[William007]

Like most of you probetly know, Google has announced their new phone, together with a new tablet and an upgrade to the Nexus 7
http://www.google.com/nexus/4/
Specs are:


Screen: 4.7" 1280x768 (320 ppi)
Gapless unibody construction
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2

Size: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm

Weight: 139g

Cameras: 8 MP (main), 1.3 MP (front)

Memory: 8GB or 16GB (actual formatted capacity will be less)

CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 Pro 1.5GHz

RAM : 2GB

Sensors: Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light, Proximity, Gyroscope, Pressure, GPS

Network:
Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+
GSM/EDGE/GPRS (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
3G (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
HSPA+ 21
Wireless
Wireless charging compatible
Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
NFC (Android Beam)
Bluetooth

Connectivity:
micro USB
SlimPort HDMI
3.5mm headphone jack

Battery:
2,100 mAh
Up to 10 hours of talk time
250 hours of standby

OS: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

What i really hope is that it supports digital out.
I know i'll be buying this to upgrade from my iPhone 3G.
So what do you think of this new phone?

 

[Achmedisdead]

The specs do look good, and Nexus is the way to go....no manufacturer's skin over the pure Android experience. But I don't know if LG builds decent quality hardware.....maybe somebody else does?

 

[William007]

The specs do look good, and Nexus is the way to go....no manufacturer's skin over the pure Android experience. But I don't know if LG builds decent quality hardware.....maybe somebody else does?

LG is getting better, i've tried a recent LG phone (can't remember the model) and i was impressed, compared to my 'cheaply' build 3G, the LG was better by far! I'll be buying the Nexus 4 for sure, i'll post impressions and i mailed Google about the audio support, i hope they'll answer fast.

 

[NZtechfreak]

Shouldn't be any showstopping issues with hardware here, LGs problem with Android has always been that their software is awful (truly, truly awful), but being a Nexus device that won't apply here. Stunning quality of internal hardware for the price, just shame about the lack of Micro SD and low inbuilt storage.
 
It will have the Jelly Bean USB audio implementation, which is NOT standard and will NOT work with regular USB audio devices, only those made specifically for Android (unless Google has had a change of heart since the Nexus 7, I doubt it). If you are someone who will Root and modify the phone I expect developers will at some point add more standard USB audio support, as they have done for the Nexus 7.

 

[William007]

Then, why does the s3 support digital out? Is it because Samsung changed Android?

 

[NZtechfreak]

Yes, because Samsung added their own (more standard) USB audio implementation. They actually had it in ICS on the S3 and have carried it forward into JB and later devices.

 

[William007]

I wished all Android devices had that function.. And what about external memory on Android?

 

[emo72]

no sd cards in current nexus products. looks to be staying like that going forward.

 

[William007]

I meant USB flash drives or hdd's, is this possible with stock 4.2?

 

[NZtechfreak]

Quote:

I meant USB flash drives or hdd's, is this possible with stock 4.2?

 
Hard to say. That has been a native Android function since 3.0/3.1 (I forget which), however Google did not include it in the Nexus 7 on stock software (because they are deliberately trying to push people to their cloud services, one has to presume), and they may elect to do the same in the new Nexus devices. Probably be unknown until actual users get their hands on them.

 

[William007]

I hope they do it.

 

[aFo]

Great price for the hardware, and I definitely support Google fighting control away from the carriers. Bring unlocked smartphones to everyone at lower prices. The N4 is using the S4 Pro, anyone have an idea of the DAC here? From what I know, the GS3 and One X both use the Snapdragon S4 which was alright, but no Wolfson or anything. Fingers crossed.

 

[HadenVR]

Quote:

Like most of you probetly know, Google has announced their new phone, together with a new tablet and an upgrade to the Nexus 7
http://www.google.com/nexus/4/
Specs are:
Screen: 4.7" 1280x768 (320 ppi)
Gapless unibody construction
Corning® Gorilla® Glass 2
Size: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm
Weight: 139g
Cameras: 8 MP (main), 1.3 MP (front)
Memory: 8GB or 16GB (actual formatted capacity will be less)
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon™ S4 Pro 1.5GHz
RAM : 2GB
Sensors: Accelerometer, Compass, Ambient light, Proximity, Gyroscope, Pressure, GPS
Network:
Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+
GSM/EDGE/GPRS (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
3G (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
HSPA+ 21
Wireless
Wireless charging compatible
Wi-Fi (802.11 b/g/n)
NFC (Android Beam)
Bluetooth
Connectivity:
micro USB
SlimPort HDMI
3.5mm headphone jack
Battery:
2,100 mAh
Up to 10 hours of talk time
250 hours of standby
OS: Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean)

What i really hope is that it supports digital out.
I know i'll be buying this to upgrade from my iPhone 3G.
So what do you think of this new phone?

There was a typo on Google's page before regarding the HSPA+21 which they've now fixed to HSPA+42. (Just a heads up for whomever reading the thread.)
Proof: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1964811
 
Quote:

I meant USB flash drives or hdd's, is this possible with stock 4.2?

The upcoming Nexus 4 will most likely support usb OTG which will allow access to external storage such as usb flash drives/hdd natively via usb OTG cable which by any chance if doesn't support natively out of the box;can always root and use Stickmount. 
Example - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIGj4LZhwoo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYHlbvH69w4
 
I just hope someone finds out soon enough the DAC on the Nexus 4 though there are assumptions that the sound should be on par with the Galaxy SIII's Wolfson DAC which the comparison is based off the LG Optimus G's DAC vs the Galaxy SIII's DAC (internals of the Nexus 4 is nearly identical to the LG Optimus G).
Link- http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_g_vs_samsung_galaxy_s_iii-review-838p8.php
 
There's an another thread outside of Head-fi from XDA that discusses about the wonders/info of the Nexus 4's sound quality/DAC which can be found here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1962872&page=2
Hope that helped.

 

[William007]

Thanks for the info!

 

[SeigneurAo]

Still unsure how I feel toward this new Nexus.
While I certainly appreciate the effort made by Google to shake Android's world by attacking manufacterers on their grounds (mainly cost-wise) and smartphone's world in general (since Apple will most likely suffer from this as well), I have a lingering lack of trust in LG's hardware. This is reportedly getting better with their latest products but, cheap as it may be, I will nevertheless wait for extensive feedback before replacing the faithful Galaxy SII.
Nexus devices will very likely be my next pick. Remains to be seen if it's as soon as this LG Nexus 4.
And I'm also interested to see about the DAC included, and audio support question William007 asked Google.