Nexus 4 might not reappear on Google Play until mid-December

Google sold out of its Nexus 4 handsets within 30 minutes of launching the device last week. And when you consider the price of the thing – it starts at just £239 for the 8GB version – that’s hardly surprising. 

New stock of the Android 4.2-powered handset will be available within three weeks, reports suggest, meaning that potential Nexus 4 users will have to wait until at least mid-December to buy a handset direct from Google. 

Google has confirmed it was completely overwhelmed by demand for the Nexus 4, which has resulted in it not being able to keep up with demand. This happens from time to time during launches, but in this instance I'm having something of a hard time swallowing the line.

Think about it: the Nexus 4 is a high-end smartphone priced like a mid-range device. That’s always going to generate tons of demand. Surely the world's brainiest company could have figured that out? It's basic economics. 

Maybe, maybe not. The truth of the matter is we'll never know either way for sure. Still want a Nexus 4? Then your best bet is O2, which appears to have the handset in stock, with prices starting from free on £34 a month tariffs.

It’s not as good a deal as you’d get buying direct from Google – but it’s a definite option for those who aren’t willing to wait. 

Specs for the Nexus 4 include a 1.5-GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro chipset, a 4.7-inch 720p display, 2GB of RAM, Android 4.2, and an 8-megapixel camera. In short – it’s something of a monster. 

Check out our hands-on look at Google’s Nexus 4 – article includes pictures and video.