yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] talxda:
Glass back fine but front... :(

So my less than a week old n4 had a faceplant on a concrete sidewalk from a height of about 4 feet. :crying: The front glass is shattered but the back glass is fine. The display is working but does not register in touch inputs. It's on it's way to LG right now. And the irony - I was taking the bumper of off the phone to show it off in all it's glory! :rolleyes:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Antebios:
GAH!!! You guys are terrifying me!!! I think I'm going to wrap my N4 in bubble wrap and then carry it around.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] raptir:
My glass has held up fine (knock on wood). The soft touch plastic and metal (or metal-like plastic, whatever is it) has started to scratch just since Friday, however.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] megapixle:
Mine is still flawless after 10 days naked.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] SQ3.0dotJP:
Lolol
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] iucidium:
It supposedly runs warm when used. I dread to think what its like in charge as well...

Nexus MAXX
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Sorry to hear about your cracked back, hellishinc.

Do you both attribute your suicidal and kamikaze phones to the slipperiness of the glass back?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drpepe:
Definitely.

The bedside table also has a glass top which doesn't help. Each time my phone has made a bid for freedom, it has been receiving a text message, so i concluded that the small amount of vibration is enough to send it over the edge (about 15cm away).

I now have a tpu skin so I don't see it happening again. :rolleyes:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] mkenya4t:
Using it for less than two weeks. It got scratches on the back while in my pocket somehow. It took a fall while was out last night and totally cracked the back. :crying:

I'm holding out for info on either how to fix/replace the backplate
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ericvolp12:
My back is getting scratched a lot! Not too bad, but a ton of tiny scratches, doesn't bother me too much, but my case is coming on Monday so hopefully it will prevent further scratches. Hope you all are holding up better than I am.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elliot.newnham:
Not hot? I don't understand, this thing isn't producing a tremendous amount of heat. It never gets uncomfortable to hold either.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] clockcycle:
I installed a wet application protector and carry mine in my pocket. Its holding up just fine. Waiting for my cases to arrive and or bumpers to become available again. It also helps grip and slipperiness.

---------- Post added at 01:12 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:07 PM ----------

It looks to be designed like the iphone 4 back. If it is, it's only an matter of time replacements are available. Perhaps plastic, glass or metal replacement options. On the iphone you just remove the two bottom screws and slide the back off and slide the new one on, put the screws back and done.

Only caveat would be NFC or antennas on back if any.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] gotzaDroid:
I must have gotten a magical N4. I've only had it a few days, but it's been in my pockets of my jeans and my basketball shorts and not a single scratch... I've laid it on tables, couches, rested in the cup holder of my car and it's been fine.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
In iFixit's tear down, after removing the screws, they had to use a special opening tool to get the back off. They say it would be hard without the tool. And since some prying is required, you probably have to know how to do it or you might risk breaking some of the parts that hold the back on. So it looks like it's not as simple as the iPhone 4.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Nexus+4+Teardown/11781/1

iFixit also shows that there are connections in the back for the NFC antenna and the wireless charging coil. So any replacement back would have to include these components and be of high enough quality to do it well.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
After having the phone for about a week and constantly babysitting it, I just wiped down the back to find 2 nasty scratches on the back.

There is no sand anywhere here, I use it in a holster and I never dropped the phone. I knew it was only a matter of time before this happened :(
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Richieboy67:
So sorry that happened to your phone mate.. That sucks..

Perhaps it is your holster that scratched it.

I use a tpu case now. I have had mine since the 29th and I just got the case yesterday. I have no scratches or anything. I actually put one of those clear shields on the back before I put the case on because I was afraid the case could somehow cause a scratch if something got inside.

I actually think the glass is pretty solid and was surprised a couple times that there are no scratches on it after having it slide around on a table with all kinds of junk, things like that.

Care to post a picture of the scratches? Are they vertical like they were caused from sliding in and out of the holster?

I use one of those eyeglass cleaning clothes and I clean my screens often always taking care to make sure there is nothing on it first. So far mine can pass for brand new..
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
I've got a crack on the back bottom now :( I've been babying and have had the phone 8 days. I had that ebay case on it the whole time, yesterday was the first day I went naked because the case was annoying (and I never used them in the past).

I did use it while it was plugged in and the crack goes from the charger area over to the right near the speaker.

I'm not sure if I should call google, I've heard a lot of people are just told to contact LG. I would love for someone to come out with an aluminum replacement back soon :(
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ATnTdude:
Two weeks in and my back is flawless. Slightly greasy most of the time, but it wipes clean well enough.

Interesting thing about glass is that if it lands face down when you drop it, it will probably be okay. If you drop in on the corner, it WILL shatter.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
they are actually horizontal scratches.... and I checked the holster, there is nothing in it that could cause damage like this to a "gorilla glas" screen. Again, no sand in Vienna either that could have made it into the holster :)

I will wait when replacement backs are available and replace it. However, my phone no longer is a virgin so it is only half the fun. It now is a commodity rather than a new-toy. Sad but I - when I first saw it being presented by Matias Duarte - already thought to myself "there was a reason why apple stopped using glas-covered backs on phones so why don't you learn and simply follow their lead".
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] flatline1:
I also broke the glass on the back cover :( Don't you know where can I buy this cover?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] speedygonzo:
Scratches, scratches everywhere.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] mrhaddan:
No scratches on mine yet. Only been a few days. Kept the factory protectors on though, waiting for my case to get here!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] thos25:
Mine is holding up well. Put a skinomi protector on about two minutes after I opened it. No scratches. Haven't dropped it though. Don't plan on it either.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Starlith:
I have a few minor scratches and I think they came like that as it looks like they are under the original plastic layer. Does anyone still have their plastic layer on the back and know if you can scratch it easily? Im not a rough person when it comes to this stuff so it couldn't be my fault
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] zephiK:
No scratches. Only a small little DOT scratch on the chrome not sure where it came from but the black is in perfect condition.

Using rearth slim case
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] c1umsyb3ar:
Got my first scratch on the back today (1 week in use). Luckily I put a back protector on it... Lesson learned: Don't drag the phone around on any surface at all...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] :
IMHO that is almost impossible to avoid. The glass back is a design item, but a real flaw on the phone as it certainly doesn't withstand day-to-day usage.

Sure, if you drop it it breaks no problem with that, but simply putting it on a desk/holster/car dock or similar usage patterns and then having a scratched back is just very poor engineering. I still dont believe that this is Gorilla glas, or it was applied wrong or something along these lines. If you must put a glas back on it, use sapphire glass.

First day or two it was "cool", but now it is just a burden. There was a reason Apple went away from glass backs and thank god the almighty google thought "we will just copy them and ignore the lessons learned".

Yes i can put a case on it. Yes I can put screen protectors across the front, back and sides. However, I am just not a friend of covering up my whole phone to work around obvious design flaws.

Now I need to handle the phone like a raw egg, and lets be honest, life just throws you a curveball every once in a while and even with the best intentions, you simply cannot handle it like a raw egg all the time.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drpepe:
had the phone about 3 weeks.

went in my pocket without covers for a week, dropped thrice off a bedside table, luckily no damage...

The last 2 weeks it has been in my pocket with a tpu S case and no front protector , no damage...

Fingers crossed, but in my hands at least, it doesn't seem too fragile :highfive:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Sorry to hear about the crack in your back. Are you saying that it cracked while it was charging? Was it especially hot? Just trying to understand better how the crack happened. Thanks.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Dragooon123:
I had a dream about my back being scratched... I should not worry right?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dome78:
Not good. I only had it for 5 days then one morning I pulled my phone out to show it off and had to find a shattered back. The evening before it was still fine. I know for sure I never dropped it but I have (had) the habit to put my phones in my back pocket and I can only speculate it broke when I sat on it in the car.

I had a the Gnex for a year an ever had anything like that happen. I taped the cracks temporarily for safety reasons.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
That didn't come out right. :D

This is what I use just for now before I get my best Skins. Obviously it will not protect from stress cracks, but at least little particles on table top won't break it. Had a piece of vinyl laying around, a bit of cutting and voila.

http://db.tt/frQYidV7
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] robs898:
Just FYI i read that someone managed to crack the glass back just by flashing CM 10.1! The phone was very hot apparently and just sitting on a normal office desk. No source im afraid though - just a heads up!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
No, wasn't necessarily hot. I think I may have gotten in my pocket. I have ANOTHER crack on the top (not over the camera luckily). I'm tempted to send it back since not everyone has cracks, maybe mine is faulty? I've never even tossed it on a pillow let alone drop it.

Questions for those of you who've had it for weeks with no issues - how do you carry it? Jean pockets? Loose docker type pockets?

I wish someone would come along w/an aluminum replacement already. There's lots of money to be made there.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dcarpenter85:
Micro hair line scratches out the ass. It's definitely not gorilla glass. I'd leave the back protective film it ships with on until you get a case or an aftermarket skin.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] incantevole:
back glass is flawless. phone is a nudist.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] letom:
Well I used to a TPU case for the first week and am now using a bumper, had it for three weeks now, not a single scratch back or front. I always put it in my jeans, screen facing me, and always with head phones, otherwise the phone is on a table or on my bed. I guess you just have a to be a bit delicate with it. Then again, who knows my crack might be coming :p
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Boergen:
Back plate made of plastic... too shabby.

Back plate made of metal... too expensive.

Back plate made of glass... too delicate.

The internet is a wonderful place. ;)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
Back made of aluminum (like apple has learned) perfect.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] iucidium:
So the anodised aluminium scratches easy?.....yeeeeeah....
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Anodised aluminium is the best finish anyone can ever use on a smartphone. HTC used it before, absolutely brilliant and rock hard. You'd have to try really hard to scratch it.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] iucidium:
http://blog.gsmarena.com/apple-iphone-5-back-panel-scratch-test-confirms-you-better-buy-a-case/

Anodising makes the top most layer of the aluminium hard, thus fragile, which can (suprise suprise) be susceptible to cracking, chipping and scratching
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
There is no perfect material. Anodised aluminium is best out of all available for the phones though, and I'm taking from experience. I had htc sensation, and I polished the back cover. Good thing I had some power tools. People reported 6 hours of sanding it down just to get to bare aluminium when doing it by hand.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rpungello:
I tripped and sent my phone flying onto the floor, and it doesn't even have a scratch on it.

For such a big phone, the glass seems pretty strong.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] vchithavong:
just got my phone on friday, pulled the phone out of my pocket last night and slipped out of my hands flying straight to the concrete. luckily landed on corners and not the back lol....someone was watching over me
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] enviii:
I've got tons of micro scratches next to the flash on the back. I don't know why or how they got there. It's not really visible unless you shine it in the light. Ordered an extremeguard for the back which should be here soon.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
Well what the heck? Some of these must be more fragile than others. I think I'm going to file a claim to have it returned. Has anyone done that and what were the results?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rob ben:
good

I have a diztronic tpu case and it feels like it should give it enough protection from the occasional fall. Back glass is inset from the edges. The front however has the beveled edges that chrome is nearly designed for. It is so easy to flip pages right and left. But it looks SUPER prone to breaking if dropped. Just a big exposed edge. The tpu case protects the edges, but wrecks the niceness of the beveled edge.... oh well

Love the phone by the way. I have not had any buyers remorse about it.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
This draws a false equivalency between the relative merits of different materials for cell phone construction. Obviously, just because people can complain about anything does not mean that everything is equivalently good/bad. Really this is not a serious or thoughtful consideration of the problem.

*

Yes, anodized aluminum backs aren't perfect. But they're a hell of a lot less fragile than glass backs.

I'd rather have a few scratches, than a shattered back. I also think the test in that video is a bit exaggerated. No one is going to sit and deliberately rub keys against their phone. And protecting the iPhone from this sort of abuse, for example by putting it in a pocket without keys, is a lot simpler than protecting the glass back of the Nexus 4, which has been shattering for no clear reason in the pocket's of people who are really trying to baby the phone.

Again, nothing's perfect, but some materials are more durable than others. I also like the unibody polycarbonate phones like the HTC One X+. And the alumininum and soft touch plastic on my Nexus One (now a couple years old) has zero scratches on it, despite having been dropped several times; and I think this phone has a premium feel to it.

So there are better options than what LG/Google went for on the Nexus 4, both more durable and not sacrificing a premium feel.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 3Shirts:
Which is why he posted a winking smiley at the end. Honestly, some people need to lighten up
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Richieboy67:
They cannot use aluminum.. It blocks the beam... NFC signal. This is why they used glass. They wanted something nicer than plastic and like I said.. Aluminum blocks the beam signals..

I don't really see what is so tough about taking care if a phone.

As for it breaking from heat.. I doubt it. Seems to me the internals would be destroyed long before any glass would break from heat.

Btw- Mine is flawless.. No problems... I keep it in my front pocket only if standing.. I don't wear tight pants. Either that or I keep it in my shirt or sweatshirt pocket. Sometimes I just carry it.

I am using a cheap case for more but only when I am doing something rough. Otherwise I am free balling it. I love the glass back and think it looks cool.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] t3xboar:
Hmm I've had the phone for about a month now, no case, no sleeve nothing. just pure "free-ballin" (lol Richie, love it..using it.. haha!).

I don't have sand in my pockets so not a scratch there, and whenever the phone is out of my pocket - it's laying on the kitchen utensil mats.

yeah.. you heard right... the non-slip little rubber mats that are spongy...cost a buck a roll at the dollerama. comes in a roll like this -> http://www.dunelm-mill.com/shop/non-slip-drawer-liner-259169

Have cut squares for all over. at my desk at work, home, where i charge the phone in my room. really good and simple !

Not one scratch yet ;)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 3Shirts:
I keep it in a slip case when transporting it but otherwise, use it raw. I don't nanny it around with cotton wool gloves, I just don't generally drop things!

Why would you not just be just a bit careful with something that cost nearly £300

---------- Post added at 01:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:12 PM ----------

No, glass is terrible as handling heat, that's why they never use it in very hot countries:

:p
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
That's why I'm thinking I must have a defect or there's a crap-batch. I've never broken/lost/damaged a phone in all the years of owning them. I've never dropped/tossed this phone and I have 2 cracks on the back.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] NexusOwner:
Received my Nexus 4 Dec. 6 and the glass back is just fine. I did, however, immediately put on the Clarivue front+back screen protectors and a black I-Blason TPU case. Going to get an Otterbox Commuter case when they hopefully come out.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] flo7002:
Been using it for 3 weeks now, no protection whatsoever, only a super tiny blemish on the back. I think it's holding up quite nice
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] supercakefish:
No screen protectors yet (still haven't got around to applying the front protector I bought and can't find any back protectors on sale in my country yet). I have a case, the leathery pouch kind where you slip it in and out, so I can still look at that sexy holographic pattern on the back.

No scratches or chips last time I checked it so I think it's going to be OK as long as I continue to be careful with it *touch wood*

I never drop my phones. I am not that clumsy. I look after my fragile possessions as best I can.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Best Skins Ever ship to many countries and are very reasonably priced. Ordered mine recently, waiting for delivery.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] jameslfc5:
Xtremeguard is also good, and if you use the code 80off3 you can't get front and back for as little as $2 or $1 for the front :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ddb540:
I have a screen protector and rear protector on my N4. I dropped it onto concrete from hip-height a few days ago, can't see any blemishes. I was lucky; as soon as it left my hand I was certain I'd be picking up a cracked phone!

Full body case is on the way; can't get here soon enough!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ianford10:
Have had mine for over a week and no scratches whatsoever on the rear, screen protector on the front only :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nichos:
Then how does the HTC amaze do it?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cavanman:
Had mine for 10 days, over a dozen scratches on front glass, only one on back, right across the camera lens. Never dropped. No cracks. No screen protectors.

Very disappointed with the scratch resistance of the glass.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trilogee:
I've dropped my phone off my bed twice by swinging my blanket off the bed with my phone on top. It also slid right off my passenger seat, slammed into the door and tumbled to the floor. While in my car the phone is always on its back on the seat sliding around and yet i have no scratches anywhere..100% pristine. To add to the list ive also sat on this thing at least 4 or 5 times getting off my bed. Front screen wrap is still on but back is naked.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nbell13:
I've had mine in my pocket with my keys several times. Not even the slightest scratch. I don't know what the hell some people must have on their keyrings but I've never had an issue with keys scratching gorilla glass. Or anything for that matter.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cavanman:
It's a big problem for anyone living near the beach. Sand gets literally everywhere and apparently sand is a big enemy of Gorilla glass. I found that out a little late.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Vanhoud:
How could you put your nexus 4 in the same pocket as keys?? I assume it was unintentional .I would have a heart attack if I realized I did that lol
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Keys are softer than glass. They can't damage it. One particle of sand, which is quartz, is a lot more dangerous.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] rdeleonp:
Doing great here, not a single scratch, even without a case (still waiting for my Diztronic smoked TPU case).

Just baby it until you get a decent case and you'll be fine.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Sparta507:
XOskins has my back and front well protected against sand...keys...anything
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
As the OP and probably the only person who has read this entire thread, it is littered with people who chime in for no other purpose than to mock and belittle the concerns or interest of other regarding the glass back on the Nexus 4. From my perspective, the winking smiley only reinforces the impressions that the poster thinks all of these sorts of complaints are ridiculous. These sort of comments add nothing to the thread (including your own). I think if people have nothing constructive to say or aren't interested in a thread or think a thread is ridiculous, they should just ignore it. What's more, Boergen's comment is far from original, I've already seen many other people make exactly the same mocking point. It's a waste of space the first time and just annoying the tenth time. I'm tired of posters who just want to litter threads with what they think are clever and original remarks, designed only for the purpose of mocking a discussion other people are taking seriously.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drpepe:
I don't think there's much belittling going on. I think people just have different opinions.

OP, you have posted an issue on a discussion forum so responses will vary, especially as most owners have experienced no problems with their devices.

Clearly the comment in question was posted with tongue placed firmly in cheek. :thumbup: