ZTE Grand S vs. Galaxy S3 vs. iPhone 5: Spec showdown

By Simon Hill January 8, 2013

The latest smartphone manufacturer to shrug off the budget tag is ZTE. The Chinese company just showed off the flagship ZTE Grand S – a powerful quad-core Android beast with a stunning, full HD display and an impressive camera. We decided to take a look at how it measures up against the two best-selling smartphones on the market right now, the Galaxy S3 and the iPhone 5. If ZTE wants to make headway these are the phones to beat.

	ZTE Grand S	Galaxy S3 Image used with permission by copyright holder	iPhone 5 Image used with permission by copyright holder
Size	142 x 69 x 6.9 (mm)	136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 (mm)	123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm)
Weight	110g	133g	112g
Screen	5-inch	4.8-inch Super AMOLED	4.0-inch LCD
Resolution	1920×1080 pixels	1280×720 pixels	1136×640 pixels
OS	Android 4.1	Android 4.0 with TouchWiz UI	iOS 6.0.1
Storage	16GB	16/32GB	16/32/64GB
SD Card Slot	Yes	Yes	No
Processor	Quad-core 1.7 GHz Snapdragon S4 Pro	Dual-core Snapdragon S4 (US)	Dual-core A6X
RAM	2GB	2GB	1GB
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+	Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera	Front 2MP, Rear 13MP	Front 1.9MP, Rear 8MP	Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP
Bluetooth	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 4.0	Yes, version 4.0
Battery	1780mAh	2100mAh	1440mAh
Charger	Micro USB	Micro USB	Lightning connector
Marketplace	Google Play Store	Google Play Store	Apple App Store
Price	TBA	$200+	$200+
Availability	TBA	AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon	AT&T, Sprint, Verizon

As you can see the ZTE Grand S measures up well, although that battery is a concern, especially with a 5-inch display to power. It is an attractive, minimalist design and it comes in a range of seven colors. It looks good next to the current leaders, but we know that the next Galaxy S will probably be along soon and the recently announced Sony Xperia Z and the Huawei Ascend D2 have similar specs to the Grand S. The competition will be tough, but one thing’s for sure, ZTE is serious about shaking up the smartphone market.

It will launch in China in the first quarter of 2013, but we’re not sure when, or even if, it will touch down stateside, what the price tag will be, or which carrier might pick it up. These details will undoubtedly have a big impact on its potential success, so we’ll keep you posted.

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Simon Hill is an experienced technology journalist and editor who loves all things tech. He is currently the Associate Mobile…

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