While the Optimus G will require you to be locked down to a carrier for two years, it is actually almost identical to the LG Nexus 4. The LG Nexus 4 was based on the Optimus G with the biggest changes being the outer appearance and the LG Nexus 4 has stock Jelly Bean while the G has a skinned version of ICS but will eventually see an update to Jelly Bean as well.

Outside of this, the Optimus G actually has a few perks that make it stand above the Nexus 4. With the Optimus G you get 16GB of storage and microSD. Additionally, the Optimus G also has fully working LTE.

The best and most compelling reason to consider the LG Optimus G is the pricing, though. If you don’t mind going with a contract, Amazon Wireless is now offering the phone for just $49 with a two-year contract through AT&T.

This is nothing short of a steal. You get a quad-core 1.5GHz phone with 2GB of RAM for just $49, it is pretty hard to beat that. What do you think, willing to give the Optimus G a chance at this killer price point or not?

Source: Amazon Wireless

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While LG has never been one of the most “high-end” brands on the market, the Optimus G and LG Nexus 4 certainly helped prove that they were quite capable of providing a product that was both well-designed and quite powerful.

While the LG Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G haven’t been on the market very long, that’s not stopping constant rumors from suggesting that the LG Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G2 are already in the works. In fact, some rumors indicated the G2 would even show up at CES 2013.

As you probably already know, it was a no show, but that doesn’t stop rumors. Now there are two conflicting rumors about the Optimus G2. Some say it will arrive at MWC in February for its first unveiling and will feature a quad-core processor and a full 5.5-inch HD display under the name Optimus GK.

Then there are some folks that say the Optimus G2 isn’t coming until Fall with Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie in tow.

It’s hard to say which rumor is true, or if any of them are. The good news for LG is that people have taken notice of the Optimus G and Nexus 4 enough to actually buzz about its next-generation offerings. Are you excited about the idea of LG releasing a more powerful Optimus G2 in the not-too-far future?

[ source ]

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While the LG Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G are very similar, they have one major difference: stock Jelly Bean versus LG-skinned ICS. Not everyone cares about having a the latest (stock) version of Jelly Bean, but if you do, this is certainly a pretty big difference.

Although LG’s Optimus G will always have LG skins, it might not have to deal with Ice Cream Sandwich much longer. South Korea is already seeing an update to Jelly Bean, and hopefully that means that Europe and the United States are too terribly far behind.

The update to South Korea is arriving right now both in OTA and over-the-wire methods for those with “LG-F180S” on SK Telecom. The update brings the phone up to Android 4.1. This isn’t as up-to-date as the Nexus 4′s 4.2 Jelly Bean, but it is certainly better than nothing.

For now, there is no word on when the US and Europe will see Jelly Bean arrive to the LG Optimus G, but don’t worry, it will make its way over sooner or later.

Do you own the Optimus G? Do you mind being stuck with ICS or are you desperately awaiting the upgrade to Jelly Bean?

[ source ]

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The custom ROM is based on the Android 4.2 Jelly Bean build that is found on the Nexus 4. It strips away that LG Optimus UI and gives you the free CM experience that you’ve come to expect from previous CyanogenMOD builds. This is an early build, though, so there are problems. The WiFi, NFC and capacitive keys don’t work yet, for example, but they’re hopeful it’ll all be fully functional by year’s end.

Remember that the Optimus G ships with just ICS under the hood, so this is likely a much faster way to get to Android 4.2 than waiting for an official update skinned by LG. Getting to load these custom ROMs is easier too, as there is a $1 app in the Google Play Store called FreeGee that allows you to unlock your bootloader and remove LG security. You could still bootload the old school way, but the app is easier.

Should you want to brave the early build on your LG Optimus G, you can find the CM 10.1 download on XDA. As with all these kinds of mods, proceed at your own risk and discretion.

[Source]

The post CyanogenMOD 10.1 Gets Ported to LG Optimus G appeared first on Mobile Magazine.

The LG Nexus 4 is certainly a gorgeous looking handset, and it doesn’t hurt that it also has excellent specs alongside a killer price tag. Unfortunately, gorgeous doesn’t always translate into durable. For the iPhone 5 its beautiful casing resulted in scuffs and dents. For the LG Nexus 4 it results in the back of the case potentially cracking.

The culprit is the back of the case, which is blanketed in glass. The back is supposed to be more durable than regular glass thanks to Corning Gorilla 2 protection, but with reports coming in of cracked backs, this just doesn’t seem to be the case. This isn’t a freak incident either, it has happened to several tech journalists and many everyday LG Nexus 4 owners as well. The same problem is said to occur with the LG Optimus G.

It seems that we have reached a point where smartphones focus on beauty first and durability second. Ironic, because consumers end up shoving these vulnerable handsets into protective cases where no one can see the work-of-art styling (I’m talking about you, iPhone 5). Of course if you are careful not to drop it you should probably be safe, but accidents do happen.

Could a fix arrive down the road? For new owners, maybe. For existing stock, I don’t see what can really be done other than for Google to maybe offer free protective cases or something. Have you had any problems with the glass back on your LG Nexus 4, or is the media simply blowing this out of portion? Let us know what you think.

[ source ]

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The LG Nexus 4 and LG Optimus G currently represent a pretty noteworthy change for LG, in that they are premium devices with relatively cutting-edge specs. In the past they mostly focused on low and mid-range devices but now it seems that LG might continue to push into the premium market. A mysterious device code-named the LG F240K has now shown up on GLBenchmark, bearing a 1920 x 1080p display.

Other specs from the GLBenchmark indicate the device is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro 1.5GHz quad-core processor and runs on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean. As for screen size? Following the HTC Droid DNA and a bunch of other leaks about 5-inch 1080p handsets, you can pretty much bet the farm that the LG F240 is also a 5-incher.

Would you be interested in an LG smartphone with a 1080p resolution or is there another leaked 5-inch 1080p project that appeals to you more?

[ source ]

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Tired of waiting around for the LG Nexus 4 in the United States? Want it now? Well, you can’t quite get it yet, unless you are willing to go with the T-Mobile version and get it for $199.99. Still, there is another option, the LG Optimus G.

For those that don’t know, the LG Nexus 4 is based on the LG Optimus G, though it has a few differences when it comes to design and the Nexus 4 has removed 4G LTE support. In many ways, you could argue that the hardware (mainly because of LTE) is better with the LG Optimus G. Why is it that the LG Nexus 4 is so popular then? For one, the LG Nexus 4 is extremely low priced at $300 for the base model without any contract or commitment. For another, Nexus devices always get the latest version of Android and are more open for modders.

If you can put up with contracts and don’t mind having a little more of a locked down phone, Amazon Wireless is now offering the LG Optimus G for just $100 with a contract. This is actually pretty damn good, and is $100 less than T-Mobile is charging for the LG Nexus 4. You can choose AT&T or Sprint for the two year commitment.

Which should you go with? It depends. With Sprint, you get 32GB internal storage, 13MP rear-cam and no SD support. With AT&T, you get 16GB of internal storage, an 8MP rear cam, and an SD card. Otherwise, they both have the same 1.5GHz quad-core processor, 2GB of RAM, 2100 mAh battery, NFC and 1.3MP front cam.

Alright, so it’s not bad priced, but it is still a totally locked down smartphone, right? Luckily, there might be a solution for that as well.

Project FreeGee Allows Unlocked Bootloader on LG Optimus G

While this is currently in closed Beta, Project FreeGee is designed to allow you to open up that bootloader and can flash custom ROMs onto the flagship LG device. For now the distribution of the method seems limited to a few XDA users for testing.

In time this will be opened up and will allow users of the Sprint and AT&T versions of the phone to start modding and enjoy freedom that is similar to what you’d get with the LG Nexus 4. Keep in mind that Canadian and Korean models aren’t currently supported by FreeGee though.

Even if/when the LG Optimus G becomes fully unlocked, there are still reasons why you’d probably want to stick with the regular LG Nexus 4. Again, you’ll get first dibs at new versions of Android. Second, you can easily bypass the whole contract process with the LG Nexus 4. Still, some users might appreciate the low contract pricing and the modding potential that lies with LG’s flagship smartphone.

So how about it, with a lower contract price and the strong likelihood that you’ll be able to use custom ROMs, is the LG Optimus G now worth considering or not?

[ Source via Amazon Wireless ]

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The LG Nexus 4 lands on the 13^th of November. For those that prefer to avoid contracts or simply wish to go down the prepaid route, the LG Nexus 4 represents a powerful, vanilla Android experience that is extremely tempting. If you are a developer who wants an unlocked and incredible Android experience without the hassle, this Nexus smartphone certainly could fit the bill.

That being said, you’ve probably heard about a few “negative” aspects for the Nexus 4 as well, such as the lack of LTE– which primarily only affects select U.S. Markets but is largely a non-issue for the vast majority of the globe– for now.

So is the Nexus 4 what it is cracked up to be? While we’ve yet to get our hands on the Nexus 4 directly at Mobile Magazine yet, we have done quite a bit of research, read several reviews and other first impressions in order to bring you a run down of the hardware and other factors like battery.

Overall Design

The LG Nexus 4 is essentially a rebranded LG Optimus G with a few tweaks, such as the removal of LTE support. While not be considered a “gorgeous” device, it isn’t ugly either. It has an all-black chassis that might be a little boring for some consumers.

It is also worth noting that the device’s frame is plastic, though the screen does feature Corning Glass 2 so it isn’t a ‘cheap’ build design by any means.

The design probably won’t WOW everyone around you, but that doesn’t detract from the many other WOW factors that surround its low pricing and powerful hardware.

As for size, the phone measures 133.9x7x9.1mm and weighs just 139 grams. This might not be as light as the iPhone 5′s 122 gram weight– but it isn’t a massive difference either.

The Actual Hardware

Alright, let’s start with a spec list that gives us a run down of the hardware inside this beast of a Nexus:

• 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro quad-core processor
• 2GB of RAM
• 8 or 16GB internal storage4.7-inch-inch IPS display with 1280 x 768 resolution
• no microSD support
• 8-megapixel camera
• 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera
• Quad-band GSM/EDGE/GPRS (850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz)
• Penta-band 3G (850, 900, 1700, 1900, 2100 MHz)
• HSPA+ 42Mbps support
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n
• 3.5mm headphone jack
• 2100mAh Litium polymer battery
• Sensors: compass, gyroscope, microphone, ambient light, barometer, accelerometer
• Bluetooth
• NFC
• GPS
• Micro USB
• SlimPort HDMI
• Weight: 139g
• Size: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1mm
• wireless charging (optional)
• Android 4.2 Jelly Bean

With a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro, and Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB of RAM— the Nexus 4 is no slouch. But how well does it actually perform when it comes to real world results?

As you can see from GeekBench, the LG Nexus 4 actually does quite well for itself, outpacing other major devices like the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. For some reason it even manages to out perform the LG Optimus G that it is based on — probably because it is a vanilla experience without out all the extra ‘fluff’ to weight it down?

It is worth noting that the LG Nexus 4 is said to get rather hot during extreme use sessions. Bottom-line, you will be hard-pressed to find another smartphone that performs much better. Of course the smartphone world is constantly changing and it won’t be long before something better comes along, but the quad-core power in the LG Nexus 4 isn’t going to disappoint and should happily chug along with any app out there into the foreseeable future.

The Display

So how good is the LG Nexus 4′s display? A 1280 x 768 IPS display with 320 ppi is a slightly less in pixels than the iPhone 5, though it probably would be almost impossible to notice the difference for the average person. The screen is easy to read and is one of the best display around.

The Camera

The Nexus 4 features a 8MP back cam and 1.3MP front cam. Are they the best smartphone cameras around? Probably not, but the 8MP back cam seems more than good enough for taking clear and vibrant pictures and new features like “Photo Sphere” and new photo filters in Android 4.2 can take your camera experience to the next level.

Battery Performance

The LG Nexus 4 should handle moderate usage quite well and will last about a day and a half, according to most of the reviews showing up on the net. As for high usage? If you are pounding the device hard with things like videos, expect about 4 ½ hours of battery life.

Other Notable Stuff

The LG Nexus 4 not only comes with the newest version of Android, Jelly Bean 4.2, but being a Nexus device means it will get first dibs on upgrades and other improvements for quite a while to come.

Yes, there is no LTE, but this really isn’t as big of an issue as many folks are making it out to be. If you live in an LTE market— it might be a dealbreaker. The fact is that globally, that’s a pretty small amount of folks. If you want a phone with LTE and don’t mind a locked experience, perhaps you should look for the LG Optimus G or maybe even go for something entirely different like the upcoming HTC Droid DNA 5-inch 1080p smartphone.

Also worth mentioning, the Nexus 4 has a few “negative” aspects such as a non-removable battery, the aforementioned lack of LTE and the lack of a micro-SD port.

Bottom Line

For $299 unlocked for an 8GB version, the LG Nexus 4 is a steal. Is it perfect? No.. LTE would have been nice. Having a microSD port and a removable battery would have been epic as well.

There are some trade-offs, here– that much is true. In many ways, the “openness” we love about Android is stifled a little by the lack of these features but from a developer/modder point of view, the ability to load ROMs and other customizations with ease makes up for some of this. If you can’t live without LTE, microSD and don’t want a non-removable battery— there are other phones out there that might appeal to you more. If you want a solid vanilla Android experience that is blazing fast (with the exception of mobile broadband speed), this is an excellent phone. Aside from the few missing features, this is a wonderful device.

So what do you think? Interested in getting the LG Nexus 4 or is there another phone that looks like a better fit for you?

Looking for even more great information on the Nexus 4? Here are just a few of the great Nexus 4 hands-on reviews out there on the net:

ArsTechia | UberGizmo | Engadget

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