is TMO and T (ATT) or ANY of the dozens of prepaid MVNO. Slap this on straighttalk for $45 a month.
The reason why they didn't do LTE:
1. LTE phones run in different frequencies on different carriers. They would have to create a different phone for each carrier and likely kiss some serious a$$. 2. No provider currently allows LTE on MVNO (Sprint coming) 3. Cost, can keep it simple to support 4. The MVNO market is not small anymore, in fact that is where all the growth is happening. The big guys are simply churning product at this time, and slowly killing off phone subsidies. American Movil is almost as big as Tmobile (24 million subs) and that is only one MVNO. 5. Seriously undercut Apple. This shows a rocking phone for almost half the price, and no contract. This is an all out assault to Apples ridiculous margins. Apple puts out subpar stripper ipad mini with a resolution that my $100 china android pad has. I think my days of buying Apple stuff is done....
1. LTE phones run in different frequencies on different carriers. They would have to create a different phone for each carrier and likely kiss some serious a$$. 2. No provider currently allows LTE on MVNO (Sprint coming) 3. Cost, can keep it simple to support 4. The MVNO market is not small anymore, in fact that is where all the growth is happening. The big guys are simply churning product at this time, and slowly killing off phone subsidies. American Movil is almost as big as Tmobile (24 million subs) and that is only one MVNO. 5. Seriously undercut Apple. This shows a rocking phone for almost half the price, and no contract. This is an all out assault to Apples ridiculous margins. Apple puts out subpar stripper ipad mini with a resolution that my $100 china android pad has. I think my days of buying Apple stuff is done....
6. LTE isn't a big deal on an HSPA+ capable carrier.
On my AT&T iPhone 5 I get 5-6mbps on HSPA+, and 10-14mbps when I hit an LTE area. It's better, but not game changing. I usually turn LTE off because I'm told it'll save a little battery.
On my Verizon iPad, it's different story. When I'm on 3G, I'm getting 150-384kbps most of the time, and browsing media heavy sites is the pits. Things improve dramatically when I hit an LTE area, and I would never dream of shutting off Verizon LTE when it's available.
-- AT&T U-Hearse - RIP Unlimited Internet 1995-2011 Rethink Billable.
I would agree HSPA+ is powerful, but LTE is an arms race with these guys. None of these guys is going to pass on this.
In fact I'm moving my wifes prepaid from VM to Straightalk this week (on TMO) because I get like 128kbps on Sprint and my friend is getting 9Mbps sitting in my house. I hear the AT&T sims for ST they shut you off at will.
The CDMA vendors more than anyone else need off. Obviously Verizon has done that, but Sprint is sucking wind.
I would be mostly happy with a phone that gets great service rather being able to play angry birds in HD. All we have here is just another phone that does nothing more then, let's say, a Motorola Admiral. Being water proof wouldn't hurt either. Just saying. Google isn't going to be a threat to anyone except themselves until they BUY a mobile carrier.
I would be mostly happy with a phone that gets great service rather being able to play angry birds in HD. All we have here is just another phone that does nothing more then, let's say, a Motorola Admiral. Being water proof wouldn't hurt either. Just saying. Google isn't going to be a threat to anyone except themselves until they BUY a mobile carrier.
After the carrier DISASTER that was the Galaxy Nexus T-Mobile may have been the only one to allow Google to be Google. I regret getting my Verizon Wireless Galaxy Nexus due to VZW's meddling.
After the carrier DISASTER that was the Galaxy Nexus T-Mobile may have been the only one to allow Google to be Google. I regret getting my Verizon Wireless Galaxy Nexus due to VZW's meddling.
Not all Verizon's fault. It still has a crappy processor, radio and camera. Those are all Samsungs fault
* extremely delayed Android OS updates * not a pure Android experience * Google Wallet not installed by default and impossible for ordinary users to install on their own.
As much as Verizon's network is great, they cannot be trusted for a Nexus device in the future. Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior, and Verizon will provide a shitty experience for a Nexus device.
Guys one serious question. I am based in Europe and has a friend right now in US who was supposed to fly back on 21st Novermber and thus me and my gf we both sold our phones as he was gonna bring us two nexus4. While now suddenly his return has been preponed to 17th Novermber. So can he order the phones at midnight of 12th November as soon as it is 13th or will he have to wait till morning and most importantly will he be able to recieve them by 16th latest?? Or will they be available in any stores in US at the same price as google store (I heard about LGs debacle in European pricing). So to sum up if he orders as soon as the order is up or so will he get them by 16 or can he buy them in stores at the same price? Bottomline will he be able to buy these two phones for me and my gf at the said price. Now we are really in soup here as both of us are using stone age old phones and have finances ready precisely enough to pay him back euros equivlant to the cost of two nexus4 at USD prices.. Thanks for every suggestion in advance
Thaler Premium join:2004-02-02 Los Angeles, CA kudos:3
No kidding. The reason I avoided iOS initially like the plague was that I couldn't get it on a carrier that had service in my area. Android platform phones had the strength of being on any carrier.
Now I can get an iPhone 5 on a Sprint network, but not a Nexus. Same shoe, other foot.
I hate LG, so I hope the rumours of The Galaxy Nexus 2 are true.. Every LG phone I've had, ends up to be garbage.
Just curious, but when was the last time you had an LG phone? They've really stepped up their game, in my opinion. My wife's Optimus V has been subjected to more abuse than any phone should be able to take, and it keeps on truckin'. More times than I can count, I've seen her drop that thing and watched it fly apart, with the back cover skidding off in one direction and the battery in another; but snap it back together at it's good as new.
Also, one thing I love about LG's Android phones is that the microUSB port is always centered on the bottom edge of the phone - sounds like a little thing, but I find any other configuration to be a huge annoyance when trying to use the phone while it's charging. I wish all the manufacturers would do that. -- Core2Quad Q9450 @ 3.4GHz, XFX 780i SLI mobo, MSI GTX 560 OC, 4GB Patriot Viper DDR2-1066, Samsung 20x optical, Samsung F3 1TB HDD, Antec TP3 650 watt PSU, CoolerMaster Centurion 5 case, Win7 Home Premium 64 bit...
pnjunction Teksavvy Extreme Premium join:2008-01-24 Toronto, ON kudos:1
My old LG Shine flip phone is still working as an alarm clock and I never had problems with it, but I haven't had experience with any of their Android adventures.
skeechan Ai Otsukaholic Premium join:2012-01-26 AA169|170 kudos:2
Re: so memory card slot
With Google Music cloud service it wouldn't be so bad, but I like to carry lots of TV and Movies in case I get stuck bored somewhere. I don't understand why they wouldn't put an micro SD slot on there.
With Google Music cloud service it wouldn't be so bad, but I like to carry lots of TV and Movies in case I get stuck bored somewhere. I don't understand why they wouldn't put an micro SD slot on there.
For example, if you're on an airplane and want to load it up with some movies. Downloading is far slower than copying to the card from your computer.
Not just that...if you are on the plane, you don't have connectivity or if you do it's the dog slow variety. I know from my iPad and iPhone, both 64GB models being full all the time, if I were to get a different device I would definitely be looking for one with expandable storage. This is especially true in a 10" tablet. Some of my 1080P concert videos are 15+GB because I don't bother to reencode for portable devices (I just use the same files as I do for my HTPC).
16-32GB definitely wouldn't cut it for a long haul flight from LAX to NRT.
... and that, unfortunately is a stupid marketing decision that makes Google no better than Apple from this point of view. -- Providers: voip.ms, freephoneline, smartcall.ro through asterisk. Hardware: Vonage VDV21, Moto VT2x42, Linksys SPA series, Grandstream HT series, Panasonic KX-TGP5x0 »www.voipfan.net
And that happens to be "your" opinion, but clearly not everyone. Why does everyone find it necessary to put their arse out on the "cloud"? Trust me when you no longer can access "your" data I will still be enjoying my "local cloud" without interruption. This is a "fail" on the part of GOOGLE, but I doubt they are listening
Kinda sucks but my last Nexus phone had one and I never filled it anyway. Of course come to think of it, I upgraded because the SD card was not full but the OS couldn't use it for apps. So I had all this extra unusable space. I have less space on the new phone, but actually more usable space.
damn shame really but this is just lazy engineering. -- dnoyeB "Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard. " Ecclesiastes 9:16
Google's pricing for their direct-sale Nexus phones (first the Galaxy Nexus and now the Nexus 4) should be a reality check for both the wireless industry and the wireless consumer. While the carriers are selling off contract devices for $600-$700, here's Google offering up high-end smartphones (top-of-class, in fact) at an astonishingly reasonable price point. Just more proof that price-gouging is the name of the game for the Big Four. I can only hope that as more and more people choose to go the MVNO route, the powers that be will see the writing on the wall and return to sanity. A lot to hope for, I know... But hey, I can dream! -- Core2Quad Q9450 @ 3.4GHz, XFX 780i SLI mobo, MSI GTX 560 OC, 4GB Patriot Viper DDR2-1066, Samsung 20x optical, Samsung F3 1TB HDD, Antec TP3 650 watt PSU, CoolerMaster Centurion 5 case, Win7 Home Premium 64 bit...
Pricing it at cost, means you're much more likely to use Gmail, Youtube, buy "Drive" space. etc. It's actually brilliant marketing. -- All hail my invisible zombie in the sky who watches everything you do and sends you to fictional places when you die.
At cost? I doubt it. It doesn't take $300 to put together a smartphone, even with top specs. And I doubt Google is banking on making their money back on their various services - these are services that people would most likely be using regardless of device choice, or who they bought the device from. Google's services are ubiquitous across platforms.
I hardly think that the carriers' retail mark-ups are within the bounds of reason. They charge ridiculous prices because that drives people to subsidized devices on contracts. Remember, contracts are what they bank on. If you were to see what the carriers pay the manufacturers for these phones, I imagine you'd probably be quite surprised. -- Core2Quad Q9450 @ 3.4GHz, XFX 780i SLI mobo, MSI GTX 560 OC, 4GB Patriot Viper DDR2-1066, Samsung 20x optical, Samsung F3 1TB HDD, Antec TP3 650 watt PSU, CoolerMaster Centurion 5 case, Win7 Home Premium 64 bit...
Starting to see why the phone is so cheap now; no SD slot, non replaceable battery, paltry internal storage; my My Touch 4G which is 2 years old had 16GB. Sorry, but I will pass.
Starting to see why the phone is so cheap now; no SD slot, non replaceable battery, paltry internal storage; my My Touch 4G which is 2 years old had 16GB. Sorry, but I will pass.
I've had phones with non replaceable batteries for a few years now. Not once have I ever felt the need or had the desire to remove or replace a battery. In fact I rather like not having a plastic battery cover to fall off or break.
If I did need to replace a battery I can go to one of the many local smartphone repair shops and have it replaced while I wait for a few dollars. For extra tech fun I can get a tool kit and DIY. However, I've never needed to replace a battery.
Whatever technical reason they give, it's bs. The real reason is lowering cost and raising margin, except for Apple (they make ungodly margin regardless). By selling higher flash, they make better margin. The "stripper" devices are the ones w/ 8/16GB. You just saw Google lower the price of the Nexus 7 to keep in line w/ Apple spec wise. Price wise, it's not even close.
What happened to the 8GB Nexus 7 that I have? That should be $150 I don't have any media on the thing and only have 2GB free. 8GB is just not enough and they know it. A true stripper.
As to the Nexus 7, I don't care because it's wifi, and if I'm not on wifi, I don't use it. If I really need extra storage, I plug in my OTG cable and have 32 GB in an instant. It's not as elegant as sd card, but this is where we have gone. It may seem silly to this bunch, but outside this the technical crew a very small portion of the population even know they have SD in their phone or how to use it. They only know what's quoted on the specs.
In fact the times that I want to use media, is when I'm "off the grid". Planes, away from home, trains. I don't have unlimited data, so by playing my media in the cloud 100% of the time can get expensive.
I read a blog where Google said monolothic storage reduces support calls (which it probably does), so I get it. But they too want everything in the cloud, which is at odds with the carriers who tax you heavily for using the cloud today.
Answer: Use OTG cable or something like the Kensington Wi-drive.
Yeah, not to mention that both my phone and my wife's phone have had their microSD cards die in the last 3 months, after only about 2 years.
The internal storage should be more reliable than the cheap cards most people shove into phones, and the results from a borked SD card can be confusing and non-obvious. (e.g. the predictions stopped popping up on swiftkey, camera wouldn't save pics, handcent wouldn't play notification sounds)
Also, android is not set up to allow for widgets to be used from the SD card, and SD card apps cannot run on startup when rebooting the phone. I'm sure they could fix the issues, but it was probably much simpler to dictate this part of their specs and let the manufacturers deal with the headaches if they decide to include the SD slot.
Photo Sphere panorama photos Gesture typing on the keyboard Lockscreen improvements, including widget support and the ability to swipe directly to camera Expandable notifications with that let you take actions directly Message zooming in Gmail with the ability to reflow text automatically Daydream screensavers Accessibility improvements: triple-tap to magnify the entire screen, pan and zoom with two fingers. Speech output and Gesture Mode navigation for blind users. Miracast support for wireless display sharing Google Now can use Gmail as a data source for new cards,
including improved flight tracker, hotel and restaurant reservations, movie and music recommendations. Photo Spot card recommends interesting places to take photos based on your location.
Google are in the cloud storage business, so I can see the reason as to why they didn't include a storage slot. You need more storage, use their cloud services. Yes it's some CONs to that but perhaps that's their thinking (just a guess).
Example, with the HTC evo 4glte users received 25gb of Dropbox storage free for two years.
Not so sure I would use the included keyboard over Swype. My SGS3 came with it's own Swype copy-cat and it's not as good. Guess that would have to be a try-and-see thing.
I bought the Galaxy Nexus Yesterday, and today they announce Nexus 4, darn it... And can't cancel the order either because they ship out so fast. Luckily Google told me i can refuse the package and I will get my refund. Will buy the 8G Nexus 4 for sure, for my gf's mom, she doesn't even need 8G Oh, by the way I love Google's strategy of skipping all the carrier, it definitely appeal to people like me.
All the android fans laughed at apples iphone 4/4s for having no removable battery, no sd slot, no LTE, and a glass rear housing for the last two years. Here comes LG/google 2 years later with all the same faults and it's the holy grail.
pnjunction Teksavvy Extreme Premium join:2008-01-24 Toronto, ON kudos:1
Not sure about the back but all the missing features are frustrating to me.
No LTE, only 16GB, and non-removable battery all suck. Triple deal-breaker.
The only people are happy, and they have reason to be, are those who care about the price. I didn't care about the price at all I just wanted LTE and at least 32GB to go with those timely Android updates.
Now I have to choose between a phone with LTE and decent storage or one that will undoubtedly have late updates before it is abandoned in a year or less. The solution to the update problem was 'get a Nexus' well it is here and it sucks so now what?
I don't need LTE. In fact I used to use EDGE most of the time but decided to go ahead with 3G/HSPD. But I just don't need that LTE speed on a smart phone. Im not downloading movies over the mobile network...
I never filled my last 16GB so while I am unhappy about the decision, in the end its not likely to affect me.
non removable battery just seems like total foolishness. I never intend to upgrade my device. I don't chase the latest because it does what I need already. Still, considering I upgraded my last phone before the battery died I have to admit I wouldn't use that feature.
That's the rational approach. If I were a shareholder though I would question the decision because it will turn a lot of people off. -- dnoyeB "Then said I, Wisdom [is] better than strength: nevertheless the poor man's wisdom [is] despised, and his words are not heard. " Ecclesiastes 9:16
fuziwuzi Not born yesterday Premium join:2005-07-01 Atlanta, GA
Nexus /= developer phone?
Having a non-removable battery in a supposedly "developer" phone is ridiculous. When debugging code, how do you stop a bootloop? A big design fail, I think. -- Teabaggers: Destroying America is Priority #1
Guys one serious question. I am based in Europe and has a friend right now in US who was supposed to fly back on 21st Novermber and thus me and my gf we both sold our phones as he was gonna bring us two nexus4. While now suddenly his return has been preponed to 17th Novermber. So can he order the phones at midnight of 12th November as soon as it is 13th or will he have to wait till morning and most importantly will he be able to recieve them by 16th latest?? Or will they be available in any stores in US at the same price as google store (I heard about LGs debacle in European pricing). So to sum up if he orders as soon as the order is up or so will he get them by 16 or can he buy them in stores at the same price? Bottomline will he be able to buy these two phones for me and my gf at the said price. Now we are really in soup here as both of us are using stone age old phones and have finances ready precisely enough to pay him back euros equivlant to the cost of two nexus4 at USD prices.. Thanks for every suggestion in advance
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Re: Nexus 4: Tmobile is the only carrier?
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