Google Explains Lack of LTE in Nexus 4 Smartphone

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[citation][nom]wemakeourfuture[/nom]Should we go back to 2G too? Why we're not downloading torrents or 5 GB files. LTE is faster, the whole point of going from 2G -> 3G -> 4G LTE is speed. You're talking about cloud based services and synching stuff and how you don't need an expandable storage, understood. Now you're doing all that on a slower network if you're not on WiFi. Shoot, we can save costs even more we should go to slower WiFi (802.11b) as well since we're not using phones for torrents or 5 GB files...[/citation]
EDGE is a lot slower than HSPA+, and it's easy to notice the difference there. That said, most people just can't bottleneck HSPA+ anyway. (CDMA 3G, on the other hand, only has the speed of a slow DSL connection, several times slower than HSPA+, so I guess it's more necessary there.) Personally, I"ll take more battery life, not being locked to a carrier, and STOCK ANDROID over LTE.
 
[citation][nom]killerclick[/nom]You do realize most places in the world and most people who will buy smartphones will not have LTE even 3 years from now? It's a strategic decision for Google, do they push the latest and greatest device to less people in more developed places, or do they push a cheaper device to more people all around the world? I think Nexus 7 is proof that there's a huge market for cheap devices that make a few compromises (like no back camera, no SD card), so I think Nexus 4 will sell great if it works as advertised, and users will just have to make-do with downloading only at 2.5 megabytes per second (like two simultaneous 1080p videos from YouTube).[/citation]
I get 7-9mbps (megabits) per second on my Nexus via T-Mobile, which is plenty. I've tethered and streamed HD video (from my laptop), I think 1080p, without an issue over it.
 
[citation][nom]pocketdrummer[/nom]Has anyone been paying attention? It's still $200 w/ a contract. Meaning, you can get an LG Optimus G (with the same specs and LTE + More storage) for the same price. This only makes sense if you are dead set on buying the unlocked version, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense, because buying an unlocked phone doesn't remove the subsidies that you have to pay to your provider regardless of whether you have a subsidized phone...[/citation]
The unlocked version is $300. You'd have to be an idiot to go for the contract just to save $100 (upfront - you'll pay a lot more in the long run).
 
[citation][nom]wemakeourfuture[/nom]It's like saying does a phone a few years ago need 3G, who uses it, 2G is ok. 3G is the past, old and antiquated. While we're at it, who needs a quad-core or a 1.5 Ghz? Why not just cheap out on there too to lower the cost.[/citation]

oh, whats this, you hit your 2gb limit... start chargeing 10$ per 100mb over.

yea... i see no purpose in lte on the go. 3g is FAR fast enough for web browsing, and only a moron is going to use cell service for youtube videos.

so long as this has wifi you dont need lte.

[citation][nom]wemakeourfuture[/nom]Should we go back to 2G too? Why we're not downloading torrents or 5 GB files. LTE is faster, the whole point of going from 2G -> 3G -> 4G LTE is speed. You're talking about cloud based services and synching stuff and how you don't need an expandable storage, understood. Now you're doing all that on a slower network if you're not on WiFi. Shoot, we can save costs even more we should go to slower WiFi (802.11b) as well since we're not using phones for torrents or 5 GB files...[/citation]

3g is 2mbit, and 300kbit when moving
that is 200kbps and at lowest 30kbps
for web browsing that is MORE than fast enough through a cellphone plan.
you arent putting this in context
CELLPHONE PLAN
EXPENSIVE AS HELL
sync when you get to a wifi, don't sync data over a CELL PHONE SIGNAL
your point is decent, but you are coming off as a douche, and you are forgetting what CELLPHONE PLANS cost.

[citation][nom]acadia11[/nom]Apple had that response 3 years ago when you could argue lte wasn't available. Every major carrier in. US has deployed lte nationally, even regional carriers now.[/citation]

yay, and they charge you want for 10gb of data, how much for every device on those plans...
unless im streaming video, i could easily get by on a 2mbit internet connection.
but when i do anything data intensive (like downloading pictures, or streaming video) thats all i would need a lte plan for, but you know what, watching 4 hours of video would kill my data for a month. do you see the problem there?
untill data comes down, i see no purpose for lte on the go.

 
[citation][nom]killerclick[/nom]A single core CPU on an orphaned OS, 4.3" and 480x800. That's what you're comparing Nexus 4 to, really? And which Android has a quad core Snapdragon, 4.7", 1280x768 and costs even close to $350 off-contract? SGS3 is like $600 if you can find it wherever you live.I'm sure Google has a pretty good idea how many Android users use LTE or how much storage they use, and are making compromises accordingly.[/citation]The problem is that a lot of existing Android users DO have LTE phones, right now. The idea of going back to 3G is going to turn a lot of them away. The poor storage is almost forgivable, except the lack of both SD and LTE makes you a lot more dependent on WiFi + Cloud. Why is it that when Apple makes excuses, Android fanboys scoff at them, but when Google makes excuses they leap to their defense? Oh right because they're FANBOYS.

No LTE, poor storage and no SD card slot (seriously they saved $5 there)? No thanks. Make excuses all you want, if this was Apple you'd be crucifying them. I've never owned an Apple device in my life, but defending this phone so vigorously seems silly. It's got a fast CPU, but it's a still a smartphone. Connectivity and storage are big concerns.

Also in the US, if you're stuck with one of the big networks for performance/coverage purposes, there's few reasons to buy an unsubsidized phone. You pay the same monthly. So might as well get a better phone on contract.
 
I would give up two of the cores to get LTE in a package that doesnt gobble battery life... Oh wait, I did when I bought my S3. This decision is an interesting play by Google, we will see if they can carve a niche with a very fast, software-rich phone that is slow as hell. Apple did it with every iPhone until the 5... Google is just taking a play from their book.

/flame on
 
[citation][nom]Cryio[/nom]300$ is a great deal, unfortunately in my country (Romania) the phone will probably sell for about 700+ dolars. Like any othe high-end phone without a contract actually. Microsoft sold Nokia Lumia 900 with 100 dolars. Here prices were ranging between 415 and 600.[/citation]
[citation][nom]m32[/nom]Google should have gave the Apple response,"You don't need LTE!"[/citation]

you can buy it from Germany without contract and they will send it to Romania

check sites like Computeruniverse.net and alternate.de

they ship to Romania
 
[citation][nom]brushrop03[/nom]So few points...I really think there is no excuse. People would pay more for LTE. People buy phones, off contract, for $550-800 all the time. So add LTE. Add a bigger battery.I believe there are a lot of great devices, with LTE, that have great battery life. My Galaxy S III makes it through the day without issue. The new Galaxy Note II has crazy battery life.You don't have to make millions of phones, but come on. You can make some. And a phone with 8GB with no SD card slot should not exist to begin with. 16GB should be minimum with 32GB option. Carriers here in the U.S. do cannibalize phones. Especially the Big Red. Google needs to do better at negotiating deals in which carriers aren't allowed to do those type of software tweaks. Especially for flagship phones. Apple doesn't have this issue.These are pretty weak excuses.[/citation]

remember that LG makes Nexus 4

well the EXACT same phone is available from LG , with all the Missing feature
SD card , LTE
it is called LG Optimus G

so you still CAN get the nexus 4 with the missing features it is the LG Optimus Phone.

I like whats google is doing ... cutting down EXISTING phones a little bit for the Mass cheap market

here is a link for the LG Optimus G , but you have to pay double the price for that

http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_g_e970-5062.php
 
guys calm down .. this phone is just the LG Optimus G , without SD and without 4G LTE

so if you want those just get the Optimus G

nothing is missing here really
 
[citation][nom]classzero[/nom]I think I will have to go with a Samsung, I don't like how they removed the sd card. I know it makes sense from a profit milking stand point, but this isn't an iOS device![/citation]

if you want similar specs then get the LG Optimus G .. it is the same nexus 4 but with SD and LTE. at double price lol

it is about the price not about the availability

quad core 1.5 and adreno 320 GPU are availbale in

http://www.gsmarena.com/lg_optimus_g_e970-5062.php
 
this the most flattering phone in the planet.
google is always give a very honest and beneficial offers to consumers without any 'Marketing Gimmick'
holy bucket, i want this phone so sick.
 
[citation][nom]alextheblue[/nom]Why is it that when Apple makes excuses, Android fanboys scoff at them, but when Google makes excuses they leap to their defense? Oh right because they're FANBOYS.[/citation]

No, because $299.

Despite the lack of SD and LTE, this thing is going to sell out in hours. Google knows this, they want to push this to as many people as possible (especially outside the US), and let the basement-dwellers stick with their Note IIs, SGSIIIs, etc. Google doesn't really care how much money they get per phone, what they want is more Android users and this phone is exactly what they need.
 
Don't know why so many people are complaining about Google's/LG lack of LTE on the Nexus 4. So what if it doesn't have LTE and doesn't have an SD card slot, show me a phone that has similar capabilities for the price? Google isn't out to corner the market on with these devices, I think of it as more of a reference design, that way hardware vendors can then capitalize on the reference design and add the additional hardware that it was lacking then charge more for it.

For all those complaining, it's a matter of choice vs price, if you want all the bells and whistles and want to pay for it, go ahead, as there are very nice phones out there with all the nice features but it'll cost you a lot more.

With the Nexus 7, a lot of people were clamoring about missing SD expansion, missing camera on back, and whatever silly nonsense, but these features are all available on other tablets but at a lot more cost, and yet people still want to whine.

Basically, it all comes down to, is that all the people whining about missing features on what is an extremely nice phone at a very nice price, are just whining because they just don't want to pay the extra $$$ for the additional features that are available on other phones. If Google was to offer a Nexus with all the features at a very expensive price, then a lot of the same people will be whining about the price.

There are so many phones available, that whining about this or that just looks infantile. We can discuss the merits of the features each phone has but the prices that Google are offering, merits the lack of certain features. From the pictures I've seen of this phone, it just looks great. But currently looking at possibly getting a Note 2 or the Nexus 4 for my daughter. Btw, I don't own a smart phone, I'm just a basic cellphone type, but I do try to keep up with the technology.
 
Raises cost and diminishes battery life... BS. Add a large battery like the Razr Maxx. People will be willing to pay more for the phone with LTE. Big FAIL in the US as every carrier already has or is planning on going with LTE. Verizon's LTE network has good coverage where I live. Who wants a crippled phone? For my next phone, I'll be looking for one where I can unlock the bootloader and install a custom ROM, and of course it will have LTE.
 
Google has to got to be out of their minds if they think people dont use 4G. If you want to market this phone to the poor people of eastern europe then just sell it there exclusively. We dont have room for that crap in the modern world. I'm not a cell-whore. I only watch netflix/youtube videos on my lunch break and stream music in my car. On occasion I tether to my laptop when I need to. I avg about 6-8GB/month in downloads. You could never do this with 3G, at least not in the short amount of time I spend doing it. Making a next-gen phone that is a decade behind bandwidth capabilities is absurd.
 
My nexus 4 came in 2 weeks ago, wicked phone, wouldn't trade it for the world, I can survive without the LTE support.

Battery life is actually better than my old sgs which is a bonus.

Anyway considering i have a 2gb limit on my plan, and I already get a 6mbps connection (about .7MB/s) its more than fast enough on the 3G for anything I need to do.
 
FYI about the apple comments, If apple would have released their iPhone 5 for $350 off contract, unlocked I'd be using the iPhone right now.

It's not a fair comparison, google is selling a phone with the same performance for 1/2 the price, If I want a new iPhone off contract I have to shell out over $650...

Is having LTE worth an extra $300? Maybe to some people, certainly not to me, I mean really what do I need it for? I can stream Netflix and YouTube at native 720p resolution over my HSPA+ network without issue, what more do I need?

I have nothing against apple, but you can't argue Google's pricing on this device, its ridiculously low considering what you get, no one else in the market is even remotely close in the price/performance aspect here.
 
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