Google Nexus 4 launching soon in Australia

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blog Discouraged by Ausdroid’s reports (here, here and here) that Google’s new flagship Nexus 4 handset (manufactured by LG) isn’t going to launch through Australia’s mobile carriers? Worry no more. According to Gizmodo (we recommend you click here for the full article), the hyped Android 4.2 handset is set to launch locally through retailers anyway:

“LG told us yesterday that, despite the fact that carriers are shunning it in lieu of 4G-powered smartphones, it’s not afraid to launch the Nexus 4 without a carrier in the countries glut of gadget retailers. Unbranded, unlocked, unleashed.”

We can only view widespread availability of the Nexus 4 as a good thing. Frankly, your writer is getting tired of waiting for HTC and Telstra to approve the Jelly Bean update for his One XL, and we’re heavily in favour of the fact that the latest Android updates are pushed out as they’re released to Google’s Nexus models. It’s a pity that we can’t recommend the Nexus 4 to Australians due to its lack of 4G speeds (basically compulsory in any high-end smartphone purchase in mid-2012), but this is still looking like an awesome handset, and we’re encouraged to see it launching locally anyway.

Image credit: Google

36 COMMENTS

  1. a lack of 4G is a real bummer, but even still….

    $349 for an outright purchase of the 8gb model sure is tempting and only $50 more for the 16gb flavour.

    i spend almost 100% of my time outside of the 4G footprint anyway so for now it’s not such a huge drawcard.

      • Just think, the faster 4G/LTE expands and the more people jump onto it, the more often we’ll see genuine HSPA+ speeds out of phones like this on 3G+ networks ; D

      • My problem with the OneXL is the power button.

        Have you noticed that even when locked if you hold the power button for 10 seconds it turns off?

        Combine that with the top-mounted power button; (relatively??) shallow jeans pockets (enough to hold the entire phone – it isn’t poking out the top) and when I sit down there is a 10% chance that I will be leaning on the power button.

        10 seconds after sitting a feel a little vibration (the reboot vibration!) and my rage begins :/

        • as an owner of a onexl, i have never had these problems with the power button (and i keep mine in my jeans pocket all day).

          most phones will switch off if you hold the power button down long enough…

          • Test it, iPhone doesn’t, galaxy s 3 doesnt, latest Motorola doesn’t, HTC sensation doesn’t, HTC wildfire doesn’t.
            it is a complete failure of design that a single button is capable of rebooting a phone from key-locked status.

          • Just tested, Galaxy S 2 *does* reboot (with a keylock and without). However, with a side-mounted power button, my situation would be much less likely to trigger it.

            It is still a complete failure of design however to allow a reboot from a single button press. What is the point of keylock if not to lock any function from occuring from a single key press? Obviously; there has to be reset combinations to avoid phone lockups, but a single button should never override keylock.

            Ideally, the 2 buttons should be on different planes, to avoid the same action triggering both buttons, which basically means many of the current androids would have to use the power and a volume button.

          • I was replying to Renai; who has a OneXL (presumably because at the time of his purchase it was the best 4G phone available).

            Obviously; it has gone off track a little. (what really put me onto the OneXL topic is Renais mention of it at the end).

            I am considering buying one of these Nexus’ outright however, to replace my OneXL, but we’ll have to wait and see if it has the same issue!

        • It has a non-replaceable battery, correct? If so, what happens when your phone crashes (whilst it’s locked)? How are you going to reset it if the 10 second hold-down doesn’t work?

          The phone’s that don’t have the 10 second hold-down .. are phones where you can do a battery-pull.

          The button may be in a stupid location though, I can’t comment on that.

        • @PeterA

          Seems to be unique to you. I’ve never had this issue.

          And even if I had, I got a slimline flip case which adds a lip to the top….so it isn’t an issue anymore, even if it never was.

          Seems like an odd thing to hate on a phone for. Why not just change where you put it slightly?

          • Yeah, I could put it in a case, and I could put it in my pocket differently (sideways I guess, but its a little long for it…, slightly to either side? It kind of slides back to a natural spot…)

            But guys, you are coming at this in a very Steve jobs way. It’s me holding it wrong, instead of the interface doing the right thing.

            It’s a keylock, why can’t it lock the keys?

          • @PeterA

            I take your point. But this isn’t a Steve Jobs thing. That was EVERYBODY is holding it wrong.

            No offence, but you seem the only one here who’s having issues with it. And I’m on the One XL Thread in Whirlpool and nobody has mentioned it.

            I occasionally have issues with the volume button getting bumped and held down in my pocket. But never the power button, even before it had a case.

          • @PeterA

            Big phone + stylish jeans

            In other words, tight….

            I’m sure you guys all have beautiful legs to show off…..but a price comes with said beauty :P

            I work in jeans….they’re not tight….they’d be EXTREMELY uncomfortable if they were tight.

          • I don’t have tight jeans, and there are many other people online with the same problem.

            just sayin, the way I choose to hold it should not forgive the bad UI design. Just because YOU don’t experience the bad UI design doesnt make it a non isse.

  2. You can’t recommend it due to the lack of 4G? Glad I live in a country area where there won’t be 4G for the foreseeable future. That way I can still buy what looks like a fantastic phone and not feel like I’ve been cheated.

    • No 4G around my house/work either. I’ve decided I’m getting this phone. If, in say 6-12 months time an LTE version comes out, I’ll give this one to my wife and buy the new one for myself! The 4G footprint would have grown even more by then too.

  3. I certainly don’t care about 4G. Can’t wait for everyone else to leave 4G behind so I can have the 3G spectrum to myself :)

    Like a lot of people I go in and out of 3G only areas a lot and the carriers will be unlikely to roll it out to country areas for a very long time, if ever, since it is not profitable.

  4. the lack of 4G is fine. And googles reasoning for no 4G makes sense as well.

    If this was to be released in a year or twos time when 4G (should be)/is everywhere, then it’d be a disappointment.

  5. The esteemed editor should also note the availability of DC-HSDPA on this phone. While it won’t solve the 3G congestion issues of Melbourne/Sydney CBD, it will give very fast uploads and downloads on carriers that support DC-HSDPA (Telstra and Vodafone). The speeds will be far in excess of what users have come to expect of 3G.

    • Aryan, I’m afraid Vodafone’s HSDPA-DC is a joke. It’s AVERAGE is 1Mbps- standard 3G has a max of 3.6Mbps….. Telstra DC average is 5Mbps at least. I’ve gotten 12Mbps.

      Still no patch on 4G- 20Mbps is pretty bog standard, except during very busy times.

      • That’s really sad, sad for our telcos, that is.

        In the US, on T-Mobile, the Nexus 4 is getting solid 20-25 Mbps down and 2-3 Mbps up. I thought it would be similar here…

        • @Aryan

          T-Mobile would be the odd one out. As I understand it, AT&T and Verizon have patches that are good and many more patches that are terrible….also they don’t even use the same bands across the country…..

          • AT&T never rolled out DC-HSDPA anyway, so they are irrelevant. They stopped at HSPA+. Verizon never had GSM 3G, they were/are CDMA so they are even more irrelevant. There are only two GSM carriers in the US and only one of them (T-Mobile) has DC-HSDPA.

            I don’t think T-Mobile is odd one out. DC-HSDPA supports a theoretical maximum of 84 Mbps, and while that’s lower than LTE, it seems many people across the world are getting 20-25 Mbps in real world scenarios, which is certainly very good for most average uses.

            If we are only getting 5-10 Mbps on Telstra, then either they are throttling, or their backhaul can’t cope with the traffic, in which case I doubt LTE would make much of a difference.

          • I thought Telstra (et.al) only had DC-HSPA in certain areas, so seven_tech could in outside those areas? Is there a way for the phone to tell you these details? (Sort of like sync speeds in your ADSL modem?)

          • @Ben Zimm

            Telstra have about 65% coverage with HSPA-DC (have a look on their coverage).

            Outside those areas, it’s normal HSDPA. I can get around 5Mbps, depending on congestion, on HSDPA.

            On speeds; there is an app called speedtest (the broadband version is http://speedtest.net) on Google Play. It will test your connection, whatever it is (WiFi, 3G, 4G) and will tell you what it is using when it tests.

          • I thought the issue was that 3g is congested during peak times. Which is essentially why Renai is so hard for 4g.

            DC-HDPA shares spectrum/cells/backhaul with HSPA+ and vanilla 3g, right?

          • @Aryan

            I’ve never seen a DC-HSPA speed quoted regularly as 20Mbps. Ever.

            Also, don’t forget, T-Mobile has 4x MIMO on that. Telstra doesn’t. So Telstra’s top theoretical limit is 42Mbps.

            20Mbps on a theoretical 84 is about the same as 12Mbps on a theoretical 42. In fact, slightly better.

  6. Made by LG….

    Means I won’t even be considering it.

    Boring too…..and who’s idea was it to put the GIANT WHITE standards labelling on the back??

    Sure, it’s on the OneXL….but it’s dark grey and you can barely see it.

    • and who’s idea was it to put the GIANT WHITE standards labelling on the back??
      Sure, it’s on the OneXL….but it’s dark grey and you can barely see it.

      a darker colour would be nice, but you’re not likely to see it anyway once you put a cover on the phone.

      • @looktall

        I’d agree, as I have a cover on my OneXL….except for 6 months I didn’t (I only got it because it was stolen from my hand and then dropped and I got very lucky and it didn’t smash). And my Desire before it I didn’t either.

        I much prefer the naked feel of the phone. And that writing would just shit me. Probably pedantic, I know, but just seems dumb to me.

        • Probably pedantic,

          especially since you shouldn’t be spending all your time looking at the back of the phone. :)

          i know what you mean about covers, but ever since my htc magic i just can’t bring myself to not use one.
          my magic got dropped so many times. the screen never broke or anything, but the case got chunked up real bad.

          my current phones (desire s and sensation) both have covers on them and have both been dropped several times each and have no evidence to show it.

          the trade off to that though is they don’t feel as nice in my hand.

Comments are closed.