The Nexus 4 LTE was supposed to be Google’s re-vamped flagship, brought bang-up-to-date with a load of new hardware and the latest version of Android, 4.3 Jelly Bean. However, it didn't launch at Google I/O and neither did any hardware, leaving us more than a little disappointed. But we can dream, right? This is what we want to see from the Nexus 4 LTE, against 2013's finest, the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Please note: these are not Nexus 4 formally announced features. They are what we want to see on the new Nexus 7 and what we hope it will feature when it launches.
Samsung’s Galaxy S4 offers an updated version of the multi-million selling Galaxy S4 formula with a larger screen, faster processor and a host of interface tweaks and features.
Samsung Galaxy S4: Key specs and features
The first thing you’ll likely notice if you get to grips with a Galaxy S4 is its enormous 5-inch display which dominates the handsets front fascia and pushes the bezel out to a tiny sliver at the very edges of the device.
Obviously, such a big screen is idea for viewing films, web pages and multimedia purely by virtue of its scale, however, if you think the impressiveness ends with size then you’re in for a shock.
Switching the handset on, you’re met with an incredibly bright, colourful and vibrant picture. Samsung has once again used its Super AMOLED technology but this time with a Full HD 1920x1080 pixel resolution at 440 pixels-per-inch (ppi).
The result is very clear and sharp, the sharpest Super AMOLED we’ve seen in fact and you don’t get any of that ‘sawtooth’ edging or pixilation common on other AMOLEDs.
The other big trick is the processing power and performance. The Galaxy S4 uses a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core clocked at 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 320 graphics processing unit (GPU).
Not only does this benchmark very well indeed but it runs Android with Samsung’s TouchWiz phenomenally smoothly. There’s no stuttering whatsoever and the latency with Android’s Butter UI optimisations is excellent.
The camera is also highly competent, it’s rated at 13-megapixels and features the usual high-end setup with an LED flash, back-illuminated sensor (BSI), stabilisation, 1080p video and HDR.
Samsung has also incorporated some new features including Dual Shot where you can use the front 2-megapixel camera in tandem with the rear and merge elements of both pictures.
There’s also Drama Shot for time-lapse sequences, simultaneous video and image capture, multishot and a number of other tweaks to give you more variety to your imaging.
Nexus 4 LTE: Key specs and features
We were hoping Google would update the screen technology on the Nexus 4 LTE reboot. We still want a 4.6-inch IPS+ LCD, which remains a decent and highly usable size, but we want to see a much crisper visual quality.
Of course the main change from its predecessor, would be that it supports 4G connectivity putting the Nexus 4 LTE on an even footing with rival flagships.
More than that, however, Google will hopefully make a sensible move and bump up the already potent quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 chip to an even better Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core unit.
We want it clocked at 1.9GHz with 2GB of RAM and an Adreno 320 GPU to deliver a silky smooth performance on the carefully optimised Android 4.3 Jelly Bean build.
Jelly Bean 4.3 is also something of a pull in of itself, offering the very latest features from Google’s inventive hive-mind. The Hangouts app would come preinstalled, along with a host of new locations feature announced at Google I/O
Like its Nexus predecessors, it will feature stock Android, which for us has an appeal over Samsung’s TouchWiz owing to its cleaner and more stylish design.
Conclusion
An update Nexus 4 would make Google's flagship viable again in the current market of Full HD phones. However, the Galaxy S4 would still be carrying a bigger display with similarly high quality visuals and processing power would be on an even level. Factor in the stock Android-equipped Galaxy S4 coming from Google Play in June and Samsung is onto a winner here.
by pbriden via Featured Articles
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