For buying our Nexus-series hardware, many of us simply turn to Google itself. Its prices are low, we know what to expect from the company, and it makes sense to simply head to the source. Between stock shortages and shipping times, however, sometimes it can make more sense to track down a Nexus model from a local retailer, instead. To aid you in doing so, Google has just pushed live online Nexus-finder pages for the Nexus 4 and Nexus 7.

Now, the Nexus 7, we understand – plenty of retailers stock the tablet, and you’ll probably pay the same as what Google’s asking. If you can’t remember who carries it and who doesn’t, the tool can be a quick way to narrow-down your search.

The Nexus 4, on the other hand, makes considerably less sense. In effect, it’s a T-Mobile retail store locator, just as you’d already find on T-Mobile’s website. Unless you feel like going on contract for some reason, it’s often more cost effective to just get your phone from Google itself.

Now, perhaps Google is thinking about bringing non-subsidized Nexus 4 sales to brick-and-mortar retailers, in which case this tool would make more sense, but that would be quite out of character for it, and we have no reason to think it’s headed in that direction.

Finally, these tools don’t take store stocks into account, so you’re still left having to verify that any of them actually have the model you’re interested in on-hand.

Source: Google Nexus 4, Nexus 7
Via: Android Police