The LG-made Google Nexus 4 smartphone reportedly started shipping with a few subtle tweaks in design, aimed at making the handset more durable.

A new batch of Nexus 4 devices currently shipping to customers sport a few subtle changes designed to improve the hardware and prevent scratching. The Nexus 4 is an insanely popular handset due to its combination of exciting specs and affordable price tag, and so far it has spent more time "out of stock" than "in stock" due to this great demand.

According to the image posted by Mobiflip [link in German], LG is sending out new and improved Nexus 4 units to customers. The differences compared to the original design are minor, but aim to improve the handset. The glass on the rear of the device is somewhat fragile and it can be vulnerable to scratches and even cracking. A number of reports pointed to cracks around the camera as well, and it seems that LG and Google took those issues seriously.

The first addition to the handset's original design consists of tiny rubber feet on the Nexus 4. Such tiny rubber feet or bumpers are designed to keep the device from touching a surface. The new Nexus 4 now sports tiny feet on all four corners, which should prevent the handset from getting annoying little scratches, cracks. These bumpers will likely help with sound quality as well, giving the audio more room to exit.

When it comes to the camera, some minor changes apparently made their way to this area also. The cutout around the camera lens is now slightly smaller on the new batch of Nexus 4 smartphones. It remains unclear at this point just why it's smaller, but LG and Google must have their reasons.

Other than these slight changes, the handset remains the same. The new batch of Nexus 4 smartphones doesn't come with better hardware, more internal storage, or better camera capabilities. The subtle changes are just minor tweaks to improve the Nexus 4, and they will likely go unnoticed by many.