Battle of the Androids: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. LG Nexus 4

According to the latest news, Samsung highly-anticipated galaxy s4 will be available for pre-order on April 16 for AT&T customers for $249.99 with a new two-year agreement, but there's still no word when the phone will actually hit shelves. That is to say, if you've been waiting eagerly to buy Samsung's Galaxy S4, you'll have to wait at least another month. Can you wait until that time or maybe you can pick other superphone like the Nexus 4, which have always been Google’s pure, untarnished vision of its platform. Today we compare the specs and features of the Samsung Galaxy S4 and LG Nexus 4.

Size

Compared to Samsung galaxy s4, the nexus 4 is a bit shorter, narrow and thinner. The size differences here are pretty minor.

Display

The Galaxy s4 features a 5-inch screen, larger and sharper than the Nexus 4, the device which have a display of 4.7-inch. The Galaxy S4’s Super AMOLED has blacker blacks (technically no light comes through black pixels) but hyper-saturated colors. The Nexus 4’s IPS display, meanwhile, leads to better viewing angles and more accurate color reproduction.

Processor

The Nexus 4’s Snapdragon S4 Pro chip is a beast. Ditto for both versions of the Galaxy S4: the North American version’s quad core Snapdragon 600 and the international version’s octa core Exynos chip.
So In terms of benchmarks and experience, the galaxy s4 is going to beat the Nexus 4.

RAM

The two devices are tied up, each with 2 GB of RAM.

Storage

In this aspect, Samsung galaxy s4 have a big advantage than Nexus 4. Storage options of Galaxy s4 are provided in the form of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal memory, while Nexus 4 only comes 8GB and 16GB. At the same time, only the Galaxy S4 allows you to expand its storage with a microSD card.

Cameras

The Galaxy S4 has a 13 MP camera, and sports several new camera software features. Dual Camera combines video or images from the front and back cameras, under a variety of templates. Also included is Drama Shot, which takes bursts of shots and combines them automatically into a collage. Nexus 4 packs a 8 megapixels camera, but you don’t have to worry about the Nexus 4’s shooter. It takes great shots, and can easily replace a point-and-shoot.

Wireless

There’s no LTE for the Nexus 4. It does support HPSA+, which offers faster than 3G speeds ... but LTE it is not. You’ll also need to sign up with a GSM carrier for the Nexus 4, as CDMA (that's Verizon and Sprint in the U.S.) networks aren’t supported.

Battery

Although Galaxy s4 powers with a 2600mAh battery while Nexus 4 only packs with a 2100mAH battery. Does that mean the Galaxy S4 – with more capacity – will get better uptime? Maybe, maybe not. Still now, we have no answers.

Software

The Galaxy S4 will ship with the latest version of Android, 4.2.2, runs its own operating system. Samsung is increasingly hiding its Android roots under a heavy layer of “TouchWiz” – complete with a bevy of crazy features (facial-recognition scrolling, fitness tracking, photos with accompanying audio clips ...).

Meanwhile, the Nexus 4 – like all Nexus devices – runs “pure Google,” or stock Android. What you see is exactly what Android’s creators and designers intended - and nothing more.

Though the two phones run the same version of Android right now, that may not last long. Without manufacturer skins or carrier clayware, the Nexus 4 will be first to receive future Android updates. Samsung has improved its support for updates, but GS4 owners will have to wait much longer for Key Lime Pie (or whatever the next major version is called) than Nexus 4 owners will.

So will you buy the Nexus 4 or wait for the Samsung galaxy s4? Welcome to share your opinions below.

See also:  Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One vs. iPhone 5, Will Samsung Continue to Rule the Universe?

HTC One vs. Samsung galaxy s4 vs. iPhone 5 vs. The Latest Smartphones: Camera comparison

HTC announced its sexy htc one smartphone last month and The most interesting thing about the One is its 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera, which attracts a lot of attention when it hits, especially since other phones are nearing the next 13-megapixel frontier, such as Samsung galaxy s4. Samsung finally took the wraps off the highly anticipated Galaxy S4 last week.

HTC says the new One captures 300 percent more light than current competing smartphone sensors, offering "astounding low-light performance.” So today just follow me to see how HTC One’s camera stacks up against Samsung's new flagship Galaxy S4, iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920, Nexus 4 and most of the latest Smartphones.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

HTC One vs iPhone 5

HTC One vs Nokia Lumia 920

HTC One vs Sony Xperia Z

HTC One vs LG Nexus 4

HTC One vs HTC Droid DNA

HTC One vs Samsung Galaxy S3

For now, take a peek at the comparison shots above, and declare your own winner. Do HTC’s UltraPixels win out?

Top 5 high-end smartphones worth buying for the 2012 holiday season

Smartphone war starts ahead of holiday season. Starts with iPhone 5, then Windows phone 8 follow up, such as Nokia Lumia 920, Windows Phone 8X by HTC, Samsung ATIV S. The Nexus 4, announced yesterday and rumored for about 50 years before, goes on sale directly from Google starting November 13. The Smartphone war is heating up as smartphones play a bigger role this holiday season.

Thinking about buying a new smartphone for yourself or as a gift this holiday season? People are spending a whole lot of time with their smartphones these days, so here's a list of the top smartphone choices to make sure it's time well spent.

1. Nokia Lumia 920

The Nokia Lumia 920 is the new flagship smartphone of the Windows Phone 8, which features a 4.5 inch PureMotion HD+ display, LTE, 8.7MP PureView camera, 1.2MP front camera, 1.5GHz dual-core processor, wireless charging, 2000 mAh battery,1GB of RAM, and 32GB of internal memory , Nokia Maps, Nokia Drive, Nokia City Lens. Nokia claims its new handsets are “the world’s most innovative smartphones”. I know many of you have already added it to your list this holiday season, so do I. Now Nokia Lumia 920 is available in Canada (at Rogers). More units will be shipped in the near future.

2. Windows Phone 8X by HTC

The Windows Phone 8X by HTC is a premium Windows Phone 8 device that packs a punch with a beautiful 4.3-inch HD-resolution super LCD 2 screen, a powerful 1.5GHz dual-core processor, impressive 8MP camera with HTC's custom Image Chip technology and a very-wide-angle 2.1MP front-facing shooter on the other side. Customers will enjoy the feel of the pure unibody design in California Blue, access to Windows Phone’s Live Tiles, immersive studio-quality sound with Beats Audio™ and incredible camera capabilities of the Windows Phone 8X by HTC.

3. LG Nexus 4 runs on Android 4.2

The Nexus 4 has a 4.7-inch, 1,280 x 768 pixel resolution display, a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor from Qualcomm, 2 gigabytes of RAM, an 8-megapixel rear camera, a 1.3-megapixel front camera and either 8 or 16 gigabytes of storage. It also has NFC, a micro USB port and micro HDMI output. For bells and whistles, Google is touting built-in wireless charging (though you’ll need to supply your own compatible charging mat) and a Photo Sphere feature that can shoot 360-degree panorama photos but it doesn’t support 4G LTE. LG Nexus 4 runs on Android 4.2, which comes with a lot of new features, like updated Google Now, and multiple user accounts. It also adds a Swype-like trace keyboard, built right into stock Android.

    See also: Android 4.2's four best new features

4. Samsung Galaxy Note 2

If you are interested in larger screen, then galaxy note 2 may be your best choice. The Galaxy Note II will be featuring HSPA+ and 4G LTE connectivity, a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, a 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1280 x 720, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, an 8 megapixel auto focus rear-facing camera with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera, S Pen stylus, Bluetooth 4.0, a 3100mAh battery, 2GB of RAM and microSD card support up to 64GBs. The Galaxy Note II will also be coming in 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models along with a white or black color to choose from.

5. iPhone 5

“The iPhone has always been an innovator since its 2007 release and its true potential really came out with the 4 and 4S models, but the iPhone 5 is the king of them all,” said junior Caleb Hughes.

The iPhone has a 4-inch LED-backlit IPS TFT display featuring 326ppi pixel density with 640 x 1136 pixels and also has Gorilla Glass, features a A6 chipset with 1.2GHz dual-core CPU and of course the PowerVR SGX543MP2 GPU, 1GB RAM, has an 8-megapixel on the rear and a 1.2MP on the front, as well as 1080P HD video, geo-tagging, HDR, panorama, LED flash, autofocus and face detection. The iPhone 5 comes in 16, 32 and 64GB versions, which is running iOS 6. Price of the iPhone 5 is relative high than other smartphones.

With shoppers getting ready to kick off the holiday season the day after Thanksgiving — or sooner — retailers are ready for consumers to pull out their smartphones or tablets, NRF's Shay said. So Which one is your next mobile device as the holiday gift ?