Google Nexus 4, 10 years later! [Mini-Documentary]

Ғылым және технология

This is the LG Nexus 4, ten years on from its launch in the winter of 2012. It arrived as smartphone growth was exploding and 4G LTE was being rolled out around the world. If, like me, you used a Nexus 4 in 2012 you'll probably have some fond memories of this slick, glittery, early-2010s powerhouse. But even if you didn't, you'll also want to check out our retro review, because there's more to this decade-old little Google phone than you might think!
0:00 Intro
0:48 Why Nexus, Why LG?
5:16 Hardware, Rubber Reversion
7:46 Cameras, Photo Sphere
9:20 Jelly Bean, KitKat, Lollipop
11:38 Secret 4G Functionality
13:06 Reception
13:54 Android 11 on Nexus 4
15:28 Wrapping Up
Check Out XDA on Social Media.
Twitter: / xdadevelopers
Facebook: / xda.developers
Discord : / discord

Пікірлер: 118

  • @julianc528
    @julianc528 Жыл бұрын

    I've been loving these "look back" type videos like the Pixel / Nexus history one! Thanks XDA! 🤗

  • @coffeevie
    @coffeevie Жыл бұрын

    Still my favorite Nexus of all time. I still have my original black one (where the sides are slowly turning to goop from the rubber) and a white one I bought a few years ago that is running mobile Ubuntu for fun

  • @Call_me_Engram
    @Call_me_Engram Жыл бұрын

    I still have one in a drawer running OmniROM Kit-Kat 4.4.4 Probably the best Rom I've ever tried, the entire lock screen system and configuration of this Rom was a masterpiece.

  • @androidash

    @androidash

    Жыл бұрын

    Don't you ever get it out? I've been "tinkering" since the beginning and I still do it today, it's a lot of fun to get the older devices out and play around. The time flies, suddenly 5-6 hours have passed 😁

  • @Call_me_Engram

    @Call_me_Engram

    Жыл бұрын

    @@androidash Sometimes I still use it to do background stuff like converting files or downloading data. Unfortunately I already tried every single Custom ROM, kernel and Mod on the Nexus 4, so there's just nothing to be discovered there for me anymore. I tried countless Mods using Xposed Framework, I remember trying all the Custom Kernels and sticking to the HellScore Kernel as I believe it was the best one and I tried every single Custom ROM available for it. In my opinion the best ones were: OmniROM 4.4 Paranoid Android 7.1

  • @tvrtkocro28

    @tvrtkocro28

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Call_me_Engram ommi and paranoid were my favorites too on nexus 5!

  • @Call_me_Engram

    @Call_me_Engram

    Жыл бұрын

    @@tvrtkocro28 Yeah, Paranoid was light with just few tweaks here and there, very similar to stock Android while Omni was very heavy on customisation. Both were stable enough to be used on a day to day basis.

  • @Maxr1998X
    @Maxr1998X Жыл бұрын

    I still have found memories of the Nexus 4. The device itself is very pretty (and easy to repair!), the custom ROM and modding scene was lively and fun, and it aged really well in my perspective. Booted it up just a while ago and was surprised how well it ran (on an Android 11 custom ROM). The only things that sucked a bit back then were the camera and battery life. Still, for the price you really got a lot. Unfortunately the battery on mine was swelling after nearly 10 years so I had to remove and recycle it. Maybe I'll get a replacement battery for nostalgia reasons before long.

  • @planetminecraft411
    @planetminecraft411 Жыл бұрын

    Really cool look back. Loved the video

  • @anthonywilliams9415
    @anthonywilliams9415 Жыл бұрын

    My first Nexus device. Loved, loved, loved that phone.

  • @transkryption
    @transkryption Жыл бұрын

    back when batteries were replacable and android was fun

  • @Return2TheLiving

    @Return2TheLiving

    Жыл бұрын

    Back when batteries also took forever to charge and would barely last a day

  • @transkryption

    @transkryption

    Жыл бұрын

    @@Return2TheLiving so id keep several. plus they don't last a day now. QC 2.0 is on the S5 = fine. and seperate boards for USB not direct main board microsoldering, so a $10 easily replaceable fix back when SCREWS were a thing. not glue& tape.

  • @ZwaetschgeRaeuber

    @ZwaetschgeRaeuber

    Жыл бұрын

    @@transkryption idk what kind of phones you use but i repair phones for fun and most of them have a single, easy replacable charging board. but yea the glue part for the back is trash. i just replace them with a new one when opening.

  • @transkryption

    @transkryption

    Жыл бұрын

    @@ZwaetschgeRaeuber I thought Samsung after the s1⁰ moved away from seperate boards... the S5 may as well not have screws given how you need to de-glue the screen to get inside anyway... Infuriating

  • @ZwaetschgeRaeuber

    @ZwaetschgeRaeuber

    Жыл бұрын

    @@transkryption the last samsungs i repaired were my note 10+ and the other one was a a52 from 2018 or 19 and both had easy replacable boards. same goes for all xiaomi/poco/redmi and huawei devices i repaired. idk about apple devices or galaxy s20 and above series, since i dont repair iphones and i advice against samsung phones nowadays

  • @nicklovinit
    @nicklovinit Жыл бұрын

    This was my all time favourite Nexus and one of my all time fav phones

  • @androidash
    @androidash Жыл бұрын

    Yes! I've still got several old devices and I often get them out and play around, love it. I hope to see more of these. I think HTC One M7 should be coming up in a few months

  • @AirJordan23DCH
    @AirJordan23DCH Жыл бұрын

    I had the Sony Xperia Z Ultra (Google Play Edition) and a Nexus 5 I loved both of those phones I wish Google would go back to Google Play Edition phones again

  • @inkdaddy66
    @inkdaddy66 Жыл бұрын

    It’s nice to see old android devices. My first was a Galaxy nexus. I loved that phone

  • @HansyPants184
    @HansyPants184 Жыл бұрын

    Oh yeah! Lock screen widget screens were wicked! I miss being excited by phones like the Nexus 4/5. I remember refreshing the Nexus 4 sale page multiple times a day for what felt like months to finally get mine.

  • @dankovac4176
    @dankovac4176 Жыл бұрын

    4:26 it was internally the same phone as Optimus G. I mean totally identical, it was possible to install Nexus's firmware on it.

  • @c_004
    @c_004 Жыл бұрын

    Nexus 4 was my first Android phone, and it's what got me into Android modding. I managed to install Android Oreo on my 8 GB unit, but my younger bro dropped it, rendering it useless lol. I then moved on to Xperia Z5, and then back to Google with the Pixel phones.

  • @alsa4real
    @alsa4real Жыл бұрын

    evolution of android brings back so many memories

  • @mind-blowing_tumbleweed
    @mind-blowing_tumbleweed Жыл бұрын

    Thank you for this video! I had this beauty back in 2013. It worked so well. The only annoying thing was the battery - 3 hours of screen time at best. At the time lagging was the issue compared to iOS, and this phone never failed me in this regard. Cyanogen Mod was a revelation to me. Many small convenient features, everything works so well on this phone. Many times I practiced distro hopping and spent time setting up everything again. I don't really see what Android in 2023 can do Android in 2013 couldn't in terms of features I actually use everyday. But I hope Pixel 7 is a worthy successor to Nexus 4 which was just amazing.

  • @hertsman5
    @hertsman5 Жыл бұрын

    I have installed Linux Ubuntu Touch on my old Nexus 4....I wanted a phone for just calls and txts that was secure did not send out information back to Google about where I was , who I was messaging, what i was buying and what apps I was using. It still runs great !! I also trashed Windows 10 and have Ubuntu on my Laptop !

  • @joaopaulobonomeneto1287
    @joaopaulobonomeneto1287 Жыл бұрын

    Simply the best smartphone I've ever had, and it was my first touch-smartphone ever. Unhappily after like 2 years of good use, it fell on the floor and the screen was smashed. I didn't think of repairing it because I thought that 2 years with a phone was too much, and decided to buy a new one... the dreadful Samsung Grand2Duos, one of the worst phones I've ever had. Until today, the only phone that managed to get close to Nexus 4 that I had was my old OnePlus 5T. Now I'm trying out the Xiaomi 12, I hope it gets along nicely.

  • @jradish
    @jradish9 ай бұрын

    another added benefits of the little nubs in the later versions was to keep the back of the phone off a cold countertop. If the back of the phone got hot during high usage, and it was placed down gently on a cold glass/marble table, the back glass of the Nexus 4 would shatter

  • @mrd5024
    @mrd5024 Жыл бұрын

    Still use mine. I keep it when I go biking. Still pretty fast for how old it is

  • @chrisrodgers49
    @chrisrodgers49 Жыл бұрын

    This was my 3rd Android phone. It was the phone that I learned to root and rom on. I probably think about this phone more than any other. I stayed with the Nexus line through the 6.

  • @SakosTechSpot
    @SakosTechSpot Жыл бұрын

    I remember trying to order this in my college class on my old 3g phone and the Google servers crashing throughout the release. I somehow managed to get my order in. Still have my N4 to this day. Good times.

  • @RichardRatner.1972
    @RichardRatner.1972 Жыл бұрын

    Big love Alex, Kindest regards, as ALWAYS, Richard U.K

  • @wbxg4mer
    @wbxg4mer Жыл бұрын

    still have it!!! best phone

  • @Gary0557
    @Gary0557 Жыл бұрын

    Amazing how great that phone still looks, especially with putting the white back on the black phone.

  • @jradish
    @jradish9 ай бұрын

    man i remember lock screen widgets and dash clock. damn i miss 2013

  • @GitaeRyu
    @GitaeRyu Жыл бұрын

    Damn, I miss those days.

  • @29091992abhishek
    @29091992abhishek Жыл бұрын

    This was my first phone which I bought from my first job' first pay. The phone was sheer love! Unfortunately someone stole it!

  • @smitbangare9526
    @smitbangare9526 Жыл бұрын

    miss android kitkat. It was the best Android OS till date for me, especially with CyanogenMod ;(

  • @TheRailroad99

    @TheRailroad99

    Жыл бұрын

    in general i think android 4.x was the peak of android. 2.x and earlier looked really ugly and more like a tech demo. But Android 4 started to be a very polished OS, and still very open source friendly. (And developers honoured this! - The custom ROM scene was thriving back then). 5.x was the last OS where google updated all AOSP apps. In modern android versions some of them don't even compile anymore without changes, and most don't follow the current material you design language. Also, the menus of android 4 were great and did not change - just got bigger. With most android versions since, the settings layout got redone so often that by now the only fast way to find a setting is the search bar - horrible UI concept!

  • @juanmartinmoralespinzon6751
    @juanmartinmoralespinzon6751 Жыл бұрын

    My first phone, i have good memories

  • @Arrozconchopsticks
    @Arrozconchopsticks Жыл бұрын

    I enjoyed that time of Android. I remember the "LTE hack" also. I used LTE on it with T-Mobile. I know it doesn't have wireless charging(which it should've had) but the 6a feels the closest to a modern version of it.

  • @shahrukhqureshiKun
    @shahrukhqureshiKun Жыл бұрын

    Looking forward to Nexus 5 and 6 look back videos.

  • @antoniosandoval8383
    @antoniosandoval83837 ай бұрын

    It last me for almost 4 years. It was a great phone. Custom roms really gave it a second life with new features, and the hardware was outstanding (the camera was the only thing lacking).

  • Жыл бұрын

    This is my first android smartphone! It's still the phone I've liked the most, although my Pixel 5 is challenging that spot. I still have the phone, but it started boot looping back in 2019. The phone was blazing fast, battery life was subpar but overall, a great smartphone!

  • @TurboBass
    @TurboBass4 ай бұрын

    The Nexus 4 was and still is one of the GOATs and I miss that time, but don't necessarily want it back.

  • @jamesjames7601
    @jamesjames76019 ай бұрын

    The nexus 4 was my first android phone by Google and man I really loved it. It was with me through some good times and bad times. I only wished battery life on it was better. During my first few weeks with the phone in early 2013, it died before the day was over. This caused me to change my charging habits and charge more frequently through out the day. Despite the battery life it was a great phone.

  • @carbullzone953
    @carbullzone9538 ай бұрын

    Those were the good old days. Nexus 4's design, aside from the height and bezels looks way better than the current-day Pixel imo.

  • @alexguitar841
    @alexguitar841 Жыл бұрын

    Man I regret not owning that phone... It looked so good!

  • @ZwaetschgeRaeuber
    @ZwaetschgeRaeuber Жыл бұрын

    now id love to see my first android phone again. the htc one x. would have never bought again but it was interesting for the time

  • @zangetsuee
    @zangetsuee Жыл бұрын

    God, so many nostalgic feelings. Syria didnt import these phones for reasons I still dont know but I remember urging my friend to buy a Nexus 5 from lebanon when went there once. He was quite noob and wanted the flashier Note 3 from Samsung but I remember feeling so flustered because he wouldnt listen when I said the nexus phones are very well build phones XD

  • @lukaszakul
    @lukaszakul Жыл бұрын

    I have had One, still using with carbon OS android 9.

  • @Mister_kipling
    @Mister_kipling Жыл бұрын

    That river Island t-shirt is about 10 years old too lol

  • @DARKSHREK000
    @DARKSHREK000 Жыл бұрын

    This guy definitely saw my recent watch history and said "I gotchu" 😂😂😂

  • @lieftheshinigami
    @lieftheshinigami Жыл бұрын

    My favorite story of my Nexus 4 is when I had someone come over bragging about their newly acquired S5 and my scrappy little nexus ran circles around it in terms of performance. I still have it but sadly I lent it out to a friend and the screen came back destroyed. I don't think the rubber barrier has started to deteriorate much either. I had to replace the screen once and somehow the proximity sensor stopped working properly, which was a drag, but hey, things happen.

  • @aared
    @aared Жыл бұрын

    12:49 I was so confused by that cut

  • @TheAJKahn
    @TheAJKahn Жыл бұрын

    Still have one. Use it for media playback and GPS for my bike rides. 😊

  • @dylanheyl
    @dylanheyl10 ай бұрын

    Dashclock was amazing!

  • @DanielBrown89
    @DanielBrown897 ай бұрын

    Favorite phone ever

  • @NehemYah810
    @NehemYah8102 ай бұрын

    Tbh those photos on this old ass phone look pretty good 🤷‍♂️

  • @CrueHead18
    @CrueHead18 Жыл бұрын

    Still my personal favorite smartphone.

  • @heymerv_
    @heymerv_ Жыл бұрын

    My first Nexus phone. A year later the digitizer broke and render it unusable. I then bought Nexus 5.

  • @bhushandoiphode
    @bhushandoiphode Жыл бұрын

    I have so many fond memories with the legendary Google Nexus 4. Used it to its potential for 3 long years until it's display died.

  • @arwlyx
    @arwlyx Жыл бұрын

    I miss the nexus line, pixel just isn't the same thing

  • @getabhirup
    @getabhirup Жыл бұрын

    Another Nexus4 (Mako) fanatic here. Mine is running LineageOS (Android 10) after repartitioning. Can't seem to dispose it off. The brain doesn't agree.

  • @ponzi_bunny
    @ponzi_bunny Жыл бұрын

    I remember tripping running a skateboard and my phone flew from one side of the street to the other and up in the SKY and even with a case it shattered… traded an iPod for a black listed nexus 4 and removed the display and put it on mine within 2 days… good old memories. iPhone 5 and nexus 4 days were so good

  • @XDAVideo

    @XDAVideo

    Жыл бұрын

    No lie my original Nexus 4 cracked removing a dbrand skin

  • @ponzi_bunny

    @ponzi_bunny

    Жыл бұрын

    @@XDAVideo I almost bought one one time lol… but then I realized that this is the most beautiful phone ever to exist.. I using a mint iPhone 6s rose gold now with new battery and I love it. Get all day battery and damn… the nexus phone came to my head but too old I think.. would love to buy one just to hang it on a wall… great times I swear

  • @jgames01
    @jgames01 Жыл бұрын

    Where'd you get the replacement back cover?

  • @P5YcHoKiLLa
    @P5YcHoKiLLa Жыл бұрын

    I had/still have the black one. Even posted a guide on XDA to replace the battery since I had to do it for mine : "Bulging Nexus 4? No problem!! (Battery replacement guide)"...TinyPic killed all the photos though, I just found out :/

  • @lenacheney
    @lenacheney Жыл бұрын

    I remember being so bummed I dropped my nexus 4 and cracked it

  • @arnold_m_xavier
    @arnold_m_xavier Жыл бұрын

    Do a similar video on Nexus 5x. I think it will handle custom ROMs much better

  • @elvinsworld11
    @elvinsworld11 Жыл бұрын

    Nice

  • @Jazzinvader
    @Jazzinvader Жыл бұрын

    I still wish they made a mini pixel. Like the iPhone 13 mini. Same everything, just smaller

  • @XXB4XX
    @XXB4XX2 ай бұрын

    Those nubs were for the speaker as it sat flat and blocked the port

  • @wertywerrtyson5529
    @wertywerrtyson55297 ай бұрын

    Loved the Nexus 4. It felt big compared to the iPhone 4 and was cheap and fast. It also looked great. Unfortunately the glass back broke. And then the front. It was eventually retired.

  • @introdructor
    @introdructor Жыл бұрын

    And i gave first like, happy 10th birthday, nexus 4 :) 🥳

  • @thecontentprism
    @thecontentprism2 ай бұрын

    I loved my nexus 4

  • @HaryonoYong
    @HaryonoYong Жыл бұрын

    I failed to install google on my nexus 4 with lineage os in it. I have 16 GB one. But I failed to repartition it

  • @kiwilbadvoice5538
    @kiwilbadvoice5538 Жыл бұрын

    Btw bro, how about android one program?

  • @alanwisdom7777
    @alanwisdom7777 Жыл бұрын

    It seems from another century 😆

  • @sickandloose
    @sickandloose Жыл бұрын

    I had this... 🥰

  • @TajulAkbarIsmail

    @TajulAkbarIsmail

    Жыл бұрын

    same here

  • @BorisZX6R
    @BorisZX6R Жыл бұрын

    I loved the entire Nexus lineup, owned the Galaxy Nexus, Nexus 4, Nexus 5, Nexus 5X , Nexus 6 was too wide for me and Nexus 6P was a bit pricey for me at that time...

  • @bhushandoiphode

    @bhushandoiphode

    Жыл бұрын

    Nexus 5X was probably the worst of them all. Poor built quality and constant boot loop issues.

  • @BorisZX6R

    @BorisZX6R

    Жыл бұрын

    @@bhushandoiphode build was not that bad at all. But the storage did fail in mine within the warranty period. It felt a bit slower than the Nexus 5 for some reason.

  • @ApexierGS
    @ApexierGS Жыл бұрын

    I still loved Android 4.4.4, KITKAT.I stalled on 5.0 and 5.1 updates cuz of UI bugs and app crashes on lolipop, and newer versions I skined my Android to look like KITKAT 🤗

  • @rafars2246
    @rafars2246 Жыл бұрын

    The original and the only one.

  • @Biaanca5036
    @Biaanca5036 Жыл бұрын

    The nexus 4 and Nexus 5 have great battery life _when used with the original ROMs they officially support._ :) Modern android have way too many redundancies and security stuffs in place and all of that junk takes up way too much CPU and GPU power which is why so many people complain about having terrible 40 minute battery life. I just use KitKat and greenify to fake the modern deep-sleep stuff. Plenty of battery life for a workday and an after work meal

  • @jradish
    @jradish9 ай бұрын

    this is still the prettiest Nexus imho

  • @iSamYTBackup
    @iSamYTBackup Жыл бұрын

    still more useful than an iphone 5 in 2022 trow a rom on the nexus 4 and boom cheap phone

  • @RossCanpolat
    @RossCanpolat Жыл бұрын

    Nexus 5, Nexus 6, Nexus 7 Tablet and now I'm on a Pixel 6 Pro. I've had 3 Samsung's (S3, Note 4 and Note 9) and hated each one of them. Long live pure Android 👍

  • @maximusg88
    @maximusg88 Жыл бұрын

    I miss Google Now

  • @yaqoublewatermelon80
    @yaqoublewatermelon8010 ай бұрын

    very quickly started lagging, overheating, back glass shatered after drop from knee height - this was my first & last nexus, shame I remember liking alot its design

  • @5HY_9UY_81
    @5HY_9UY_81 Жыл бұрын

    I would still use mine but no VOLTE 😑

  • @aranperumal
    @aranperumal Жыл бұрын

    2022 - 5G, 6gb ram, 128gb rom, smaller chin,

  • @darwinerius
    @darwinerius Жыл бұрын

    love this phone if i didt break the screen i wouldn't buy new phone.. i wish i can fix mine so that i can use it again.

  • @sabriilies7424
    @sabriilies7424 Жыл бұрын

    I want the nexus 5 🥲 to be back again

  • @dinckelman
    @dinckelman Жыл бұрын

    I'm still trying to get a Nexus One in running condition. That phone was fun. There was genuinely nothing like it, until the iPhone came out

  • @bhushandoiphode
    @bhushandoiphode Жыл бұрын

    OnePlus 6 is the modern day Nexus 4.

  • @Poochie78
    @Poochie78 Жыл бұрын

    This phone has HSPA+ not 4G … trust me I know more than anyone .. it might have said 4G but it’s H+ aka 3.5 G

  • @TheRailroad99

    @TheRailroad99

    Жыл бұрын

    No! HSPA(+) is 3G (or 3.5G as you call it) and was standard even back then! The 2010 Galaxy S had HSPA, 2011 SII had HSPA+ and 2012 and later phones (at least flagship ones like the iPhone 5 and the S3) have 4G connectivity - including this one - well, technically at least. As stated in this video the Nexus has 4G hardware, but it can not officially enabled. However it is there - and not just a 4G icon: It still gets signal in my area where 3(.5)G got disabled last year (after patching the modem firmware).

  • @legotrucks1
    @legotrucks18 ай бұрын

    Watching this on a pixel 6a

  • @techrevisit
    @techrevisit Жыл бұрын

    Noice❤️ First ? 👀

  • @Mozes316
    @Mozes316 Жыл бұрын

    They should have kept the Nexus line IMO... But of course I'm looking from a nastalgic view as opposed to a business one. Unfortunately I was on Verizon during the Nexus era and couldn't areally experience that Samsung/Nexus BS rather than a true Nexus phone. Should have just switched to T-Mobile years ago...

  • @phritza
    @phritza7 ай бұрын

    I still have mine in a box under my bed. The screen is damaged.

  • @WiseRuler

    @WiseRuler

    7 ай бұрын

    Yeah my wife broke the screen on hers. She also broke her LG G2 😢

  • @Poochie78
    @Poochie78 Жыл бұрын

    That’s Cap! You could get these at T mobile .. I had 3 of them

  • @shanehorne22
    @shanehorne22Ай бұрын

    Nexus 4 did not have wireless charging

  • @gasperstarina9837
    @gasperstarina98379 ай бұрын

    I had Nexus S but it was built very bad and had dead pixels...I liked the phone for 2,3 weeks but then when they returned money i went buy iPhone and still using Apple in 2023

  • @HaimPeretz
    @HaimPeretz Жыл бұрын

    I really liked my Nexus 5 back in those days. It also has the magnetic wireless charging way b before the Apple MagSafe:) I built a Diy MagSafe wireless charger: kzread.info/dash/bejne/mH2ru7qHdriseLw.html

  • @TajulAkbarIsmail
    @TajulAkbarIsmail Жыл бұрын

    💪 Nexus 🦾

  • @metatronblack
    @metatronblack Жыл бұрын

    I like 🍪

  • @carilynfirestone3438
    @carilynfirestone3438 Жыл бұрын

    𝓅𝓇𝑜𝓂𝑜𝓈𝓂 😬

Келесі