One week with the N4...back to the iPhone 5

thatappleguytoday · Dec 8, 2012

Just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone that has or maybe considering the Nexus 4 and wanted to try Android.

The Nexus 4 was my first Android device since the HTC Hero about 4 years ago. Let me start by saying the N4 is one heck of a device. If your familiar with Android and Jelly Bean OS, this device is a no brainer. The hardware is also top notch and was very impressed with the device itself. JB is super smooth, but there are still hiccups in Chrome and other touch gestures in other apps. I loved the screen LCD, the widgets, and the customization with Nova Launcher. There are really no limits what you can do in Android. Very impressive.

I really tried to like the N4, but the battery life was one of the main draws that sent me back to iOS. I understand that in Android you control the Settings, but I didn't want to babysit the phone and manage battery life.

Another thing I couldn't stomach was lock screen notifications. Yes Lightflow was nice, but I enjoy the popups on the lock screen in iOS.

The last 2 things on the N4 I couldn't stand was the camera and music player. I guess I got really spoiled with having the iPod on an iPhone and the camera on the iP5 is top notch. The music player on the N4 sounded terrible in my car and it drove me nuts.

I actually had no problems living without LTE as I got great HSPA+ service where I live.

So in the end, I went back to the iPhone 5 for a smoother OS operation, better camera, and music player. The LTE is nice to have again as well.

Now I understand that this is all personal preference and other users will vary. So please spare me the "cool story bro" line.

I would def recommend the N4 to anyone considering the phone. I guess in the end for me it was just too much hassle to manage settings and getting the battery to sustain a healthy life.

aerok · Dec 8, 2012

map1978 said:
Just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone that has or maybe considering the Nexus 4 and wanted to try Android.

The Nexus 4 was my first Android device since the HTC Hero about 4 years ago. Let me start by saying the N4 is one heck of a device. If your familiar with Android and Jelly Bean OS, this device is a no brainer. The hardware is also top notch and was very impressed with the device itself. JB is super smooth, but there are still hiccups in Chrome and other touch gestures in other apps. I loved the screen LCD, the widgets, and the customization with Nova Launcher. There are really no limits what you can do in Android. Very impressive.

I really tried to like the N4, but the battery life was one of the main draws that sent me back to iOS. I understand that in Android you control the Settings, but I didn't want to babysit the phone and manage battery life.

Another thing I couldn't stomach was lock screen notifications. Yes Lightflow was nice, but I enjoy the popups on the lock screen in iOS.

The last 2 things on the N4 I couldn't stand was the camera and music player. I guess I got really spoiled with having the iPod on an iPhone and the camera on the iP5 is top notch. The music player on the N4 sounded terrible in my car and it drove me nuts.

I actually had no problems living without LTE as I got great HSPA+ service where I live.

So in the end, I went back to the iPhone 5 for a smoother OS operation, better camera, and music player. The LTE is nice to have again as well.

Now I understand that this is all personal preference and other users will vary. So please spare me the "cool story bro" line.

I would def recommend the N4 to anyone considering the phone. I guess in the end for me it was just too much hassle to manage settings and getting the battery to sustain a healthy life.

Battery does suck on the N4, this made me really sad as I really wanted the device. I opted for a Note II instead. As for the rest of your criticism, they are also valid. As for notifications, well that's just personal choice.

Switchback666 · Dec 8, 2012

I do hate the camera controls but thats probably because im not used to it, regarding the lockscreen i havent explore that too much much im sure there must be a lockinfo kind of alternative

if it is will be perfect !

Havent try any music players yer or playing music at all so cant comment, about the battery life personally im getting better battery life than my 4s so its a plus for me but people claim even 8hrs of usage on the iphone 5 so i guess must be hard to "downgrade" in that aspect

anyway i dont have complaints on that regard (whe need to reliaze is a lot of screen going on here!)

ATM dont really have any complaints so far, ios7 will have to make something very special for me to go back.

mikegasol · Dec 8, 2012

map1978 said:
Just wanted to share my thoughts with everyone that has or maybe considering the Nexus 4 and wanted to try Android.

The Nexus 4 was my first Android device since the HTC Hero about 4 years ago. Let me start by saying the N4 is one heck of a device. If your familiar with Android and Jelly Bean OS, this device is a no brainer. The hardware is also top notch and was very impressed with the device itself. JB is super smooth, but there are still hiccups in Chrome and other touch gestures in other apps. I loved the screen LCD, the widgets, and the customization with Nova Launcher. There are really no limits what you can do in Android. Very impressive.

I really tried to like the N4, but the battery life was one of the main draws that sent me back to iOS. I understand that in Android you control the Settings, but I didn't want to babysit the phone and manage battery life.

Another thing I couldn't stomach was lock screen notifications. Yes Lightflow was nice, but I enjoy the popups on the lock screen in iOS.

The last 2 things on the N4 I couldn't stand was the camera and music player. I guess I got really spoiled with having the iPod on an iPhone and the camera on the iP5 is top notch. The music player on the N4 sounded terrible in my car and it drove me nuts.

I actually had no problems living without LTE as I got great HSPA+ service where I live.

So in the end, I went back to the iPhone 5 for a smoother OS operation, better camera, and music player. The LTE is nice to have again as well.

Now I understand that this is all personal preference and other users will vary. So please spare me the "cool story bro" line.

I would def recommend the N4 to anyone considering the phone. I guess in the end for me it was just too much hassle to manage settings and getting the battery to sustain a healthy life.

Battery isn't great but the rest of your issues could have been solved with an app and an ipod touch.

ixodes · Dec 8, 2012

aerok said:
1) Battery does suck on the N4, this made me really sad as I really wanted the device.

2) I opted for a Note II instead.

3) As for the rest of your criticism, they are also valid. .

1a) Absolutely false. I get excellent long life out of my N4

However if one does not take a few minutes to use Google and properly setup the phone when new, then the battery will not return what it's capable of.

Every one of the Android users I know, no matter which model, uses JuiceDefender, a FREE app that maximizes battery life.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/juicedefender-battery-saver/com.latedroid.juicedefender

2a) I also have a Note II because I own and enjoy lots of different phones. But it's not any better than the N4 if you do not learn what Android is, and how to use it.

That's the problem. If people just sit down with a Mac laptop, never having used one, they are not going to like it.
A person must have patience, make the effort to learn the new platform you are using, and suddenly you find it's a nice change. I have referred many people to Macs... and only the ones that have taken the time to learn them, are still using and enjoy the great OS X powered machines.

3) Again false.

I'm not going to spend the time going into details, cause it's the same thing. If you do not approach a platform with an open mind, a willingness to learn, you will reject it. Period.

mattopotamus · Dec 8, 2012

Switchback666 said:
I do hate the camera controls but thats probably because im not used to it, regarding the lockscreen i havent explore that too much much im sure there must be a lockinfo kind of alternative if it is will be perfect !

Havent try any music players yer or playing music at all so cant comment, about the battery life personally im getting better battery life than my 4s so its a plus for me but people claim even 8hrs of usage on the iphone 5 so i guess must be hard to "downgrade" in that aspect anyway i dont have complaints on that regard (whe need to reliaze is a lot of screen going on here!)

ATM dont really have any complaints so far, ios7 will have to make something very special for me to go back.

I think the camera control seem better than they actually are. In reality I felt like they were cumbersome

thatappleguytoday · Dec 8, 2012

ixodes said:
1a) Absolutely false. I get excellent long life out of my N4

However if one does not take a few minutes to use Google and properly setup the phone when new, then the battery will not return what it's capable of.

Every one of the Android users I know, no matter which model, uses JuiceDefender, a FREE app that maximizes battery life.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/juicedefender-battery-saver/com.latedroid.juicedefender

2a) I also have a Note II because I own and enjoy lots of different phones. But it's not any better than the N4 if you do not learn what Android is, and how to use it.

That's the problem. If people just sit down with a Mac laptop, never having used one, they are not going to like it.
A person must have patience, make the effort to learn the new platform you are using, and suddenly you find it's a nice change. I have referred many people to Macs... and only the ones that have taken the time to learn them, are still using and enjoy the great OS X powered machines.

3) Again false.

I'm not going to spend the time going into details, cause it's the same thing. If you do not approach a platform with an open mind, a willingness to learn, you will reject it. Period.

First, I used JuiceDefender and it definitely helped. It was nice that it would sleep data when screen is off, but would also take too long to come back on once the screen was on.

I shouldn't have to dload apps to get better battery life. That's just silly.

Second, I did get the N4 with an open mind knowing that it's a completely different user experience. I did not mind taking the time learning new features and the UI in general.

It's not about rejecting it. Like I mentioned, it came down to personal preference and every user will vary.

Don't bring the "you didn't give android a try" FUD comments here

ChazUK · Dec 8, 2012

Good to read you've tried it OP.

I've noticed worse battery life compared to my wife's s3 and my old Galaxy Nexus with the extended battery (both gsm versions).

Other than that, I do love the thing but definitely see how it isn't for everyone. The DC-HSPA+ data speeds I've been getting from this thing has really impressed me.

We're lucky enough to have such high end hardware to choose between and I do understand that the Nexus 4 won't be for everyone.

What did you do, sell or on our return it? Interesting to hear how much they're going for on the second hand market if you sold it.

onthecouchagain · Dec 8, 2012

Google is expected to release a patch to address battery drain and apparently very soon. It's happened before with the Galaxy Nexus, with the iPhone 4S (took more than one update to fix the battery issues for everyone), and with the latest macbooks.

Shame for those who can't hold out. Early adopters should fully expect bugs and issues no matter what phone or new software they're getting.

zbarvian · Dec 8, 2012

ixodes said:
1a) Absolutely false. I get excellent long life out of my N4

However if one does not take a few minutes to use Google and properly setup the phone when new, then the battery will not return what it's capable of.

Every one of the Android users I know, no matter which model, uses JuiceDefender, a FREE app that maximizes battery life.

http://www.appbrain.com/app/juicedefender-battery-saver/com.latedroid.juicedefender

2a) I also have a Note II because I own and enjoy lots of different phones. But it's not any better than the N4 if you do not learn what Android is, and how to use it.

That's the problem. If people just sit down with a Mac laptop, never having used one, they are not going to like it.
A person must have patience, make the effort to learn the new platform you are using, and suddenly you find it's a nice change. I have referred many people to Macs... and only the ones that have taken the time to learn them, are still using and enjoy the great OS X powered machines.

3) Again false.

I'm not going to spend the time going into details, cause it's the same thing. If you do not approach a platform with an open mind, a willingness to learn, you will reject it. Period.

I'm pretty sure most consumers are instantly enamored with Macs...from what I've seen, at least. And this is still a shortcoming of Android, you really shouldn't have to download an app or use it exactly right to get a good experience, it should come that way out of the box. I still don't understand why the N4 is struggling with battery life.

whoknows87 · Dec 8, 2012

Battery life has been great to me, Music player/ google music is great
THE ONLY thing I miss from the iPhone 5 is the camera without any hesitation it is a much much better camera

Other than that I'm very content with my First Android phone, maybe just maybe i'll go back with the iPhone 6 comes out LOL, this might not be an issue to many here, but I love the fact that I can send calls to voice mail, Block certain number, Lock apps, and ooh the widgets are just great

ChazUK · Dec 8, 2012

zbarvian said:
I'm pretty sure most consumers are instantly enamored with Macs...from what I've seen, at least. And this is still a shortcoming of Android, you really shouldn't have to download an app or use it exactly right to get a good experience, it should come that way out of the box. I still don't understand why the N4 is struggling with battery life.

I've never used any apps to enhance battery life on Android before and do hope that the battery life issues are caused by some kind of software bug.

Remember, even the iPhone 4s didn't come with the greatest battery life at launch which was eventually ironed out.

These things happen.

onthecouchagain · Dec 8, 2012

My battery report for Nexus 4:

I think this is pretty decent. I'm hoping Google's software patch will make it last even longer. It's supposed to come very soon, apparently.

thatappleguytoday · Dec 8, 2012

ChazUK said:
Good to read you've tried it OP.

I've noticed worse battery life compared to my wife's s3 and my old Galaxy Nexus with the extended battery (both gsm versions).

Other than that, I do love the thing but definitely see how it isn't for everyone. The DC-HSPA+ data speeds I've been getting from this thing has really impressed me.

We're lucky enough to have such high end hardware to choose between and I do understand that the Nexus 4 won't be for everyone.

What did you do, sell or on our return it? Interesting to hear how much they're going for on the second hand market if you sold it.

Yeah I love Jelly Bean and the customization you can do with Android too. I just can't take the time and manage the phone to get the battery to perform up to par. Plus for me the camera and music player was awful compared to the iP5.

It all boils down to personal needs and the iOS ecosystem, awesome battery life, iPod, and camera brought me back to the iP5.

LTE is nice to have again too since I have unlimited LTE data

I wasn't going to hit someone over the head with an extreme price. I sold it for a few dollars more. I'm not one to sell overpriced to someone that wanted it. I sold it here too. I could of took it to eBay but wanted to let this community first crack at it.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1503731/

onthecouchagain said:
Google is expected to release a patch to address battery drain and apparently very soon. It's happened before with the Galaxy Nexus, with the iPhone 4S (took more than one update to fix the battery issues for everyone), and with the latest macbooks.

Shame for those who can't hold out. Early adopters should fully expect bugs and issues no matter what phone or new software they're getting.

I'm sure they are gonna update the OS but can't expect that much out of a software update. Those wakelock issues might help but the battery drained way too quickly. I didn't have any ear buzzing or light leak issues like other early adopters were having too.

Right now as I'm typing this my iP5 reads this

Usage: 4hrs 15min
Standby: 12hrs 54mins

Still with 45% battery left

Also I forgot to mention, it was really sad that I had to shut off stuff like NFC and Google Now just to make it until night. That was disappointing.

ChazUK · Dec 8, 2012

map1978 said:
Yeah I love Jelly Bean and the customization you can do with Android too. I just can't take the time and manage the phone to get the battery to perform up to par. Plus for me the camera and music player was awful compared to the iP5.

It all boils down to personal needs and the iOS ecosystem, awesome battery life, iPod, and camera brought me back to the iP5.

LTE is nice to have again too since I have unlimited LTE data

I wasn't going to hit someone over the head with an extreme price. I sold it for a few dollars more. I'm not one to sell overpriced to someone that wanted it. I sold it here too. I could of took it to eBay but wanted to let this community first crack at it.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1503731/

Unlimited data is such a win in this day and age. I have unlimited 3G too (with tethering) and my N4 is considerably faster at data than our home "broadband".

I think it'd take something special to give up unlimited LTE if it were available to me so that's another plus for you IMO.

Nice price on the resale, especially with all the accessories.

Oletros · Dec 9, 2012

map1978 said:
Right now as I'm typing this my iP5 reads this

Usage: 4hrs 15min
Standby: 12hrs 54mins

Still with 45% battery left

You know that on iOS, usage is not screen on, do you?

SlCKB0Y · Dec 9, 2012

Oletros said:
You know that on iOS, usage is not screen on, do you?

Why is Oletros always the voice of reason in this subforum?

siurpeeman · Dec 9, 2012

Oletros said:
You know that on iOS, usage is not screen on, do you?

regardless of his usage time, the fact of the matter is that he ends the day with significantly more battery than he did with the nexus. and this is without micro managing wifi/bluetooth/etc settings.

matttye · Dec 9, 2012

Oletros said:
You know that on iOS, usage is not screen on, do you?

That's why it's difficult to compare batteries, but most people who have used both devices will confirm that the iphone lasts longer.

There tends to be less running, and you don't have to worry about wake locks and stuff on iOS, so it makes sense that it would last longer.

zbarvian · Dec 9, 2012

Oletros said:
You know that on iOS, usage is not screen on, do you?

From Apple's website:

"Usage: Amount of time iPhone has been awake and in use since the last full charge. The phone is awake when youre on a call, using email, listening to music, browsing the web, or sending and receiving text messages, or during certain background tasks such as auto-checking email."

During my first couple days with the phone I was watching my battery life like a hawk, and it seems that probably 92-95% of the usage (in my case) was in fact screen on time. So no, it's not JUST screen on time, but almost.

ChrisTX · Dec 9, 2012

To credit the iPhone 5, it's amazing that it gets such excellent battery life with such a small battery. Very impressive in my opinion. To be fair, on my GS3 on a full charge my phone holds a charge for the entire day, even with moderate to heavy usage with room to spare at the end. Will be interesting to see what my experience is like with the Nexus 4.

TacticalDesire · Dec 9, 2012

I'm glad you tried it with an open mind. No platform is for everyone. And your approach was much better than many. you didn't play with a demo phone at a kiosk for 10 minutes and then say you have experience with android.

onthecouchagain · Dec 9, 2012

If android was just an app drawer, it too would have astounding battery life. Even more astounding with the larger batteries.

Having said that, android needs to definitely find a way to curb battery drain, fast or slow.

ReallyBigFeet · Dec 9, 2012

mikegasol said:
Battery isn't great but the rest of your issues could have been solved with an app and an ipod touch.

I think you totally missed his point. He likes having his iPod integrated with his phone.

matttye · Dec 9, 2012

onthecouchagain said:
If android was just an app drawer, it too would have astounding battery life. Even more astounding with the larger batteries.

Having said that, android needs to definitely find a way to curb battery drain, fast or slow.

Since iOS supported background tasks it's been more than an app drawer. You can listen to Spotify, Pandora etc. in the background for as long as you want, and other apps can perform tasks in the background.

Push notifications allow me to get notifications at any time too. The push notification listener uses less battery than having god knows how many apps running in the background, yet the result to the user is the same. I still get notifications for apps that aren't actually running in the background. The only difference is my battery lasts longer.

The only problem with the Apple way is that apps are limited in what they can do in the background. You can't maintain a constant connection to an IRC server, for example.

One week with the N4...back to the iPhone 5

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