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?
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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
Daniel, a devoted tech writer at PhoneArena since 2010, has been engrossed in mobile technology since the Windows Mobile era. His expertise spans mobile hardware, software, and carrier networks, and he's keenly interested in the future of digital health, car connectivity, and 5G. Beyond his professional pursuits, Daniel finds balance in travel, reading, and exploring new tech innovations, while contemplating the ethical and privacy implications of our digital future.
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