GOOGLE NEXUS 4
Google has always made its Indian consumers wait a bit longer than the
rest of the world to get their hands on its products. The Google device
that created the most buzz in the last couple of months or so is the
Google Nexus 4, manufactured by LG. While many people have already gone
ahead and purchased the device from abroad, here’s a lowdown on the
phone for those who are planning to go for one!
The Nexus 4 is definitely a good-looking device with a stealth black
fascia. The only controls that light when you start using the phone are
the three virtual buttons on the home screen. The hardware buttons are
kept to a minimum with only the power and the volume rocker. Android’s
latest interface in its purest form serves as the user interface on the
Nexus 4 and it’s endearingly simple and beautiful. The lock screen mode
on the Nexus 4 lets you swipe to the right or the left (on the locked
screen) to show up your camera and a screen full of customisable widgets
respectively. The 4.7-inch might strike as just the right size to a lot
of consumers, especially those who think 5-inches and up screens are an
inconvenience. Although the Nexus 4 doesn’t sport a 1080p full HD
display, the quality is still impressive.
We checked out Play Movies and it had a pretty wide and quirky selection
of movies to choose from. There was the Shiney Ahuja-starrer Sins and
(about Rs 50 to rent) and Hugh Jackman-starrer Les Miserables (available
for rent at about Rs 125).
The Google Nexus 4 comes with a 8-meg camera. In there too, Google has
introduced a cool new interface – you tap on a part of the screen and a
virtual scroll wheel come sup presenting you with all the settings
possible before you take a picture. A single tap on any part of the
screen helps you focus, as with any other mobile camera.
While it did give us some sharp, blur-free snaps, the camera (in the
default mode) tends to overexpose a bit. And with the HDR mode on, it
does the exact opposite. Apart from this, we had no other problems with
the snapper.
The Google Nexus 4 comes with a Snapdragon S4 Pro processor - a
quad-core one running at 1.5 GHz. It also makes use of the Adreno 320
graphics processor, and 2 gigabytes of RAM and has become popular for
these top-notch specs. And they definitely deliver the kind of
performance expected of them. The phones, almost always, was quick on
its virtual toes, even when we had a handful of apps such as YouTube,
Flipboard, Gmail and WhatsApp open.
The battery life on the Nexus 4 wasn’t bad either. We did have to plug
it in for a charge at the end of the day, something you would have to do
with most high-end smartphones these days.
One of the downsides to the handset might be the limited storage
capacities offered. With the Nexus 4, you can either get an 8 GB or a 16
GB handset and there’s no external storage available. The battery
compartment is sealed so you can’t swap batteries if need be.
The Google Nexus 4 packs in the right amount of style and power that
would appeal to most consumers looking for their next smartphone. Good
thing then that it won’t burn as big a hole in the pocket as most of its
competitors!
Rs 25,999
Love – Subtle design, simple interface
Hate – Heats up a bit at times
