Hacker News Reader

Comment by kenjackson | Hacker News Reader

While it may disappoint many people who just want the best at any price, you can't ignore the fact that the N4 is half the price of other phones in its class. The price really is the killer feature of this phone.

Ignoring OS, there are other phones that are getting much cheaper. Example is the new Lumia 920 that is $449 on ATT w/o contract. While it is $100 more expensive than the the 16GB Nexus you do get the following in addition:

* 32GB (+16GB)

* LTE

* [Removed]

Is this worth $100? I think probably so, but in any case, I think it shows that phones in this class (flagship like devices) are actually more price competitive than people may think.

Edit: To remove wireless charging per comment.

View on HN

I'll take a lighter device + $100 over 16GB + LTE at least until LTE is widely available in my city (which is probably 2-3 years away).

But again, ignoring OS which is generally not a good idea when making a phone purchase.

Ignoring OS is the only way to make a fair comparison, since OS preference probably trumps the feature and price delta ( whether you prefer WP or Android).

The only way to fairly compare devices is to ignore the single most important aspect? No, I don't think so.

The single most important factor is also the most subjective. I personally dislike Android and wouldn't use this phone if you gave it to me for free, but I can still respect the price for hw. I'm surprised this even needs explaining.

Have you ever used Android 4.2? This phone ships with a new OS version that I don't think is out anywhere else yet. How do you know in advance that you will subjectively not like it? I hate Windows Phone 7, but I wouldn't dare say I hate Windows Phone 8 since I've never seen it IRL. How could I make such a judgement? It's not purely subjective, either. What's the point in having more RAM or a bigger screen if the OS doesn't handle those well? Or, if it handles it exceptionally well, that should be noted as well.

Android 4.0 is reasonably similar to Android 4.2 for many people. Just as WP7 is reasonably similar to WP8 too.

Then why bother comparing. It is a classic apples and oranges then isn't it?

The whole point is to compare the hardware to see how price competitive the phones actually are.

Nexus 4 does have wireless charging.

The 920 also has a much better camera, which is a big deal for some people (myself included).

Yeah, that camera is amazing, but I'm not sure I could handle Windows phone. It looks smooth and all, but I'm pretty locked into the Google ecosystem.

The 920 is a great phone, but FYI in UK the price is almost exactly twice the Nexus 4:

GBP 554 Nokia 920 GBP 279 16G Nexus 4

Out of interest, would buyng the phone outright from AT&T mean it's unlocked? Also is the phone available in the US from a non-carrier shop?

Reply on news.ycombinator.com