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LG Nexus 4

8.3 Verge Score 9.0 User Score Write Review
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Verge Review

Getting the Nexus 4 for review was something of a treat for me. I've been anticipating the arrival of a follow-up (and upgrade) from the company's previous flagship device — the Galaxy Nexus — for a handful of very specific reasons. In fact, I've held off on moving to other, excellent devices with expectations of this mystery phone in mind. While I have been largely pleased with using the Samsung-produced Nexus, there are some irksome qualities to the handset (a poor camera, weak display,...

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Basic Specs

Thickness .36 inches
Weight .31 pounds
Form factor Slab
Screen size (diagonal) 4.7 inches
Carriers T-Mobile
Operating system Android
Launch OS version 4.2

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Tech Specs

Hardware

Height 5.27 inches
Width 2.7 inches
Thickness .36 inches
Weight .31 pounds
Form factor Slab
Color Black
Loudspeaker Mono
Noise cancellation Hardware (multi-mic)

Display

Screen size (diagonal) 4.7 inches
Technology IPS LCD
Pixel arrangement RGB
Resolution (Y) 1280 px
Resolution (X) 768 px
PPI 320
Touchscreen type Capacitive

Connectivity

Carriers T-Mobile
GSM Yes
GSM frequencies supported 1900, 1800, 900, 850
UMTS / HSPA Yes
UMTS frequencies supported 900, 2100, 1700, 1900, 850
WWAN data standards supported UMTS, EDGE, HSPA+, HSUPA, HSDPA, GPRS
Wi-Fi Yes
Wi-Fi support 802.11n, 802.11g, 802.11b, 802.11a
GPS Yes
Bluetooth Yes
NFC support Yes
Media streaming DLNA

Processor

Manufacturer Qualcomm
Brand / family Snapdragon S4 Pro
Model APQ8064
Clock speed 1.5 GHz
Number of cores 4

Memory

RAM size 2 GB

Storage

Internal size 8 GB, 16 GB
External No

Front Camera

Resolution 1.3 megapixels

Rear Camera

Resolution 8 megapixels
Flash LED
Focus type Autofocus
Video resolution 1080p

Software

Operating system Android
Launch OS version 4.2

Interface

Video out Yes
Headphone jack 3.5mm
Other ports Micro USB

Sensors

Sensors Compass (Magnetometer), Proximity, Ambient light, Gyroscope, Accelerometer, Barometer

Battery

Capacity 2100 mAh
Quoted use time 10 hr
Wireless charging Optional
9.0

Average User Review

of 47 total reviews
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  • Design 9
  • Display 9
  • Camera(s) 8
  • Reception / call quality 9
  • Performance 10
  • Software 9
  • Battery life 8
  • Ecosystem 9

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  • 9.0
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    Reviewed by Gerardo Corro (Currently owns)

    May 22, 2013 03:33 pm

    My overall experience with this phone has been nothing but awesome. I love everything about this phone. Yes I know camera and speaker aren't the phones best features about the phone but the reason you would buy a NEXUS device is for the pure Google experience. I think this phone knocked it out of the ball park with the beautiful glass design, the gorgeous 4.7" IPS display, Quad core processor, 2gb of RAM, and most of all being able to receive the newest updates. If you are reading this and thinking of a phone to purchase no doubt this phone will do you well. Plus what really sets this phone apart is the price point you can buy the 8gb model for $299(plus tax & shipping) or the 16gb(plus tax & shipping).

    The Breakdown

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    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 8
    • Reception / call quality 10
    • Performance 9
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 9
    • Ecosystem 10
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  • 9.0
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    Reviewed by LiNkX (Currently owns)

    May 3, 2013 11:22 am

    I love this device. It does everything I want. I don't want to pay a ridicules amount of money for 4G like most people don't. I live in Australia and yes we have it but there is a monopoly type situation here with one company "Telstra" owning most of the infrastructure and as such, charge way too much for it. The cost of the Nexus 4 is so low that you almost don't need to think about buying it. You say "I want the latest phone that is powerful and does everything. Oh that one is half the price of the rest? I'll take it." DONE.

    The Breakdown

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    • Design 9
    • Display 9
    • Camera(s) 7
    • Reception / call quality 8
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 9
    • Ecosystem 10
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  • 9.0
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    Reviewed by mujanovic (Currently owns)

    May 1, 2013 06:00 pm

    Great phone - amazing speed and design, beautiful customiseable Android user interface with no skins, direct updates from Google. I am very satisfied with the phone and believe it is one of the best phones on the market right now.
    Only (minor) flaw is its battery life for heavy users like myself - but this is something that we have to live with because in my experience the battery is the same as ones in other comparable phones out there.
    Since there is a lot of glass used in the design I have to get some protection cover and that is something I do reluctantly (especially when the phone looks so good).

    The Breakdown

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    • Display 9
    • Camera(s) 9
    • Reception / call quality 9
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 8
    • Ecosystem 10
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  • 9.0
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    Reviewed by callumhugh (Currently owns)

    April 24, 2013 08:35 am

    I love this phone; the performance is great, display is awesome. The thing that disappoints me most is the lack of storage and the battery life, battery life could be a bit better, but if you turn off wifi and bluetooth it should still last the day easy (albeit no gaming). I quite like the glass back and I found it hasn't broken so far even with a couple of drops on hard surfaces.

    The Breakdown

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    • Design 10
    • Display 10
    • Camera(s) 8
    • Reception / call quality 7
    • Performance 9
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 8
    • Ecosystem 9
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  • 10.0
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    Reviewed by betocampelo (Currently owns)

    April 23, 2013 09:30 pm

    It's a realy nice and fast device and I'm totaly satisfied to own it. That is the best phone I ever had and shows to apple how to do a phone!! The best thing of all these is it cost just R$850,00(£290-UK). The pure Android and the possibility to get the last updates os the system from google on the right time that they launch it is realy amazing.

    The Breakdown

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    • Camera(s) 9
    • Reception / call quality 9
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 9
    • Ecosystem 10
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  • 8.0
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    Reviewed by burtonk (Currently owns)

    April 14, 2013 07:40 pm

    Overall, I'm torn between loving and hating my Nexus 4. Performance, screen quality and overall usability of the phone is great. I really dislike that LG and Google opted to put a glass back on the phone. Two weeks after purchase, I dropped a drinking glass about 6 inches onto my leg where my Nexus 4 lay in my pocket. The glass back shattered and when I reached in my pocket shards of glass cut my finger. I have since replaced the back (around $80 through LG repair) and have added screen protectors (in case of future shatter to keep glass together) and a carrying case. Unfortunately, I wanted a phone that was durable and did not need a case. The Nexus 4 is not that device, but everything else is great and well executed.

    The Breakdown

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    • Design 8
    • Display 9
    • Camera(s) 6
    • Reception / call quality 7
    • Performance 9
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 6
    • Ecosystem 10
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  • 8.0
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    Reviewed by Dreadman (Currently owns)

    April 8, 2013 09:40 am

    After having owned and subsequently dropped and destroyed a Samsung GS3 I sought a more "purified" version of Android as a replacement. Rather than replacing the Samsung with a like for like handset I purchased the Nexus 4 primarily due to the fact that the price of the handset was substantially cheaper than any other smartphone of this spec.(early March 2013) (Nexus 4 16BG- £280 & Samsung GS3 16GB - £450). I have found that performance is on par if not better than the GS3, in addition to this the design and build quality of the phone is above that of the samsung which for a high-end smartphone felt rather light, in a flimsy, cheap plastic sort-of way. The Nexus 4 also excels in terms of display which, in my opinion, is the best out there (I have yet to lay eyes on the new 1080p resolutions on upcoming handsets) making the pentile display of the GS3 seem rather out of date. In terms of the "pure Android experience" the Nexus 4 delivers both in design and functionality. The features of the Nexus 4 from the camera app functions to the drop down settings widgets the Nexus 4 offers the best in function but not at the expense of form. After using the Nexus 4 the features of Samsung's Touchwiz seem almost un-necessary and the gimmicky nature of such features arguably taint the functionality and design of Android 4.2. That is not to say that the Nexus 4 is without flaws, firstly the Camera is good but not excellent other phones such as the Iphone5 and HTC One arguably offer a better photographic experience but the Nexus 4 should be able to meet the needs of most point and shoot users. Further issues come in the form of the poor battery life that the phone has to offer. Even with the brightness on auto and wi-fi turned off for most of the day the phone still drains power which has led to regular evening charges but I think most people will agree that this is the reality of owning a high end smartphone. Overall if your in the market for a well-priced and well-spec'd smartphone or wish to move on from the outdated and tired iOS you can do a lot worse than invest in a Nexus 4

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    • Display 8
    • Camera(s) 6
    • Reception / call quality 8
    • Performance 9
    • Software 9
    • Battery life 5
    • Ecosystem 7
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  • 9.0
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    Reviewed by dirtybliss (Currently owns)

    March 31, 2013 06:49 am

    I had trouble deciding between the Nexus 4 and the HTC One (pre-announcement). In the end, I went with the Nexus 4 because of 4 main reasons:
    1. My Galaxy Note was getting old.
    2. I couldn't wait 4 months for a new phone.
    3. I've always wanted to try a stock Android device (the Galaxy Nexus was a bit ehh for me).
    4. I absolutely LOVED the design of the Nexus 4 albeit hearing how fragile this beauty was.

    Pros:
    + Love the simplistic front and beautiful back. The crystal reflections at the back is lovely to look at.
    + Jelly Bean is simply great. It's sleek and snappy.
    + The device itself is snappy.
    + No problem with calling. Quite good, actually.
    + The camera features are great. Photosphere is definitely fun to use.
    + Screen is great to look at.
    Cons:
    - The colours aren't exactly right although it can be fixed (sometimes it seems washed out).
    - Battery life is bad when on Chrome.
    - Glass back is not very sturdy.

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    • Display 9
    • Camera(s) 8
    • Reception / call quality 9
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 8
    • Ecosystem 9
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  • 10.0
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    Reviewed by rdeleonp (Currently owns)

    March 31, 2013 04:56 am

    It amuses me to see other phones listed as "alternatives" to the Google Nexus 4. Make no mistake, there is *no other phone* that presents Android's True Colors as the Google Nexus 4. It provides instant protection against quick obsolescence thanks to it's combination of cutting-edge hardware and software. Amazing developer community support is the cherry on top of this delicious cake. Do yourself a favor and buy only Nexus devices from now on. You'll be a happier person. As to why I call it Google's phone instead of LG's, well, it's because LG is to Google as Foxconn is to Apple. This *is* Google's phone because it *is* Google's vision of what an Android phone *should* be. Bless their geeky brains...

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    • Camera(s) 8
    • Reception / call quality 10
    • Performance 10
    • Software 10
    • Battery life 9
    • Ecosystem 10
    Show the rest of this review and the breakdown
  • 10.0
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    Reviewed by TonyGDubZ (Currently owns)

    March 14, 2013 11:20 am

    The LG Nexus 4 is the fastest, and best android phone in the world. It has a beautiful screen, and a really magnificent processor... It has an awesome camera and Google Now built in. The phone is thin, light and attractive. And with the latest version of pure android, the Nexus 4 is a true beast

    The Breakdown

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    • Software 10
    • Battery life 10
    • Ecosystem 10
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