Nexus 4 Updates: Google Smartphone Lands on Best Buy, Middle East;
Some Nexus Customers Grumble about Fragile Screen, Back Cover
Nexus 4 is making its way to different markets around the world, courtesy of local Google partners. Its latest destination appears to be in the United States via giant retailer Best Buy, which plans to sell the LG-manufactured very soon, reports said.
The quad-cored Android handset, according to Android Community, will be offered for American customers willing to plunk down $US199, which includes a two-year contract with T-Mobile.
The same report indicated too that Nexus 4 is available unlocked through Best Buy but with a surprising price jump, to the tune of $US599 or three times higher that its original price level at Google Play store.
The mark is in line with the jacked up sticker price that the smartphone has been carrying when appearing on channels outside Google. In Australia, for instance, Nexus 4 will be sold starting this week at premium price.
Regardless, buyers seem bent to take plunge and pay more so long as they are able to grab the phone where it is actually available. Since its launch late last year, Nexus 4 has been plagued with chronic stock outs - the cause of which appears to be the miscalculations of Google, per LG's recent pronouncements.
The South Korean mobile phone maker has been hinting lately that global shipments will resume shortly and true to its word, Nexus 4 will soon roll out to selected Middle East countries, likely signifying that production of the smartphone is gradually reaching normal pace.
LG said its has ramped up efforts to meet demands from markets around the world but concerns of questionable quality also emerged with the perception that some compromises were accepted in order to quiet the discontent of consumers waiting for months to get their hands on the handset.
But in exchange, quite a number of Nexus 4 units proved too fragile to handle, per the report of Consumerist.com. Citing complaints from Nexus 4 owners, the site claims of many occasions that "the glass back of a Nexus 4 (was) shattering without any impact at all."
Also, one owner reported that his Nexus 4's screen was cracked and rendered unusable after a short fall of less than a foot. Another insisted that even with a protective case and hitting a carpeted floor, the Google smartphone's screen easily broke.
Of course, the same report suggested that owners may have been a bit careless in handling their Nexus 4 but not without suggesting that design flaws were likely overlooked by LG during the handset's production process.