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Sony Xperia Z1 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs LG G2 specs comparison: 5" cage match

By Daniel P.

Updated: Sep 04, 2013, 11:48 AM

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Sony Xperia Z1 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 vs LG G2 specs comparison: 5" cage match

With the introduction of the Xperia Z1 today, Sony is taking on the whole wide Android world, sizing the flagships up and even beating in many aspects their specs sheet, as you can see in the table below.

We are comparing the 5" flagships, though the G2 has a slightly larger display, and the HTC One deserves to be here as well, despite its 4.7" screen size. Moreso since the One sports a premium chassis, similar to the glass/metal shell of the Xperia Z1, unlike the plastic S4 or G2.

Full HD is the name of the game with all three displays, but the technologies couldn't be more different. The LG G2 sports an excellent IPS-LCD of new generation, while Samsung strikes with saturated Super AMOLED display, and Sony responds with its new Triluminous display technology - a good comparison of this excellent trio you can find in our fresh screen battle.

The Sony Xperia Z1 and LG G2 are new handsets, and understandably one-up the Galaxy S4 in the processor department, sporting the newest Snapdragon 800 chipset, versus Snapdragon 600 or Exynos 5 Octa for Samsung's finest. Needless to say, that's plenty of processing power that is reflected in the record-high Snapdragon 800 benchmarks.

When it comes to memory, the Three Stooges all sport 2 GB of RAM for enhanced multitasking and loading times, but when it comes to the internal storage amount the situation shifts. We get 16 GB with both the Z1 and S4, and 32 GB with the G2, but that last one doesn't sport a microSD slot for expansion. In the battery department the Z1 and G2 prevail with a sealed 3000 mAh juicer, but Sony's phone has a perfectly valid reason for its unibody design, coming with IP58 waterproof certification - a significant advantage before the other two, and even more when you consider it is thinner than the G2. The Galaxy S4 is the thinnest one and has a removable battery cover to compensate in the build department somewhat.

Things get most interesting when it comes to the camera, as the Xperia Z1 is very snapper-centric, with 20 MP sensor and G Lens optics, against the 13 MP sensors of the S4 and G2. Samsung's and LG's brain kids, however, have proven already that they have probably the best cameras of all thin Android phones, whereas Sony has to still convince us in the viability of so many pixels stuffed into a sensor that is sized similar to the other two. Apart from that, it seems that we have a new king on the Android block with the Xperia Z1, at least on paper, what do you think?

DESIGN
Device	Sony Xperia Z1	Samsung Galaxy S4	LG G2
OS	Android (4.2.2)	Android (4.2.2)	Android (4.2.2)
Dimensions	5.67 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches (144 x 74 x 8.5 mm)	5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches (136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm)	5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches (138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm)
Weight	6.00 oz (170 g) the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)	4.59 oz (130 g) the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)	5.04 oz (143 g) the average is 4.4 oz (127 g)
Body material	Glass/Metal	Polycarbonate	Polycarbonate
Side Keys	Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key, Camera key	Left: Volume control; Right: Lock/Unlock key	n/a
Rugged	Water (Water), Dust proof
IP certified	IP 58
Colors	Black, Purple, White	Black, White	Black, White

DISPLAY
Physical size	5.0 inches	5.0 inches	5.2 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density	441 ppi	441 ppi	423 ppi
Technology	TFT	Super AMOLED	IPS LCD
Colors	16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216
Peak brightness		350 cd/m2 (nit)	450 cd/m2 (nit)

BATTERY
Talk time	13.83 hours the average is 11 h (650 min)
Stand-by time	36.7 days (880 hours) the average is 18 days (444 h)
Talk time (3G)	15.00 hours the average is 10 h (582 min)	17.00 hours the average is 10 h (582 min)
Stand-by time (3G)	35.4 days (850 hours) the average is 24 days (564 h)	15.4 days (370 hours) the average is 24 days (564 h)
Stand-by time (4G)	31.7 days (760 hours) the average is 13 days (300 h)	13.3 days (320 hours) the average is 13 days (300 h)
Music playback	110.00 hours
Video playback	6.66 hours
Capacity	3000 mAh	2600 mAh	3000 mAh
Type	Li - Polymer	Li - Ion	Li - Polymer
Not user replaceable	Yes		Yes
Wireless charging		Optional

HARDWARE
System chip	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T or Exynos 5 Octa	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor	Quad core, 2200 MHz, Krait 400	Quad core, 1900 MHz, Krait 300	Quad core, 2260 MHz, Krait 400
Graphics processor	Adreno 330	Adreno 320	Adreno 330
System memory	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR3	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3
Built-in storage	16 GB	16 GB	32 GB
Maximum User Storage			24 GB
Storage expansion	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB

CAMERA
Camera	20.7 megapixels	13 megapixels	13 megapixels
Flash	LED	LED	LED
Aperture size	F2.0	f/2.2
Focal length (35mm equivalent)	27mm
Features	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Smile detection, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Self-timer	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Smile detection, Exposure compensation, White balance presets, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer, Voice activation	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Optical image stabilization, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer, Voice activation
Camera sensor size	1/2.3"	1/3.06"
Camcorder	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps)
Features	Digital image stabilization, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling	Optical image stabilization, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR) Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling	Optical image stabilization, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Video light, Video calling
Front-facing camera	2 megapixels	2 megapixels	2.1 megapixels
Video capture	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)

TECHNOLOGY
CDMA			800, 1900 MHz
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS	850, 900, 1700/2100, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE	800 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1700/2100 MHz, 1800 MHz, 1900 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz	800 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz	850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz
Data	LTE Cat4 Downlink 150 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE-A, LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EV-DO Rev.A
Micro SIM	Yes	Yes	Yes

CONNECTIVITY
Bluetooth	4.0	4.0	4.0
Wi-Fi	802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac	802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac	802.11 a, b, g, n, n 5GHz, ac
			MIMO
Mobile hotspot	Yes	Yes	Yes
Wi-Fi Direct	Yes	Yes	Yes
USB	USB 2.0	USB 2.0	USB 2.0
Connector	microUSB	microUSB	microUSB
Features	Mass storage device, USB charging	Mass storage device, USB Host, USB charging	Mass storage device, USB Host, USB charging
Headphones connector	3.5mm	3.5mm	3.5mm
HDMI		via microUSB	via microUSB
Charging connector	microUSB	microUSB	microUSB
Other	NFC, DLNA, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync	NFC, DLNA, MHL, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, Infrared	NFC, DLNA, MHL, Tethering, Computer sync, OTA sync, Infrared