Google Nexus 4 by LG
The recent tease by LG Malaysia is inaccurate. In response to fan’s queries, LG Malaysia over at their Facebook page back in late October responded that both the Optimus G and Nexus 4 will be “arriving this upcoming Christmas.” Christmas has come and gone now, and currently there is a new launch date obtained by a senior member of the LowYat.NET forums, ‘Stringfellow.’
Earlier last week, there was a separate forum post taking ‘registration of interest’ for the device with a price tag of RM1,799. LG Malaysia on the same day officially announced that the Nexus 4 will be launching ‘soon’, with an updated product page to reflect the announcement.
DiGi is also said to be the exclusive carrier to bundle the device with their plans. Let’s hope that’s not the case.
Back to Stringfellow’s post. According to his “reliable source,” Nexus 4 will be launching in Malaysia either on January 7th (Monday) or 8th (Tuesday). It will be priced outright at RM1,599 for the 16GB model, and just like the Nexus 7 tablet, the 8GB SKU won’t be available here.
He later took a photo of a store in Low Yat Plaza named Hotspot, with a pre-order sign.
How reliable is his source is anyone’s guess. It’s nice to know that if true, the Nexus 4 will be shipping here cheaper and sooner than how the Galaxy Nexus was. If I remembered correctly, DiGi customers have gotten the GNex beginning January 13th if ordered online. The recommended retail price was RM2,099.
It’s also worth stressing that often the 8GB model’s pricing in the US is used when comparing with the 16GB model’s pricing here. In the states, the Nexus 4 is going for US$299 (RM915) for the 8GB and $349 (RM1,068) for the 16GB version. Now, the RM1,599 price tag is still RM500+ more expensive than if purchased in the US. However for smartphones, Malaysian Customs will impose around 20%-30% import tax and 10% sales tax, I believe, which brings the cost to around RM1,500.
In any case, we’re glad to be able to finally get the Nexus 4 officially here ‘soon.’ The more important question remains, will you get one when it’s out?