Google Nexus 4 Quick Review

Google Nexus 4 Quick Review

Brief:  Google’s ludicrously cheap Nexus

Price:  £239 for 8GB or £279 for 16GB at launch

Specification:  See here https://store.google.com/product/nexus_4_8gb?playredirect=true

Accessories:  Erm a charger and USB cable.  You can get cases as always in abundance on eBay but official accessories are insanely expensive.  I wouldn’t buy them.

Build Quality:  The whole glass front and back thing, well yes it makes it feel “premium” or heavy as I call it.  Its pretty snugly put together so no faults there from me.

Aesthetics:  I sort of like the pattern on the back but otherwise it’s a non-descript as ever a black slab of glass was.  It’s not unattractive but likewise I wouldn’t particularly call it attractive either.  It’s bland.

As a Phone: Really rather good.  It’s a bit wide for my hands to hold comfortably.  Its glass back makes is very slippery and its got no expandable storage.  So not perfect.  Still screen is fine, calls are all good and it does everything you would want a phone to do with ease.

Sound:  Meh.  Meh actually really sums it up.  I didn’t find anything especially redeeming about its weird audio output.  It’s like someone went nuts with the EQ to WWWWWWW.  Random spikes, random valleys all over the place.  Hey I get that for being paired with rubbish consumer grade (i.e. bassy flab cannons) that this probably works, helps to make them feel dynamic and lively.  With better stuff in use it just got annoying.  For me the clearest sign I’m not enjoying something is when I start lowering the volume. I wasn’t enjoying the N4.  I could go into more depth as to how it behaves but why bother.  You either have one, know it sucks and don’t care or you are getting one to play with different ROM’s and audio is completely incidental.  If you are looking at one as you primary music source, it would not be something I’d recommend for the job.  Sure it’s better than nothing at all and if it’s what you got then it’s what you got.  To borrow a camera phase, the best DAP is the one you’ve got with you.

Value:  As a DAP not so much.  As an all-round device, stellar value.  Top spec phone for less than half the price of the competition.  These was a reason it kept instantly selling out on Google play.

Pro’s:  Nice spec’d phone.  Cheap.  Erm its better than no DAP.

Con’s:  Audio quality is poo. No expandable storage. No removable battery.