Well we all know that the LG Nexus 4 has been hot through the news to start off with. But in Malaysia, the phone has just reached as we speak. I manage to get a hold on a Austrian unit, and I manage to spend enough time with it to compare it with my Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Before we start, let me explain that the camera used in this post is just a Samsung Galaxy S III, the only camera I can get in that urgent time but some are taken by Galaxy Nexus too and are all untouched. Also, they’ll be little discussion on what the hardware and performance is as this is more of a look on the user’s grip and feel of the two devices. Without further ado, we shall start.

Physical build

First off, the LG Nexus 4 features two sheets of Corning Gorilla Glass with the hardware sandwiched in between. Though the least expected trait that the pieces of glass have is minimal friction. The phone literally slid on the Galaxy Nexus because of the slight inclination and it can glide around the table. The phone is, without a single doubt, slippery as heck!

Enough about the glass. We compare the back of the phone first, which has the angled speck texture that appears “randomly” depending on which angle light is reflected on. Certainly creative and certainly is a sturdy phone, though given it’s glass on both sides, it will shatter, Gorilla Glass 2 or not.

Screen build

This is one of my major concern when the full spec sheet for the Nexus 4 was released. My eyes captured by the phrase TrueHD IPS Plus display which is LCD… but they also stated that it uses the Zerogap Touch Technology. It just means that the entire screen is now with minimal gap between the glass and the touch sensor. In layman, the only separation between you and the phone is the sheet of glass.

Unlike the curved screen on the Galaxy Nexus, the Nexus 4 has a flat glass panel instead but is curved at the sides of the screen, wrapping it on the bezels. You might think that it will be more prone to damages and scratches and whatnot, well, that’s what I’m afraid of too.

Screen quality

What about the quality? I mentioned its LCD, but the Galaxy Nexus is using Super AMOLED HD, which is with Pentile matrix, which means it shares one subpixel between 2 effective pixels, enabling it to save battery but in compromise of a colour hue. Many reviewers too are expecting how the Nexus 4 screen will disappoint us, but in truth it is a give and take. Take a look at the photos below.

Galaxy Nexus on the right, Nexus 4 on the left.

The colour saturation on the Galaxy Nexus is far better than on its big brother, Nexus 4 by a noticeable margin. However, the screen on the Nexus 4 is extremely bright, going at 466 nits, a huge difference from the only-200 nits Galaxy Nexus. Why should you bother? The higher the maximum nits, the more visible it is under direct sunlight!!

Below I got a perfect picture showing its difference in colour saturation and also its brightness. Note that both are in maximum brightness, with the Galaxy Nexus on the left and the Nexus 4 on the right.

Seeing both phones side by side, I’m loving the Nexus 4 already. The colours are by far more natural.

Loudspeaker position and grip

I know, most of us will not even bother about this, even I don’t, but the loudspeaker position review is actually the bi-product of the grip test. Naturally, I use phones with my left hand alone and coming from the Galaxy Nexus, I actually am deadly worried about the speakers as the volume is just too soft, but well-placed.

The new Nexus 4 however has a much more wider loudspeaker but as the world is always biased to one direction, this is no different as it is biased to suit right handed users. When I held the phone with my left hand while playing the song, the sound just got muffled and bounced in a way that it is unpleasant to listen to, but works completely well for right handed people.

Sound quality however is magnificent on both devices, with the loudness higher on Nexus 4, which is a good upgrade from the Galaxy Nexus.

As for the grip however, it is very slippery so you will need to be careful with the phone, unlike the HyperSkin texture on the Galaxy Nexus.

Others?

Headphone jack. Why in the world would you put it at the top??? Might be personal preference, but seriously, I’d like it at the bottom.

 

Conclusion?

Nexus 4 is a great phone, no doubt. Initially like most Galaxy Nexus users, I doubt the quality of Nexus 4, but when I got the chance to actually compare it side by side, I am in awe and fell in love with Nexus 4 instantly. Grip might be something you have to be aware of. The back of the phone is just pure diabetic eye candy. Colour reproduction is great. Hardware is amazing and offers topnotch speed. Everything is great!

 

So tell us, would you get a Nexus 4?

If yes, from what device are you jumping on from?