Numerical network Three has confirmed it will be flogging the desirable Google Nexus 4 in December, though some will find the price unpalatable.
Three will start selling the 4.7-inch mobile from 13 December, charging customers £35 per month with an upfront cost of £29 to get their mitts on the quad-core gadget on the operator's The One Plan.
Pay As You Go is available too, but you'll need to fork out £400 plus a top up. Both options are way more expensive than Google's own price for the Nexus 4 -- the search giant is flogging its latest smart phone for just £239 -- a staggering bargain for a mobile that's more powerful than the Samsung Galaxy S3 and comes running the very latest version of Android.
That said, Google is doing a terrible job of actually keeping the Nexus 4 in stock. The phone has been unavailable to buy from Google since 30 minutes after it went on sale last week, so customers may be left with no option other than going with a network's lengthy contract. The Nexus 4 is already available from O2 at a similarly nose-wrinkling price, and can be found on eBay at way over Google's asking price.
Meanwhile it turns out the Nexus 4's dormant 4G capability can be awakened after all -- but it's not much use in the UK.
Yesterday we brought you news that the Nexus 4 contained an LTE chip, but that the hidden component was deactivated. Since then eager tinkerers have produced a video showing 4G activated on the phone, while TechCrunch explains exactly how to switch the Nexus 4 into LTE-capable mode.
When my colleague Rich spoke to Google it was puzzled as to how this had been managed, as the Nexus has a 4G chip, but no 4G radio.
Even with these software tweaks in place, the Nexus 4 only supports 4G on the 1,700 and 2,100MHz bands. That's good news if you live in Canada, but not such great news for the UK, where EE uses the 1,800MHz band and other networks will later be firing up 4G networks on the 800 and 2,600MHz bits of spectrum.
So close, and yet, so far. Console yourself with the fact that 4G coverage is still extremely patchy in the UK anyway, and that the Nexus 4 -- if you managed to grab one from Google -- is still the best value smart phone money can buy.
Are you happy with the Nexus 4? Are you trying to buy one from Google but frustrated by the lack of stock? Blow off some steam in the comments or on our Facebook wall.
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Comments 11
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anonymous 23 November, 2012 21:09
The one thing that Google is NOT doing is "flogging its latest smart phone for just £239". Selling involves the exchange of goods or services for money, yet Google have no goods to sell. They may list it on their website, but they might as well be selling gold-plated rocking horse sh1t for all the good that does.
No-one knows how many Nexus 4s Google actually sold via their website (might be just a few hundred) and I'm starting to suspect they have no real intention of selling significant amounts more. It all feels like a marketing ploy to keep people such as CNet staff telling us it's a bargain.
It's not a bargain if you can't buy the damn thing!
Andrewx 23 November, 2012 22:42
"anonymous 23 November, 2012 21:09"- totally agree. And it seems to be working- CNET staff are still touting it as a bargain. Marketing ploy obviously worked!
I spent a while playing with this in the O2 store and whilst I liked raw android, I was under impressed by the depth of the phone and with that glass back I'd have been tempted to put on a case wouldn't have helped the depth. But the killer issue for me is 16gb storage with no expansion. For a device I use at home (like the Nexus 7) I can just about live with a device where I can access content over wifi. But out and about, 16gb is no where near enough (less when you take the space that android takes up).
Dan Barkley 23 November, 2012 22:59
Patchy 4G coverage. Hmmm. That's exactly what I experienced on 3G despite being promised something different.
anonymous 24 November, 2012 08:16
How come a company like Google didn't have enough stock?
It's real good chance for Samsung to flog its old stock of phones especially galaxy nexsus.
If Samsung would drop the price a little I might buy note 2 rather wanting for big G's phone
Jonathan Aze 24 November, 2012 12:34
£400 on PAYG for three? so you're basically paying an extra £160 for the privalage of being locked to a network? Surely the only way anyone would ever but it for that price is if google NEVER gets more stock in. (which you can't completely rule out yet).
jopov123 24 November, 2012 15:08
I'm getting a note 2 instead as I'm not impressed with what I have seen with the Nexus 4 phone. Oh and as of NOW (15.00 24/11/12) the Nexus 7 32gb UNLOCKED pad is now available on Play Store as I've just ordered one after waiting since the first release day for it to be back in stock.
Chapel Tandel 24 November, 2012 21:36
Nexus 4 will not be available for purchase till mid Feb at Google Plays Store - http://nexus4hype.blogspot.co.uk/
anonymous 26 November, 2012 08:54
The low price on the Play store is nothing more than a PR stunt.
Google limited the availability of the phones available on their store on day one and closed shop after only a few thousand were sold.
The bulk of their supplies are going out to the phone networks and retailers at a more realistic price.
It looks like the best Android phone to date, is condemended to be an also ran in sales numbers.
anonymous 26 November, 2012 12:45
http://iphone games
Nice post.
anonymous 12 February, 2013 08:14
Well now it doesn't seem like it was a publicity stunt anymore.... As you can see Google has kept at selling their phone at the price they intially mentioned..
anonymous 19 February, 2013 05:12
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