The excitement prior to the Z1's introduction was quite big, and for a reason – it turned out that the Sony Xperia Z1 is one of the finer Android smartphones for the second half of the year. But is it good enough to defeat what was one of the best Android smartphones for the first half of the year? Even though the Xperia Z1 has the benefit of coming out about half a year after the Samsung Galaxy S4, we can imagine that it's still quite scary to face Samsung's finest. After all, the GS4 has such a loyal following behind it...
But, scary or not, that's exactly what the Xperia Z1 will have to do right here. Armed with its quality design, powerful chipset and astonishing camera, the Z1 will try to prove that it has surpassed the Galaxy S4 in almost every aspect. However, we can imagine that the GS4 will not simply stay still and accept its destiny. Ladies and gents, let's invite these two fearsome gladiators into the arena, and don't forget your popcorn!
Design
Well, there are both good and bad things going for the designs of the Xperia Z1 and the Galaxy S4. While both handsets should be considered unisex, the GS4 has a somewhat more feminine look, especially when in white. That's not a bad thing, of course, but if we had to select the smartphone with the more impressive exterior, we'd go for the Xperia Z1. Not only does it look fancier, but it also sports a higher-quality construction, thanks to its tough front and back glass panels, as well as classy aluminum frame that unites it all into one appealing device. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S4 isn't bad, as far as appearance goes, but it's not necessarily eye-catchy, plus its flimsy plastic construction is anything but premium.
Now, that's OK, but when it comes to the size, we really find Sony's product to be on the bulkier side with its 5.69 x 2.91 x 0.33 inches, compared to the Galaxy S4's 5.38 x 2.75 x 0.31 inches. One can definitely feel a substantial difference when holding the Xperia Z1 and the Galaxy S4 – the GS4 feels much smaller, and so it's also significantly easier to hold and work with.
Neither the buttons of the Xperia Z1, nor those of the Galaxy S4 are very good, but they are all decent. Those on the Z1 are proably just a tad better. One thing that the GS4 lacks is a dedicated camera button, which is present on the Z1, so if you're taking a lot of pics with your smartphone, you might want to consider this.
Another area where the Xperia Z1 excels is toughness. While we wouldn't advise you to through your Z1 out the window just to see what happens, it's definitely nice to know that it's IP 58-certified, meaning that it has some degree of protection against water and dust. The Galaxy S4, on the other hand, doesn't feature such protection.
In terms of specs, both screens seem very similar. Both measure 5 inches and have resolutions of 1080 x 1920 pixels, resulting in a breathtaking pixel density of 441 ppi. However, when it comes to their screen technologies, Sony and Samsung have chosen two completely different paths. Then again, that's something that can be said about Samsung and almost any other smartphone manufacturer.
Anyway, Sony is putting a lot of faith in its TFT LCD Triluminos tech, and we can't blame them. The screen of the Xperia Z1 is quite impressive almost every way you look at it. With its natural and realistic colors, the Z1 is among the more accurate screens out there right now. Its gamma still has some issues, though, resulting in some lost detail in the brighter areas (since some brighter levels are actually brighter than they should be), but overall, it's a great screen. The viewing angles are disastrous, though. With the Galaxy S4, viewing angles aren't as bad, but color balance is way off with an overly dominant green color and way too saturated colors. If you tone them down using the Professional Photo screen mode, colors do get a lot more realistic, but are still quite imbalanced.
When it comes to brightness and outdoor visibility, the Sony Xperia Z1 manages to gain the upper hand, thanks to the stronger output of its LCD screen (maximum brightness is about 495 nits), while the Galaxy S4 is way harder to view with its 288 nits. That's one area where AMOLED screens are yet to catch up with LCDs.
The numbers below represent the amount of deviation in the respective property,observed when a display is viewed from a 45-degree angle as opposed to direct viewing.
The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set(area)of colors that a display can reproduce,with the sRGB colorspace(the highlighted triangle)serving as reference.The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x:CIE31' and 'y:CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.
The Color accuracy chart gives an idea of how close a display's measured colors are to their referential values. The first line holds the measured (actual) colors, while the second line holds the reference (target) colors. The closer the actual colors are to the target ones, the better.
The Grayscale accuracy chart shows whether a display has a correct white balance(balance between red,green and blue)across different levels of grey(from dark to bright).The closer the Actual colors are to the Target ones,the better.
Both the Xperia Z1 and the Galaxy S4 are currently running Android 4.2.2, and of course, we're treated to custom user experiences on both phones. On the Xperia Z1, we have Sony's custom UI, which covers pretty much all of the core OS applications. The same goes for the Galaxy S4, which features Samsung's TouchWiz Nature UX. As far as polish and uniformity goes, we'd say that Sony has done a better job overall, but in terms of bonus features, Samsung has created one really impressive list of additional goodies, including S Health, Samsung Hub, Samsung Apps, S Beam and so on and so forth.
Samsung's TouchWiz is really the more colorful UI here. Whether to showcase those ultra-saturated colors of the AMOLED screen or for something else, we don't know, but TouchWiz makes use of a very wide palette of colors. It's almost cartoonish-looking with its appearance, but as we said, it lacks a bit in the polish department. For example, icons don't even have click effects – they don't indicate that you've tapped them. Meanwhile, Sony's UI has a bit more strict, maybe even boring look, but it's nicely animated and feels lively. It's all up to the user to decide which one they like better at this point.
Processor and Memory
Having the benefit of coming out half a year later than the Samsung Galaxy S4, the Sony Xperia Z1 features the more powerful Snapdragon 800 chipset, which outpaces the Snapdragon 600 found in the GS4. The Z1's Snapdragon 800 SoC features a quad-core Krait 400 CPU clocked at 2.2 GHz, while the quad-core Krait 300 powering the GS4 has a clock rate of 1.9 GHz. Of course, in some regions, the Galaxy S4 also comes with the octa-core Samsung Exynos 5 Octa CPU, which is clocked at 1.6 GHz.
We can't be sure if its only due to the faster processor, or the software on the Z1 is also helping out, but Sony's handset is moving more fluidly compared to the Galaxy S4, which exhibits some lag every now and then. Of course, it isn't anything deal-breaking, but it's just nicer when your phone is completely lag-free, and that's something the Xperia Z1 can offer you.
Furthermore, the Adreno 330 GPU of the Xperia Z1 is also more powerful than the Adreno 320 of the Galaxy S4. You'll still be able to enjoy all the games and applications on both phones, but it's safe to say that the Xperia Z1 will be just a bit more future-proof in that respect. Theoretically, the Adreno 330 should offer a beefy 50% increase in performance over the 320.
Memory-wise, both handsets are quite identical, as both feature 2 GB of RAM, which is plenty of system memory every way you look at it. When it comes to storage, the Galaxy S4 gives you a bit more flexibility, as it comes in 16, 32 and 64 GB variants, along with microSD card support, while the Sony Xperia Z1 is only available with 16 GB of internal storage, though, thankfully, it also features a microSD card slot.
QuadrantHigher is better
Sony Xperia Z120277
Samsung Galaxy S412078
AnTuTuHigher is better
Sony Xperia Z130838
Samsung Galaxy S424701
GFXBench Egypt HD 2.5 onscreen(fps)Higher is better
There isn't anything shocking or irregular when it comes to the contacts applications on both phones. Still, we tend to prefer the phonebook of the Xperia Z1, due to its cleaner and more intuitive design. However, what we don't like about this one is how the dialer and call log share the same screen, leaving a limited amount of space for your recent calls — and we know that's the screen which many people use to dial their contacts. This problem isn't present on the Samsung Galaxy S4, where there are separate tabs for the dialer and the call log, however, the GS4 lacks a tab for the contact groups, while such is present on the Z1.
Thankfully, we like how both devices offer us the option to find our contacts using smart dialing, or in other words, by using a T9-style typing in the dialer.
Organizer
The Xperia Z1 and Galaxy S4 sport all the must-have organizer tools, such as versatile note apps, voice recorders, calendars and so on. There are certain differences between the two, of course. In general, Samsung's offering tends to offer a bit more flexibility and options, while Sony's apps have more simplistic and well-designed layouts. If we have to pick one, we'd choose the Sony, due to its less cluttered and efficient approach, but, you know, the Galaxy S4's software isn't bad as well and may appeal to a lot of people.
Messaging
The Galaxy S4's onscreen QWERTY keyboard may be a bit more versatile as it features an additional row for numbers, but hey, everything has a price! And the price you'll have to pay here is that all the keys will be a bit smaller than they are on the Xperia Z1, which doesn't have those bonus keys, but makes typing a bit easier thanks to the bigger size of the letter keys, especially in landscape mode, where the keys of the GS4 are somewhat short.
Those things that we said about the layouts of the apps a bit earlier are fully valid here as well, as we do prefer the clearer interface of Sony's Email app. Sure, you can always grab a third-party one if you don't like what's coming built-in, but if you'd prefer to stick with the stock software, the applications on the Xperia Z1 prove to be slightly more convenient to use, with regards to the user experience.
Internet
While the Galaxy S4 comes with two browsers, Chrome and the custom Samsung one, the Xperia Z1 has totally ditched any custom solutions in favor of Google's own browser. Having a second browser doesn't hurt, of course, but we tend to be fans of the more streamlined experiences, which is what the Xperia Z1 will offer you. Samsung's custom browser used to be quite useful when it was significantly faster than Chrome and featured support for Flash Player, but at this point we no longer see that much use in it.
Connectivity
As you can imagine, these two flagship smartphones are choke-full of connectivity features. In terms of data connection, the Xperia Z1 trumps the Galaxy S4 by offering LTE Cat4, which comes with support for downlink speeds of up to 150 Mbit/s, while the GS4's LTE Cat3 can, theoretically, go up to 100 Mbit/s. LTE upload speeds are the same for both handsets and go up to 50 Mbit/s. Of course, you should keep in mind that these are theoretic speeds, and one will rarely have the opportunity to experience them in real world situations. Other than that, there's HSPA+ on both phones enabling download speeds of up to 42.2 Mbit/s and 5.76 Mbit/s upload.
Naturally, you also get all Wi-Fi protocols, Bluetooth 4.0 and a seamlessly-working GPS on both devices, along with DLNA and NFC. The Galaxy S4 also supports MHL and infrared in order to extend its list of connectivity features even further.
Camera
The Xperia Z1 comes packing some impressive camera hardware for a smartphone. For starters, there is a 20.7 MP sensor with a size of 1/2.3", while the Galaxy S4's 13 MP camera has a sensor size is 1/3.06", which is smaller. Meanwhile, the Z1's aperture is also quite wide at f/2.0, which is a bit better than the GS4's f/2.2. Focal length of the Xperia Z1 is 27mm (compared to 31mm for the S4), which will allow you to capture more of the scene in front of you.
In terms of camera UI, both handsets are quite versatile and convenient to use at the same time. The Xperia Z1 does manage to trump the GS4 a bit in the comfort department, due to its better organized camera settings, but the GS4 kind of makes up for it with the plethora of different modes that it offers, such as Beauty face, Night, Best face, Best photo, Sports and so on. The Xperia Z1 has a bunch of cool modes of its own, though. For example, there's Social Live, which is really fun feature that lets you broadcast video directly to your own Facebook feed.
Turning our attention to the images themselves, it really makes us glad to see that technology is moving forward, as the Xperia Z1 tends to produce even better pictures than the Galaxy S4, which is already a wonderful camera phone. In-focus details are significantly sharper in the 20.7 MP photos taken with the Xperia Z1. There is still a noticeable amount of noise, but on the whole, the data captured by the Z1 is a bit more substantial than what you can get out of the Galaxy S4's snapper. Colors are another interesting area to observe, as the Xperia Z1's photos are usually more realistic-looking. That's not to say that those from the Galaxy S4 are bad — quite the contrary — but they are a bit too contrasting. However, we definitely don't like the way the Z1 overexposes certain brightly-lit areas, which otherwise appear fine when captured with the Galaxy S4.
An added bonus to the 20.7 MP camera of the Xperia Z1 is that it lets you use the so-called Clear Zoom, which enables up to 3x high-quality zoom, unlike the simple digital zoom that the GS4 is capable of.
Indoor pictures are great with both phones. There is once again a bit more detail with the Xperia Z1, but there's also a slightly higher amount of noise. Still, the Z1 does seem to manage the color balance better in lower-lit scenarios. Comparing the power of the LED flashes, the one on the Z1 has the upper hand, as it's capable of illuminating slightly more of the scene in front of the camera.
When it comes to video recording, both handsets can go up to 1920 x 1080 resolution and a smooth frame rate of about 30 fps. There is a bit more sharpness and contrast to the image quality of the GS4's video, while the Z1 once again sticks to a slightly more realistic image. There isn't such a big difference between the two, though. The sound quality of the recorded video is a tad better with the Xperia Z1. The one of the Galaxy S4 is loud and clear, but lacks a bit in the low frequency department.
Multimedia
The Sony Xperia Z1 and Samsung Galaxy S4 are true multimedia powerhouses. With both of them featuring massive 5" 1080p displays, you can imagine that they'll be absolutely fantastic for video playback. This is another area where it'll be up to you to decide if you'd prefer the Galaxy S4's contrasting and vivid visuals, or the Xperia Z1's more natural color balance. You should also keep in mind that the Z1's viewing angles are quite poor, which means it'll be difficult for a number of people to enjoy a video at once. Sound-wise, we prefer the loudspeaker of the GS4, as it is more powerful and sounds a bit better than the Z1's run-of-the-mill speaker.
As far as music playback is concerned, you have Google's Play Music app with both, as well as Sony's and Samsung's custom music players, respectively. Both of them are good and represent what the companies stand for – Samsung's music app sports lots of settings and features, while Sony's Walkman music player is cleaner and a bit more modern. Both handsets come with high-quality earphones, with those of the Xperia Z1 managing to output a slightly better sound. Other than that, neither pair of earphones isn't very convenient to use.
The Xperia Z1 isn't the best phone to make calls with, and neither is the Galaxy S4. That said, they both deliver sufficient loudness and decent level of quality through their earpieces. Their microphones are also capable enough in order to transmit your voice in an easy to compehend manner, so no winner here.
Both loudspeakers are good enough for making normal conversations, though the added power of the GS4's one is a plus.
Battery
Samsung likes to stuff its smartphones with beefy batteries, but the larger size of the Xperia Z1 has allowed Sony to equip its device with an even larger unit. In this case, we're looking at a 2600 mAh battery in the Galaxy S4, and a 3000 mAh one in the Xperia Z1. Even then, the GS4 is rated to achieve a slightly better 3G talk-time of 17 hours, versus the Z1's 15 hours. In terms of stand-by, though, the Z1 should prove to last much longer, as official specs are claiming the spectacular 35 days in 3G and 31 days in 4G environment. For the S4, these numbers stand at 15 days in 3G and 13 days in 4G.
We measure battery life by running a custom web-script,designed to replicate the power consumption of typical real-life usage.All devices that go through the test have their displays set at 200-nit brightness.
It's undeniable that the Xperia Z1 sports some technological advantages due to coming out about half a year later than the Galaxy S4. With a faster chipset and a better camera, Sony's smartphone is arguably the better device of the two here. Still, we have to give credit where it's due, and in this case we'd give it to the Galaxy S4 for holding up so well after all these months. Samsung's handset doesn't lag too much behind in any area, and is still among the best smartphones money can buy right now.
If you're currently rocking a GS4 and are wondering if you should "upgrade" to the Xperia Z1 mainly for its technological advantages, we'd say that it's not worth it, because the differences really aren't so big. If you happen to be choosing between the two, and have actually read all the pages of this comparison, then you probably already know that the Z1 is the overall better smartphone, though you should definitely take into account that it's bulkier than its rival, despite having the same screen size.
The Sony Xperia Z1S is T-Mobile US' version of the Z1. The Z1S has launched a bit later, though, so while pretty much everything that you've read in our comparison thus far holds true, we're publishing an updated comparison conclusion below.
Sony Xperia Z1S vs Samsung Galaxy S4: Conclusion
It's undeniable that the Xperia Z1S sports some technological advantages due to coming out more than half a year after the Galaxy S4. With a faster chipset and a marginally better camera, Sony's smartphone is arguably the better device of the two here. Still, we have to give credit where it's due, and in this case we'd give it to the Galaxy S4 for holding up so well after all this time. Samsung's handset doesn't lag too much behind in any area, and is still among the best smartphones money can buy right now.
If you're currently rocking a GS4 and are wondering if you should "upgrade" to the Xperia Z1S mainly for its technological advantages, we'd say that it's not worth it, because the differences really aren't so big. If you happen to be choosing between the two, and have actually read all the pages of this comparison, then you probably already know that the Z1S is the overall better smartphone, though you should definitely take into account that it's bulkier than its rival, despite having the same screen size.
Rad Slavov is the Editor-in-Chief at PhoneArena. He joined the media in 2008, right on the cusp of the modern smartphone revolution. Through time and perseverance, he amassed a great deal of knowledge and industry know-how, allowing him to guide and organize the company's growing line-up of talented content creators and ever-expanding content portfolio.
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