Design
Google Nexus smartphones have always set the tone for the mobile world. These smartphones have already been released by HTC, Samsung and Asus. Now it's LG's turn. Although recently this company has not released decent models, except for the Optimus 4X HD. But this time, LG has a great phone.
Outwardly, the Nexus 4 looks very nice. The front panel is covered with protective Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and is surrounded by a chrome bezel, which makes the phone a stylish device.
The Nexus 4 is not the lightest and thinnest phone on the market, it weighs 139g and is 9.1mm thick. But thanks to this, the assembly of the phone seems to be tighter. Another design advantage is the rounded sides, which make the phone more pleasant to hold in the hand.
On the side faces you will find familiar controls. At the top there is a 3.5 mm headphone jack, on the left is a sound rocker and a slot for micro SIM, at the bottom is a USB port, and at the top of the right side there is a power / unlock button for the phone. The manufacturer has well positioned this button, it is easy to reach it, even if you are left-handed.
The rubberized back cover is non-removable, which means you won't be able to replace the battery. This also means that the phone does not have a memory card slot. And if the battery capacity of 2100 mAh is enough, then the inability to increase the memory is a huge disadvantage of the device.
The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core 1.5GHz processor, which makes it fast and reliable.
Screen
Google Nexus 4 has a large and bright 4.7-inch screen. The display is made with True HD WXGA IPS Plus technology, has a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels and a ppi level of 320, which is comparable to the pixel density of the Retina screen on the iPhone 5 (326ppi).
The screen exhibits crisp, vibrant colors and good viewing angles, making the Google Nexus 4 an excellent multimedia phone.
The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2, so you can be sure you won't break or scratch such a gorgeous display.
Operating system and work
Nexus 4 runs on the new version of the Android 4.2 operating system. Google has added a new virtual keyboard that supports Swype technology, and added links to the notification bar to control brightness, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Another innovation is something called Daydream. Instead of sleeping, your phone first turns on the screensaver. This is not the best way to conserve energy. When your phone is charging, you can select an image from your album to be displayed on the screen. This innovation is also unlikely to be particularly popular with users.
You no longer have the option to remove the Android search bar, it is now docked at the top of your five desktops. Unfortunately, you cannot add more desktops.
There is also a Google Now program. It is a search application that also shows you the weather and reminders of upcoming events in the form of cards.
Apps can be added to folders just like on iPhone. You just need to drag one shortcut to another and a folder will appear, this is a good way to organize your programs.
The main application menu is presented in a traditional way. The page is divided into two submenus, in one of which all programs are located, and in the second you can see a preview of all possible widgets.
As with any Android phone, there is a full suite of apps from Google: Gmail, Google Play, Play Books, YouTube, Google Earth, and the Play Store.
There is also Currents, a news aggregator that downloads articles from your favorite newspapers and magazines every morning. A similar program has already been used on the Nexus 7 tablet.
Phone book and call quality
The phonebook on Android devices has always been one of the best. This program is linked to your Gmail account, so all contacts from there will instantly appear in your Phonebook. Smart dialing is supported here - to find the right person, you can type on the great-looking keyboard, both his number and name. Opposite each contact is his photo.Unfortunately Android does not support displaying high resolution photos during a call, so the images will look a little pixelated. But you can always install a third party app.
Another way to find the desired contact is the search bar at the top of the desktops. Your phone will not only offer you search options on the Internet, but will also display the desired contact and even audio recordings, photos and video files that match this name, stored on your phone.
Unfortunately, social networks other than Google+ are not supported here. But you can always download the official Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook clients yourself.
When it comes to call quality, the Nexus 4 is doing great. The connection is fast and the signal is maintained even where you might not expect it, such as in an elevator. The sound is great and loud, and there is also a noise cancellation system.
There is also an opportunity to record calls.
Communication
This phone has all the possible ways to send messages. And all those social services applications that are not preinstalled in this model can be easily downloaded.
The application for sending messages is standard for Android. It can be used to send SMS and MMS. Messages are presented as a list, with sender's photos. If you do not like this option, then you can use programs such as GO SMS, Handcent or Chomp.
There is Gmail and a standard app for sending emails.
The Gmail application has been updated, it is now possible to change the color of the application, as in the computer version, and now you can save and delete applications by swiping right or left. But there is still no way to inscribe HTML mail on the screen and download images automatically.
The standard application supports almost all POP3 / IMAP and Exchange accounts. In terms of functionality, it is also not inferior to Gmail.
Android has also updated the virtual keyboard with the addition of the Swype method. The principle is very simple: you keep your finger on the screen, moving it from letter to letter. As soon as you remove your finger, a new word begins. It's much faster to type messages this way.
In addition, Google voice dialing has been updated. It now recognizes more dialects.
the Internet
Like many modern Google phones, the Nexus 4 comes with the Chrome browser. It works quickly and without any problems, delays in work are extremely rare. The download speed is fast, the phone supports 3G and HSDPA +.
Given the huge and crisp screen, even zoomed-in pages look great. But there is no support for Flash technology. The mobile version of Chrome is synced with the desktop version through your Google account, which means that all your bookmarks will appear here.
Cards
Google Maps is truly the best in its class. Not only does it display great maps, it also connects to Navigation for free, giving you full, free access to satellite navigation via GPS. Thanks to GLONASS support, everything works incredibly fast. In addition, Google Maps now allows you to download maps to your phone for later use offline.
Multimedia
Nexus 4 could be called a multimedia center thanks to the huge screen on which it is pleasant to watch photos and videos, as well as good programs for listening to audio. But this phone has one huge drawback - the lack of expandable memory. The manufacturer gave us a choice of 8GB and 16GB models. This is not enough to create a decent collection of multimedia files on this device. Of course, Google gives all its phones free access to cloud storage, but not all users have access to fast enough and inexpensive internet.
Music
If you don't have enough space on your phone to store all your music, the manufacturer suggests using services like Spotify, which require payment for listening to tracks, or upload files to cloud storage and listen to them from there.
To listen to music, the Nexus 4 comes with the standard Play Music app, which does its job just fine. This application has extremely basic functionality, but you always have the opportunity to install another program from Google Play.
The phone has no problems with music formats.All the most popular ones are supported, and if you have files that the player is unable to play, then do not forget that the phone runs on the Android operating system and you can always install a suitable program or add codecs.
Sound quality is normal. Although when listening through an external speaker, bass and volume are clearly lacking. The problem is that there is only one speaker, and it is located on the back cover. But buy yourself a pair of good headphones and there won't be any sound problems.
Unfortunately, there is no FM radio here. But you can listen to the radio thanks to the Tunein application.
Video
The screen makes watching videos a lot of fun. But the problem, again, is that you won't be able to create a large collection of movies on your phone due to limited memory. Another problem is that this phone is difficult to hold in your hands when watching videos. And not because it is heavy, but because of the shiny, smooth body. The only thing that helps you grip the phone more firmly is a thin and inconspicuous strip of rubber around the side edges. The manufacturer has successfully positioned the external speaker so that you will not cover it when you hold the device in your hands. The speaker does a good job with video playback, the sound is clear and crackle-free, although certain problems arise when you set the volume to maximum.
On the positive side, this phone has the Movie Studio app installed. It allows basic editing of your videos and adding music. It certainly doesn't compare to Apple apps like iMovie or Final Cut Pro, but it's nice that such a program is available for free.
There is also a YouTube client that works well and stably.
Gallery
The images are accessed through the standard Android gallery. Here, the albums contain all the photos that are on your device. When you open an album, you can choose how the photos will be displayed: in tiles or in the form of a film strip.
With a 4.7-inch screen with a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels and a pixel density of 320, the Google Nexus 4 is the perfect display device for graphic content. Images look crisp and colors are vivid and vivid.
Camera
The Nexus 4 has two cameras - the main one with an 8 Mpx sensor and the 1.3 Mpx front camera. The Camera app loads very quickly, it literally takes seconds for the camera to be ready to take pictures. In order to have quick access to the application, it is possible to place a shortcut to this program on the lock screen.
The camera quality does not disappoint, not photos, of course, it does not compare with the Nokia Lumia 920, but the Nexus 4 is not a camera phone either.
In good light, you get fantastic results. And HDR mode will help you take even better pictures. In low light, the presence of an LED flash will improve the quality of photos and make them acceptable, although they will still look a little washed out.
You can change the focus of a photo by simply tapping the screen where you want it. Otherwise, the Nexus 4 will do it for you, the phone even has a face recognition function, which are circled on the screen.
In order for the settings menu to appear, just hold your finger on the screen. The menu is a circle around which all settings are located.
There are two options for Panorama mode here. The first is the standard version that appeared in previous versions of the operating system. And the second is an add-on called Photo Sphere. Pictures can be taken not only in the horizontal plane, but also move the phone up and down, as well as in a circle. Although the results are not very impressive.
Filters are another feature of the updated program, Nexus 4 allows you to edit pictures, adding various effects to them. This will especially appeal to people who like to post their photos to social media.
Videos can be shot in HD (1080p) resolution, but you can switch to 720p or even 480p. You will definitely need this, because a video shot in Full HD resolution takes up a lot of space and we cannot afford it on this device. However, HD videos look great on screen, even when you watch them on your computer. There is no separate application for video recording in the phone, the program is accessed through the Camera application.
Unfortunately, during video recording, you cannot change the settings, for example, turn on the backlight. The only retreat is the ability to take photos.
The functionality is slightly less than that of the camera, however, you can still change the white balance and correct color.
Battery
A non-removable battery is becoming more and more popular with mobile device manufacturers. This is mainly done for aesthetic reasons and also helps to reduce the size of the phone, but often affects the quality of the battery itself. Fortunately, this does not concern the Google Nexus 4, its battery shows quite decent performance.
It has a lithium-polymer battery with a capacity of 2100 mAh. Like most modern phones, it can last an entire day under average load. Of course, it should be borne in mind that if you are going to play or watch movies, then you need to carry a charger with you. But this is not news for today's smartphones with large screens. It's worth noting that it takes about three hours to fully charge your battery.
Output
Google and LG have gone to great lengths to bring an excellent phone to market. Apart from a few shortcomings, like not the best camera and lack of memory, this model can be considered one of the best at the moment. And without a doubt, this is the best model in the Nexus lineup. The phone has a great screen and a very fast processor, and the operating system is easy to use. Therefore, the Nexus 4 is definitely a phone worth recommending.
