LG shows off white Nexus 4, says it will not work on Nexus 5

[Dave LeClair]

In the market for a 'pure' Android smartphone but not too fond of the standard Nexus 4? LG has some good news for you as the company has just announced that it is launching a white version of the popular handset. 

LG will initially be shipping the devices in Hong Kong on May 29. After a first batch of shipments, the company will then release the white Nexus 4 in select markets including in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East over the following weeks. Select is the key word there, as it won't be available to all buyers looking for one.

Other than the color change, the specs remain the same. It still comes equipped with a 4.7-inch screen, 2 gigabytes of RAM, and all the same goodies as the dark version of the device. Unfortunately, this means it is also lacking LTE, so those hoping to use the faster network will have to look elsewhere.

LG’s European head Kim Wong was adamant that, while the company has a good relationship with Google, it will not make the Nexus 5. Wong cited the company not needing that kind of marketing exposure anymore as the main reason it is passing on making the next Nexus device.

The Nexus 4 definitely looks slick in white, even if the light color does not carry over to the front of the device. Still, it makes for an attractive contrast between the light and dark. We expect this phone to become something of a collectors item if availability is as limited as LG is making it sound. 

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https://www.techspot.com/news/52707-lg-shows-off-white-nexus-4-says-it-will-not-work-on-nexus-5.html

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

Can someone with some good Android knowledge explain to me the benefit of a 'pure' Android device? When I haven't wanted to use the software running on my phone I've just installed a new launcher.

You get quicker Android updates and no impossible-to-uninstall useless carrier apps right... is that it? Or do pure devices come pre-rooted?

 

[lawfer]

Can someone with some good Android knowledge explain to me the benefit of a 'pure' Android device? When I haven't wanted to use the software running on my phone I've just installed a new launcher.

You get quicker Android updates and no impossible-to-uninstall useless carrier apps right... is that it? Or do pure devices come pre-rooted?

Stock Android is not only the launcher. Android is modular, every single thing is an app. The lockscreen is an app. The notification center is an app. Literally everything.

What this mean is a stock-looking launcher simply changes how the home screen looks. Everything that stock is superior at in most ways than other skins such as Touchwiz can't be appreciated unless you have every app stock (essentialy a 'stock' OS).

A good example of this is the expandable notifications in the notification center introduced in JB. You can reply, delete, archive, etc. email right from the notification center (this applies to other scenarios as well). Every other app is holo-fied, which means everything is consistent. The stock dialer for example is superior to pretty much any other dialer (the Sense 5 dialer from the HTC One comes really close though).

The lockscreen shortcuts added in JB is another great stock feature. Having, say, a calculator widget at your fingertips without even unlocking the phone has helped countless times.

But other than it being pure stock and inevitably getting updates first, it is simple leaner and faster because nothing is being added to the source code. A lot of people had trust issues about coming back to Android or going into it for the first time because they've had bad experiences or people they know had bad experiences. But Android today simply is a different story.

But I can't really do it justice, I would do a YouTube search of Nexus 4 to really see good comparisons. And since the Nexus 4 is just 299.99, it really is a great deal.

 

[SaharL]

Can someone with some good Android knowledge explain to me the benefit of a 'pure' Android device? When I haven't wanted to use the software running on my phone I've just installed a new launcher.

You get quicker Android updates and no impossible-to-uninstall useless carrier apps right... is that it? Or do pure devices come pre-rooted?

It's come clean with no Touchwiz or Sense it's not Pre-rootem and yes you get get quicker Android updates and no useless carrier apps

 

[Jad Chaar]

LG sucks at making displays. This is good news.