With its large screen, powerful processor and system Android 4.2, the Google Nexus 4 is one of the most advanced smartphones on the market, yet the price is very low.
The promise
Google told the Korean LG care to make its fourth smartphone, the Google Nexus 4. With a large screen of 4.7 inches (11.9 cm) high definition, a quad-core processor Qualcomm signed last generation and 2 GB of RAM, the device promises a lot, especially as it is the first to advantage of version 4.2 of Android.
Reality
The design of the Google Nexus 4 is a very sober. Lines, simple are yet very elegant. Its large screen size imposes its 15/9, while width, with a beautiful efficiency. It is also very bright (465 cd / m², according to measurements) and displays deep blacks (1661:1 Contrast). Plastic materials are discrete on the perimeter of the smartphone. The back of the device, covered with a glass surface is sensitive to fingerprints, but its aesthetic is a success. This thin glass plate, well reinforced against scratches, provides a beautiful view of the protection of photo sensor. We are concerned; however it breaks in case of bad fall. The Google Nexus 4 is rather thin and light for its size, but be careful, little hands will be hampered by the width of the touch screen.
Fluidity foolproof
With its Android 4.2, this Google Nexus 4 smartphone is one of the most pleasant to use market. The interface displays a fluidity and reactivity close to perfection. Everything responds to the slightest touch of the finger on the screen a real pleasure. Applications open quickly, and multitasking is handled beautifully thanks to 2GB of RAM. In short, all these points, we can now say that Android has caught up on the system interface iOS – now on Apple iPhone – (or even that of Windows Phone 7 and 8). Finally!
Performance and battery life
Despite a powerful quad-core processor Qualcomm performance Google Nexus 4 is still very fast, it never waits for the user. Its chipset is very fast in 3D. It seems that the processor never reaches its cruising speed (1.5 GHz), because it voluntarily limits its frequency does not overheat and save battery. In games, some small (but rare) saccades show the mobile is not yet fully optimized at the software level. Ditto for battery! The camera can take very long time (several days) in standby mode, but once you use it, the battery tends to drain quickly, despite its high capacity (2100 mAh): autonomy reached 5 h 40 3G browsing, a result very average today. In video playback, the smartphone is already better (a little more than 7 hours), but in calls, it falls into banality (less than 10 hours).
New tricks and features
Very well equipped, the Google Nexus 4 is equipped with a multitude of additional functions. Starting with the most surprising: Photo Sphere. This software automatically creates a 360 ° panoramic picture from multiple images. The result is a “ball” in 3D in which you can navigate in real time to observe the landscape from all angles. The trick works very well, is very easy to use and sometimes excellent results.
Android 4.2 brings many small improvements very useful, such as direct access to the main settings smartphone by opening the notifications panel with two fingers, or the presence of widgets (SMS, calendar, camera, etc..) On lock screen. The device is also compatible with the Qi wireless charging, as Nokia Lumia 920. Also include the virtual keyboard which now includes Swype technology. Finally, note that Gmail can now expand the content of messages, and delete them with a single horizontal gesture.
Not quite default media
Google Nexus 4 features a photo sensor (8 megapixels) for correct performance. It shoots well, but remains well below the best of its kind (iPhone 5 or iPhone 4S and Nokia Lumia 920) in terms of sharpness. The video capture is recorded at 22 frames per second, but this problem seems fixed since the last update of the device (the day of its launch). Flow of data provides a picture very well encoded 1080p (9 Mbit / s), with a dynamic range very correct. But the image is not stabilized, and the films are subjected to vertical deformations visible in movements (” rolling shutter “or” Jelly effect “). Side compatibility, Nexus can only play H.264 video up to 1080p basic. It will be equipped with an independent reader as MX Player – for now; it is not compatible with Android 4.2 – to play all formats.
The verdict
After Acer and CloudMobile, LG offers a low-cost smartphone: the Nexus 4 is modern, well equipped and efficient, but its price is significantly lower than those charged by the competition. Nevertheless, it fails to clinch a fifth star. Autonomy is relatively disappointing, and its inability to get a MicroSD memory card functionality flange long term. The Google Nexus 4 is still a very good deal, hoping that future updates to the system a bit further optimize its performance and autonomy.
This was all regarding the Google Nexus 4 smartphone review and according to us it wins the tag of “recommended product”.
