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Droid Ultra vs. iPhone 5 vs. Galaxy S4: Verizon Spec Smackdown

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Droid Ultra vs Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Verizon subscribers have never really had much of a struggle when it comes to getting great phones. As one of the largest carriers in the United States, the company has had access to tons of big name devices right from the jump. This August, Motorola has added new devices to its popular line of handsets. The one that is ready to get in and compete with the other top contenders in the mobile space is the Droid Ultra. Slim, sleek, and equipped with Motorola’s unique internal chipset, the Ultra is priced to go head to head with the likes of the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4. How does it stack up in a Spec Showdown? We’re about to find out.

 

iPhone 5

iPhone 5 front
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Galaxy S4

Screen shot 2013-07-23 at 11.05.56 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Droid Ultra 

Screen shot 2013-07-23 at 11.03.00 AM
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Size 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm) 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 (mm) 137 x 71 x 7.18 (mm)
Weight 112g 130g 140g
Screen 4.0-inch LCD 5.0-inch Super AMOLED 5-inch Super LCD 3
Resolution 1136×640 pixels 1080×1920 pixels 720×1280 pixels
OS iOS 6.0.1 Android 4.2 with TouchWiz UI Android 4.2
Storage 16/32/64GB 16/32/64GB 16GB
SD Card Slot No Yes No
Processor Dual-core A6X 1.9GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 600 1.7GHz Octa-core Motorola X8
RAM 1GB 2GB 2GB
Connectivity Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, EV-DO Rev.A
Camera Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP Front 2MP, Rear 13MP Front 2MP, Rear 10MP
Bluetooth Yes, version 4.0 Yes, version 4.0 Yes, version 4.0
Battery 1440mAh 2600mAh 2130mAh
Charger Lightning connector Micro USB Micro USB
Marketplace Apple App Store Google Play Store Google Play Store
Price $200+ $200+ $200
Availability AT&T, Sprint, Verizon AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon Verizon
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If there’s a turn off for potential Droid Ultra purchasers, it is likely the drop in resolution and processing power. The Ultra’s 5-inch screen is capable of 720p, a step down from devices that offer the full clarity of 1080p. Motorola claims it provides a 24 percent boost in CPU speed and a 100 percent increase in GPU speed from the Razr HD last year. The real interesting area of comparison won’t show on the spec sheet, either. We’re interested to see how the Droid’s Touchless controls work in comparison to the Galaxy S4’s similar features. Which handset works best when your hand isn’t on it may be the determining factor for which phone you go with.  

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Priced at $200, the Droid Ultra will be available on Verizon come August 20. 

Editor’s Note by Jeffrey Van Camp: Just for clarification, the new X8 Computing System is more complex than usual. It has a dual-core “application” processor, quad-core graphics processor, a processor for sensors, and a processor for language processing. Supposedly, this setup boosts battery life and performance. We haven’t yet tested it out.

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AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger
Contributor
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
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