The extremely elusive Nexus 4 smartphone co-branded by Google and LG just made its way back in stock in the UK.

The Nexus 4 proved to be one of the most popular handsets currently available on the market, or at least sort of available. Google seriously underestimated the demand for its handset, and buying the smartphone turned into a real challenge. The Nexus 4 is flying off the shelves since its launch and is mostly out-of-stock. Here now, gone the next second. It seems supply comes in small drops and only lasts for some lucky few until the handset vanishes off the shelves again.

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The Google Play Store in the UK, however, just updated its listings for the Nexus 4 as "in stock." The 8GB version of the device costs £239, while the 16GB version goes up to £279. The handset will ship in three to five days.

The Nexus 4 is such a great hit due to the fact that it sports high-end specs at a very affordable price point. The device packs the latest Android OS updates from Google, as well as the company's Stock Android experience. This means users don't have to deal with custom interfaces or carrier-installed crapware. Moreover, purchasing the handset directly from Google via Google Play means not having to commit to any binding contract with a carrier. Unlocked devices with the Nexus 4's specs and features retail at significantly higher price points.

The Nexus 4 made its debut back in November and proved one slippery fish to catch ever since. Google and LG continually blamed each other for the supply shortages. Google pointed at LG's "short and erratic" supplies and the communication failures between the two companies, while LG blamed Google for inaccurately forecasting the Nexus 4 demand, which led to the shortage of supplies.

The Nexus 4 finally went back in-stock in the U.S. in late January, but is listed as shipping within one or two weeks. The device still experiences a strong demand, and Google now says it will ship out the Nexus 4 to U.S. customers by March 29. As previously mentioned, in the UK the device is listed as shipping in three to five days, but given the Nexus 4's supply track record, it's hard to tell how long that estimate will last.  

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