Nexus 4 vs Galaxy Nexus | Pocketnow

[@DWIGHTMONEY]

I never got why Google wouldnt just called the Nexus 4 the LG Nexus? That allowed samsung to call theirs Galaxy Nexus. Just saying. Hopefully theyll let HTC or Motorola or whoever making the new nexus put their brand in front of the word nexus again. Just like they allowed Samsung to do.

[@axelglen6884]

its called "Lg Google Nexus 4"

[@barne087]

This was a very in depth and unbiased review of these two phones. I appreciate that you didn't just side with the newer device you challenged everything, I have the galaxy nexus and I'm on the fence and the only thing that Id recommend you'd check is the camera difference but I know that's a video in itself.

[@Crustenscharbap]

I loved my Galaxy Nexus. A friend still has it with Cyanogenmod 5.1.1. It runs great.

[@chicodelta]

I was initially contemplating "upgrading" from my GNEX to the LG Optimus G (and flashing it w/ CM 10 of course for that Nexus feeling) but after viewing this video I am convinced that I'm okay staying put with my GNEX. Very informative and insightful. Thanks!!!

[@PijackGameplays]

Yes. I have one, since June 2012. Works perfectly, never broke down, still fast. Awesome phone!

[@JuanCD135]

thank you for taking the time to do this review´very helpful

[@BNHC0]

I like the second pause at the start, it lets me know I'm in for a quality video

[@DanielBlaney]

I did the same upgrade about a year ago. You'll love it. Flash cm10 stable with franco kernel r300.

[@Pariah156]

I have to think about this from a developer's stand point. I absolutely LOVED developing for my Galaxy Nexus. With the hardware specs the Nexus 4 comes with, I feel like I'd get more out of it in terms of development power. I'll definitely get this device, however I will be keeping my Galaxy Nexus as I just love this device.

[@JohnWhittle]

Thanks, was thinking about picking up a used nexus 4... you helped me decide.

[@sergiykrynytsky]

Few months ago i bought my Galaxy Nexus and I'm soooo happy with it!

[@sheffilth]

Just ordered my N4 about 6 hours ago, I expect it at the end of the week, I'm truly looking forward to this phone, it'll be a replacement for my 2 year old HTC Desire. The one thing I'm slightly worried about is the battery life, my HTC will (sometimes, well, mostly) last an entire day with a little bit of charging at work, but I'd prefer to leave my charger at home. Looking forward to my new toy though.

[@JordanICM]

Oh man, didn't realize what a step back the touch sensor is on the Nexus 4, but it is pretty obvious throughout your review. By looking at the two screens, I definitely prefer a cool white view to a warmer one. The galaxy nexus is the clear winner for me as I probably wouldn't even notice hardware differences. I hope the nexus 5 is made similar to the galaxy nexus.

[@ByshStoleMyFish]

I am with Verizon, soon to switch to TMobile in a year to get the Nexus 4 or 5, but I do have the Galaxy Nexus and I have to say, I love this phone, once you root it, add a custom ROM like I did running AOKP, it runs on par with my sisters S3. I still definitely think that the Galaxy Nexus is one of the best phones on Verizon aside from the S4. I've fallen in love with the Nexus series and probably will only buy Nexus for the next few years.

[@copxx0742]

Right now using the nexus 4 love it when he said that it might feel awkward when typing the phone is great for one single operation when you are using gesture typing

[@karuven]

The reason why the benchmarks seemed so much lower than usual for the Nexus 4 (4000+ on Quadrant, still higher than most phones) is probably cus the phone gained some heat from the processing before. Thermal throttling is actually the biggest issue with the Nexus 4 and it's preventing it from reaching its maximum potential. Once/If they fix it, the score should be 7000+. The Snapdragon S4 Pro is a beast when in an unit with proper thermal controls such as the HTC Droid DNA.

[@JonasWerme]

Wow that sounded a bit negative... Wasn't meant to be.. nice job though. Please keep more of these coming our way!

[@Tempist305]

Hey Brandon, I checked out the pinch to zoom issue that you had with the Nexus 4 and I can confirm that it is a problem with the Chrome Browser because I tested it on an HTC One S running CM10.1 Android 4.2.2 and got the same little lag as you did. Android browser was immediate.

[@SampsonPug]

I have the Galaxy Nexus still, I've woken up after a party to find my phone in a puddle of beer. I had trouble booting up at first, then it finally started after about 30min. The speaker didn't work at it was beyond slow. Over the course of a few weeks everything started working like normal. I still have it, that was five months ago. I am considering the Nexus 4, but I minus well wait for the next one.

[@Sjoerd1993]

I agree, but if you have neither, it may be better to go for the N4. I'm going for the GN because it's cheaper and because the N4 isn't available in the Netherlands. (There's an online store that sells it for $200 more than what they cost in other countries) My trusty Desire HD shattered it's glass this week, my contract ended last december so it was time to replace my old phone. Hoping to get my GN this weekend, I can't really wait :)

[@munozyoshi]

Indeed. I have the GSM version with the extended Samsung battery. It lasts more than a day and I don't mind waiting an extra second for apps to load. Surprisingly enough, if I were to sell my Nexus which is in mint condition on Ebay, it would sell for the price of the Nexus 4. That in itself should tell us that it's a solid phone. I guess I'll stick to my Nexus till it dies.

[@MrProfessorPN]

I'm still rocking that GNEX mainly because everything releases a year later here in Holland, but it's still doing great.

[@DavidQuinn101]

The first second of the video, looks like the kid from school that you try to avoid but then the suddenly spot you...

[@akre32et]

I just ordered the samsung galaxy nexus from amazon. CANNOT WAIT!

[@ZackaryTheGreat]

I own both. Was happy with the GNex but wanted something with better build quality - aesthetically. The GNex looks cheap and plastic where the Nex4 looks sexy as hell. lol Seriously though. And as far as features, personally I can't think of anything else to ask for but new awesome features emerge all the time and I love it! Just keeps getting better and better.

[@BenWillock]

Its the one before the Nexus 4, yes; but the naming convention isn't due to the fact that it's the forth Nexus phone, but because of its screen size - the Nexus 4 goes with the Nexus 7 and Nexus 10.

[@ogdeepfriedcontent]

If you noticed the unlocked icon at the bottom when it was booting, you will know that the bootloader has been unlocked and they were running some sort of custom ROM on it. He said that it was the stock ROM, but that unlocked bootloader makes a big difference.

[@Excelsoft]

:) that's the best part in his videos, giving that he's really great, always talks abt what actually matters to the user..

love the dual monitors in the back!!

[@mayamagick]

I just got the nexus 4, I really like it. I recommend getting a battery management app to help with the battery life though.

[@raykrislianggi]

Both screens use different technology. GNex uses AMOLED, while Nexus 4 uses IPS LCD. GNex's screen does appear more vibrant, but it's not nearly as sharp or as color-accurate as Nexus 4's screen.

[@absolutstar]

@Jason Rousseau they discontinued the 32gb Nexus through VZW quite a while back. I had one, also, but once sold out it was no longer an option for purchase other than used or online as last of stock. I suggest you do research before attempting to call someone out on a video lol.

[@kanan2006]

Thanks for wonderful review mate

[@wolfgang070]

the effect is amplified by the camera lents, there is a difference when you hold the phones together but barely noticeable

[@TechinHD]

I just got mine too expected delivery date: Wednesday Cannot wait

[@jnvb07]

No, he was right. He was referring to the distance between his fingers required to trigger the pinch-to-zoom, not some kind of time delay, which there isn't. Once you've gotten your fingers about 3 cm apart the pinch-to-zoom is flawless.

[@theRemedyGames]

The difference in battery life has more to do with the fact the Gnex runs 4G and the Nex4 runs 3G than anything else you mentioned. But the Nex4 cpu and larger battery do help. With that aside... im grabbing the Gnex straight up cuz i still have an unlimited plan on verizon and currently still using the original Droid Incredible. I wanna keep my unlimited plan.

[@asn615]

I think i should continue with my galaxy nexus as im loving it until now! Would wait for the next release by google! Good review btw!

[@AttendsMoePas]

I had the Samsung Galaxy Nexus with the latest update, i had nothing to said about it, except the French Voice Recognition, it's bad! It's understand no of my contact, is an software issue, reported in xda-developpers. Never freezed, always fast, i love it!!!

[@xYukicore777]

Oh, well then never mind. Well I wouldn't go back in time and purchase Galaxy Nexus, exactly, just for the screen, but I am quite satisfied with Nexus 4, only sometimes in bright day a black scene from a video is very hard to see on default automatic brightness. But overall I am very satisfied and happy with the Nexus 4 display, although it seems yellow, dark etc. in comparisons to other phones. But for the price I should be more than happy, it's almost twice as less than an iPhone 5

[@mhoadleyd2t]

The Nexus experience is THE Android experience. Galaxy S3 with TouchWiz, One X with HTC Sense, the Droids - they're great, but nothing beats pure, clean, stock Android, the way Google intended, and I wish Google would market that distinction better. I know a lot of people who have Nexus 7's and love them - but they don't understand what that "Nexus" brand signifies. Course, before Google starts marketing the Nexus 4, they should probably make more than 10 of them.

[@jimross3]

Wondering why you didn't mention Nexus 4 lacking LTE in your final comments, it's a crucial factor for some, since we're focusing on performance here.

[@aNotoriousPhD]

rooting it and flashing the franco kernel then buying the franco kernel app and setting gamma to recommended settings. Don't have a nexus, but I've heard it somewhere. I would personally wait for the nexus 5 but it's your choice man.

[@netweit3]

I never really realized it til he pointed it out. Its not like the screen is so unresponsive that its dead. Its a good phone

[@YaseenBaitalmal123]

I've already got the nexus 4 ... and guess what !! It's just great ... battery life is considered good .. processor is away good ..the only thing I didn't love is the camera .. even though it's powered with an 8 megapixel cam but. It's just a garbage !! But in general ..I'm still pleased with total performance of this amazing device !!

[@Iksperial]

I'm getting 4400 on Quadrant benchmark. And almost the same speed at everything as Nexus 4. With custom rom, and custom kernel you can make your phone a pretty nice beast. So upgrade for me here

[@yueweiliu8996]

I'm using Nexus 4 and really love it!!!

[@MathuSivakumar]

Honestly, I've used both the Samsung Nexus and the LG Nexus. Mind you, the Samsung Nexus is a year older. But, you can feel the difference in quality and in the difference of speed. The speed is noticeably different. Using the phone was simply more snappy. The only thing the Samsung phone wins out with is with that super amoled screen with higher saturation. That being said...if you have to choose between em...N4. If you have the Samsung one...you can live without the update.

[@igor3867]

Congrats, your vision is really great so.

[@raykrislianggi]

Nexus is a Google phone. Google chose Samsung to manufacture Galaxy Nexus which is the 3rd generation Nexus device, and LG to manufacture Nexus 4 which is the 4th generation. Both devices are made by Google.

[@karuven]

Something to do with the front glass. According to reviews, the front glass feels "amazingly smooth, like it was polished with oil" or something like that. I'm guessing that's the reason it would slide around.

[@CodemasterRob]

I love the large amount of stupid coming from people commenting. The Nexus 4 has a more powerful processor and GPU when compared to either a Nexus Galaxy, iPhone 5, or S3. Please, just leave it. It's made to be powerful and affordable. No, it's not the best, that's left to opinion. But on paper, it IS the most powerful, affordable smart phone to date.

[@StudioISTIQAMA]

Galaxy Nexus forever!

[@Izzyavilez52]

It depends where you live. If you life in like the UK than the nexus 4, but if you live in the us and your on for example Verizon with 4g than definitely get the galaxy nexus. I just traded in my gs3 for the galaxy nexus and it's great!

[@tusing7780]

Why do ALL reviews fail to mention the GNex's Pentile display? It shows the complete lack of intelligence of most reviewers. Sure, the GNex's display might be 316 PPI on paper, but it is FAR lower than the Nexus 4 because of the Pentile arrangement. The Nexus 4's display is a HUGE upgrade. I can see pixels on my GNex easily - red text is very pixelated, and white is slightly pixelated.

[@Djhg2000]

That too. I don't know how they could release this as an upgrade, neither do I think it qualifies as a developer platform, mainly because it just doesn't support new technology very well. No removable battery I could live with, the slippery back too. The touch screen is a bit of a stretch but could be acceptable if neither of the other issues existed. However, broken OTG is a huge dealbreaker. I use it a lot, mostly for memory sticks and my Yubikey but also other things.

[@DanielBlaney]

he was illustrating how many people feel that google made a mistake by not including the stock android browser on the stock rom of the nexus 4. Many would agree.

[@jkparvataneni]

Agreed, mine started up much faster than shown in the video. Although mine is the unlocked version

[@TheRubz32]

That's only on Verizon, in the US. Sorry to break your bubble, but there are plenty more countries in the world than just the States. GSM is far more used and I guess Google wanted a lot more people to have the phone rather than making sure they have LTE on ONE carrier on ONE country...

[@raykrislianggi]

Learn a more detailed history, there was no commercial multi-touch screen smartphone before the 1st generation iPhone. It did start the multi-touch era, and companies who think it's merely a toy almost died.

[@Aaron16M]

Your voice scared me when the video came on haha!

[@qassemaleid8159]

great review ,unbiased and detailed = thanks u saved my life

[@CaptainClutch91]

If you've rooted your phone, you can fix the screen sensitivity problem on the N4 by rolling back the synaptics touch driver to an earlier version. Its the latest version that seems problematic right now

[@nymusicman]

Completely agree. I just happened to restart my galaxy nexus right after he did his in the video, and his nexus 4 booted maybe 10 seconds before my galaxy nexus. And my phone is rooted. The boot time on his phone was horrible.

[@Daytona89]

Perfect Video, thx. i had the glaxy nexus, now i have the nexus 4. in my opinion its better and looks much better. only the white colours in browser are much better on the galaxy nexus

[@jindrijl]

Yea..He left out the fact that a lot of Verizon G-Nex owners (including myself) have 32gigs of storage. My 2 year contract is coming up at the end of this year and I am crossing my fingers for a Samsung Galaxy Nexus 2. Or Google Nexus 5, whatever. I think I will skip the Nexus 4, although I LOVE the fact that it has wireless charging.

[@xYukicore777]

It looks so in comparison, but it really seems pure white if you look at it in reality. I have the phone now, and I think that I would be uncomfortable with the bright cold color settings with the Galaxy Nexus. I'm really digging the colors of Nexus 4, battery life however is pretty bad on it, though.

[@raykrislianggi]

So up until now you still haven't realized what the first iPhone did with the smartphone market? Here's a clue for you: companies who think it's just a toy, almost died.

[@cotomaznaczyc]

I own both phones. My thoughts: -I never noticed any touch sensitivity issues with my N4. -As many pointed out, both phones should have been on the same OS version. After I upgraded my GN to 4.2, it actually felt a bit slower than 4.1. -When I got the N4, it did not feel that much faster... but after a while of using it, when I went back to the GN, it definitely felt slower (the occasional hiccups were there unlike on the N4). -Colors on the N4 look washed out and the blacks suck in comparison

[@JSantana319]

The biggest mistake anyone would make is selling the Galaxy Nexus for a Nexus 4. Not worth the upgrade at all. If you have a Galaxy Nexus, then keep it because you'll still get the latest updates.

[@kAoSsLyNx]

The sensitivity issues are only a software problem. The guys over at the XDA-Developer forums have a fix for it and say that it's because of the touch-input driver.

[@ArtForSwans]

That screen sensitivity hit on the Nexus 4, combined with the glass back and poor availability from the Play Store may have just killed the deal for me. I think I'll stay with the Galaxy Nexus until the next Nexus is revealed.

[@joukgal8379]

Thank you for the comparation! I definetely won't go for nexus 4 now! :D

[@TheAviator1992]

where did you get that wallpaper with the blue squares? It's awesome!

[@kaidendodson5763]

Old Brandon Miniman. Great guy.

[@bitbro420]

Yeah, i got the phone with 4.2.2 preinstalled (a week or 2 ago). Installed CM 10.1, franco's kernal and tweaked the gamma settings. Also underclocked and undervolted for better battery life. Only done it now so i'll know if i get any savings after i use the phone tomorrow.

[@akelsZM]

The screen on Galaxy Nexus looks way better, it's whiter, more responsive, wider(Nexus 4 with buttons and notification bar is close to a 4:3 display and the white is yellow-ish). Still you can fix the sensivity issue partially (check out xda). Both are great but by merging the advantages of both you'd get a BETTER device

[@TheBeetrootman]

Got to wait until around Jan 23rd for my Nex4 to get here. Seriously considering cancelling and just ordering a Gnex with one day shipping. :S

[@JeCoriBanks]

The nexus 4 is a huge improvement over the galaxy nexus. For one, the nexus 4 is has a 1.5 gz quadcore processor, where the galaxy nexus has a 1.2 gz dualcore processor. Also, the camera is an improvement with the nexus 4 having an 8 mp camera where the galaxy nexus has a 5 mp camera. The only thing that the galaxy nexus beats is a higher storage capacity. Hell, the battery is even better than the galaxy nexus, granted that it is removable.

[@joaofaf]

Yep, i'm pretty sure I have one lol. The dithering is noticeable, it is a very good screen, but next to something like the n4 or even an iphone, you can tell the difference in sharpness. Android manages ram very dynamically, if you try to 'keep' 4-5 apps open you'll realize you have to keep coming back to then or the system will kill them (ICS and up). This is not exactly the case with the n4 because it has a lot of ram, so the system can guarantee its performance and leave a lot of memory left.

[@CmanCorporations]

cool. Thanks for the reply. I might install the kernel and try tweaking the gamma settings. What are you settings at right now? or did you just leave them stock?

[@frankybob360]

They had a slanted table. It makes it more practical for filming

[@CaernonJenkins]

Tho I have no experience with the Nex4, only speaking from the perspective of a Nex7 owner... I suspect the slight performance loss comes from the 4.2 update. My tablet wasn't quite as snappy once I moved from the 4.1 (which the GNex is running in the vid), and even tho some fixes helped smooth things out a bit, I still think the 4.1 version of Android was the one that performed the best, and it's likely the case with the Nex4 as well. Test the GNex on 4.2 next time. :)

[@Applesausagefest]

Still have my GNex and honestly wouldn't trade it for anything out on the market right now. Still have to wait for something special.

[@raykrislianggi]

It's really weird seeing an AMOLED screen produces better whites than LCD with IPS+ technology....

[@sk8brder40]

That was not a camera root app, genius, it's the newly updated default camera for 4.2. The Nexus 4 has a newer version of android with different default apps.

[@AlessandroBertocz]

Probably it has already been said, but touch sensitivity on the Nexus 4 is actually better (that does not mean that the gnex was bad). Chrome is just a bad example as it's not as responsive as Android's stock browser. Second thing: Quadrant hasn't seen an update in more than a year, so yeah that's why you can't really depend on it. Third: N4 might not have a removeable battery but there's a particular LG technology that ensures almost double charing cycles before the battery is unservable.

[@Ado501]

Its really not as bad as he describes it, i only noticed it very few times, not a deal breaker at all, just test it before you buy it and see for yourself

[@tchallaballa]

AMOLED screens are notoriously bad in sunlight, so no that's not a good point at all. The battery in the Nexus 4 is MUCH larger than the SII (and the iphone 5 for that matter) The Nexus 4 also has wifi calling so that's not a good point. I think the only thing you said that's actually true is that the s2 has a micro sd card slot.

[@kuchilkan]

No, there was never an official nexus 2 or 3 released although the last two there have been three previous phones that carried the name. The nexus 4 gets its name from it 4.7" inch screen, not because its the 4th nexus. technically this is the second true Nexus device which was sold unlocked directly from Google. So this is really the Nexus Two and the only one really worthy of replacing your Nexus One.

[@Narutofan9663]

I'd go for the Nexus 4, its better for more future update due to its spec, it is possible to be updated for the next 3 years, Galaxy Nexus will probably stop receiving updates in 2014.

[@itaiaxelrod]

im also buying now a nexus 4, its amazing

[@GrumpyDerg]

When I bought my Galaxy Nexus, it had the same "issue" - the screen was all green like the Nexus 4 here. At some point, one of the Android updates the phone received corrected the color issue and the screen was fine as you can see in the review. No idea why this issue re-appears in Nexus 4 (especially since it's not AMOLED as mentioned). Maybe Google needs to reconfigure the colors here too and launch an update... I'd expect them to learn by now.

[@xXRenaxChanXx]

Simply adding more megapixels is not an upgrade. If it were only 800x480px camera but super high-quality (no noise, crisp imagge quality, etc) it would still be an upgrade.

[@EricssonXL]

I had an Samsung Infuse 4G it was way too over saturated trying to kill my eyes. I was a fan of warm displays like f.lux on my iPod Touch 5th gen. I switched to a Galaxy S3 Verizon (Bricked it) yes I have T-Mobile (Notice these devices are unlockable)

[@max2guitar]

The camera test was unfair because they were not running the same versions of the app. In addition, the browser test should be done on one type of browser, not stock vs. chrome.

[@essexzero]

Not the best comparison but nonetheless helpful... phones are running [slightly] different versions of Android, one has been in use for at least a year and the other is relatively new.

[@psychomaniac189]

I like that the gnex had the unlock button. something all gnex's should have lol

[@AbhijeetMishra]

But 4.2 does increase performance. Well, not exactly performance, but it's smoother and makes app switching quicker. A big advantage in my books.

[@SLRok]

Actually the LG Prada wasn't debuted until after the iPhone was. LG announced the phone but never showed it in public till after Macworld 2007