yashsingh1/xdaforums huggingface dataset:
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
There hasn't been that much belittling going on lately, but early on in this thread there was a lot of people refusing to believe that people could have cracked their glass back in the way they claim, could possibly know what was going on with their own phone, if the back did break it was just because they weren't careful, and also suggesting that people are just complaining and will complain about anything, as Boergen (unorignally) did. So at this point, these comments not only do not contribue to the discussion, but are not clever because if you read the whole thread (as well as the other thread at XDA on this topic) you can see that these supposedly clever remarks have already been made many times. What's more, clearly Boergen was not trying to contribute to a discussion about the relative merits of different materials for the back of a phone's construction, he was saying that regardless of the material people will complain about it and this is just so much "internet" chatter. Having his tongue in his cheek, as you suggest, only augments the mocking tone (not somehow mitigate it, as you seem to believe).

That said, of course this is a dicussion forum and "responses will vary," but that doesn't mean all comments have merit. A thread is supposed to have a topic for discussion, not be a place for self-appointed critics to express their off the cuff opinions about anything that anyone else says. And I do frequently see that there are plenty of forum users who do not enjoy the many mocking comments that call fill up a thread.

In the end, this is a thread about people's experiences with the glass back, both positive and negative (you seem to assume it's only for negative comments). Most people posting here seem genuinely interested in sharing their exepriences and having a real discussion about the ups and downs of the glass back on the Nexus 4. If some people think it's a silly or pointless discussion, that's fine. But why would they ever think that those who are interested in the discussion want to be told they're ridiculous? Is there anyone who sits around thinking, gee I'd like to be told that what's interesting to me is unimportant and just whining? There is no way anyone can seriously believe others would appreciate this, if they thought about it (rather than just being caught up in wanting to make their "clever" comment). Personally, when I see a thread I'm not interested in or which I think is silly (of which there are many), I just ignore it. What I don't do is jump in to clutter the thread up so I can let others know that from my superior point of view their concerns are laughable and trivial.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 3Shirts:
Some people just seem determined to take offence. Can't we just have a little bit of a laugh, it's christmas!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Internet seems to lower sense of humour threshold somewhat...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] californiarailroader:
No problems here, case on the back and screen protector on the front, my usual MO :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Rogix89:
Replacement back Cover?

Does anyone know where i can BUY the replacement back cover for the nexus 4? I don't believe its Google's responsibility to repair clumsiness, but i would like to repair my problems.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Michealtbh:
Guys, it's probably a good idea to get your phone insured. You can get a Nexus 4 insured for around £5 a month here in the UK, definitely worth it.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] bobola:
anyone took it up for a run in the mountain?

see how it holds up to the cold!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dirtyhamster73:
Square trade is $86 for 2yrs, and that's with accident coverage too.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 3Shirts:
My Barclays bank account covers it. Worth checking
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
I see plenty of posts here that are funny. Belittling other people and being dismissive about what interests them, to me, is not funny, nor in the Christmas spirit. Why you would want to defend those posts, I can't say, but it's also not in the Christmas spirit. Some people just seem to post because they want to put other people in their place and feel superior to them and ridicule what they have to say. If that's your definition of the Christmas spirit, good luck.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dirtyhamster73:
I've left mine in the car over night for a couple of nights in a row...it's been between 25-35 degrees at night and when I power it on it seems to be fine.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Well, I guess you fall in the category of people I meant. Lighten up. And before you go on a defensive, maybe check what I've posted here first.

Merry Xmas.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] tarikre92:
I've had mine since the first release now and haven't scratched it once on the glass parts of the phone i have one small dent on the bottom of the phone from dropping in a car between the seats! I've dropped it a couple times in my Mofi case not one scratch or dent while in it!!! I do highly recommend if using the Mofi case to make sure you keep the little ball locking device on 90% of the time because of the glass on the phone it will slide out of the case!!!
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
I was responding to one particular post of yours, in which you critique me (suggesting I have no sense of humor) for pushing back on a post where someone was being belitting and dismissive of the topic of this thread and the people who are posting in it. I was not critiquing your posts in general. I have read this entire thread (probably the only person) and am well aware of your other (perfectly fine) posts.

I would suggest it is you and others who are being (strangely) defensive, because I pushed back on someone's whose "joke" was mean spiritied. Rather than you and others rudely and repeatedly telling me to lighten up and defending mean spirited jokes, I would suggest you show a little more civility and respect. Or just keep your less generous impulses to yourself.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ratlegion:
TC, what is your problem? I've followed this thread from the beginning, too , and while there have been some ugly comments, generally speaking you topic has stayed on topic and hasn't devolved at all into the kind of mess you seemingly want to insinuate. It's a llittle early to be wanting to lift up the hammer of doom, isn't it?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
If you look back a couple pages, all I did was respond (substantively and pretty mildly) to one person's post who was mocking the topic of the thread and the people posting in it. That could have been the end of it. But then others decided to jump in, criticize me, tell me to lighten up, defend the person who was being belitting, etc. They have dragged it out. I think it's reasonable that I respond to people, when they're directly being rude to me. So I'm just responding to their piling on critiques. If you're following the thread closely, why don't you ask them what their problem is?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Ratlegion:
I think it's safe to assume by now that if the glass issue was as major as we were originally thinking it was, it would be all over sites like Engadget. The backlash would have really punished Google, but generally speaking, it's been a mild issue for the masses. After all, it is glass, and glass is notorious for being fragile. Could it be better? Yes, but that isn't the point, is it? I can see why some would look at your topic as a troll topic, can't you?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
I started this thread right after the Nexus 4 was released and if you look at my original post it was completely mild. I explained why I was concerned about the glass back (because a couple reviewers had already had problems, before the phone was even released) and asked what peoples' experiences were. I was clearly just asking, because I wanted to know if those were fluke experiences or not.

I also do not agree that the issue has been mild for the masses. It seems to me from posts here that about one in five people are having problems. That's a lot by my measure. Engadget hasn't jumped on the bandwagon, only because it's an old story, after the iPhone 4, as so they and other reviewers have just shrugged their shoulders about it. But lots of reviewers on the main electronics sites have said they think the glass back is a problem. In any case, why does the status of the problem as a major story on electronic sites determine whether or not asking a question about people's experience with a particular part of a phone is legitimate? It's just a conversation with people who have the phone. Who cares if it's a news story or not?

So no, I cannot see how a reasonable person would view the thread as a troll topic.

It does seem like some people who like the phone just feel defensive about anyone who says anything that is not postive about the phone and feel compelled to try to put that person in his place. But I would say if anyone is boardering on trolling here, it is those people who need to jump into a thread, not to say anything constructive, but just to ridicule and dimiss the topic of the thread (which other people clearly have shown an earnest interest in). Some people seem to think that they should just express their every off hand thought (and pile up hundreds, even thousands, of posts this way), without ever stopping to edit their remarks or wonder if they're just adding to the clutter. And those people clearly do not even bother to read the thread they're positing in, since if they did they could see that their remarks have already been made and don't need to be repeated.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] droidmeup:
Not a single scratch after 1 week of heavy usage. I guess I've got the real gorilla glass put on my nexus :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
I guess I should have just read and walked past but.. Ah, what a heck.

To me it looks like it's you are the one who is overly defensive over his opinion. I'm not trying to start.. no, continue argument, i want to end it here. I've seen it all before, trust me, I went through 8 returns of transformer prime. You seem to have taken my comment in a wrong way, or it just hit bulls eye. It was not directed towards you, I was saying that in general Internet lowers humour threshold. Meaning, that body language is a huge part of communication, and it's missing from the conversations on the webz. People can't see if you are typing with a smile or a grimace.

So, back to my initial suggestion. Lighten up.

Oh, btw, i think it was absolutely idiotic to use glass for the body. Does that make any difference?
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] FallN:
Month ownership. No blemishes whatsoever. I carry it naked in whatever pants I'm wearing. Today I had on jogging pants. I turn the pocket inside out, making sure there is no dust, dirt, sand, lint or anything. Then I place it in the pocket by itself. Nothing goes in the same pocket! And I mean NOTHING.

When traveling I slide my naked N4 into a thin cloth pouch that I made. I turn the pouch inside out and shake it and check for dirt, sand, dust, etc before putting my phone in it.

Being vigilant and smart has kept my Nexus 4 just like new. :D

Sent from my Nexus 4
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Your comment was made as a follow up on someone (who you quoted) who was replying directly to me. Why shouldn't I think you were also remarking on my comments? Perhaps you should be more careful before making willy nilly remarks.

I think, frankly, that there is plenty of good humor online and in the XDA forums. So I don't agree with you. But some jokes are just jokes and others are ridiculing and mean spirited. Maybe people don't want to admit that they're using humor to be mean spirited, but that doesn't change what they've said.

You are hardly the only person who has seen it all. So I would also return to my initial suggestion, try being more civil and respectful in your own comments. And stop assuming it's your place to tell other people how to be. The initial exchange that started all of this didn't even involve you.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Okay. I give up. Just one thing, I don't TELL, i SUGGEST. I SUGGEST you read the way thing are written, not the way you want to see them.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] trell959:
I think you need to relax, stop caring about what people say over the internet, and get this thread back on topic. Problem solved.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] AtoZ0to9:
Tl;dr

Not sent from your phone...

---------- Post added at 11:05 PM ---------- Previous post was at 11:01 PM ----------

I'll give the OP one thing... from the little bit I read it was all properly formatted and correct English... should write book or repair manuals... on a different site of course...

Not sent from your phone...
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] luckylui:
A okay over here. Clear TPU case since I received my phone on Nov 19th. Cost of case $3.99 :)
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] 3Shirts:
I think you guys should take this argument to PM if you wish to continue it. Stop airing your dirty laundry in public.

On topic, I have found the glass to be pretty damn hard but also super easy to clean with one simple wipe with a screen cleaner I got with my work blackberry years ago. In that sense it's much nicer than my Xperia S was, especially if I am showing it to people. Greasy fingerprints make you look like a dirty tramp.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] dirtyhamster73:
Haaahaaa! Whenever I see someone's phone that looks like they haven't wiped down in a month I think "slob"... but now I'm going to think " dirty tramp".. that's sounds better :D
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] spinkman:
the glass on the back of mine has some very fine scratches on it now after only 3 days. the front has no signs of these.

this leads me to believe that only the front is gorilla glass and the rear is something else and much softer.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] undercover:
Or, you put your phone down on the back a lot more than you put it on the front. :rolleyes:

Little particle of sand or any other hard material will go through it like butter, be it GG or normal glass. It's flat, so has a big area of contact.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Dragooon123:
Almost three weeks now without a single scratch on my nexus. :D
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Serious_Beans:
Got a scratch near the bottom.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] drpepe:
Gotta scratch near my bottom
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] blue_algae:
been using it for a week now. no scratches (yet). :) coming from MyTouch 4G which has the earlier version of Gorilla glass, the only thing I'm worried about is accidentally dropping and shattering this thing. the glass at the front and back *should* hold up just fine against keys, metallic pen casing and a flashlight with an aluminum body in my bag. :cowboy:

also, I've heard that sand could scratch this thing.. :(
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] raunaq360:
Xtreme Guard on the Back

I've got an Xtreme Guard on the back. That should take care of it. Getting a bumper as soon as they're back in stock.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] stevemw:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGXR2iznbeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlgG33n71m0
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] toiday:
I also have MyTouch 4G without a scratch on the screen. I didn't use any screen protection neither. I occasionally have keys and other metal on the pocket with the MyTouch 4G and didn't do any damages. The only problem is sand and to prevent that, I'm trying to get the bumper.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] Connor Baker:
I've been extremely careful with this phone but I have a scratch around the camera on the back :(
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] scream4cheese:
I have a case for my Nexus 4 so everything is awww right! :D
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] kyokeun1234:
No scratch on glass but a noticeable scratch on the chrome thing as I dropped my phone once.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] californiarailroader:
Itchy butt huh? :D LOL
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] christianrms:
Sad panda

My suicidal Nexus 4 jumped off of my desk to its (cosmetic) demise. After a monster 25" fall the rear glass plate shattered. Any word on how long LG takes to repair or how much they are charging for this one? Tried to get Google or LG to do an advanced replacement and bill me for repairs. Both said I'd have to get the other to do that. After repeated calls and emails I have no choice but to escape the run around and be without a phone for 2 weeks... Not happy.

I tried to get the rep to sell me a back plate so that I could do the repair myself but they would not budge. LG couldn't/wouldn't tell me how much the repair would even cost. So now I have to ship it off to an unknown repair bill for an unknown amount of time. BAD vibes man.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] stevemw:
Please keep us updated on the progress and cost.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Found this in another thread:

http://www.android-hilfe.de/smallta...ist-mein-nexus-4-heruntergefallen-thread.html

Someone else who has dropped the phone. He says there is a scratch on the back, although the photos are only of the damage to the edge of the phone. I'm surprised that the edge got scrapped up so much, from one fall. I thought the rubbery material would protect the phone more. But I guess the chrome part is not very durable.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] stratax:
Gorilla Glass 2 is a lot stronger than the first version, and thinner. it is still able to shatter, just not close as easy. no one has posted about it being shattered at all, just a crack, or scratches. ghost armor would prevent it from shattering as well. there are a ton of solutions for not having it shatter.

i like how elegant it looks, the reason i didnt get the galaxy nexus is because i hate low grade plastic phones, reminds me of old nokia go phones lol. i like polycarbonate though. when i get mine i will get ghost armor and a bumper
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
I agree that the phone looks quite elegant. It's a nice design, from an aesthetic point of view. But that, I think, will be ruined by putting ghost armor and/or a bumper on it. I really do not like the touch or feel of screen cover materials. And bumpers totally change the appearance.

So what's the point of the elegant design, if you have to cover it up to protect the phone? And if you don't cover it up, then you have the unnecessary risk of a glass back breaking. It's a lose lose choice.

That aside, I really don't think the fact that no one has posted about the back shattering yet means much. The phone is only a couple days old. What's striking it that there are already a number of cases of cracks and that review units were getting damaged even before that phone was released. That to me does not forbode a back that is very durable.

And the fact that there is yet to be a known case, in only a couple days, of a shattered back still does not respond to the point that the glass back is a completely unnecessary risk, no matter how much better Gorilla Glass 2 is than the first verion. There is no logical way that having a glass back makes the phone more durable than not having one. It's a choice of elegant looks over practicality. And there are other ways to come up with elegant looks (I also like the polycarbonate shell designs--which in Nokia's defense, they invented with the N9), so the glass back is an unnecessary choice at that.

Also, are we sure that the back is Gorilla Glass 2? As I noted in my OP, the demo phone I saw in the T-Mobile store already had a hairline scratch on the back (the day they got the phone). And Android Central reported similar scratches on their review unit. That surprises me. I'm skeptical that Gorilla Glass 2 is going to be shatter proof in a fall on a hard surface, but I really expected it to hold up to minor scratches better. Most Gorilla Glass screens do. So I wonder if they used a cheaper material on the back. If not, then I am not super impressed with Gorilla Glass 2 as far as scratches go.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] James.UBC:
1. Glass was a design direction pushed by LG and they were adamant on it being included, NOT GOOGLE

2. almost all of the nexus 4's antennas are built into the back cover so glass is used because it's radio transparent. They *could* have used plastic but everyone was complaining about "oooooooooh the nexus sucks it dosnt feel 'premium,'" " cheap plastic crap again" etc. and again, LG insisted.

3. No matter what material they use to make the back, someone will have something negative to say about it. Plastic is cheap, glass breaks, metal just doesn't work. there's literally no winning material.

4. hairline crack, big deal. get a bumper/case if you want. Design is always tradeoff.

5. yes the glass is GG2

6. all glass scratches when in contact with silica (sand), nothing we can do

7. GG is not shatter proof, it's shatter resistant

8. GG2 has exactly the same coating as GG. The only thing that's different is the ion treatment where they add the compression to the surface of the glass.
[Nexus 4 Q&A, Help & Troubleshooting] cb474:
Fine it's LG's fault. Does that make it a better design?

Apple has solved this problem by putting the antennas in the side of the phone (and eventually they worked out their antennagate issue with this design). There are plenty of plastic materials, such as those with the matte rubbery feel, that many people agree have a premium quality to them. The polycarbonate shell design, invented by Nokia in the N9, also found in their Windows phones, and in the HTC One X+, solves this problem and people find it to be very high quality. Phones like the orignal Nexus One or the HTC One S have aluminum shells, with some plastic on the back where the antennas are located, everyone agrees these phones have a premium feel. It is just bogus to say that there are no solutions to this problem.

I responded to this more than once above. 1) Those are hairline cracks in the first days of the phones existence. Long term it is likely to only get worse. And I seriously doubt that anyone who has a hairline crack in the back of their fancy new phone on day one feels like it's not a big deal. 2) If you have to get a bumper, it undermines the elegance of the design, so what's the point? A beautiful design that needs to be covered up to be practical is silly. If you can't see it, who cares if it's beautiful? Nothing has been achieved.

Thanks.

How about not having a glass back?

Uh, okay. All the more reason not to have uncessary extra glass parts on a phone. All the more reason to expect lots of people to end up eventually with shattered backs.

*

You know, I get that it's a nice design. I already said that above. I like the design of the phone, aesthetically.

But it's just silly that people can't admit the glass back makes the phone less durable and may turn out to be very impractical. Really if the glass back is not a bad idea and not a big deal, why not make the sides out of gorilla glass? Why not the volume rocker? How about just a pure gorilla glass shell?

By the logic of the arguments people are making here there's no difference between a little bit of glass and a lot of glass, a pure glass phone is no less durable than one that has only a glass screen. Except of course that it isn't, because the more glass surfaces you add, the more likley one of them will break in a fall.