LG and Google Announce the Nexus 4, Starts at $299
by Jason Inofuentes on October 29, 2012 12:39 PM ESTThis isn't how they wanted to do it, but LG and Google are going ahead with the announcement of the Nexus 4, and it's a steal. The lineage of the device is clear, with specs aping those of the LG Optimus G, but blessed with the latest update to Jelly Bean: Android 4.2. The Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro features four Krait cores clocked at 1.5GHz , the Adreno 320 GPU, and paired the requisite 2GB of RAM. The same 4.7" TrueHD IPS Plus display has a 1280x768 resolution, and the design is updated with a new back surface. Available in 8GB and 16GB configurations, the new Nexus will start at just $299, and top out at $349 unlocked and off-contract, through the Google Play Store on November 13th.
When Google's Galaxy Nexus was sold unlocked for $349 it was a stupendous bargain, despite somewhat dated hardware. With today's announcement, though, we have top of the line hardware being sold at prices that bend the price curve drastically against buying on-contract devices. We'll see how that all plays out over the coming months.
There's also some indication that announcements are imminent for the other devices that were in the works for today's canceled event, including the 32GB Nexus 7 and the new Nexus 10 slate from Samsung. We'll update as we hear more.
Update: And there it is! In addition to the Nexus 4, we'll also be seeing the Nexus stable expand with two new SKUs for the Nexus 7 and a brand new stablemate, the Nexus 10 from Samsung.
The first update to the Nexus 7 comes in a 32GB variant that takes the place of the original 16GB SKU at $249. The 16GB model now slots in at the $199 and both are joined by a new "mobile data" variant of the 32GB SKU that will be available unlocked for $299. The unlocked nature of the device indicates it may be 3G only, we'll dig in more in a second.
The Nexus 10 was first rumored just a few weeks ago, and piques our interest in a big way. Built in partnership with Samsung, the 10" tablet is powered by Samsung's Exynos 5 Dual (nee 5250) SoC, making it the first Android device powered by ARM Cortex-A15 cores. In this case, two Cortex-A15 cores, clocked as high as 1.7GHz, are mated to the Mali-T604 GPU and 2GB of RAM. On the front of the device you find a 2560x1600 10" display, making it the highest resolution Android tablet to date. The display is made possible by the Exynos memory subsystem that puts two-port DDR3-800 on the table for 12.8GB/s of bandwidth. The Nexus 10 will be priced at $399 (16GB) and $499 (32GB) and be available along with the rest of the line-up on November 13th on the Google Play Store. Interested shoppers can sign up for more information today through the store.
Source: Google
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tommo123 - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
agreed. one of the reasons i stick with samsung phones. a fair few of the others aren't giving you the option of more storage.the cloud isn't an option - i mean who the hell wants to watch a streaming movie via 3/4G and use up their monthly allowance of data in one go? let alone losing connection through a tunnel or something.
to me the cloud is somewhere to backup photos/videos you've taken with your phone - TB backups too. it is not a streaming service replacement for a 64GB mSD card in your phone
MadMan007 - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
I agree, sort of, although I would have liked to see it launch with 16GB as the low-end option rather than 8GB - 8GB seems a little small if you want any kind of media on your phone in addition to apps and data. I suppose the $350 pricing for 16GB is the same as the Galaxy Nexus though so it's kind of a wash, except flash has certainly gotten cheaper over the last year. 16/32GB as options would have been much nicer, and if there was a 64GB it would have been my next phone without question.As it is, just have to use USB OTG as a kludge for media storage.
worldbfree4me - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Google play stores your Music and Video in the cloud. It is always accessible! If you could store your 100 gig multimedia collection on your cell phone would you really want to? With Google and others including Apple, if you have Internet access you have access to your contacts, music, and video. The difference being, Apple has a annual fee for ITunes Match!MadMan007 - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
'Always accessible'? Cool, I didn't know cellular radio technology had been perfected and that coverage was literally omnipresent. I also didn't know that wireless providers had lifted data caps. Thanks!Rick83 - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
I was going to say, those HD-mkvs of television series run at around 1-2GB each - getting those delivered via the air-interface sounds liek a recipe for disaster - and a monthly cap blown in 60 minutes.pmartin - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
Why didn't you get a S3? It has all the features missing from the Nexus 4 and it was out before the iphone 5.twtech - Tuesday, October 30, 2012 - link
What do you put on your phone that requires more than 16gb of storage? I'm assuming you're talking about a lot of audio and video.Some people don't have that many songs, or would prefer to stream off the internet anyway. So 16gb is easily viable for some. I haven't come close to using up all of my media storage capacity on any phone or tablet that I've owned.
twotwotwo - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2012/10/nexus-best-...- A $300 version of the N7 has HSPA+ as well as 32GB.
- Nexus 10 starts at $400.
Already rumored, now confirmed: wireless charging, multi-user support and Swype-style keyboard.
blanarahul - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
I have got "good news" for everyone.Nexus 4 "doesn't have" 4G LTE!!!!
blanarahul - Monday, October 29, 2012 - link
According to: http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/29/3569688/why-nex...1. No 4G LTE.
2. HSPA+ is still available.
3. No contract. You have to buy the phone unlocked through t-mobile. This is a step taken by Google to promote super fast updates.