Another day, another Nexus phone to add to Google's list of stock handsets not tainted by gratuitous add-ons, carrier bloatware, and OEM skins. For diehard Android users, a Nexus phone is usually the way to go when picking a handset: Nexus-branded devices are the first to get updated with every new version of Android, at least until the hardware inside the device becomes obsolete. The Nexus 4, though, is a special case. It has a near-twin in the non-Nexus LG Optimus G. This brother-from-another-mother was released not too long ago and boasts the same innards as the Nexus 4 as well as most of the same functionality. For power-hungry Android users, choosing between the two is a question of whether they should adopt the Nexus 4 for its Googlefication or stick with its counterpart for LG's value-added features.
Fear not, readers, because this review will arm you with the insight you need to make that decision. Though we'll make many comparisons between the two handsets (there are actually three handsets—Sprint has its own version of the LG Optimus G, though we haven't yet been able to lay hands on it), this is essentially a breakdown of the Nexus 4's future as a contender in the upcoming 2013 smartphone wars. We won't be touching too much on Android 4.2, so check out our full review for more information about the operating system that runs on the Nexus 4.
Body and build
LG's Nexus 4 incorporates the standard "ready for business" aesthetic sported by previous Nexus phones and made popular by Samsung. Its all-black chassis closely resembles the Galaxy Nexus and its rounded corners are a throwback to the Nexus S. The handset also utilizes some of the same design elements featured in its sibling, the Optimus G. The device gives the impression that LG took the parts that made it proud about the Optimus G and shaped them to fit Google's vision.
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via Ars Technica http://arstechnica.com
