While I don't think the Nexus 4 is a perfect device, here's some reasons why I may revisit owning it

[sean76]

Ok it's been well documented that while I am an extreme supporter of Android, I have had some serious gripes with the Nexus 4! Some of you know that while I was one of the first to be able to order one during the first launch, I was also quick to agree to sell it to someone I know who wouldn't take no for an answer.
Reason being is that I have a very good friend that is dug into the Mobile World and had been using the device for a week or so before they were released to the public, his words to me were that I wouldn't be happy! So with that being said, I agreed to sell it and move on.

However I did get about 3 days to use it before selling it, and my gripes were pretty well plastered all over these forums that I just wasn't blown away! Was I being fair with this new Nexus device, was I really giving it its fair shake at impressing me? Honestly I don't think I was. Especially since my daily drivers are arguably 2 of the best phones on the planet, the GS3 & the iPhone 5! Those are 2 very hard acts to follow.

Now as I type this I really honestly can't believe I'm in this pickle, I should have never ever sold it! Me, Sean76...Mr Android to a lot of people I know, should in no way, shape or form not have a Nexus 4 in my pocket at this moment in time. It's just not like me to turn my back so quickly on Android, especially a Nexus branded device. Why did I turn so quick?

Well that's an easy one, it was pretty much the whole experience of the debacle that Google created when they released the phone, along with really not giving it a fighting chance when I actually got it in my hands. I just didn't feel that wow factor after opening up that box. All that trouble to get it just didn't equal out to me, all the days sitting and waiting for a shipping email, waiting to see if I was one of the unlucky ones who would receive a back ordered email, all of that to me just didn't equal out to what I was holding in my hand. Now if the N4 had a serious camera on board, I have to say...I most likely wouldn't have sold it, but IMO the camera was terrible (on mine anyway) and I just couldn't get past that along with some other pet peeves.

Either way IMO, I should have really sat down a minute and put some serious thought into what was going on. What was going on is that this is a pure Android experience, plain and simple! A nexus device isn't meant to have the best camera, the craziest build quality, the most unbelievable specs, it's meant to just be a pure bread Android device that runs vanilla with out carrier interference. And at the end of the day, that's what Google has given us here.

Now do I agree with there not being a really good camera on board, no! Plain and simple I want a good camera on my phone, simple as that! And do I think Google dropped the ball here with this release, ABSOLUTELY!!! No question about it, Google has made a mess of this whole launch, now is it Google's fault that at this point there's something like a 9 week wait for the N4, yea, it's they're fault for not making sure LG had enough supply and was ready to take on such a task as giving the hard core Android community a device within a decent time frame.

So with all that being said, I have to say...I will in fact be looking into getting a Nexus 4 and giving it a second shot. Even with any of its short comings, it's still a pure Vanilla device, and it still deserves my support.

 

[NeXuS4]

Define "perfect"? Sorry but I reject the premise of this article. Nexus 4 is an objectively powerful device that is at a killer price and let's me have my choice of carriers.

That's why I (and many others) <3 this phone

Can the phone cure cancer or forgive you of your sins? No but good luck finding one that can.

 

[sean76]

Define "perfect"? Sorry but I reject the premise of this article. Nexus 4 is an objectively powerful device that is at a killer price and let's me have my choice of carriers.

That's why I (and many others) <3 this phone

Can the phone cure cancer or forgive you of your sins? No but good luck finding one that can.

No harm, no foul at any thing you said...

However, did I say I was looking for a phone that cures cancer, that's a pretty crazy remark to point towards a phone.

Perfect as in...

A great Phone first and foremost- no it's not, calls to me were fairly low

Camera- no it's not, it's been beatin to death! The camera is just not really good or up to par against the likes of the GS3, iPhone 5, Droid DNA, or HTC one x+
With that being said, maybe an update can fix some of the image quality, weirder things have happened.

Screen- it's ok, it's not great, but it's good enough for the price of the phone.

Speakers- again, there are a lot of phones out there, namely the ones I mentioned above that really deliver on sound quality.

Those 4 things are really important to me and really make up in my terms a perfect phone...IMO anyway

But when you factor in that your getting a really decent device that will get all Vanilla Android updates immediately, I have to say some of those things above can be overlooked...especially since I carry two devices, and my other will either be the likes of a GS3, or an iPhone 5....both of which deliver on all I mentioned above.

Hope that answers your questions.

 

[RaLeX]

Isn't it pretty easy to get a great phone, such as the S3/NoteII/DNA/ONE-X+, etc.., and install a stable ROM that comes pretty close, if not better than, "pure vanilla Android" ?
This is a legit question.

It seems to me that an ideal ("perfect) phone would be one that has the best available hardware. (whatever that is to the owner, i.e. top-notch camera, home button vs. on-screen, AMOLED vs LCD, snapdragon vs. exynos, whatever, whatever)
And then choosing your preferred software. Whether that's pure vanilla, touchwiz with GOLauncher, CM, Nova, etc... is up to the user. But isn't it fairly simple to root and rom one of these onto the phone once a stable build is released? or is there a significant difference between Android 4.2 that the Nexus is running and a current or very-near-future ROM that aims to copy this?

Why "settle" with a lesser camera for pure vanilla android if you can have the better camera and pure vanilla android?

 

[RaLeX]

Screen- it's ok, it's not great, but it's good enough for the price of the phone.

Did you find yourself preferring the 'over-saturated' S3 screen to the Nexus when you had it? Better using the Nexus outside vs the S3 outside? (I've read conflicting reports) And was the 'curved glass' feel noticeable enough that it felt much easier to use one-handed over the s3?

Speakers- again, there are a lot of phones out there, namely the ones I mentioned above that really deliver on sound quality.

I'm torn at which is the better design... iPhone speaker on the bottom (great for laying the phone down without being muffled) or Android-typical speaker on the back (great for holding the phone landscape in your hand watching a video, as my hand typical covers the bottom of the phone from that angle)

 

[sean76]

Isn't it pretty easy to get a great phone, such as the S3/NoteII/DNA/ONE-X+, etc.., and install a stable ROM that comes pretty close, if not better than, "pure vanilla Android" ?
This is a legit question.

It seems to me that an ideal ("perfect) phone would be one that has the best available hardware. (whatever that is to the owner, i.e. top-notch camera, home button vs. on-screen, AMOLED vs LCD, snapdragon vs. exynos, whatever, whatever)
And then choosing your preferred software. Whether that's pure vanilla, touchwiz with GOLauncher, CM, Nova, etc... is up to the user. But isn't it fairly simple to root and rom one of these onto the phone once a stable build is released? or is there a significant difference between Android 4.2 that the Nexus is running and a current or very-near-future ROM that aims to copy this?

Why "settle" with a lesser camera for pure vanilla android if you can have the better camera and pure vanilla android?

I'm not the Rooting type, I kind of like my phone that way it comes! Now yes some will answer that it's a pretty easy thing to Root and put any Rom you want on there...but I'm kind of cool with rolling with my device the way it comes out of the box...just my preference.

Did you find yourself preferring the 'over-saturated' S3 screen to the Nexus when you had it? Better using the Nexus outside vs the S3 outside? (I've read conflicting reports) And was the 'curved glass' feel noticeable enough that it felt much easier to use one-handed over

I'm torn at which is the better design... iPhone speaker on the bottom (great for laying the phone down without being muffled) or Android-typical speaker on the back (great for holding the phone landscape in your hand watching a video, as my hand typical covers the bottom of the phone from that angle)

As far as feel goes and using the devices one handed...I'd have to say its a toss up depending on how big ones hands are...I got pretty big paws so either one will work for me.

Did you find yourself preferring the 'over-saturated' S3 screen to the Nexus when you had it? Better using the Nexus outside vs the S3 outside? (I've read conflicting reports) And was the 'curved glass' feel noticeable enough that it felt much easier to use one-handed over the s3?

I'm torn at which is the better design... iPhone speaker on the bottom (great for laying the phone down without being muffled) or Android-typical speaker on the back (great for holding the phone landscape in your hand watching a video, as my hand typical covers the bottom of the phone from that angle)

As far as screens I could live with either one, I never really had too much of an issue using the GS3 outside. Comparing them color wise really comes down to preference at the end of the day. I honestly love what Apple has done, the colors are great on the iPhone 5, without being as saturated as the super amoled screen on the GS3, or looking as washed out on the Nexus 4....It's a very happy medium! But like I said, I can live with any of them, especially if we're talking price.


Speakers are a straight win for the iPhone...Speakers on the bottom are just awesome when watching a clip, or listening to music. However I have to say, the sound on my GS3 is really good, and comes in at a close second behind my iPhone 5.

 

[jirok]

Is there a better phone for the price? Do you doubt that Google could have made the best phone if they didnt care about the price? Would sammy sell the s3 for under $600? Would patent holders back off of google simply because they wanted to provide the best phone for cheap. For this same reason would LG provide their best tech and manufacture it for a low low price? Would anybody?

Im broke and cant afford to enter a contract so ill gladly accept this supposedly subpar PHONE. And be glad that it does evey thing I need it to and more. Unless someone wants to give me a free S3 and in that case hells yea id take it and run around the streets bragging and rubbing it in everyones face.

 

[lEquin0xl]

Isn't it pretty easy to get a great phone, such as the S3/NoteII/DNA/ONE-X+, etc.., and install a stable ROM that comes pretty close, if not better than, "pure vanilla Android" ?
This is a legit question.

It seems to me that an ideal ("perfect) phone would be one that has the best available hardware. (whatever that is to the owner, i.e. top-notch camera, home button vs. on-screen, AMOLED vs LCD, snapdragon vs. exynos, whatever, whatever)
And then choosing your preferred software. Whether that's pure vanilla, touchwiz with GOLauncher, CM, Nova, etc... is up to the user. But isn't it fairly simple to root and rom one of these onto the phone once a stable build is released? or is there a significant difference between Android 4.2 that the Nexus is running and a current or very-near-future ROM that aims to copy this?

Why "settle" with a lesser camera for pure vanilla android if you can have the better camera and pure vanilla android?

This is what the phones manufacturers should be considering and taking into consideration, not just making a new phone with a few tweaks. That's what's good about the iPhone (kind off). Every iPhone has everything their predecessor had plus something added to it. The thing about android is that different manufacturers focus on different aspects of the phone. The end user shouldn't have to hack their phone and risk making it a paper weight just to add features the phone should already have or adjusting the hardware settings to what they should be at when launched. IMO a "perfect" phone is one in which the manufacturer focuses and each and every single aspect of the phone equally and tried to appeal to the end user and not just think of the millions they will be getting.

 

[Citizen Coyote]

Camera- no it's not, it's been beatin to death! The camera is just not really good or up to par against the likes of the GS3, iPhone 5, Droid DNA, or HTC one x+
With that being said, maybe an update can fix some of the image quality, weirder things have happened.

The Nexus phones have never had great cameras, they've mostly been adequate. Heck, older versions of stock Android were notorious for their terrible camera software. The N4 represents the first time Google has put some real effort into the camera, improving it from adequate to good, and adding in some new features. Given some of the great improvements in other areas (like processor) I think that's an acceptable trade off.

 

[RaLeX]

I'm not the Rooting type, I kind of like my phone that way it comes! Now yes some will answer that it's a pretty easy thing to Root and put any Rom you want on there...but I'm kind of cool with rolling with my device the way it comes out of the box...just my preference.

I hear that. The first root I ever did was on my AT&T S3 and after some original issues I finally got the hang of it. But soon had to sell it as I was switching to Verizon to jump on a family plan. I used the iPhone 5 for a day or so then sold it for a lot of profit. Bought an S3 for Verizon and my computer decided that it wasn't going to allow Odin to work with the Verizon S3. So I'm running the S3 stock and there are some small differences that absolutely drive me nuts. I'm now trying to sell this S3 and then decide which phone (S3, Nexus or i5) to use on tMobile prepaid.

As far as feel goes and using the devices one handed...I'd have to say its a toss up depending on how big ones hands are...I got pretty big paws so either one will work for me.

I felt like one major advantage that the iPhone 4S had was that it was one-hand accessible for the majority of the public. Once they stretched it out for the 5 they really eliminated that advantage. Yet it's still MUCH smaller (good and bad) than top-of-the-line Android phones.

I noticed the S3 and the Nexus are very very very similar in dimensions, just wondered if the 'curve' added any additional usability.

As far as screens I could live with either one, I never really had too much of an issue using the GS3 outside. Comparing them color wise really comes down to preference at the end of the day. I honestly love what Apple has done, the colors are great on the iPhone 5, without being as saturated as the super amoled screen on the GS3, or looking as washed out on the Nexus 4....It's a very happy medium! But like I said, I can live with any of them, especially if we're talking price.

Yeah I imagine it would take a little while to get used to washed out colors on the Nexus for those coming from the super saturated colors on the S3.


Damn iPhone... there's a lot of good about that thing. If only it could run Jelly Bean.

 

[sean76]

I hear that. The first root I ever did was on my AT&T S3 and after some original issues I finally got the hang of it. But soon had to sell it as I was switching to Verizon to jump on a family plan. I used the iPhone 5 for a day or so then sold it for a lot of profit. Bought an S3 for Verizon and my computer decided that it wasn't going to allow Odin to work with the Verizon S3. So I'm running the S3 stock and there are some small differences that absolutely drive me nuts. I'm now trying to sell this S3 and then decide which phone (S3, Nexus or i5) to use on tMobile prepaid.



I felt like one major advantage that the iPhone 4S had was that it was one-hand accessible for the majority of the public. Once they stretched it out for the 5 they really eliminated that advantage. Yet it's still MUCH smaller (good and bad) than top-of-the-line Android phones.

I noticed the S3 and the Nexus are very very very similar in dimensions, just wondered if the 'curve' added any additional usability.



Yeah I imagine it would take a little while to get used to washed out colors on the Nexus for those coming from the super saturated colors on the S3.


Damn iPhone... there's a lot of good about that thing. If only it could run Jelly Bean.

Well I'm currently looking to snatch up a Nexus 4 and retrying it. From the way I see it...

I may have had a defective unit, as I am seeing some really clear crisp shoots from the Nexus 4's camera on the Internet, both on these forums and a few others that I won't mention.

And the washed out colors are really just from my eyes looking at the GS3 and iphone 5's displays...after a few days it'll probably look just fine to me.

The only thing now is to find one for a reasonable price, because from the looks of it they won't be back in stock in Google's plays store anytime soon.

 

[Banished Angel]

The only thing now is to find one for a reasonable price, because from the looks of it they won't be back in stock in Google's plays store anytime soon.

I can't wait until Google releases some sales numbers. I want to know if it really sold that well or their initial stock was just pathetic. Maybe a combination of both.

 

[lunatic59]

A great Phone first and foremost- no it's not, calls to me were fairly low

Camera- no it's not, it's been beatin to death! The camera is just not really good or up to par against the likes of the GS3, iPhone 5, Droid DNA, or HTC one x+
With that being said, maybe an update can fix some of the image quality, weirder things have happened.

Screen- it's ok, it's not great, but it's good enough for the price of the phone.

Speakers- again, there are a lot of phones out there, namely the ones I mentioned above that really deliver on sound quality.

I'd like to weigh in on these points.

Call quality. Sean, you are on AT&T in NY, right? In the greater Philly area, I am getting exceptional call quality. Much better than my SGS2. Volume is loud and clear and haven't had a broken or dropped call yet. I'd have to think it must be your coverage area. Was there a lot of cell tower damage in your area due to Sandy?

Camera. Okay, it's not the best, but it's decent and hopefully can be improved with updates. We've discussed this and I realize it's a much bigger issue for you.

Screen. You know, I noticed that the IPS screen looked dull after looking at amoled screens for the last three years, but I have to tell you, the IPS display to me is beginning to feel much better on my eyes than the Samsung's ever did. You know how they ramp up the saturation and contrast of TV's in the store to make them look better? You'd never watch it at home like that, but that is what the Galaxy phones do. If there was an app that worked with my colorimeter i'd really be interested in the color accuracy of both screens. I am beginning to think the N4 screen is a truer representation of color values.

Speakers. I'm on the fence about this one, too. Quality-wise it's fine, but having it on the back and being a flat glass surface muffles the tone when placed face up. Watching TV or having it at my desk while I'm working is fine because it doesn't startle me (much), but if I get up and leave the room, I can easily miss messages and calls.

Still not using a case and have no scratches but I'd really like a car dock that fits. I despise universal mounts. I had the official S2 dock from Samsung, but I really loved this cheap Chinese dock I had for my N1. It fit like a glove and held it rock steady.

 

[sean76]

I'd like to weigh in on these points.

Call quality. Sean, you are on AT&T in NY, right? In the greater Philly area, I am getting exceptional call quality. Much better than my SGS2. Volume is loud and clear and haven't had a broken or dropped call yet. I'd have to think it must be your coverage area. Was there a lot of cell tower damage in your area due to Sandy?

Well for me it wasn't that bad after the storm in my area, but about 2 miles away total devastation, so yes that could be one area I missed. However I'm getting great call quality and reception from both my GS3 and i5! But low and behold I could have just gotten a faulty unit. Weirder things have happened.

Camera. Okay, it's not the best, but it's decent and hopefully can be improved with updates. We've discussed this and I realize it's a much bigger issue for you.

I'm going to chalk this up towards giving the Nexus 4 the benefit of the doubt, and that maybe my unit was defective. Reason I say that is because I've seen more then a few clear crisp shots here and there on the Internet. Plus I visited at&t yesterday and played with the LG Optimus G's camera and have got to say shots were very clear and crisp...and both the G and the N4 probably have the same shooters on board. I'm going with my unit was probably defective.

Screen. You know, I noticed that the IPS screen looked dull after looking at amoled screens for the last three years, but I have to tell you, the IPS display to me is beginning to feel much better on my eyes than the Samsung's ever did. You know how they ramp up the saturation and contrast of TV's in the store to make them look better? You'd never watch it at home like that, but that is what the Galaxy phones do. If there was an app that worked with my colorimeter i'd really be interested in the color accuracy of both screens. I am beginning to think the N4 screen is a truer representation of color values.

Again I'm going with the benefit of the doubt towards the N4 on this one also. I just didn't give myself enough time with the device. Like you said, after a few days it started to look really good to you. I'm so accustomed to Samsungs over saturated Super Amoled screens, amd the new iPhone 5's Retina display that I just didn't give the N4 enough of my time to really indulge in looking at it for at least a week or two.

Speakers. I'm on the fence about this one, too. Quality-wise it's fine, but having it on the back and being a flat glass surface muffles the tone when placed face up. Watching TV or having it at my desk while I'm working is fine because it doesn't startle me (much), but if I get up and leave the room, I can easily miss messages and calls.

I doubt any Speakers will give me the sound that the iPhone 5 gives me, just not logical because Apple puts they're speakers on the bottom of the device , where LG put them on the back of the N4. As I've said in recent posts, the GS3 is a close second to the iPhone 5 in terms of speaker quality IMO.

Still not using a case and have no scratches but I'd really like a car dock that fits. I despise universal mounts. I had the official S2 dock from Samsung, but I really loved this cheap Chinese dock I had for my N1. It fit like a glove and held it rock steady.

Car docks I don't use, however I will need a case. I'm not even tempting towards going the naked route with a double glass phone. One drop and the party will be over. And I'm just not a fan of the bumper Google is offering. I emailed Clay at Diztronic last night and I'm just waiting to hear back from him on availability for they're TPU cases...IMO they make the best TPU cases. Very light and thin without hardly any bulk, and all the cut outs are perfect. If I'm going to be using a Nexus 4, I'll definitely be using a Diztronic case.

Well there we have it, I'm more then willing to give the N4 a second shot. Vanilla Android is just too high on my list to not give this phone another shot. Now it's all about locating one without paying upwards of double the price. 9-10 weeks is just not logical for me, by then we'll be talking about new 2013 phones being ready to drop.

 

[lunatic59]

Car docks I don't use, however I will need a case. I'm not even tempting towards going the naked route with a double glass phone. One drop and the party will be over. And I'm just not a fan of the bumper Google is offering. I emailed Clay at Diztronic last night and I'm just waiting to hear back from him on availability for they're TPU cases...IMO they make the best TPU cases. Very light and thin without hardly any bulk, and all the cut outs are perfect. If I'm going to be using a Nexus 4, I'll definitely be using a Diztronic case.

Well there we have it, I'm more then willing to give the N4 a second shot. Vanilla Android is just too high on my list to not give this phone another shot. Now it's all about locating one without paying upwards of double the price. 9-10 weeks is just not logical for me, by then we'll be talking about new 2013 phones being ready to drop.

Order one now and continue the search in the interim. They could have grossly overestimated the shipping time and you can always cancel the order if you find one somewhere else. The only downside would be if they have a charge hold on your credit card and you are close to your limit.

I don't envision you as a "charge to the limit" kind of guy, though.

 

[sean76]

Order one now and continue the search in the interim. They could have grossly overestimated the shipping time and you can always cancel the order if you find one somewhere else. The only downside would be if they have a charge hold on your credit card and you are close to your limit.

I don't envision you as a "charge to the limit" kind of guy, though.

Lol...yea limits aren't really a problem. Good advice, that's prob what I'll do

I don't know why my post came up like that, looks like I answered you back on everything, buts its all bolded as if you wrote it, oh well...

but yea I'm hot on the trail of getting me some Vanilla Andoid...

 

[lunatic59]

Well for me it wasn't that bad after the storm in my area, but about 2 miles away total devastation, so yes that could be one area I missed. However I'm getting great call quality and reception from both my GS3 and i5! But low and behold I could have just gotten a faulty unit. Weirder things have happened.

Fixed your post for you.

When I unboxed my N4 and set it up the first time, I had all kinds of issues with Wifi. It dropped the connection constantly and I kept getting the "Package File Invalid" error message when trying to d/l from Play. Weatherbug wouldn't update and it took minutes to check email. On mobile data it was all fine. I was beginning to think that the wifi radio was defective, but the more I used it, the better it got, almost like a smart switch was learning the connections.

I can't explain it other than to say, it's working just fine now on both Wifi and mobile data.

 

[Thats]

The IPS display has really grown on me!

 

[sean76]

Fixed your post for you.

When I unboxed my N4 and set it up the first time, I had all kinds of issues with Wifi. It dropped the connection constantly and I kept getting the "Package File Invalid" error message when trying to d/l from Play. Weatherbug wouldn't update and it took minutes to check email. On mobile data it was all fine. I was beginning to think that the wifi radio was defective, but the more I used it, the better it got, almost like a smart switch was learning the connections.

I can't explain it other than to say, it's working just fine now on both Wifi and mobile data.

Thanks...

Well I'll really be able to test it out full throttle when and if I can get one.
I found a few on eBay for about $530 for the 16GB. Not really that bad, it's roughly $150 more then what I would pay from the play store with tax added in.

 

[northernale1]

for me having this phone for 3 days now (canada,rogers,LTE operational) ,, it has been nothing but exceptional,,, i have had iphone 3g and 4 , sony xperia , samsung G2 , nexus 0ne , galaxy note and lastly galaxy nexus

the galaxy nexus was no slouch but the nexus 4 just rockets past it, in picture quality,speed, radio connections, speaker volume,display and speed,,, in phone call quality is the best of any phone i have ever owned even over the iphone

if you want pure android with no rooting this phone is for you,,,

is there better phones on the market do certain things better,, yes there is,, but for doing all things better,, no there isnt

so for me at the moment its the perfect phone for me,, is it the perfect phone for everybody, probably not, will there be faster and better phones in the future,, hell ya,, but if i wait for the fastest and best, i would never own anything,

and people quit complaining that there is no expansion slot for memory,, google isnt doing it and probably wont in the near future,, just the way it is,,

 

[mttfrog13]

I had a long dilemma about getting the N4. In the end, I can really only say my two reasons for getting it are "why not", and "might as well".

Nothing about this phone as far as hardware is top of the line. It's probably in 2nd or 3rd place in every category. I'm a tech geek though so I didn't want to stay with my galaxy nexus for another year while there was something better out there.

Anyway, the two areas that this phone undoubtedly wins the debate and the reason to buy it is

1. It's off contract price
2. Quick updates if you're the type of person who likes stock android.

 

[Banished Angel]

Speakers. I'm on the fence about this one, too. Quality-wise it's fine, but having it on the back and being a flat glass surface muffles the tone when placed face up. Watching TV or having it at my desk while I'm working is fine because it doesn't startle me (much), but if I get up and leave the room, I can easily miss messages and calls.

I've been using the phone for 5 days now and I must agree that sound was severely muffled when the phone was set down, but after getting the bumper today the problem is completely solved. It lifts it off the surface just enough for the sound to escape. I ever feel comfortable setting the phone down with the back facing up since the phone doesn't come into direct contact with the surface on either side.

 

[lunatic59]

You got the Google bumper, right? Could you post some pics?

 

[Banished Angel]

You got the Google bumper, right? Could you post some pics?

I don't have any camera other than my phone right now, but Shotlimesalt posted some pictures and an unboxing video a while back.

Images:
Nexus 4 bumper case - Imgur

Unboxing:
Nexus 4 bumper case unboxing - YouTube


It definitely adds some grip to the phone. It also feels really nice in your hand and the buttons actually seem more solid than without the case. The volume rocker used to wiggle a bit, but now the bumper holds it in place. Like I said it also fixes the muffled speaker issue. I'm not sure how much it will protect the phone from a drop, but I definitely would recommend the bumper just for the reasons mentioned above.

 

[sean76]

I don't have any camera other than my phone right now, but Shotlimesalt posted some pictures and an unboxing video a while back.

Images:
Nexus 4 bumper case - Imgur

Unboxing:
Nexus 4 bumper case unboxing - YouTube


It definitely adds some grip to the phone. It also feels really nice in your hand and the buttons actually seem more solid than without the case. The volume rocker used to wiggle a bit, but now the bumper holds it in place. Like I said it also fixes the muffled speaker issue. I'm not sure how much it will protect the phone from a drop, but I definitely would recommend the bumper just for the reasons mentioned above.

It does the job, I just didn't like the feel of it for those 3 days I was using it. I reallllllly love the Diztronic TPU cases. They should be live tomorrow and available from what Clay from Diztronic is telling me.

Right now I believe only the matte black is available, Smoke should be available by tomorrow or Wed.