Just a note: The Nexus 4 codec issue is a software issue and not a hardware issue. It seems that codec support is low on the list of Google's priorities currently. This might also explain the rather poor battery life when watching videos (only around 6 hours according to the GSMArena battery life test).
LifeEngineer wrote
samdib87 wrote
Hehe, when you get your hands on a Nexus 4, you will be as pessimistic towards everything :P.

Dude - insta android updates, smoother than the iphone 4 5 and 6. :P

Really have a look into it. :) I hope my reply on the other page helped out. Tried to be as explanatory as possible.
Yes I do really want that phone but to be honest I adore the default android feeling but I hate the lack of features!

I mean I tried to compare it with the S3!
Hardware wise it has IMHO a very negative issue: On screen buttons! It makes you loose very much of your screen area and I will end up with a 4.3 or 4.4" screen instead of 4.7 while you get 4.8" on S3!
Let's not forget the battery life! S3 is wayyyy better! And Micro-SD and better camera!
Software wise, it's sleek and beautiful and most importantly COHERENT not like cartoonish silly colors of Touchwiz!
However on the other hand, it lacks ton of features like: multiwindow, Smart stay, excellent codec support, camera features, and much more...

See here:http://www.gsmarena.com/google_nexus_4_vs_samsung_galaxy_s_iii-review-864.php
It ended up by S3! And they are very professional describing each phone!

So i'm quite confused about this man... :-(
First off, I sold the note 2 to get this one.

I'd like to say, 16 GB of internal storage is more than you'll ever need, unless you want to watch movies on your phone and I wouldn't really understand if you did.

I had the S3 and I can confirm, to me - with all my damn usage of the phone - the nexus 4 battery lasts more than the S3.

Multi view, on the note 2 is was too small to put two windows and actually use them to compare, S3 will be a real problem.

Smart stay only works in daylight, at night it doesn't see anything... pretty much what I needed it to do before I go to sleep.

On screen buttons are just beautiful - I guess this comes down to a matter of preference, I would so much prefer a phone with absolutely no buttons on. I guess it's sexier for me you could say. Yes you loose screen area, but I'm not watching movies on it, so I really don't mind it. Still a big screen to me.

Touchwiz is shit! Sorry, had to say it, people these days see more features and say WOAH! this is awesome must get me some of that, when in reality you don't need any of it. Samsung has excellent marketing which is why everyone goes for them. They make real good phones, but they are over loved. But hey! that's just my opinion.

I loved the Galaxy Nexus - but a plastic back was a deal killer. Too much plastic makes a phone look ugly !!

In these times, it's all about personal interest. You want crap you'll never use but say you have - S3 is the phone for you (And honestly it's a really great phone, I won't deny it). You want a pure android experience with great everything and instant android updates and an orgasmic looking phone with no lag in touch response and able to flash freely? Nexus 4 is the phone for you.
I had the sgs2 for 2 months and witched back to HTC Sensation because I hated samsung's plastic crap.
Once you get an HTC with it's high class materials (even if plastic) it's very hard to get a samsung.
I am very pleased with my HOX,it's amazingly fast now with JB roms,and if you use a CM10 or MIUI rom,it easily equal sgs3 in speed of UI.
Butterfly and M7 are the Rolls Royce of Android with both quality materials and screens(SLCD3)
6 days later
From my chat with HTC's ME manager at the regional office in Dubai, it was hinted that the Butterfly will most probably be released in the Midde East and Europe as the HTC Deluxe .
On the other hand, I find the Sony Xperia Z unveiled at CES 2013, with its Full-HD screen with Bravia engine more enticing, especially that it will be water and dust proof, so a premium finishing is guaranteed.
The HTC M7 with the higher ppi ever(4.7'' 1080p) will be unveiled in 19th Feb!!
So let's wait and see
vegetaleb wroteThe HTC M7 with the higher ppi ever(4.7'' 1080p) will be unveiled in 19th Feb!!
So let's wait and see
True
13 days later
Hey vegetaleb

Nice to see you here too ... It's me PsyChoses now TechXero on XDA ... I recently lost my One X to fate ... So now am looking for a good replacement since Warranty is never heard of here sadly ...

So one of my choices was HTC Butterfly (DNA) but then saw the Nexus 4 ... Considering Price to Performance or specs ... Well, Nexus 4 wins ... I already had an HTC device n saw what one must go through to get rid of Sense n stuff ...

I prefer Vanilla Android to anything else... Also was considering Galaxy S4 from Samsung, but too long of a wait ... Ok, now Nexus 4 does not have the resolution of the DNA or Butterfly, on that end am covered since I got an ASUS Transformer Infinity Tab with 1920x1080 resolution ...

I just need a phone to play with not to play games on or watch movies ... And Nexus 4 is a great candidate for that with already so many ROM choices ...

Anyway... Love this LebGeek community ...

Cya :P
Hey TechXero,
Keep the (soon to be released) Xperia Z in mind. Full HD, S4 Pro, waterproof, 5 inch screen, great build quality. Timescape (Sony's interface) is not as deep rooted as say TouchWiz or the other ones.

TechXero wroteHey vegetaleb

Nice to see you here too ... It's me PsyChoses now TechXero on XDA ... I recently lost my One X to fate ... So now am looking for a good replacement since Warranty is never heard of here sadly ...

So one of my choices was HTC Butterfly (DNA) but then saw the Nexus 4 ... Considering Price to Performance or specs ... Well, Nexus 4 wins ... I already had an HTC device n saw what one must go through to get rid of Sense n stuff ...

I prefer Vanilla Android to anything else... Also was considering Galaxy S4 from Samsung, but too long of a wait ... Ok, now Nexus 4 does not have the resolution of the DNA or Butterfly, on that end am covered since I got an ASUS Transformer Infinity Tab with 1920x1080 resolution ...

I just need a phone to play with not to play games on or watch movies ... And Nexus 4 is a great candidate for that with already so many ROM choices ...

Anyway... Love this LebGeek community ...

Cya :P
Hey TechXero,
Keep the (soon to be released) Xperia Z in mind. Full HD, S4 Pro, waterproof, 5 inch screen, great build quality. Timescape (Sony's interface) is not as deep rooted as say TouchWiz or the other ones.
No thanks. I prefer something that has ROMs that I can use and enjoy. Sony somewhat has the bad rep where very few ROMs are available for it, plus the customization is minimal at best.

I give you that, hardware wise the phone is incredible, but if I cannot go crazy with ROMs and customization, it's a no go for me. I am, for the lack of a better word, a Flashaholic.

Thanks ;)
Yeah Sony's dev area is slow to start and not very generous (but don't ask me why).
Nexus 4 is great but I don't like LG quality, you will certainly enjoy speed and CM-Liquidsmooth roms but you will miss the build quality and materials of HTC.
Don't you wanna wait 5 more days for the big M7 aka One unveiling at NYC?
The shipments should begin in March.
Butterfly is overpriced here because it's also 850$ on ebay and rare to find!!!
The M7-One should surely be like the OneX in the beginning meaning 700$ then falling to 600$ in only 2 weeks
Yeah Sony's dev area is slow to start and not very generous (but don't ask me why).
Nexus 4 is great but I don't like LG quality, you will certainly enjoy speed and CM-Liquidsmooth roms but you will miss the build quality and materials of HTC.
Don't you wanna wait 5 more days for the big M7 aka One unveiling at NYC?
The shipments should begin in March.
Butterfly is overpriced here because it's also 850$ on ebay and rare to find!!!
The M7-One should surely be like the OneX in the beginning meaning 700$ then falling to 600$ in only 2 weeks
You right about that but One X died only 6 months after buying it. So as far as build quality goes, the outside is ok but it they die from the inside fast. After a lot of research, many Devs had the same thing happen to them with a lot of HTC devices. In the US they got their warranty so not as big of an issue as it is in Leb.

So for us in Lebanon, with no such thing as warranty, I prefer to be safe, with something that will outlast HTC. The Nexus 4 has one major issue, which causes some lag to touch responsiveness, but it was quickly remedied via a fix. So am not that worried. Plus for my storage and media needs I got the ASUS Tab, with 32gb on board and a 64gb microSD.

Finally, I would like to mention price, for Nexus 4 ordered from the US arriving to Beirut will cost me no more than $420. SO all of the devices you mentioned above are more than I can afford being out of a JOB xD

But thanks for your input ;)
Btw how did your OneX died?
Is it bricked (software) or doesn't power up at all??
Btw how did your OneX died?
Is it bricked (software) or doesn't power up at all??
Not bricked since I reverted it to Stock RUU. Something went horribly wrong on the motherboard, and suddenly display went off. I could still hear it responding to my touches, but no display. Soon after that it turned on without display, only now it stopped responding to my touches, when finally it completely died.

I sent it in for repairs, 2 and half weeks later, the only thing I got, was, sorry sir we can't do anything about your phone, it requires a new board. And when I heard that, I said to the guy, sorry I don't want one since it will cost me around $180.

My one X was S-Off, by replacing board I would loose that, meaning all the freedom I had flashing ROMs. Not to mention $180 is almost a new phone. So I decided to forget the One X and go for a slightly better phone without having to pay much, because like I said no Job.

And Just saw specs of the M7, Same exact specs as Nexus 4 only differences being HTC-M7 has 32gb internal, the Nexus 4 only 16gb, HTC-M7 has exact same CPU just clocked at 200mhz more than Nexus 4 @1.7ghz which makes Nexus 4 @1.5ghz, and HTC has 1920x1080 resolution whereas Nexus 4 has 120x768. And I feel 1.5 Ghz on 1280x720 is going be snappier than 1.7Ghz on 1920x1080.

Just my thoughts ;)
Well even with s-on you can flash any rom you want on OneX,this is the case of 99% of OneX users.
If you got a s-off version it means you had a beta or ''developer'' version of the OneX which helps understand why your board didn't last too much, Only a very few people got s-off because it was not meant to be on sale.
Anyway how did you get an s-off OneX? from ebay?
If from Lebanese channels,you always have to wait at least 2 weeks not only for price drop but for a more stable phone
Well even with s-on you can flash any rom you want on OneX,this is the case of 99% of OneX users.
If you got a s-off version it means you had a beta or ''developer'' version of the OneX which helps understand why your board didn't last too much, Only a very few people got s-off because it was not meant to be on sale.
Anyway how did you get an s-off OneX? from ebay?
If from Lebanese channels,you always have to wait at least 2 weeks not only for price drop but for a more stable phone
I got S-off by chance, I called a friend of mine who has a computer shop, told him to try and get me a One X, so he did, not knowing it was S-on or off. Cost me $550.

Anyway, as I said earlier, I want to try something new, other than HTC, preferably with Vanilla Android. So Nexus 4 is what I found that I can afford, and it's great too ;)
4 days later
Since you're eager for the Nexus 4 (good luck wwith availability), meaning you have no qualms about buying LG phones, why not consider the Optimus G (like the Nexus 4, but you know, better), or even wait for the G Pro (killer specs).

ANW, since you describe yourself as a flashaholic, I don't understand why you are complaining about Sony's slow release cycle (which is about to change with the new crop, btw, having spoken to a big dog from Sony Mobile). You can get any device and flash to your heart's content. Goodbye Timescape, HTC Sense, Touchwiz hello Vanilla Android.

Anw, I'm sticking to my S3 until that mysterious Google X phone surfaces (whatcha cooking Motorola?)

Since you're eager for the Nexus 4 (good luck wwith availability), meaning you have no qualms about buying LG phones, why not consider the Optimus G (like the Nexus 4, but you know, better), or even wait for the G Pro (killer specs).

ANW, since you describe yourself as a flashaholic, I don't understand why you are complaining about Sony's slow release cycle (which is about to change with the new crop, btw, having spoken to a big dog from Sony Mobile). You can get any device and flash to your heart's content. Goodbye Timescape, HTC Sense, Touchwiz hello Vanilla Android.

Anw, I'm sticking to my S3 until that mysterious Google X phone surfaces (whatcha cooking Motorola?)
I dunno, maybe because it's affordable ? Yes, I am not quite as blessed as some of the guys here $ wise. So I gotta look for something I can afford that is both quite fast that runs Vanilla Android.

That said, some people recommended the Sony Xperia Z, yeah it has 2GB RAM, 13mpx cam, but did you actually watch a real review of it? Coz I did, and nothing good was said. Actually the cam although it's 13mpx the pics look grainy, colors not so great, plus the only place one can benefit from the Bravia Engine is inside Gallery only, so useless. Might I add that the power button is just a designer's nightmare, huge and ugly.

Here's 20mins review :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1REOhKUn7E

Anyway, I do deep research before I decide, I don't go buying phones just because of the specs written on paper. I prefer real world use hence why I watch user reviews rather than over the top Ads.

Thanks though ;)
I would love to get a Nexus 4 myself, I've been trying. But even with all the strings pushing from LG corporate, they couldn't even get me a review unit for the mag. But I digress.

As all Xperia phones, the lag comes from their lame excuse for a custom Android skin. Remove Timescape and it flies. I had a prototype Xperia Z for 2 days in Dubai recently, and it was nothing but plesant. I think the camera on the final version will fare better though. Honestly I am befuddled. On paper, Sony's cam should be top notch, they make the iPhone's BSI sensors, and they have history on thir back, and still some of their phones are horrible snappers (the Xperia Ion for once). I can't understand why.

So what's your plan of action?

TechXero wrote
I dunno, maybe because it's affordable ? Yes, I am not quite as blessed as some of the guys here $ wise. So I gotta look for something I can afford that is both quite fast that runs Vanilla Android.

That said, some people recommended the Sony Xperia Z, yeah it has 2GB RAM, 13mpx cam, but did you actually watch a real review of it? Coz I did, and nothing good was said. Actually the cam although it's 13mpx the pics look grainy, colors not so great, plus the only place one can benefit from the Bravia Engine is inside Gallery only, so useless. Might I add that the power button is just a designer's nightmare, huge and ugly.

Anyway, I do deep research before I decide, I don't go buying phones just because of the specs written on paper. I prefer real world use hence why I watch user reviews rather than over the top Ads.

Thanks though ;)
Oh, and I just clicked through your YouTube link for the review. Had I known it's from THAT guy from PhoneArena, I wouldn't have wasted the bandwidth. That guys specifically is overly negative, biased and I think they have better people for the job. I'd wait for another review if I were you.

TechXero wrote

Since you're eager for the Nexus 4 (good luck wwith availability), meaning you have no qualms about buying LG phones, why not consider the Optimus G (like the Nexus 4, but you know, better), or even wait for the G Pro (killer specs).

ANW, since you describe yourself as a flashaholic, I don't understand why you are complaining about Sony's slow release cycle (which is about to change with the new crop, btw, having spoken to a big dog from Sony Mobile). You can get any device and flash to your heart's content. Goodbye Timescape, HTC Sense, Touchwiz hello Vanilla Android.

Anw, I'm sticking to my S3 until that mysterious Google X phone surfaces (whatcha cooking Motorola?)
I dunno, maybe because it's affordable ? Yes, I am not quite as blessed as some of the guys here $ wise. So I gotta look for something I can afford that is both quite fast that runs Vanilla Android.

That said, some people recommended the Sony Xperia Z, yeah it has 2GB RAM, 13mpx cam, but did you actually watch a real review of it? Coz I did, and nothing good was said. Actually the cam although it's 13mpx the pics look grainy, colors not so great, plus the only place one can benefit from the Bravia Engine is inside Gallery only, so useless. Might I add that the power button is just a designer's nightmare, huge and ugly.

Here's 20mins review :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1REOhKUn7E

Anyway, I do deep research before I decide, I don't go buying phones just because of the specs written on paper. I prefer real world use hence why I watch user reviews rather than over the top Ads.

Thanks though ;)
I would love to get a Nexus 4 myself, I've been trying. But even with all the strings pushing from LG corporate, they couldn't even get me a review unit for the mag. But I digress.

As all Xperia phones, the lag comes from their lame excuse for a custom Android skin. Remove Timescape and it flies. I had a prototype Xperia Z for 2 days in Dubai recently, and it was nothing but plesant. I think the camera on the final version will fare better though. Honestly I am befuddled. On paper, Sony's cam should be top notch, they make the iPhone's BSI sensors, and they have history on thir back, and still some of their phones are horrible snappers (the Xperia Ion for once). I can't understand why.

So what's your plan of action?
Well, my friend is heading over to Texas in April for a couple of weeks, so he will get me the Nexus 4 for $350 not a penny more fro Google Play. I like how the device is fast, uses the same Adreno 320 GPU as the Xperia Z and many new Android Devices coming out, all in a very useable 4.7 inch screen not a fridge of 5 or 6 inches which I despise by the way. And 2GB or RAM all for a tiny $350.

I do not care about storage, just because for my Games, Movies, and other big stuff, I got my ASUS Transformer Infinity 10" tablet. As for music, I don't listen to much, I am an Electronic music type, I put an Album, Set or mix I made, get bored with it, delete it and put something else, I am not the kind that leave music to pile up. So 16gb which I have been living with on my iPhone 4 for 2 years is way more than adequate for me ;)

There you have it.