Tech news site Sidhtech is is reporting on rumours that a new model of the Nexus 4 will be announced next month at Google I/O. The rumoured device would have two critical upgrades, addressing criticism of the existing models: 32 GB storage and functioning LTE, running Android 5.0.
Nexus 4 buyer’s remorse?
As rumours go, this is a great one. It tickles the right spots and is just believable enough that you could report it as “news” and get away with it. It’s about 6 months since the Nexus 4 was launched, and Eric Schmidt’s appearance at Dive Into Mobile this week included an interesting quote:
“The mobile industry is on a six-month cycle.”
Criticism of the Nexus 4’s limited onboard storage started seconds after the device was announced in 8 and 16 GB models back in October. It also famously shipped with 3G support, although dormant LTE capability (usable in some markets) was soon discovered and only disabled in Android 4.2.2. I’ve been running out of storage space on my own Nexus 4, and starting to look jealously at everyone holding LTE-capable devices around me.
What makes this rumour tantalisingly good is the armchair speculation that can underpin it – upgrading the storage capacity and activating the already-present LTE wouldn’t require a massive redesign.
It also echoes Google’s Nexus 7 playbook almost to-the-letter – announce a cheap, comparatively under-specced device (max 16 GB storage, no cellular connectivity), and then address those criticisms 6 months later.
You can almost see how someone confused this information originally, calling it the Nexus 5 — after all, it’s an upgraded Nexus 4, it’s running Android 5, it’s the new Nexus phone (and it can’t be called the Nexus 4 again … can it?).
Of course, we won’t know for sure whether this rumour has legs until Google I/O takes place. Like you, we’ll be watching closely. And hoping.
Would you buy such an upgraded Nexus 4? Let us know in the comments!
