So what is wrong with the Nexus 4?

[bigrash]

I hate LG phones. Wouldnt buy a Nexus 4 if I were in the market for one.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

Explain to me how the SGSII running CM10 poorly, because of Samsung not open sourcing Exynos, is AT ALL relevant to this discussion? The Nexus will be running factory Android, not some ROM based on Factory Android. Again, where's the relevance?

Got a little off track but my point was that just because the hardware is capable, doesn't mean it will do fine. IT can be a software problem or whatever, but doesn't mean it's a quick fix. Look at the Samsung GPS fiasco with the SGS1 phones. My point was that your reasoning that you're not concerned with benchmarks because the hardware is capable doesn't clear the phone of faults. IT could be a software problem in that the benchmark app is flawed. Or it could be a software problem holding back the phone. It could be a hardware issue like overheating. We don't know yet, but just because the software specs are great on paper doesn't mean anything.

While I wouldn't be as worried as I would if this were a craptastic SoC, I'm still worried because even seemingly easy fixes can drag out. Unless this problem is addressed, or acknowledged, or some sort of commitment/plan in place to fix this problem is in place, I can't say it's mitigated yet.

I know last year around this time might be too long of a period for your long-term memory to hold onto something, but the GNex was in the hands of a few people running 4.0, and since you can't remember it shipped with 4.0.1 which fixed the issues reviewers were having with 4.0.

What we have here is more severe issues. Performance is a big thing. I don't mind small bug fixes. I can't even name the fixes that went into 4.0.3 and 4.0.4. For the most part it doesn't affect us. However, the pre production releases we see here are not only bugged but widely varying. It just seems further from being ready than would be ideal.

 

[ponyo]

Remember the volume fluctuation bug discovered with the Galaxy Nexus right after the launch? Couple of UK retailers actually refused to sell the phones and returned shipments to Samsung til the bug was fixed via Google software update. I held off importing for couple of weeks til the bug was fixed.

 

[Suspicious-Teach8788]

I think the fact that it's slow in benchmarks AND pretty bad in battery life compared to other current phones is quite concerning. If you're not running at full potential yet getting bad battery life, that's pretty bad.

 

[Eug]

Yeah, if the preview units had given good results, I may have pre-ordered one. As it stands now, I will not.

In other words, Google's premature previews have had the effect of dampening my interest.

And no, I don't automatically trust Google to come up with quick updates. Hell, it took them years just to get an acceptable OS IMO, in 4.0 to 4.1.

 

[openwheel]

nothing wrong with the Nexus 4.

just a few jealous people who overpaid for their mediocre phones and have to stick with their mediocre phones. People actually care about bench marks on a pre-production phone? Come on people, there must be something better to do.

Interesting article from xda about the built quality. Funny cause some resemble Apple's use of assembly. At the end of the day, there will be no issue with those "quality issues".

 

[Fire&Blood]

I really hope it's only a software issue, because Andand's comments in the preview worry me a little...


"The Nexus 4 on the other hand manages to complete everything, but likely quickly throttles its clocks down due to thermal constraints. The Nexus 4 was really hot by the end of our GLBenchmark run, which does point to some thermal throttling going on here. I do wonder if the Snapdragon S4 Pro is a bit too much for a smartphone, and is better suited for a tablet at 28nm."

Yes, that same paragraph had me worried too. Anand is one of the most credible sources for anything tech related, I wouldn't have been as concerned as I am if Anand/Brian left more room for errors, faulty review unit, software bugs or something else. Then Anand (or Brian, does it really matter) went a step further:

I do wonder if the Snapdragon S4 Pro is a bit too much for a smartphone, and is better suited for a tablet at 28nm.

That's a show stopper right there. Not even questioning whether the review unit is faulty, no room for possible software bugs, none of that but straight up
accusing Qualcomm's top dog of a major flaw. The hint that it needs another die shrink before it's viable for smartphones surely stings their engineers. Either I'm reading this wrong or something is amiss. Especially considering the vibe from Anand's previous S4 Pro encounters.

 

[Zivic]

imho... 3 things:
1.) back glass
2.) no SD slot or option for 32 gb memory
3.) sealed battery

I don't care about LTE. I am jumping ship to prepaid and gsm is all I need

 

[preslove]

Got a little off track but my point was that just because the hardware is capable, doesn't mean it will do fine. IT can be a software problem or whatever, but doesn't mean it's a quick fix. Look at the Samsung GPS fiasco with the SGS1 phones. My point was that your reasoning that you're not concerned with benchmarks because the hardware is capable doesn't clear the phone of faults. IT could be a software problem in that the benchmark app is flawed. Or it could be a software problem holding back the phone. It could be a hardware issue like overheating. We don't know yet, but just because the software specs are great on paper doesn't mean anything.

While I wouldn't be as worried as I would if this were a craptastic SoC, I'm still worried because even seemingly easy fixes can drag out. Unless this problem is addressed, or acknowledged, or some sort of commitment/plan in place to fix this problem is in place, I can't say it's mitigated yet.


What we have here is more severe issues. Performance is a big thing. I don't mind small bug fixes. I can't even name the fixes that went into 4.0.3 and 4.0.4. For the most part it doesn't affect us. However, the pre production releases we see here are not only bugged but widely varying. It just seems further from being ready than would be ideal.

If its a software issue, then anand's scary observations don't hold. Also, since there are other kernels out there on review units that don't apparently have the same flaw, it should be easy enough to pick the kernel that doesn't overheat and push it out as an update.

 

[Nvidiaguy07]

From what we know so far, it is pretty amazing. It tops Anand's charts for contrast ratio and has the blackest blacks of any LCD screen. I don't know if the rest of the screen is as good as what we already know, but we'll probably know soon once the full AT review comes out.

does that include SAMOLED screens? I havent used anything but AMOLED since ive owned my first android, only because its my primary reading device, and i like to look at white text on black background.

Havent read all the posts, but should we expect more nexii this year? Im hoping for something from samsung that is slimmer and sleeker than the GS3, but with the nexus branding.

 

[gevorg]

Compare Nexus 4 call quality sample here (scroll down):
http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/lg-nexus-4/4505-6454_7-35517164-2.html

To S3:
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s-iii/4505-6452_7-35326398-2.html

:| :hmm:

 

[Ravynmagi]

nothing wrong with the Nexus 4.

just a few jealous people who overpaid for their mediocre phones and have to stick with their mediocre phones. People actually care about bench marks on a pre-production phone? Come on people, there must be something better to do.

Interesting article from xda about the built quality. Funny cause some resemble Apple's use of assembly. At the end of the day, there will be no issue with those "quality issues".

If the issue is just unfinished pre-production hardware, and I really hope that is all it is. Then fine. But I really question the wisdom of Google in sending out these units to reviewers this early if they still had notable optimizations and tweaks yet to do. Reviewers got the phone and tablet two weeks before launch, maybe Google should have held on to them a bit longer and sent a more finished product a few days before launch.

I want to believe it's just early software and hardware. But after RMAing my Nexus 7 four times, I know Google isn't infallible. So I can't help but be a little concerned now.

For what it matters, I don't have an overpriced mediocre phone. I have a Galaxy Nexus I paid $400 for earlier in the year, it's a good phone. And even with the less than stellar first reviews of the Nexus 4, I'll still be buying it as soon as I can and hope for the best.

 

[Muyoso]

I wish tech sites would be contacting Google asking for an explanation on this. They have to have the contacts to get an answer fairly quickly. Maybe in the Anandtech review they will have more information. I sure hope that its something to do with Android 4.2 debugging code or something simple like that. Otherwise I will probably immediately regret my purchase.

 

[Fire&Blood]

The biggest concern with Anand's article for me is that it doesn't mention possible software issues, instead it's just a harsh remark. No escape alleys were left for the Nexus/S4 Pro via software/hardware/bad unit issues. Reading that the S4Pro is one step away from being declared a bad choice for smartphones, on Anandtech.com of all sites, is a cause for concern.

Then again, the Verge reported great battery life, no issues with build quality (if fragility is more of an issue than it usually is with smartphones, it actually falls under design flaws not build quality)and no complaints about performance. Granted JT is shallow compared to Brian and Anand but it's obvious they didn't review the same unit. The takeaway from the reviews I read is the same as with any other phone that's more than just a blip on the radar, last phone I remember launching without any early issues is the old razr.


Eventually, Nexus 4 will perform as Google intended, I have no doubt that. It's just a question of when because I want them to take my money asap, Nov 13th to be precise. I am a little hesitant because I don't want to be a early batch victim, at the same time I feel like this issue is overblown, it happens elsewhere all the time. It wont be long before this phone is "uncool" and forgotten, LTE junkies and carriers with their halo 1080p's will make sure of that even before the year is over, while the Nexus4 going to be a major hit compared to it's predecessor elsewhere in the world.

 

[Skurge]

Has the Nexus 10 shown any issues?

AT's score is much lower than other places though, so it is surprising that they would just assume it was overheating and not a software issue.

http://www.glbenchmark.com/phonedetails.jsp?D=Google+Nexus+4

 

[basslover1]

There has to be a lack of software optimization somewhere.

The hardware on the Optimus G and Nexus 4 are nearly identical right?

In the Anandtech review, the Optimus G handily beats the Nexus 4, in I believe every single benchmark. I can't see the Nexus 4 sucking that badly, when the two use the same CPU/GPU combo, same amount RAM, and same screen size.

 

[zerogear]

I'm thinking maybe Anand's unit was defective in some way

 

[Capt Caveman]

nothing wrong with the Nexus 4.

just a few jealous people who overpaid for their mediocre phones and have to stick with their mediocre phones. People actually care about bench marks on a pre-production phone? Come on people, there must be something better to do.

Interesting article from xda about the built quality. Funny cause some resemble Apple's use of assembly. At the end of the day, there will be no issue with those "quality issues".

Like the Nexus 7? Of course it's a concern when reviewers are getting different results from their testing. I plan on getting the Nexus 4 and the battery life is a huge concern.

 

[Skurge]

Compare Nexus 4 call quality sample here (scroll down):
http://reviews.cnet.com/cell-phones/lg-nexus-4/4505-6454_7-35517164-2.html

To S3:
http://reviews.cnet.com/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-s-iii/4505-6452_7-35326398-2.html

:| :hmm:

The S3 sounds noticeably worse.

 

[Headcase_Fargone]

Has the Nexus 10 shown any issues?

AT's score is much lower than other places though, so it is surprising that they would just assume it was overheating and not a software issue.

http://www.glbenchmark.com/phonedetails.jsp?D=Google+Nexus+4

I'm 90% certain I recall seeing similar benchmark issues with the Nexus 10 on a couple sites. That is to say severely under performing compared to rival tablets that it SHOULD blow out of the water. Can't spend the time to find these articles at the moment though so take that for what it's worth.

 

[badb0y]

Probably a software bug or defective batch or something like that but why would they send reviewers this device if it wasn't primed for release? At 300$ I'll probably grab one just to test it out. I like jumping back and forth it keeps me in the loop on what's going on in the 2 platforms.

 

[gevorg]

The S3 sounds noticeably worse.

Really? To me, N4 doesn't sound as smooth as S3. There seems to be more "micro stuttering" with N4.

 

[Eug]

Probably a software bug or defective batch or something like that but why would they send reviewers this device if it wasn't primed for release?

It has already been mentioned that different reviewers got different kernels. Not what I call "primed".

Like the Nexus 7?

Yep. I returned two Nexus 7 units because of the screen lift issue.

 

[Skurge]

Really? To me, N4 doesn't sound as smooth as S3. There seems to be more "micro stuttering" with N4.

The nexus 4 was stuttery, but i couldnt make out what she was saying as well as on on the S3.

 

[aceO07]

I'm anxiously waiting for AT's review of the Nexus 4. All the other sites have rushed to do their reviews a few days ago.

Hopefully the extra time AT is taking will reveal extra details that other reviewer didn't find. Especially on issues like performance and battery life.