It’s that time again, time to throw two flagship phones into the ring and have them fight it out to see which is the better phone. This time we’re throwing in the Samsung Galaxy S4 from Samsung and the Google Nexus 4 from LG. Both are running Android 4.2.2, which is the latest version of Android. Which one will come out on top? Who knows. Let’s get this started with the specs.
Specifications
Samsung Galaxy S4
The Galaxy S4 is Samsung’s latest flagship, plastic, phone running Android. It’s relatively similar to the Galaxy S3, but there are a few changes. The display is a bit bigger at 5-inches compared to 4.8. It’s also been upgraded to a 1080p display. It still has that plastic shell with a physical home button and two capacitive buttons on either side of it. The rear camera also got an upgrade to 13MP from 8MP. Overall, most people probably can’t tell the difference off the street between the Galaxy S3 and S4.
On the software side, it’s running Android 4.2.2 which is the latest version of Android. This also marks the first phone that is not a Nexus to run the current version of Android at launch. It also has a new version of Touchwiz, and Samsung has added an S to just about anything they could think of. There are so many features on this phone, you probably will never use them all.
Pros
- 5-inch 1080p display
- 2600mAh battery; should last all day long
- Available on just about every carrier
Cons
- AMOLED display; these displays are like having a light bulb in your pocket
- Slightly larger battery, but might not lead to better battery life over the Galaxy S3
Google Nexus 4
The Nexus 4 was built by LG. It’s also had quite a bit of trouble staying in stock. It is a Nexus which means it runs stock Android and gets updates first. It also is very easy to mod and develop for. Which is why it’s a developer phone. The Nexus 4 has a beautiful 720p IPS+ display along with software buttons. Which is the way to go now in my opinion. It also has an 8MP camera on the back which is a nice upgrade over the Galaxy Nexus from 2011.
On the software side there’s not much to say since it is stock Android and there’s no other customizations out of the box. You’ve got Android 4.2.2 with Photosphere and all the other great features from Android 4.2 – Jelly Bean.
Pros
- Pure Android
- Cheap ($299/349 unlocked from Google Play)
Cons
- Adequate camera, not the best though
- Only works on GSM carriers (no Sprint or Verizon support) and no LTE
Winner…
It would have to be the Galaxy S4. Although the Nexus 4 is still a great device, in fact that’s my daily driver. The Galaxy S4 just has more going for it. Usually the advantage the Nexus has over other devices is that it’s running the latest version of Android. This time the Galaxy S4 is running the latest version. But the Galaxy S4 is still running Touchwiz on top, so if you want pure Android, you’ll need to stick to the Nexus 4.
Do you agree with my pick for the winner? Vote in our poll down below: