My N4 celebrated its 2nd anniversary with me last month and this is the longest time I’ve stuck to one phone. I must admit though that I used my 808 as my primary driver for almost 5 months in this period but the N4 was always there to get me through my day for entertainment.
After the latest editions of CES and MWC I was startled by the new and shiny pieces of hardware and the accompanying software. I was also impressed by Lollipop on my N4, and N7 2012.
Some background info to start off with, the N4 has a 4.7″ 720p IPS LCD display, with 2 gigs of RAM, 16 gigs of internal memory and as all Nexus devices, no expansion slot. It has an 8MP snapper with an LED flash and also can record 1080p video. It has a gorgeous glass back, rubberized sides and a gorilla glass 2 front. I have my N4 engulfed under so many layers of protection that it is not hard to see anything more than the charging port, mics and the 3.5 mm jack. Have installed a tempered glass in the front, a gadget shield back and is under a double layered case. Rugged.
It is important to note that the camera was not good enough for the time when it came out and obviously hasn’t improved 2 years hence. May be the updated camera app does some justice software wise but with medial hardware you don’t get to good an output despite the software. Nevertheless, when the pics from the cam are viewed on the phone itself, they aren’t bad. It takes decent macros, and is generally good under medium to good lighting conditions. Wouldn’t rely on this to be my camera though, given that I also have that 808.
While I used the 808 for a few months I realised how much I would rather go for android. Symbian is good. But only when I used WhatsApp, phone calls, and SMS. Everything else, other than the camera, was age old. I couldn’t reliably view my emails, couldn’t read books, couldn’t play games, couldn’t browse the net well.
My thirst for these was quenched by the N4 and it still continues to do that. It still lets me play almost every game out there without lag.
Recently, I thought of upgrading from the N4. Looked at many prospects like the many flagships out there, but there wasn’t anything revolutionary about them which would completely make my existing device obsolete. The 4.7 inch HD screen lets me do everything I need. And the minimum one day usage(battery life) despite 3G always on makes me use it as my daily driver. I read my mails, play a few games, read books, listen to music, watch movies, browse the web, edit photos, download stuff and much more.
Now I think, do I really need to upgrade my phone?
I have written this not to tell you that the Nexus 4 is the best phone out there, trust me it isn’t. What I intended, instead, was that we should give a second thought when we want to buy our next phone replacing the current one. Does our phone currently do what we need it to do? If the answer is yes, wait for some more time. May be till our needs out of our phone outgrow its capabilities. lots of things will be saved. Money, materials, the planet too!!!