Reports claim details of Google Nexus 4G

Reports claim details of Google Nexus 4G
The Google Nexus S came out at the wrong time, launching with a single core CPU just months before dual-core Tegra 2 phones began to hit the market. Because of that, the rumor mill has been nonstop trying to out the next Google Nexus phone (the Nexus 4G for the purposes of this article). There were rumors that it would be made by LG, and that it would feature a quad-core Tegra 3 CPU, but nothing solid has come through. Now, BGR is claiming exclusive information about the Nexus 4G including specs. 

First, let's set the table with the information that is most likely true. We know that there will be a successor to the Nexus S, and given Google's track record with Nexus devices, it's a safe bet that the Nexus 4G will be the first phone to ship with Android Ice Cream Sandwich. Ice Cream Sandwich is due this fall, and is said to merge features of Gingerbread and Honeycomb, which leads many to believe that it will make capacitive function buttons unnecessary because the soft function buttons of Honeycomb should make the transition to phones. 

The BGR report is also claiming that the Nexus 4G will feature a dual-core CPU clocking in at either 1.2 or 1.5GHz, but will more likely be an OMAP or Snapdragon CPU, not a Tegra. BGR also continues the rumors that the Nexus 4G will have a 720p "monster-sized screen", which seems crazy, but there have been reports of Samsung making 720p 4" screens, so it is possible. It also says that we can expect 1 GB of RAM, 1080p video playback, a 1 MP front-facing camera, a 5 MP rear-facing camera, and a 4G LTE radio. 

Now, for the obligatory skepticism: nowhere in the article does BGR give any indication of who the source is, where they work, or why we should trust this information. We understand needing to protect identities, but there is nothing to indicate that this information is from a source we can trust. In a small point of skepticism, a 5 MP rear camera seems a bit weak for a next gen phone, especially a phone that won't be out until late this year. The last trouble spot is the generic 4G LTE radio. 

Pegging the radio as LTE means that the phone would not be available on Sprint or T-Mobile, which until now have been the anointed carriers for Google Nexus phones. So, either the report is wrong, and the Nexus 4G will have either WiMAX (Sprint) support or HSPA+ (T-Mobile) support or both, or the phone will be on either Verizon or AT&T. No Nexus phone has come anywhere near Verizon, and it seems highly unlikely that the Nexus 4G would break that, because Verizon wants to control features like tethering. 

That leaves AT&T. If we assume that the T-Mobile acquisition will be approved, it would make more sense. AT&T has promised to have 70 million Americans covered with LTE by the end of the year, so the Nexus 4G could be a flagship device for their network. But, AT&T would have to give up considerable control in order to allow a Google experience phone. 

We know that there will be a new Nexus phone this fall and it will be packing Ice Cream Sandwich, but until it comes from Google. The rest is still rumor, because even this new information leads to more questions than it answers. 

source: BGR



1. Seylan unregistered

720p screen? I don't think so. If it does have a 5mp camera, then you can bet the Nokia N9 is going to be the best smartphone for 2011. The rest of the rumored specs for the Google Nexus 4G are way too obvious...

2. MichaelHeller

Posts: 2734; Member since: May 26, 2011

It is certainly possible. There have been reports of Samsung making a 720p 4" screen, that will obviously be making it into smartphones at some point. When it hits the market and if it'll be in the Nexus 4G are still suspect though.

7. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

Since the nexus is generally the best of tech at the moment it is released, that whole 1mpx/5mpx camera thing seems a bit low. I dont know why a 720p screen seems so implausable though. They can greatly expand the size of the screen without increasing the bezel much at all, if they get rid of the capacitive buttons. Pair that up with samsungs upcomming nearly bezel-less design on the Super Amoled + screens and higher pixel density and it sounds quite plausable actually. I do highly doubt that it will be a DC snapdragon though as they are the weakest of the dual cores at the moment. Of course, those OMAP benchmarks werent exactly mind blowing either. Here's to hoping that samsung makes it and it comes with the latest SA+ screen tech, exynos overclocked, and whatever else. :)

11. KingK unregistered

It won't be samsung making it. They did the last one. It was crap. They can keep their over saturated, bleeding yellow, burn in screens. exynos/mali is nothing great either. It was toshiba or someone else who had the 4" 720p screen. Bring on something better/new, not the same old samsung crap.

15. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

can you tell me which processor is better than the exynos and which screen is better than the new super amoled plus please? I dont think they did a stellar job with the nexus S, but they also didnt do a crap job. It was simply a galaxyS with 2.3 on it. The galaxyS was/is a great phone and the best single core phone on the market.. but the nexus line is supposed to push the boundaries, not simply be high end.

3. Allday28

Posts: 333; Member since: Nov 19, 2010

The Nokia N9!!?? All I gotta say is hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaah ahahahahahahaahahah!!!!

18. Tsais

Posts: 26; Member since: Jun 16, 2009

N9 best of 2011? LULZ with Symbian Anna on it? FAIL If it had Megoo on it, I would bother to check if the hardware is up to snuff and not last year's components... But I don't know a single person who would buy another smartphone with any form of Symbian on it. I'm not even going to bother listing the un-ending reasons why its such crap, cause it doesn't even matter, cause its a dead OS on smartphones.... its going to be featurephone only in the future, and rightly so... And with the wrong OS, few apps and Symbian's retarded install certificate annoyance, I'd even pass if it was the very first device with Nvidia quadcores. There is one device I'd be willing to suffer through Symbian for, if that was the only way to get one: a star trek pocket teleporter :P

4. testman22

Posts: 339; Member since: Nov 03, 2009

I don't care if its a quad core 5 ghz processor with a 1080p screen, I will never buy a smartphone made by LG

5. Thomas Verbraken unregistered

5 megapixel camera?? Come on !!! Why isn't there 1 brand trying to make a phone with a better camera than Nokia N8? Nokia seems to be the only one who cares about camera...

8. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

There is a windows phone with a 12 or 13mpx camera due out around christmas

9. slappymchappy unregistered

"Nokia seems to be the only one who cares about camera..." And because they bottle-necked their resources into how many megapixels they could cram into a phone they lost a huge chunk of their market share. More megapixels mean squat to the sensor size used in the average phone. You can only cram so much. I have had several nokias in my smartphone life (n95,n82,n86,n900 and others) and I have to say I got better results from my iphone 4. Im not a fanboy by any stretch but Im trying to say is that sometimes megapixels dont make the phone.

20. jmw470 unregistered

Huh? What's wrong with a 5mp camera? I would take a good 5mp camera over a crappy 12mp camera any day. Lots of good cameras are backing down from high megapixel counts to lower the noise in the photos and take better low-light, high iso pictures. Disregarding a camera because of a low megapixel count just shows that you don't know much about digital photography.

6. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

Hey I just love the sexy FUR that the “Nexus 4G” or whatever that is laying on. That makes the new “Nexus 4G” even that much sexier! lol I hope that is Chinchilla fur & that it comes with the phone when it ships! lol

10. bb6h22lude4 unregistered

that's just a nexus s dork lol

12. SuperAndroidEvo

Posts: 4888; Member since: Apr 15, 2011

I know. lol Thanks for the heads up! lol I still think it's sexy! lol

13. WirelessCon

Posts: 311; Member since: May 11, 2010

Here's a new form factor for a smartphone: 5 inch edge to edge super AMOLED screen, the other side has a 5 inch edge to edge pearl e-ink display. Probably not a bad idea until we get color e-ink. Tablet/e-reader killer.

14. MichaelHeller

Posts: 2734; Member since: May 26, 2011

I'm still waiting for Mirasol displays to hit devices. Hoping that the Nexus Tab will feature one, but it seems unlikely.

16. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

i could go for that. its gonna be a scratch and screen crack magnet though unless they make gorrilla glass even stronger somehow

17. WirelessCon

Posts: 311; Member since: May 11, 2010

Good point. However, those flexible AMOLEDs that even a hammer can't break are less than a year away. Not sure how scratch resistant they are. This is why we need a revitalized space program. We're 40 years behind where we should be.

19. remixfa

Posts: 14605; Member since: Dec 19, 2008

this is why we need more privatization in the space industry. the Xprize has done more for space flight in 5 years than nasa has done in 30. were about to have commercial space flights set up from Virgin Galactic.. all without help from NASA. i digress.. I didnt even think of the flex amoled screens. that could solve the breaking problem i guess. screen protectors are

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