yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] matrix0886:
Zagg Invisible shield does just this. I had one on an old blackberry of mine and it held up real well. With Zagg, you get three options for this phone. Front, back, and side coverage, front and back coverage, or just front coverage. I probably won't be ordering an N4 until January, but when I do i'll be getting the front and back protectors from Zagg as well as the bumper. To me, it's all worth the price. And luckily, there's a popular little Zagg kiosk in my local mall, so no worries about paying shipping to get it to me, and no worries about shipping if I end up not liking it and wanting a refund. They only charge $5 to apply it. I'll have them do it for me because I SUCK at applying screen protectors, lol.

Here's the N4 protector's from Zagg. Though honestly, i've never used their protector on a touch screen phone, so I honestly don't know how it feels. My old blackberry was not a touch screen.

http://www.zagg.com/invisibleshield/lg-nexus-4-e960-cases-screen-protectors-covers-skins-shields.php
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ratlegion:
I have never once seen a review for it that was good. They stain easy and are a ***** to get off, too. They do, however replace them for free, if they come off or something, I think.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FallN:
My Nexus 4 is completely naked. Not a single scratch on either the front or back... So far.

I did receive my Skinomi full body screen protector but I'm loving the naked feel of the phone too much right now to give it up just yet. :D

Sent from my Nexus 7
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] $sudo:
No protectors. No scratches, about one week out. How about a poll?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ScuzUK:
My back screen has just cracked as I was holding it.

No pressure most of the time it lives in my pocket in baggy jeans.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Richieboy67:
How about a photo?

Did you sit down?

sent via xda premium with nexus 7
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] JknRich:
Picked up a nexus 4 last week. I love the feel in my hand. I am a bit worried as I had a iPhone 4 for a while and I broke the glass a couple of times. Luckily a couple case are on order.

P.S I just looked at the back and in a certain light you can see some scratches and quiet possibly a small hair line crack.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Do you mean you felt it crack as you were holding it? Could you explain in more detail what happened? Thanks.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] unisound1:
I have no problem sending my phone back to Google to fix. Hopefully they'll get the point after enough are replaced that the back glass is just too delicate!!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elliot.newnham:
Google sold you in good condition, you broke it, now you want them to fix it? If it is a manufacturing defect that leads to easily broken glass than I guess that's a case. But if you drop it on a metal bar or hardwood floor its your fault.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
My phone has a crack and scratches next to the camera....I finally placed my order for the replacement!

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] unisound1:
That's your opinion and I'm glad you don't own Google. They seem to understand that a phone should be able to survive a one foot slide off the couch. After all this is a phone we are talking about. As a customer I feel that I received a defective product and they can work that out with LG...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Roxy:
Wait... those cracks / scratches are most likely caused by your own fault and you're requesting for a replacement?

Seriously?

---------- Post added at 11:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:54 AM ----------

How is it a defective product when you're the one who broke it?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
Um no, I had my film on the whole time, I thought it was the film until I took it off and realized it wasn't, so mind your own business and stop trying to stop people from using their trial period for warranty purposes...its why its there! Its there for issues like this! And stop being bitter because u haven't gotten your phone yet...that's not our fault, we have our device and we encountered issues, now we expect Google to fix it and mine is on its way to being fixed, I'm simply reporting what is happening for others who have similar issues

Do u even know how these RMA's work? If they see that something doesn't cover warranty, they'll charge full price...so its ultimately their decision

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] potatomaster:
Do you work for Google or LG?

I think most of the people on this board are experienced mobile users and/or developers and understand there is a base level of durability that a phone should be able to endure.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Roxy:
If you say so. ;) lol.

& how am I bitter? I already have my phone.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] d_phekt:
I'm afraid to say that Google is going to catch on to this sooner or later... More than likely by simply reading these posts. In the long run it will probably screw over the ones who actually NEED and deserve a replacement.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
That's how i'm going to try and keep it clean.

BTW, people who had their glass crack. I'm quite positive it is because there was a particle of something laying on the table when you placed your phone on it. GG is very flexible and strong, but if you poke it with something sharp (a mall particle of sand for example) and it has no give (back cover is pretty solid) so the particle will crack the hardest top layer. Being very tough, the top layer has no softness just to take in the dent, it's got to split as it's so compressed, that it cannot take in that particle as GG own glass particles have nowhere to move. Crack=split.

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=34669170&postcount=517

http://xdaforums.com/showpost.php?p=34670771&postcount=519
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
I'm in the mobile phone business, customers do this all the time... Unfortunately there's not much you can do about since Google has a 15 day trial period with the phones! Just like carriers with their 14-30 day trials, you're allowed to do anything, whether its cancel a contract, swap a phone, etc...

BTW...go Vikes! We need to figure out what to do with Ponders bit** a$$ haha

Sent from my Google Nexus 4

---------- Post added at 12:10 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:07 AM ----------

Well I didn't know that last part! Lol! But I can honestly say that my phone came in this condition, its not like I want to have problems, I'd rather avoid these types of things because of the risk of them charging your card, problems with the delivery, etc! But I paid full price for this phone, and I expect it to be in perfect shape out of the box! I also ordered two in the same transaction and my friends is perfect with no scratches so I'm confused but Google says they'll honor the warranty so its on his way!

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] elliot.newnham:
Well I don't think I was saying your phone was part of this issue, if it came defective, send it back and get a replacement. It's unacceptable to sell a phone with scratches and I agree with you... My phone arrived already opened with the side plastic bits off and the package was a little used...

But for others who have pictures of their phones with obvious falls, or descriptions of how the back screen cracked. You have a manufacturer's warranty which doesn't cover accidental drops/breakages. I really don't think XDA should be endorsing this kind of behavior. If there is a manufacturing flaw with glass that just breaks then I think that is another story and should be directed at LG.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Bleaumaglite:
Got some light scratches up by the camera within a week. That TPU case cant get here quick enough.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
As the OP, let me say, for the umpteenth time, that the purpose of this thread is for people who actually have the Nexus 4 to discuss their experiences with the glass back (good or bad). The purpose is not to snidely deride and critique people's comments about the phone or their attempts to seek some redress from Google, for what they feel is a flawed design. If you have nothing to say but to be snide to other people, please go elsewhere and don't clutter this thread with purposeless comments that are clearly not meant to be helpful or kind. If you think that this thread is ridiculous, please ignore it. I, for one, do not jump into threads that I think are pointless in order to arrogantly tell other people what they should be talking about. I just ignore them. Let people have the conversations they want to have.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Zealotki11er:
My back glass broke form a 10 cm drop from my hand in the desk. yeah 10cm. Very weak glass and i would have to day its not gorilla.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] lonz358:
Dropped the phone twice...first time on a hard wood floor waist high, no scratches at all...dropped it in the bathroom waist high and have a tiny nick on the chrome part that's barely noticeable. Been using a little pouch when I put the phone in my pocket, and have absolutely to scratches on the front or back.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] d_phekt:
I've gotta say that all these cases of easily cracked phones has me nervous. I have a bumper, but that's only gonna protect it so much. Pretty soon we're gonna hear about how someone had their phone sitting on a pile of billowy cotton, looked at their phone and it broke.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ghettopops:
Omg strange that you should say that, my dog laid a duece in the front yard and my screen shattered.

J/k I have neither dropped nor bumped my phone yet. I did instal Zagg front and back after factory plastic began pealing . I have a case coming by Friday.

Btw STP owns MPLS
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] d_phekt:
Haha. I'm actually from Eastside STP. The wife dragged me across the river.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] nbeebe24:
I've had my phone almost two weeks and its still in pristine condition. I haven't dropped it at all so the back glass is fine. I do have the xtreme guard front and back protectors plus a tpu case though. I understand not wanting to take away from the look of the nexus but I'm not willing to use it without a case just for looks. Most drops I've had in the past were because of someone else bumping into me and I just don't want to risk that.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
It's interesting how clearly in many circumstances the glass back is very durable. There's a video of someone drop testing the phone from waist high, no problems. (It took six feet before it broke.) And a fair number of people say they have dropped the phone from three feet or so, onto concrete or some other hard service, and had not problems (maybe just a nick somewhere, but no scratches or cracks in the glass).

But there are now also quite a few cases of the glass back breaking with very little stress at all. In someone's pocket, without any bump significant enough that they noticed. Dropping form a foot or less. One person just put the phone down on the counter to charge and when they came back it was broken (there was speculation whether this could have to do with some sort of heat differential). And lots of cracks and scratches that have appeared on the device without the owner having any idea when it could have happened (no drops or other obvious stresses).

I wonder how this adds up? Sometimes super durable other times extremely fragile. Is it that there are just certain pressures or angles that easily break the back, with little force (despite being very durable in all other circumstances)? Or do some phones, that break easily, have some sort of defect? Perhaps in the way the glass is applied to the plastic back? Or perhaps the glass itself is defective on some phones?

I do feel that there are enough reports now of the glass back breaking with little or almost no apparent force that these occurrences are not just freak accidents. For some reason at least some of these phones are extremely fragile, if the right set of circumstances arise.

Google, of course, has been having trouble fulfilling orders. I wonder if we'll see a lot more problems with the back, once ownership of the phone becomes more widely spread. Or pehaps whatever manufacturing defect is responsible will be worked out and the problems will not be widespread.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DBestman:
I read this article where the backs of reviewer's Nexus 4 AND Optimus G phones broke... while sitting on the (stone) countertop.

www dot droid-life dot com/2012/11/26/nexus-4s-glass-back-the-worst-idea-since-the-last-phone-with-a-glass-back/
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Yes, someone linked to that in another thread on XDA. I was just about to post the link. Here it is in clickable form:

http://www.droid-life.com/2012/11/2...-idea-since-the-last-phone-with-a-glass-back/

This writer had both the glass back of the Nexus 4 review unit and his Optimus G review unit crack down the entire length, within two weeks of having the phones. He says he obsessively babies the phones, has never had a problem with other phones, and these two phones both broke by being gently placed on a room temperature stone countertop. He thinks it was the temperature change from his warm hand to the stone countertop that did it. Since there's another report of someone having this experience at XDA, it is starting to seem like temperature changes may well be an issue for the back.

I wonder if this could have been the phenomenon occuring for those who have had the phone break in their pocket? Going from a cool out in the air temperature, to a warm space next to someone's leg?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Luxferro:
I can't see ambient temp changes of outside vs room temp cracking the glass. The temperature change of the N4 would be pretty slow. Now if it was outside and really cold or frozen, and you used it causing a load on the device - that's a big temp change, and fast.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
I hear what you're saying, but somehow we have to account for the fact that the reviewer at Droid Life was holding the phone in his hand, then put it down on a stone countertop, and it cracked. (And apparently he had this experience twice, both with the Nexus 4 and with the similarly constructed Optimus G, so he has some verification that this is in fact how and when the cracking happened).

I'm just speculating, but maybe, since the glass on the back is adhered to an overall plastic back, the two materials expand and contract at different rates. So perhaps somehow even when changing slowly, a difference in the rate of expansion and contraction of the plastic and the glass can be enough to crack the glass. And (more speculation) perhaps slight differences in the manufacturing process, in the step where the glass is affixed to the plastic back, would account for why some phones are fragile in this way, while others are not.

It does seem like this type of cracking is a phenomenon that was not seen with the iPhone 4. But on that device, the back is one solid (much thicker) piece of glass. It is not essentially a glass laminate on plastic, as in the case of the Nexus 4. So perhaps looking toward this difference might help explain some of these incidents.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] ninjames:
Dropped my phone three times. All three times it was sliding off something due to a very slick back (previous phone was not slick, bad habits). Fell about 32 inches and the back slammed on a wood shelf before hitting the ground. Fell about 10 inches from side of bathtub to bottom of bathtub, landed on bottom, bounced to have back hit the tub. Fell about 28 inches from kitchen cart to tile, landed on back.

Not a scratch on it.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] sassyness77:
I've been out in the garage here with 15° F temps setting my nexus down on metal hoods etc. Much colder than a stone counter inside and have no such damage. And going from warm hand, warm from LED on for flashlight straight to freezing metal table and hoods, I don't believe temp can cause this damage, at least not on every phone. :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] muhammadthebest:
Not a scratch!

I dropped my phone twice so far. Once in my basement it fell out my hoody and landed on the cement, and once down a flight of wooden staircase (12 steps). I thought it was done after the staircase but not a scratch. Just a little splinter was stuck between the screen and the chrome band which I just had to pull out. So I dont think all the fear of cracking the the back is all that serious.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] kioshi:
what if i put 3 layers of ZAGG or Skinomi protectors on the back? I'm considering that...:p

Crazy? maybe..
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
I got my replacement and no scratches or cracks, but now I'm leaving the film that came with it on there for the back lol...not taking any chances, and since theres no scratches or dents under the film, all issues will be my own fault so i cant risk it ;p

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Luxferro:
The stock Google bumper does a good job of preventing either surface (front glass or back) from contacting surfaces. It also prevents it from sliding and looks like it is part of the phone rather than a bumper. So there's always that option if you want.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DBestman:
What's the exact dimensions of the bumper? Play store gives the same dimensions as the phone...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
Yeah but have you seen that guy do reviews?? He days he babies his phones but he definitely doesn't when he's reviewing them...

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] facetubespam:
I guess that's the difference between babying phones he owns vs phones he reviews?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Simer03:
Not sure! Usually reviewers keep the phones they review such as android central and android and me! But idk! I just don't see how this could crack with out some force when placing it down! I bought a neoprene sleeve though so when i place it down when not n the pouch, i place it on top of my pouch.... this is my replacement though so I'm being extra careful... However with my other one that i sent back after i was being sent the replacement, i decided to not be as careful with it and started testing out exactly how durable it was and to my surprise i could not reproduce anymore scratches

Sent from my Google Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
In case people haven't seen it, someone posted a poll of whether people's Nexus 4 glass backs have survived or not:

http://xdaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2019456

Of course, this is not scientific and there's no way to change your vote if the back on your phone is fine now and breaks later, but it's still interesting to see. So far of the nineteen responses, 25% have broken backs.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ratlegion:
If there is a temperature differential, how do we account for the heat generated through charging the device?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] iucidium:
Just be safe, don't use while charging. :)

sent from Briarcliff Mental Institution

---------- Post added at 06:13 AM ---------- Previous post was at 06:07 AM ----------

I'd say depth wise about 1-1.5mm extra depth each side of the 1.9mm deep phone

sent from Briarcliff Mental Institution
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
I refuse to go to these lengths to prevent cracks. If it cracks when I use it on charge I will demand a replacement as fault is definitely inherited.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
If temperature changes indeed account for some of these cracks, it would have to be from rapid changes in temperature. I would imagine that the relatively slow heating of the phone while it charges (taking at least a couple minutes to heat up) would not be sufficient to crack the back (but I'm just guessing).

The accounts so far that suggest this sort of cracking happened involved an already warm phone being placed on a cooler surface, allowing for a more rapid change in temperature.

Of course, no one wants to use their phone for the experiment. But off hand I wouldn't worry about charging too much (at least until we get stories suggesting otherwise). I would just avoid placing a warm phone on a cool surface. Or if you phone is very cold from, say, being outdoors in cold temperatures, you might not want to put it in a pocket where it's going to warm up quickly next to your leg.

But again, I'm just guessing. Based on the contradicting reports, its defintely hard to tell exactly what circumstances provoke cracks. And maybe it will turn out it has nothing to do with rapid heating/cooling.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] DBestman:
Thanks, I guess you meant it adds 1-1.5 mm extra depth to each side of the 9.1mm deep phone. Not too bad.

How about the width and height? Just wondering how bulky it gets with the bumper. I already find this phone quite big without a case...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tyea:
My poor Nexus4 endured another three foot fall from a tabletop to a concrete floor, and it apparently is unmarked. It is strange this has happened to me twice in the last couple of weeks to my new phone. I never use a case, and have kept phones over two years without damage, yet this new glass sandwich phone takes two three foot falls impacting hard stone, and survives without a crack, or chip in the glass. You could call this luck, a statistical outlier, or good engineering. I'll choose good engineering.

Occam, Tapatalk
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Thanks for your follow up post.

I don't think it's strange that you're experiencing more drops with this phone than in the past. A lot of people, users, reviewers, have commented that because of the glass back the phone is very slippery. Even when placed on hard surfaces it tends to want to slide around. (This is also a known problem with the iPhone 4.)

Anyway, as I explained at length above, I wouldn't conclude anything (luck, engineering, what have you) from one particular person's experience. It's statistically meaningless. I think the overall picture of how many people have damage from slight falls, heat differentials, etc., added up with people like you who have little or no damage from significant falls, tells the real and complete story.

Also you could be lucky, a statistical outlier (essentially the same thing as lucky), and the beneficiary of good engineering. It doesn't have to be an either/or. Obviously the phone has to be pretty well engineered to have a glass back and survive multiple three foot falls, without real damage. But that doesn't mean it's indestructable and won't break the next time or under some much more minor stress, when the right set of circumstances arise. So it may well be the combination of luck and good engineering that has left your phone unscathed.

People, I think, like to look for just one cause or choose the explanation that suits them, but usually reality is a lot more complicated than that.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] fr8cture:
Im gonna be getting that bumper from Google. I'm not worried about the back, I'm worried about dropping it on a corner and the impact cracking the back. Either way I'm still getting a screen protector for the back. I doubt I'll put one on the screen.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] otariq:
Same but I don't know if I can wait for it to come out might just buy a temporary case
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drpepe:
Bad luck :(

i also have a kamikazi Nexus 4. It has jumped off my bedside table at least 3 times - the last 2 I even placed it on the rear of my nexus 7 in it's tpu skin. I assumed that would create some friction ... but no. I now hem the phone in with my nexus 7 , my specs and my table lamp ;)