It is November 2012, and Google has just disrupted the UK mobile market with a technical masterclass in value. The Nexus 4, manufactured by LG, has arrived with a price tag that seems like a clerical error: £239 for a flagship-spec device. It is a stunning 139g slab of glass, featuring a unique ‘digital crystal’ pattern on the rear that shimmers under the light like a high-tech disco ball. While the glass-on-glass design makes it a bit slippery on a London pub table, the build quality is undeniably premium, featuring a soft-touch rubberised rim that provides a necessary bit of grip.
Technically, the Nexus 4 is a powerhouse for its era. It is built around a 1.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and a massive 2GB of RAM, double what you’ll find in the iPhone 5. This makes the ‘Stock’ Android 4.2 Jelly Bean experience blisteringly fast. Without any manufacturer bloatware, the interface is fluid, responsive, and features the new ‘Photo Sphere’ camera mode and ‘Gesture Typing’ on the keyboard. The screen is a 4.7-inch True HD IPS Plus display with a resolution of 1280 x 768. At 320 PPI, it is incredibly sharp, and the ‘Zerogap’ touch technology brings the pixels so close to the glass it feels like you’re touching the icons themselves.
On the connectivity front, the Nexus 4 features a few technical ‘firsts’ for the line. It includes Qi wireless charging, allowing you to top up the 2100 mAh battery by simply resting it on a charging orb. It also features NFC for ‘Android Beam’ and a SlimPort-enabled microUSB for HDMI output. The 8-megapixel camera is a solid performer in daylight, though it lacks the low-light finesse of the more expensive competition. One major technical talking point is the lack of 4G LTE; Google opted to stick with 42Mbps HSPA+ to keep the price low. However, in 2012 UK, where 4G is still a premium rarity, this is a compromise many are happy to make for a phone this fast and this affordable. The Nexus 4 is the definitive ‘purist’s’ smartphone, a powerful, beautiful, and incredibly high-value gateway to the best of Google.