Nexus 4 Bumper

[Guest ethicalstrategy]

After hearing some horror stories about how fragile the Nexus 4 was, I thought I'd try one of the Google bumpers.

Unlike the phone, the bumpers were in stock back in November and so I ordered one on 2 day delivery.

After a fairly torturous experience with Google Play Store support I was told that it had finally been dispatched on 7th December and it duly arrived this morning.

I've taken a few pictures of the case and the phone with the bumper on

I can't say that I'm all that impressed. The bumper feels very plasticy despite the faux metal band running around it. It is also quite a loose fit. The iPhone bumper has a much nice rubbery feel and is satisfyingly hard to get on and off.

It does raise the glass back off the surface when laid flat but would probably still slide off sloping surfaces, if you are careless enough to put it on one of those!

My main issue, though, is that it adds too much width to the phone. With the bumper on it is 74mm whereas it is 68mm naked. That's a lot of extra width, especially as the phone actually feels less grippy than it does without the case.

I don't know really how fragile the phone is. I had my first drop this weekend when it fell down the back of the water cooler at the gym. It survived that unscathed despite bouncing off the radiator pipes and hitting a solid floor.

Overall, I can't see me keeping this on the phone, even though it does offer a good degree of additional protection to the back and edges.

[Guest t0ph0id]

Mine arrived on Friday, I feel the same as you. My biggest gripe is the extra width. I've not got the largest hands as it is, and this is already a big phone. The extra 6mm really makes a difference. It lasted all of 30mins on my phone whilst sat on my desk at work. Straight off again.

I didn't have my first drop yesterday but I did have my first spill, got beer all over it! Panicked! But thankfully because it is all glass with no back that opens for the battery not beer got it. I strangely wasn't fussed that it also went on my laptop and my SGS2! But both are also fine.

[Guest Pondlife]

Considering the cost of the thing I'd be sending it back as not suitable for purpose, sound more like reviews should be for a £2 eBay case than a £16 official product.

Edited December 11, 2012 by Pondlife

[Guest ethicalstrategy]

Mine is back to being naked. The bumper is just fugly.

[Guest Eruscool]

i used the bumper for a week, recently took it off. it certantly provides protection but the phone is so much sexier without it.

[Guest The Soup Thief]

W00t! Collected my N4 today - ++like! Very big after my xperia ray, but lovely screen, super responsive etc etc.

I ordered a crappy case from some Amazon seller - £2.50 or so, free screen protector. Surprisingly good! Intended it as a stop gap til something better becomes available but it's actually pretty good! Seems to offer pretty good protection too

N4 ftw!

Edited December 15, 2012 by The Soup Thief

[Guest masterpfa]

I was keen initially to get one of these, but after my experience with the Google Play Store, I cancelled my order, as they couldn't give me any indication as to when it was likely to be delivered. I too have since acquired an eBay soft gel jobby for £2.50 which does an adequate job as I await another eBay case this time a hard case. So as to offer the potentially fragile back some extra protection

[Guest Michealtbh]

Poetic now have a bumper for sale in the UK, gets great reviews from users on XDA

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00AG0D52O/ref=cm_sw_r_an_am_ap_am_gb?ie=UTF8

[Guest i_maq]

Mine is back to being naked. The bumper is just fugly.

Sent you a PM :)

[Guest coolcatshaft]

Poetic now have a bumper for sale in the UK, gets great reviews from users on XDA

http://www.amazon.co...p_am_gb?ie=UTF8

Ordered this one. It is nice, good feel, does not add bulk to the phone. I think the official one looks better with the metal effect buttons, the poetic one looks subtle maybe a little cheap (which it is).

It has a more pronounced rear lip which lifts the back off the surface and a subtle front lip too. The front lip occasionally catches the bottom of the screen protector I have put on.

Out of interest which screen protector (if any) are people using on their nexus? I got a vividsheild one off Amazon but it has a noticeable 'rainbow' effect which I'm not too keen on. Not bad enough to take it off, but occasionally annoying.

[Guest cmberry20]

^ I too got a Vividsheild screen protector off Amazon. Paid £5.50. I took it off after a day as there was no proximity sensor cutout so the screen wouldn't wake up after a call and mine certainly wasn't 'clear'! Had a misty effect that ruin the look and feel of the screen.

While the packaging for the Vividsheild looked genuine the actual screen protectors didn't and looked quite cheap.

[Guest coolcatshaft]

hmmm another dissatisfied customer.

I do want a screen protector on the phone as I tend to keep my phones for a while and then pass them on to family again so they are in use for many years. I am really happy with a MediaDevil Magic sheild screen protector I put on my daughters iPad, it really is invisible and dirty fingerprints come off it easily. Unfortunately they do not have one out for the Nexus 4, and I wonder if many big name companies will bother due to low volume of handsets out there.

Any recommendations from anyone?