Sunday, April 14, 2013

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z Review

 A long time ago I did a hypothetical Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xpreia Z review which got a lot of attention. However, this was clearly just a lot of guesswork and hypothetical talk and an early analysis. But, now that a lot of time has passed we can compare the two phones head on against each other. This can safely be called "The battle of the Titans" as both of these phones are their respective company's smartphone flagships for this season. So, without further to do let us get the Galaxy S4 VS the Xperia Z battle going!

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z Review

The Overall Specs

 In this section we will try and see what type of specs both of the devices have. This by no means the most important factor in this comparison, but we will try to see right off the bat what these devices have to offer. We are already familiar with the Galaxy S4 (or else you probably wouldn't be here!) but non the less let us compare the two devices side by side!

The Body and Design

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z
In my opinion the Xperia Z has a superior design
 The Sony Xperia Z has the dimensions of  139 x 71 x 7.9 mm (5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches) and weighs roughly around 146 g (5.15 oz). The display diagonal is 5 inches and the overall design of the phone is quite nice. I personally prefer it to the design elements of the Galaxy S4, but I find this a very subjective and irrelevant topic. It is, however, important to note that the device is dust and water resistant. But a word on water resistant - it is resistant up to 1 meter and 30 minutes which is quite a lot honestly. Aside from this the screen is shatter proof and scratch-resistant (to some extent).

 On the other hand, the Samsung Galaxy S4 is a bit more compact with the dimensions of 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm (5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches). It is also quite a bit lighter as it weight 130 g (4.59 oz). This is actually both a difference in size that one can see and a difference in weight that one can feel, although it isn't anything ground-breaking I assure you. The display of the Samsung Galaxy S4 is also 5 inches (4.99 to be exact) and and it is protected with Gorilla Glass III.

 I have seen a lot tests done with the Xperia Z - it has been bashed with a hammer, scratches with a knife, thrown underwater and yet it looked fine. This is really a tough smartphone that can go through hell and back and I honestly have to give it first place when it comes to this! However, I also prefer the S4's slimmer and more easy-to-handle body.

The Geeky Stuff

 But, here we are - the good stuff! This is one of the more important parts of this Galaxy S4 vs Xperia Z battle as this one of the more important things that I look at when buying a phone.

 The Sony Xperia Z boasts 2 GB RAM and 16GB of internal memory. The memory can of course be expanded further with a SD Card (up to 64GB). This smartphone runs with a Quad-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait processor  with Adreno 320 GPU. I will also mention that the tech that the Xperia Z uses is known for its power-saving properties.

 On the other hand the Samsung Galaxy S4 also has 2 GB of RAM and comes and, depending on the model, it has 16/32/64 GB of internal memory. This can be further expanding with a SD Card (again, up to another 64GB). As far as the processor goes, there are two models available:
  • The Exynos 5 Octa (which has two quad-core processor that switch on and off depending on which one is needed).
  • The Qualcomm Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 which comes with Adreno 320 GPU.
 While there is an ongoing debate on which of these two performs better, there is no dispute that they handle things better than what the Xperia Z has to offer.


 Another "geeky" thing to note is that the Samsung Galaxy S4 has recently proven itself to be a very powerful device when it comes to handling complex graphics. The recent benchmark app for graphics called Basemark X 1.0 has placed the phone at first place according to its tests. The Sony Xperia Z was ranked third just for comparison.

The Display Quality

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z Display
 Both of these devices are great in this department and I doubt this section will influence the outcome of this Galaxy S4 vs Xperia Z battle. Here is what you should note about the S4:
  • Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen
  • 16 million colors
  • Resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 pixels per inch pixel density)
 And about the Xperia Z:
  • TFT capacitive touchscreen
  • 16 million colors
  • Resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels (~441 pixels per inch pixel density)
 Not exactly ground-breaking differences are they? 

The Camera Quality

 Many of you were probably waiting for this section, after all, you have probably seen the latest S4 commercials that focus on its camera features. Well, it is true, right off the bat we can safely say that the S4 has superior features and software which makes the camera awesome and pretty cool. But is it really a better quality camera?

 Both devices have a 13 MP camera with the same resolution so let us look at some tests before we judge which one is better.

Sample 1

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z Camera

Sample 2

Galaxy S4 VS Sony Xperia Z Camera Sample

 In my opinion, the Galaxy S4 wins this comparison, especially when you take the cool software into account!

Battery Life

 This is another important aspect that I often consider when comparing two smartphones. All the awesome features aren't worth much if you are going to spend more time recharging the phone than using it! 

 Here are the Xperia Z battery specs:
  • Non-removable Li-Ion 2330 mAh battery
  • Stand-by: Up to 550 h (2G) / Up to 530 h (3G)
  • Talk time: Up to 11 h (2G) / Up to 14 h (3G)
  • Music play: Up to 40 h
 The Galaxy S4 has a Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery, but I couldn't find information on its stand-by time and other tests since nobody has had the chance to do such tests yet. It does features a removable battery however, which is always a good thing of course.

Galaxy S4 VS Xperia Z: The Winner Is...

 And here we are, at the end of this Galaxy S4 vs Sony Xperia Z battle, so who won? Well, were you expecting for more to crown the winner? Well, I am afraid I am not such an important authority figure to give out such an opinion. I would honestly say that the Galaxy S4 is a much better device, but if I can get the Sony Xperia Z for a much better price, then I would not hesitate believe me!

 But what do you guys and girls think? Which is the winner of the Galaxy S4 vs Xperia Z battle in your opinion? Leave us a comment down bellow and tell us what you think!

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