Nexus 4 to get bumper accessory
When Google announced the Nexus 4 yesterday many of its features were scrutinized with a microscope. People touted the processor, salivated at the amount of RAM inside, rejoiced for the emergence of Android 4.2 and more. But Googler Dan Morrill (via Google+) said one thing many people weren’t talking about that he felt was a very important part of the phone was its edge-to-edge display.
Morrill said LG wanted to do edge-to-edge, and while Google was happy to agree they didn’t want the experience to be uncomfortable due to the sharp edges that are generally evident with this sort of engineering. They went back to the drawing board several times, apparently, until LG found a way to get those edges smoothed down in a way that allowed the chassis to sort of “blend” into the display.
I’m sure the end-result of all that R&D is nice in person, but having yet to handle this phone in person I can’t say for sure just how impressive it’s going to be. But with all this glass in tow (there’s another slab on the back covering the “chatoyance” sparkle effect) some are worried about durability. Tempered glass surely does help, but it’s still susceptible to damage.
Dan Morrill confirmed that a bumper accessory would be available for purchase for anyone feeling uneasy with the lack of raised edges. Let’s get this out of the way right now — this is NOT like Antennagate. This bumper’s purpose is for cosmetic protection and not to eradicate errant antennae. It’s pretty much a case, except the back is gone because Google wants you to be able to show off that beautiful backside (minds out of the gutter please).
Raised edges in a phone are supposed to act as a buffer between a surface and the display to cut down on the chances a display will shatter. Many people will no doubt take care of this with a case, but many others don’t want that beautiful back plate covered up, so a bumper would be a very popular accessory.
We’re not sure on details yet, but we should expect them to be available either on the day the device is made available or very shortly afterward. We can’t even get an early look just yet, so just know that the bumper is coming and that you won’t have to compromise the beauty for that extra padding you’ll want. Anyone planning to pick one of these up once the Nexus 4 goes on sale November 13th?