The LG Nexus 4 arrives, but with no LTE Video

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The LG Nexus 4 arrives, but with no LTE
Created: 11/01/2012
Video description: Though Google's flagship phone of the season boasts a pure and elegant Android 4.2 Jelly Bean experience, a 1.5GHz quad-core processor, and a vivid 4.7 screen, the unlock model's lack of 4G LTE capabilities is a letdown.

The LG Nexus 4 arrives, but with no LTE Video Transcript

It's big, it's sparkly, and it doesn't have LTE. Yeah, we were surprised too. But whatever your opinions are, Google has anticipated flagship phone has finally arrived. Hello, everybody. It's Lynn La from CNET here with the LG Nexus 4 on T-Mobile. The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch true HD IPS plus display. That has a 1280 by 760 pixel resolution. Now, instead of having a straight edge touch screen that LG phones usually have, the Nexus has a very nice, very premium feeling display that curves slightly into the vessel. Pairing the device is a quad-core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor. Gameplay was very smooth on this handset and the graphics were vivid and rich. There's also a 2.1Ah battery inside which roughly translates to a reported talk time of 10 hours. Above the display is a 1.3 megapixel camera that can shoot 720p video, and on the back is an 8 megapixel 1080p camera. Now, as a Nexus phone of the year, the device offers users a pure skinless Android experience, and the most recent OS known as Jelly Bean. It comes packed with a bunch of new feature particularly with a camera, which now supports a tweak DY with radial dials and more editing features. There's also the photos for shooting option which lets you stitch together pictures taking from every angle at a single point, to create this expensive 3DS photos. Other new Jelly Bean features include easy access to Google Now which is tied into Google Search and Voice Search. Because Google now isn't technically a voice recognition service, it's not like iOS' Siri but it does have assistant like abilities. For instance, it could suggest local restaurants and estimate your commute time. The Nexus 4 also has Gesture Typing which is similar to Swipe, 2 gigs of RAM, NFC and Bluetooth. One huge feature it doesn't have however is 4G LTE. Now, the last model, the Galaxy Nexus, didn't initially launch with it either but LTE has been around long enough that it's come to be a staple for flagship devices. Instead, the Nexus 4 runs on 4G-ish technology known as HSPA plus, which can be as fast as LTE sometimes. Google sites cost and battery life are some of the reasons that opted not to include LTE but it's hard to claim the Nexus 4 is cutting edge when phones like the LG Optimus G and the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx HD are both powerful, high-end and have LTE. In general, the device is solid. It's internal speeds are zippy and smooth, the camera is packed with new features and the UI is indeed sleek. But other than offering users a pure Jelly Bean experience, the phone doesn't have anything substantially new going for it. The Nexus' design isn't anything we haven't seen before, and while its data speeds are expectable, it's like of LTE capabilities will definitely leave users feeling behind or slighted. Having said that however, the Nexus has always been successful with devoted Android fans. And we predict that this phone will be no exception. Plenty of CNET readers have anecdotally reported that differences in HSPA plus and LTE speeds are negligible. And what's more, is that the Nexus 4 is extremely affordable. It will be available on November 13th unlock, starting at 299 for the 8 gig version and 349 for the 16 gig version. T-Mobile will start selling it a day after. The 16 gig model will go for 199 alongside a career agreement. Again, I'm Lynn and this has been the LG Nexus 4 for T-Mobile.

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LG Nexus 4 Review

The good: The competitively priced LG Nexus 4 delivers a pure and polished experience with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, it's powered by a snappy quad-core processor, and it's packed with new photo-editing and camera features.

The bad: The Nexus 4's construction is solid but uninspiring, its call volume is too low, and it lacks 4G LTE.

The bottom line: While the LG Nexus 4 wins on internal performance and user experience, anyone shopping for an unlocked phone should consider a comparable LTE handset first.

Read full review

LG Nexus 4 Specs

Manufacturer: LG
Part number: 610214631732

Product Basic Spec
  • Product Basic Spec

Read full specs