Google Nexus 5 vs LG G2, Samsung Galaxy S4: specs comparison

In case you've somehow missed the news, Google just refreshed its Nexus lineup with a new, 5-inch model – its slimmest and fastest to date. The Google Nexus 5, as the smartphone is called, is here to succeed the Nexus 4, bringing upgraded hardware specifications, all the while sticking to "pure" Android 4.4 KitKat, free of carrier bloatware and UI modifications. It can be yours for as little as $350 off contract, which is a pretty good deal no matter how you look at it.

But the Google Nexus 5 is far from the only note-worthy smartphone in Androidland. On one hand, it's looking pretty good in the specs department, sporting a 1080 by 1920 pixel display, a Snapdragon 800 SoC, and an 8MP camera with optical image stabilization. But on the other hand, many of its Android alternatives – alternatives like the LG G2 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 – are at least as capable, if not better, in many key areas. And to give you a clearer representation of how the Nexus 5 stacks up against these, we've listed their hardware specs side by side.

Now, we've said it before and we'll say it again: hardware specifications aren't the only thing that makes a smartphone great. They do, however, allow us to estimate how a smartphone might perform in real life, giving us an idea as to what we should expect from it. With that out of the way, let's see how the Google Nexus 5 compares against the LG G2 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 from a hardware standpoint.