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Is the Nexus 4 Still a Good Value Buy?

T

Telemachus

Lurker
Hi Guys -

I've got an iPhone 4, but I'm looking to try out an Android phone; because of this, I'm naturally drawn to the Nexus phones. Though I'd really like a Nexus 5, I'd like to *not* drop $350+ in to the phone in case it doesn't work out.

So, knowing that the Nexus 4 will eventually get 4.4, how good of a value will it be for picking up a used model? Locally, they sell for $200-$250, which doesn't seem to be a bad deal. I figured that if I could pick one up for $200, that would be saving me at least $192 extra versus the N5.

Again, I'm coming from a single core iPhone 4 running iOS7, so I'm pretty sure I would be shocked and awed with an N4. I've played with a 2012 N7 and loved the interface and speed, as well. Any advice?
 
You've already missed your first best chance for a N4 and I predicted it. :D

I said prices might go back up after most who were going to, had sold for N5s.

Guess what? :rolleyes:

Within a couple days of the N5 coming out there were 84-86 N4's for sale. Wednesday of this week it was 84.

Today there are 56.

One Third of the N4s available for sale 3 days ago are sold and weren't replaced with new sellers. Prices are up a bit and both the quality of the listings (pics and description) and phones has slipped.

That's sucky.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl
 
Yes, the n4 is still a great value buy.

However, I wouldn't let the price of the N5 scare you away too much. If it doesn't work out, it'll still have a very good resale value since it is so new
 
+1

It's still an excellent buy - I don't think you'd get as much for $200 from any other phone.

Interesting that prices are creeping back up, too :D
 
I love my N4 and wont be upgrading to the N5 as I dont see it as a big enough update. Plus my N4 is only 1 year old and I generally work on a 18 to 24 month upgrade cycle, for money reasons.

That being said, if I was in your situation I'd be going for the N5 instead of the N4.
 
If you're using T-Mobile or in Canada , the Nexus 4 is a great buy. If using AT&T, probably better to go with the N5 for its lte capability. If on sprint, you only have one choice. If on Verizon, you're screwed either way. Probably still a good buy for international customers as well.
 
As has been pointed out before, your network preference could be important.

Nexus 4 = no lte
Nexus 5 = lte

In the UK lte is very slowly rolling out, so for me thats another reason to wait.
 
ooberandy said:
That being said, if I was in your situation I'd be going for the N5 instead of the N4.
Click to expand...

I have said before that For Me, bigger isn't always better. I am Perfectly Happy with the 4.7" screen on the Spirit. I. Do. Not. Want. A. Bigger. Phone.

Do. NOT. Want.

If the N5 overall is Any larger than my Spirit, it't too large for me.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl
 
OcalaFlGuy said:
I have said before that For Me, bigger isn't always better. I am Perfectly Happy with the 4.7" screen on the Spirit. I. Do. Not. Want. A. Bigger. Phone.

Do. NOT. Want.

If the N5 overall is Any larger than my Spirit, it't too large for me.

Bruce in Ocala, Fl
Click to expand...

Its certainly something to consider when getting a device, but the OP hasn't expressed a preference one way or the other. The nexus 5 is slightly larger (<0.2" longer) overall compared to the nexus 4
 
Hi again, everyone. I appreciate all of the responses; they've all been very helpful. I'm glad that everyone is overwhelmingly saying yes to it being a good value. I know some people are saying that I should wait it out for a N5, but I'm also a little impatient, and I see that the 16GB black N5 is still about a month out for shipping.

As far as size goes, the N4 is plenty big. I haven't had a chance to play with many 'newer' phones, but I did think that my buddy's Samsung GS2 was plenty big at 4.3", so a 4.7" screen will definitely be fine. I don't play games on my phone - I'm an average user by most definitions - some web, email, google hangouts, etc.

As far as the pricing goes - if $200 to $250 is a price creep, what were these selling for used over the summer and before the N5 came out? To me, even $250 seems like a pretty fantastic value for such a fast phone. Considering my 3 year old iPhone 4 would fetch about $150 or so, it seems like laying out even $100 extra to get something that spec-wise is three times better is unreal.

Also - the LTE - does not bother me. I'm on 3G right now, and from I understand, AT&T HSPA+ is a step up from 3G - if the N4 can do HSPA+ , I'm not really going to miss the LTE I've never had. (Plus, I'm near wifi 90% of my day.)

Thanks for answering my questions, everyone.
 
Yes, the n4 does hspa +.

I think screen size between the two nexus is a little irrelevant, considering what you're coming from ;-)

I liken iPhones to kiddies toys due to the small size
 
HSPA+ is a step up. I'm fine with it.


Speaking to your question about price, Google dropped the price on a BRAND NEW Nexus 4 to $199/$249 for 8/16 GB models in September to clear out their remaining inventory.
 
bjacks12 said:
HSPA+ is a step up. I'm fine with it.


Speaking to your question about price, Google dropped the price on a BRAND NEW Nexus 4 to $199/$249 for 8/16 GB models in September to clear out their remaining inventory.
Click to expand...

Oh, nice. I wish I could have jumped on it then.

I suppose in the grand scheme of themes, that is a pretty stellar deal for a slightly used phone.
 
good to know that it's still considered a good buy. my optimus black just died so I need to upgrade sooner than anticipated. with my provider's "tab" system I'll pay about $50 out of pocket for it (and then $5/month tacked onto my bill until the balance on the phone is paid off, which is no big deal), seems like a great deal. I had hoped to wait a bit longer and get the n5 or the s4 but I just don't have that kind of money right now. been debating back and forth between the n4 or the s4 mini but I think the n4 is winning
 
great, thanks :)
how do you find the camera? some of the reviews I read mentioned that the camera isn't as good as it should be. it's still gonna be better than the optimus black so whatever :P
 
Personally I like the camera, but it generally gets average reviews. I prefer to use the HDR option, although it can cause some picture lag with moving objects.

I guess your opinion of the camera will be in relation to your previous phone. For me the nexus 4 camera was a step up from my previous camera so it impressed me.
 
ooberandy said:
I guess your opinion of the camera will be in relation to your previous phone. For me the nexus 4 camera was a step up from my previous camera so it impressed me.
Click to expand...

Ditto. The phone is fine for my purposes - and a lot better than my old Motorola - but I'm sure there are "better" camera phones out there. That said I doubt you'll find a better phone for the money, whatever camera it may have.
 
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