The new Nexus 4 is here, after a great many leaks, and it has been joined by the new Nexus 10 tablet and a subtly tweaked Nexus 7, which together make Google’s latest — and particularly formidable — family of Android-powered devices. It’s LG’s first attempt at building a Nexus phone, and the spec matches its Optimus G flagship smartphone in almost every way, plus the Nexus 4’s price is incredibly competitive. Here’s how it compares to what many consider to be the best Android phone available, the Samsung Galaxy S3.
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Galaxy S3
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Nexus 4
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| Price |
$199/$299 (with contract) | $299/$349 (SIM-free) |
| OS | Android 4.0.1 Touchwiz UX/US | Android 4.2 |
| Processor | Exynos 4412 (Quad Core) | Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro |
| Display | 4.8″ Super AMOLED | 4.7″ WXGA IPS |
| Resolution | 1280×720 | 1280×768 |
| Dimensions (WxDxH) | 5.38″ x 2.78″ x 0.34″ | 5.27″ x 2.70″ x 0.35″ |
| Weight | 133g | 139g |
| 4G LTE | Yes | No |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 2.4GHz, 5GHz (dual-band) | WiFi 802.11 b/g/n (dual band) |
| Rear-facing camera | 8 Megapixels | 8 Megapixels |
| Front-facing camera | 1.9 Megapixels | 1.3 Megapixels |
| Video capabilities | 1080p Recording | 1080p Recording |
| Internal storage | 16/32GB | 8/16GB |
| SD card slot | Yes (up to 64GB) | No |
| Max. battery life | 11 hours (3G talk/data use) | 10 hours (3G talk/data use) |
What it means:
It means that the Galaxy S3 has a challenger, and a very well priced one at that. The screen size and resolution, the camera, the weight and even the size are all almost identical, plus there’s little to choose between the processors either, with Samsung’s 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad playing Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz, quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro. The Galaxy S3 wins some points due to its microSD card slot and higher, 16GB or 32GB of built-in memory though. The lack of 4G LTE on the Nexus 4 will make it a no-go for some, but don’t forget, add 4G to the Galaxy S3 and you’ll get a dual-core processor instead.
But it’s very difficult to argue against a device that costs $299 SIM-free for the 8GB model, or $349 for one with 16GB of memory. A Galaxy S3? That’ll be at least $600, please. So, just to recap, that’s a big screen, quad-core smartphone with the latest version of Android for half the price of the S3. Wow.
I’m surprised to see the Nexus 4 doesn’t offer an SD card slot, what’s up with that?
None of the new Nexus devices have a sim slot.
You have a mistake on this chart. The Nexus 4 doesn’t come with LTE. I personally don’t see a need for it when I can already stream HD video on HSPA+ and I’m capped at 5GB of data, but to each his own.
Thanks for the heads up and sorry for the confusion.
Yep, thanks for spotting that. I’ve added in a little something about 4G connectivity too, as the S3′s spec changes with the addition of a 4G radio.
Tests have shown HSPA+ can be faster than some 4G connections, and some even refer to HSPA+ as 4G. Glad to hear you’re making good use of its speed.
I really don’t understand the race for LTE when every carrier caps data usage at such low levels. I would rather have HSPA+ speeds with a high data cap than unnecessarily fast data with a low cap.
Here is something way nicer that’s coming to Verizon though:
http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48332/htc-droid-dna-j-butterfly
I just wish T-Mobile/Metro finally get their LTE going.
It is called “DIAMOND PHONE” http://tuntyphone.worldgmn.com/ws_techvideo.php