Google’s Andy Rubin explains why the Nexus 4 lacks 4G LTE

So Google’s next-gen Nexus device, the Nexus 4, has been officially launched. This is certainly great news for Android fans who want an unadulterated version of Android on their phones versus the modified version of Android they usually get from manufacturers. While last year’s “compromise” might have been a slightly less impressive camera, it seems that the compromise Google is making with this year’s Nexus is the lack of 4G LTE. Pretty much all the high-end smartphones these days come with 4G LTE, and even Apple has hopped aboard the LTE bandwagon with the iPhone 5, so why does the Nexus 4 lack that feature?

Speaking to the folks at The Verge, Google’s Andy Rubin basically stated that due to the fact that different carriers use different radio frequencies, having a device that would support multiple radios would not only be more costly, but could also affect the battery life on the device. “A lot of the networks that have deployed LTE haven’t scaled completely yet — they’re hybrid networks […] which means the devices need both radios built into them […] When we did the Galaxy Nexus with LTE we had to do just that, and it just wasn’t a great user experience.”

This might of course put off some customers who might not be able to look past the lack of LTE, despite the fact that the phone itself packs some pretty impressive hardware that puts it on par with the high-end smartphones available in today’s market, but what do you guys say? Will you still be picking up the Nexus 4 despite the lack of LTE, or do you think that LTE isn’t necessary at the moment and that you’ll be perfectly fine with 3G or HSPA+?

Tyler Lee
Categories: Cellphones
Tags: Google, Nexus 4