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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5

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The Samsung Galaxy S4 is finally official and already replacing the Samsung Galaxy S3 as Samsung’s biggest player in the fight against the iPhone 5 for smartphone market share. We’ve covered the iPhone 5 vs. the Galaxy S4 ahead of the official launch to see how the rumored device stacked up, and now we can offer up a proper comparison of these flagship phones to help users decide which phone is the best smartphone for them.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. Galaxy S3

The iPhone 5 debuted in September bringing a larger 4-inch display and 4G LTE, features which helped the iPhone catch up to the Android competition in the feature department. The iPhone 5 also ushered in a new aluminum design and iOS 6, an updated version of the popular iPhone software. These iPhone 5 features helped cement the current iPhone as a continual player in our best smartphones monthly roundup and gave Apple an edge over the Samsung Galaxy S3.

The iPhone 5 out-shined the Samsung Galaxy S3 soon after the release, but now Samsung is back with a big ad budget and a new Smartphone that boasts a bigger, better display and a host of great software features that Samsung believes will set the Galaxy S4 apart from the iPhone 5 and the upcoming iPhone 5S.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4: 5 Things to Know

With 2013 in full swing Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S4 at an event in mid-March. The over the over the top launch event in Radio City Music Hall reviewed a smartphone with a 5-inch 1080P HD display in a design no bigger than the Galaxy S3. The Samsung Galaxy S4 boasts an array of sensors that deliver features not found in the iPhone 5 or Android competition.

The Video below shows a Samsung Galaxy S4 hands on, and summarizes the Galaxy S4 design and features in under two minutes.

As the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 go head to head on carriers and in retailers later this month, we take a look at what are sure to be two of the most popular devices of 2013.

Here we take a look at how the Samsung Galaxy S4 compares to the iPhone 5 in terms of hardware, release date, pricing, software features and more.

Release Date

The iPhone 5 release date for most carriers is well behind us, thanks to a launch on Verizon, AT&T and Spring in September. Even though the iPhone 5 is now six months old, we are on the eve of another iPhone 5 release date. T-Mobile announced in March that the T-Mobile iPhone 5 is on the way, with a release on April 12th with the cheapest upfront price yet.

With any early launch supply constraints behind it, the iPhone 5 is easy to find at carriers and third party retailers, and is already seen a number of iPhone 5 deals that drop the price down as low as $127 with a two-year contract. With iPhone 5 demand caught up, Apple is able to offer free next day shipping for the iPhone 5 from the Apple Store.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 - Battle for the Best Smartphone.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 – Battle for the Best Smartphone.

Shortly after the Samsung Galaxy S4 launch event we started to hear rumors about the release, and we finally know the official Galaxy S4 release date is set for May 1st on T-Mobile. We expect an international Galaxy S4 release in the next two weeks.

AT&T announced Samsung Galaxy S4 pre-orders which start on April 16th. There is no official AT&T Galaxy S4 release date, but speculation puts it on or close to May 1st. The U.S. Cellular Galaxy S4 pre-orders start on April 16th, but there is no release yet.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 U.S. Release – What We Know So Far

The Spring and Verizon Galaxy S4 release date details remain up in the air. Sprint may surprise with an early Galaxy S4 release, or one close to May 1st based on promotions to clear out stock of the Samsung Galaxy S3. The Verizon Samsung Galaxy S4 release may not land until late May or June. It’s not clear why, but many Samsung smartphones launch later on Verizon than on competing carriers.

There are also claims that the Samsung Galaxy S4 will hit prepaid carrier Ting within two months of the release on major carriers.

Design

The iPhone 5 boasts one of the most recognizable designs and one that remains attractive to shoppers half a year after its release. Apple skipped the glass back from previous versions of the iPhone to deliver a combination of anodized aluminium, glass and metal.  The result is a well built phone that users consistently define as attractive.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 design.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 design.

The iPhone 5 gained a larger 4-inch display and 4G LTE, both of which can be battery hogs, but Apple was able to cut the size of the iPhone 5 down to 7.6mm thick and the weight down to 112 grams. These measurements make the iPhone 5 one of the thinnest and lightest smartphones available.

The new design proved more durable than the glass back of the iPhone 4S, and despite some wear and tear near the chamfered edges, the iPhone 5 holds up well to daily use, even without a case.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 continues Samsung’s obsession with plastic, but makes use of a new polycarbonate material that feels stronger than the Galaxy S3. The new material and the overall build of the Samsung Galaxy S4 feels more solid and while it is plastic the phone does not feel cheap.

Samsung delivers a removable back, which allows access to a SIM card slot, removable battery and a Micro SD card slot. The iPhone 5 does not allow users to add memory or swap batteries. Samsung covers the front of the Samsun Galaxy S4 with Gorilla Glass 3, which offers better protection from scratches and drops.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 thicknesss.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 thicknesss.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is 7.9mm thick and weighs 130 grams, a reduction in both from the Galaxy S3. While the iPhone 5 is smaller , thinner and lighter — the Galaxy S4 is decidedly a smartphone, not a Galaxy Note 2 sized phablet.

The iPhone 5 boasts a Lightning connector and a plethora of accessories from Apple and third parties. There are decidedly too many iPhone 5 cases and accessories to count, but Samsung is hoping to counter this with first party support and help from key manufacturers.

Samsung announced several Galaxy S4 cases at the launch event and a line of Galaxy S4 accessories for health as well as a wireless charging kit and more.

Samsung devices like the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy Note 2 boast support for accessories like the Fitbit and other items that other Android phones can’t, and this support will likely expand with the Galaxy S4.

Display

The iPhone 5 marks the first iPhone with a larger display, but the iPhone 5’s 4-inch display is dwarfed by the Samsung Galaxy S4’s 5-inch Super AMOLED display.

Many users prefer a smaller 4-inch display of the iPhone 5 as it offers enough room for viewing webpages, playing games and watching short videos without making one-handed operation of the phone difficult.

While Apple did increase the size, the company did not do much in the resolution department. The iPhone 5 features a Retina Display, which users thoroughly enjoy and a new 16 x 9 aspect ratio that cuts the black bars off HD video content. The iPhone 5 display offers a 1136 x 640 resolution, below HD, but still sharp for text, photos and videos.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 display size and quality.

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 display size and quality.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch 1080P HD display. That’s the same resolution as most 55-inch HDTVs, packed into a 5-inch space. With this large display users can watch HD content with no black bars and can even run multiple apps on the screen at once to multi-task.

Images, text and videos look great on the Galaxy S4 display, thanks in part to the 441 pixel per inch pixel density that comes with such a high resolution display.

Read: Galaxy S4 vs iPhone 5 vs. HTC One: Best Smartphone Screen Battle

In addition to the nice-looking display, Samsung includes technology that allows users to hover their finger over the display to control the phone. This Air View feature offers previews of text messages, emails and photos, as well as a way to peak ahead in videos. Sensors also make it possible to scroll without touching the screen, as shown in the video below.

Users can also wave a hand over the display to answer a call, scroll up or down a web page and more.

Camera

The iPhone 5 may not feature the best camera available, but it is lauded as one of the best smartphone cameras on the market. The 8MP rear facing camera delivers great looking photos and videos, and sets the bar high for competing smartphones.

Read: iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 Photo Samples

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 13MP rear facing camera that so far delivers impressive looking photos. A series of iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4 photos and videos allow users to compare the quality of each camera for themselves.

Another Galaxy S4 camera sample.

Another Galaxy S4 camera sample.

And another.

Galaxy S4 camera sample.

Galaxy S4 camera sample.

Samsung focuses on a better camera app, which makes the iPhone camera app look out of date. Samsung delivers features and modes commonly found on point and shoot cameras and a new one called Dual Shot.

With the Dual Shot mode, users can take a photo or video with the rear facing camera and stay in the picture using the front facing 2MP camera, as shown in the video below.

Read: Samsung Galaxy S4 Video Samples

Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S4 arrives in several configurations, though aside from a processor change and support for LTE bands, most specs are the same. The iPhone 5 specs and Galaxy S4 specs are below, even though they don’t tell the full story about the phone or the phone’s features.

Here are the Galaxy S4 specs.

  • 5-inch Full-HD 1080p Super AMOLED HD Display
  • 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 Quad-Core Processor/Exynos 5 Octa Processor
  • 16/32/64GB of Storage
  • 13MP Camera
  • 2,600 mAh (Removable)
  • 2 GB RAM

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 - 016

And, here are the iPhone 5 specs.

  • 4-inch Retina Display with 1136 x 640 Resolution
  • Apple A6 Processor
  • 16GB/32GB/64GB models (No microSD Card Slot)
  • 8MP rear camera/HD Front-Facing Camera
  • 1440mAh Battery (Non-Removable)
  • 1GB of RAM

One of the first things to note is the quad-core processor in the Samsung Galaxy S4. Both the Snapdragon and Exynos models are quad-core processors. The iPhone 5 features a dual-core Apple A6 processor. This difference could help deliver better performance on the Samsung Galaxy S4, but we are waiting for a longer hands on to declare this spec an obvious advantage.

Second, the iPhone 5 is capable of good battery life even with 4G LTE and a 4-inch screen, but there is no removable battery. Samsung offers a removable back that lets users carry a spare battery, buy an extended Galaxy S4 battery and switch in a wireless charging back, things not possible on the iPhone 5.

The Galaxy S4 will come with a removable back to handle wireless charging.

The Galaxy S4 will come with a removable back to handle wireless charging.

Third, Samsung and Apple both offer 16GB, 32GB and 64GB models. The iPhone 5 is available in each of these capacities on all major U.S. carriers for $199, $299 and $399 with a two-year contract. Users cannot add more storage later, without buying a new iPhone. The Samsung Galaxy S4 supports a Micro SD card that lest users double or triple storage for $20 to $30 with a Micro SD card. The 32GB Samsung Galaxy S4 is also priced at $250, $50 cheaper than the iPhone 5 32GB model.

Software

The iPhone 5 runs iOS 6, the latest version of Apple’s mobile software, and should see an upgrade to iOS 7 later this year. The most recent version of iOS 6 is iOS 6.1.3, which delivers a collection of enhanced Siri features and bug fixes. The video below highlights some of the best iOS 6 features.

Apple is able to deliver swift iOS updates to all carriers at the same time, something Samsung is not likely able to do with the Galaxy S4. We expect a major overhaul of the iOS 7 software, and the iPhone 5 will be first in line to get it.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 ships with Android 4.2 and a Samsung TouchWiz Nature UX overlay that adds features and offers a different look than vanilla Android found on the Nexus 4. The Samsung Galaxy S4 software features are impressive, and we show off several of them in the video below.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will get an Android 5.0 update according to the latest rumors, but it will not likely get the update as fast as the Nexus 4 and other devices. Samsung must prepare the update and submit for carrier approval on each carrier before a roll out takes place.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 features eye-tracking, which combines with other sensors to deliver touch free scrolling and an option to pause videos when the user looks away. The Samsung Galaxy S4 also brings the Note 2’s Multi-View feature to let users work in two apps at once on the 5-inch display.

Carriers

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5 - 021The Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 will be available on many of the same carriers. The current list of major U.S. carriers for the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5 includes;

  • AT&T
  • T-Mobile
  • Verizon
  • Sprint

We also expect to se the Samsung Galaxy S4 on U.S. Cellular and on pre-paid carrier Ting. There are many more prepaid iPhone 5 carrier options, but the Galaxy S4 may catch up in the near future.

Users should keep in mind that 4G LTE speeds and coverage vary between carriers and locations. The speed test below shows Verizon 4G LTE vs. AT&T 4G LTE.

While there are 4G LTE options on each of the major carriers, AT&T and Verizon offer the largest coverage.

Price

The iPhone 5 price starts at $199 even six months after release, and we don’t expect the Galaxy S4 will change that pricing. There are iPhone 5 deals that occasionally drop the price, but it is normally a $200 smartphone.

Apple prices the 32GB iPhone 5 at $299 and the 64GB iPhone 5 at $399 with a contract. The off contract iPhone 5 retails for $649 to $849 with no contract obligations.

The T-Mobile iPhone 5 starts at $99 for the 16GB, but requires $20 monthly smartphone payments.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 replaces the Galaxy S3 as the main iPhone 5 competitor.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 replaces the Galaxy S3 as the main iPhone 5 competitor.

AT&T announced the Samsung Galaxy S4 pricing at $250, but later clarified that the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S4 price starts at $199. The 32GB Samsung Galaxy S4 retails for $250, both prices are with a two year contract. We don’t yet know a price for the 64GB Samsung Galaxy S4.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 off contract pricing is expected around $650 though no official confirmation is available at this time.

32 Comments

32 Comments

  1. doug

    04/03/2013 at 2:40 pm

    Great review, I was going to wait for “iphone 5s” to come out and make my decision but I think I will get the galaxy s4.

    • saamaa

      08/25/2013 at 10:02 pm

      you are mental my brother
      iphone 5 is best always

  2. usadiojd

    04/03/2013 at 3:17 pm

    wow that phone sure is look ugly… good review though

  3. Minisuit (@Minisuit)

    04/03/2013 at 4:26 pm

    great review!

  4. Bryan Storm

    04/03/2013 at 4:40 pm

    Me and my girlfriend don’t know what to do, get the T-mobile Iphone 5, S4, or wait for the 5s?!!! Help anyone??

    • Anton

      04/03/2013 at 5:33 pm

      Personally I got the 5 because the 5s will look the same as the 5 and only have a couple of features extra, so I’m gonna skip that and by then I can upgrade to the 6 which will have a new design (: trust me go for the 5 or if you don’t mind waiting a few more months get the 6

      • Anton

        04/03/2013 at 5:35 pm

        5s* sorry lol

    • Indydi

      04/03/2013 at 5:56 pm

      Don’t expect anything great from the 5S. Apple just doesn’t do that much from one generation to another, and a half generation will be even less impressive. The iPhone just isn’t keeping up anymore.

      • lurch

        04/09/2013 at 3:39 pm

        I’ve bought I-phones since the start and I like them, but they need a serious freshening up. I may try the S4 this time.

    • Patrick Davis

      04/03/2013 at 8:23 pm

      Nexus 4, or wait to see what Google unveils in May.

    • karthic raja

      04/04/2013 at 2:43 am

      getlost ……….idiot….better get a 1100Nokia mobile…:)gud battery backup…..

    • Tigerbug

      04/08/2013 at 6:22 pm

      Gotta Be mobile & several other sites are telling customers that if they are thinking of the I-phone 5s; they would do much better waiting on the I-phone 5 coming out in the summer. I have the Samsung Galaxy. I just purchased the I-phone 5. I think both these phones are very good.

  5. Larry

    04/03/2013 at 6:18 pm

    Uhhhh that’s a no brainer, the S4 !!!!! iPhone 5 is a glitch joke from hell update after update they can’t get it together yet!! And all the $$$$ and greed and could careless about all the sorry Ass iPhone buyers!!

  6. AndroidDog

    04/03/2013 at 6:22 pm

    iPhone is dying slowly but will maintain a pulse as long as mindless twits still need to make phone calls. Really that phone looks great but metal dents, scratches, and is heavy those are things I do not need in a cell phone. What I do need is the most features you can get in a phone regardless that the features are useful at the time there released. They will eventually. iPhone (Apple) is only selling phones one extra feature at a time and seems like they refuse to get with the program. If you have been using iPhone for the last 3 or 4 years, you absolutely have no idea what a smart phone really is these days.

  7. Blane

    04/03/2013 at 7:51 pm

    The Exynos 5 Octa is not a quad core processor for the record. It’s an Octa core processor, as the name suggests.

    • Darren Mallard

      04/04/2013 at 12:08 am

      they said its a quad core because it only EVER uses 4 cores at a time

  8. genovesa jervis

    04/04/2013 at 12:50 am

    Dylan. true that Victor`s posting is impossible, on friday I got Bugatti Veyron since I been earnin $8305 recently and even more than ten-k this past month. without a question it is the nicest-job I’ve had. I started this nine months/ago and right away startad bringin in more than $82, p/h. I use this great link……….. https://zoo80.com

    • captain_pudding

      04/04/2013 at 8:35 am

      The thing that makes me laugh about this bit of spam is that $8305/week (I assume) is nowhere near enough income to be able to afford a Veyron, that would probably barely cover operating costs on one lol.

      • Bryan Storm

        04/04/2013 at 5:36 pm

        THANKS FOR THE HELP EVERYONE…. WE DECIDED TO GET NOKIA NGAGE:D JK WE’RE GETTING AN IPHONE 5 FROM T-MOBILE, HOPE MY CAPS LOCK DIDN’T ANNOY ANYONE;)

  9. Jack

    04/04/2013 at 11:45 pm

    Here the deal, if your over 60 or under 10 go with the iPhone since it is simple, other than that, the S4 is the way to go.

    • Rafael

      04/05/2013 at 8:43 am

      Agreed, you want an easy to use phone with great battery life go with apple….you like to tweak your stuff and have fun with it (getting better performance than the iphone in the end), Samsung (or android in general).

      • Bryan Storm

        04/05/2013 at 12:46 pm

        What I really like about the Iphone is that you can jail break it, lol not saying I am, but it is an option. I,m not sure if you could do it with the S4; but you probably could.Plus Apple has the best app store hands down and the fact that me and my gf could play A LOT of games together is what sold us, yes it’s cheesy but i mean if the s4 was really that great (i’m not saying it isn’t) i’d just sell my Iphone!

        • captain_pudding

          04/05/2013 at 12:53 pm

          You basically jailbreak an iphone so it will function more like an android. You want to install your own apps onto it? You want to just hook it up to a computer and drag and drop your music/movies/data onto it? An android phone does that out of the box, to get an iphone to do it, you have to void your warranty. I also don’t think I’ve seen a game in a very long time that’s only available for iphone and not android.

          • Bryan Storm

            04/05/2013 at 1:48 pm

            As far as warranty goes you can just restore your Iphone. How do you not know that? I’m going to go out of proportion now, but I have a samsung S3 and would rather prefer an Iphone. Also Androids never have their value, the value of one is so horrible that people are comparing the Iphone 5 (that came out last year almost to the same time as the S3) to the newest S4 REALLY? The S3 is already valued at 500 and lower while the lowest valued Iphone 5 values at 500 and over. Value is a big thing to me as i will be selling them in the future to get an upgrade and Apple does that best. I’m not being a “fanboy” i’m just telling you some facts.

          • captain_pudding

            04/05/2013 at 2:01 pm

            Yes, you could restore your phone, but if they wanted to be dicks about it they could still refuse your warranty for having it previously jailbroken. But since apple’s big claim is that they do have one of the best (probably the best) warranty in the business so they’ll usually let it go. The funny thing is I know plenty of people who will swear by apple’s warranty because they’ve had to make use of it because their device broke. I’ve owned three motorola’s and three blackberry’s and I have no idea if their warranties are any good as I’ve never had to make use of them. As for the resale value, that’s only because more people who can’t afford a new iphone still want an iphone they’re willing to pay the premium for an old iphone, it has nothing to do with quality and everything to do with the cult of apple. But as apple continues to lose more and more ground to android, that probably won’t be the case for much longer.

          • Bryan Storm

            04/05/2013 at 2:18 pm

            I’m pretty sure it will stay the same for a very long time. Apple is compared to thousands of other brand name products such as S4, they’re not blind, why do you think they’re at the top of the game? They know what consumers want and they’re going to keep giving them that. The next Iphone may be only .5 of an inch bigger than the last but it will have advanced upgrades such as the S4 has gotten. But as of now the Iphone 5 is being compared to the S4, what are they going to compare next S8 vs the Iphone 6? Apple will always stay in the competitive market.

        • byung sin

          04/07/2013 at 11:17 pm

          If you download andu market from google, you can download any apps from it. It’s nice

  10. Arnav

    04/07/2013 at 12:42 pm

    I personally think that the S4 is way better because of the larger screen which is great for taking pictures and browsing. The S4 has a way better screen, in fact the iPhone cannot even display true HD a it claims to, not even 720p. It has a 640p display. The S4 also has a 13 megapixel camera compared to the iPhone 5’s 8 megapixel. The S4 is also slightly cheaper and comes with longer warranty. I strongly recommend you get it. By the way, I do NOT work for Samsung ;)

    P.S – can you reply and tell me what phone you get?

  11. Some guy who thinks the S4 rocks

    04/07/2013 at 12:44 pm

    You are awesome.

  12. Sabelle

    04/18/2013 at 11:35 pm

    Great comparisons! Its up to the users which phone they preferred to use.. I tested both smartphones and they have their own identity which i guess the users/consumers will decide.. :-) But if you gonna ask me, i preferred Samsung Galaxy..

  13. LARRY

    05/14/2013 at 5:14 pm

    had a change of mind, THE HTC ONE WINS

    • lurch

      05/14/2013 at 5:54 pm

      The HTC is boring.

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