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The
Nexus 4 combines LG’s hardware with Google’s software in a powerful combo that
Android fans have been waiting to get their hands on. Now that it’s finally
here, let’s take a quick look at it.
Google Nexus 4 is based on LG Optimus G - launched in India in January this year - and the two share most of the hardware specs. You get a 4.7-inch True HD Plus IPS screen that supports 1280x768p resolution and 318ppi pixel density. Nexus 4 review unit we received runs on Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), the latest version of the free mobile OS.
Google Nexus 4 runs on the stock Android 4.2, giving you software devoid of any apps that clutter the OS (Samsung Galaxy S4's gimmicky apps come to mind). We were curious about the features that the latest version of Android brought to the phone and we are glad to say Google has not disappointed us. Though a minor update, it adds a few new functionalities to the software.
You can see the changes starting from the lock screen itself. In lock screen mode, when you swipe to the left (do not drag the lock icon, but swipe from any point on the display), you can open the camera app. Similarly, a swipe to the right will allow you to see mails, calendar, clock, Google+ posts, text messages etc. You can set as many of these as you want on the lock screen and access the respective app from the lock screen mode.
Another new feature is drag-app-to-delete, wherein you just need to long press an app in the menu and drag it upwards to delete it. We feel it is a much simpler way of deleting an app compared to opening another app to perform this task. Google Now has also become more capable in the latest iteration of Android, giving us more accurate data even before we asked for it.
The feature we loved the most in Android 4.2 OS was offline voice typing. Google has included voice typing in its mobile operating system for quite some time, but offline voice typing is new. You do not need constant internet connectivity to make full use of this feature.
While sending SMSs, emails etc, you just need to click on the mic icon on the keyboard and start speaking when prompted to. When we used this function over a reliable Wi-Fi network, it delivered perfect results but became a little patchy when used offline. However, the voice-to-text interpretation was not too far off the mark and was acceptable for a new feature.
Overall, the phone seems extremely smooth and comes only with a few Google apps, such as Chrome browser, Currents, Maps, Messenger, Play Books, YouTube etc.
Camera and audio
An 8MP camera with LED flash is strapped to the back of Nexus 4. This snapper is not the best in its league and loses to Samsung Galaxy S III's shooter on all counts. While colour reproduction is good, the images are a little grainy for our taste, but not so much that you will not want to upload them on social sites. Contrast in the images we took was a little below par and details were a lot less as compared to the excellent camera of Galaxy S III and iPhone 4S. Lowlight photos of the phone were not good and the LED flash, though powerful, does not help its case much.
Battery Life
The battery life on the Nexus 4 is acceptable at best. It’s not the longest running phone I’ve used but with nominal usage tends to get you through a day without too much trouble.
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