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Hi everyone. Scott Lewis here for Wirefly. Today, I'm here to bring you a smart phone
schmackdown between Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Apple's iPhone 5. The phones we're comparing
in today's schmackdown are available for all four major US carriers. You might notice some
slight differences in pre-loaded software, but the software and hardware that we're comparing
in today's schmackdown is exactly the same. We'll be breaking up today's schmackdown into
three rounds. In round one, we'll cover the design elements of both phones. In round two,
we'll cover the software that both phones are running. In round three, we'll cover the
camera specs and then show you some sample pictures from the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone
5. Let's get round one of our schmackdown started:
the design round. Let me start off by saying, the build quality on both phones is solid.
The iPhone 5 has an all-aluminum body, while the Galaxy S4 has a polycarbonate body. There
are pluses and minuses to both materials. The aluminum body on the iPhone 5 has a great
high-quality feel in your hand, but can get scratched and dented if you're not using some
kind of a case to protect it. The Galaxy S4's polycarbonate back might scratch a little
easier, but because it's removable, you can replace the back if any scratches or scuffs
bother you. One other added benefit to the removable back cover is that you can change
the look of your phone simply by purchasing a different color.
The iPhone 5 is 7.6mm thin versus the 7.9mm thin Galaxy S4. With only a 0.3mm difference
between the phones and the more rounded edges on the Galaxy S4, it's very hard to notice
any difference between the thickness of both phones. One factor that affects the thickness
of a smart phone is the size of its battery. While the iPhone 5 has an embedded 1,440mAh
battery, that Apple says will last eight hours of talk time or up to 225 hours on standby,
the Galaxy S4 has a 2,600mAh that Samsung says will last 17 hours of talk time or up
to 370 hours on standby. The reality is both phones should get you through an entire day
without needing to search for a charger, but both phones will need to be plugged in overnight
if you plan to use them the next day. Screen size on the Galaxy S4 is 5 inches,
with a screen resolution of 1080 by 1920, giving it a pixel density of 441 pixels per
inch. The large screen makes it a little hard to use with one hand if you're someone with
medium to small-sized hands. The iPhone 5 has a 4-inch display, with resolution of 640
by 1136, giving it a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch. The 4-inch display is small
enough for easy one-hand navigation from one thumb.
To round out round one, let's cover what's on the inside of the phones. The iPhone 5
is running a 1.3GHz dual core Apple A6 processor with 1GB of RAM, and it's available in 16,
32 or 64 GB of onboard storage. The Galaxy S4 is running a 1.9GHz quad core Snapdragon
600 processor with 2GB of RAM and comes with 16GB of onboard storage. If you need more
storage after you purchase your iPhone 5, you'll need to use a quad-based service because
it doesn't have an option to add additional memory with a microSD card. Under the back
removable cover on the Galaxy S4, you'll find a place to add additional storage with a microSD
card. Let's recap the design round real quick. The
Galaxy S4 has an advantage if you're looking for a phone with a large display, but the
trade off is that you might need two hands to navigate the phone. Just the opposite can
be said about the screen on the iPhone 5. While it has an advantage over the Galaxy
S4 in single-hand use, it lacks the large screen that many are looking for in their
smart phones right now. Performance on both phones is very snappy, with almost no difference
in their overall usability. That means that the first round is going to be a draw because
most of the design round comes down to personal preference about the physical size of the
phone and the materials that they're made out of.
Now, onto round two: the software round. This iPhone 5 is running the latest version of
the IOS operating system, 6.1.4, while the Galaxy S4 is running Android 4.2.2. The Galaxy
S4 also has Samsung's TouchWiz User Interface layered over top of the operating system.
If you've ever used an Apple iPod, iPad or older iPhone, you'll be able to jump right
in and use the iPhone 5. That's mainly because nothing has changed over the years in the
way that you navigate it. The Android 4.2.2 operating system is also
very user friendly, but offers considerable more customization options over the basic
customization options offered on the Apple products. With Android, you have the option
of placing your apps in any location on the screen. You can add widgets that give you
information without having to open up the application. The TouchWiz User Interface adds
tons of value to the Galaxy S4 over a stock Android device. One thing to keep in mind
is the added features only add value if you take advantage of them. One value-add feature
that I find most convenient to use is Airr Gesture. This allows you to wave your hand
over the phone's display without touching it, and the phone will scroll up and down
the page or flip from picture to picture. For an in-depth look at the differences between
the Android and IOS operating systems, check out our IOS v Android comparison video.
Since both phones are very snappy and very responsive, I have to give the win for round
two to the Galaxy S4 for all the customization options that are available on the Android
operating system and the additional value ads that are in the Samsung user interface.
Now, it's time for round three: the camera round. Let's start with the specs, and then
we'll get into some sample photos that will decide the winner for this round and the winner
for our schmackdown. You might think that Galaxy S4's 13MP primary camera should have
an advantage over the iPhone 5's 8MP camera, but we'll have to wait for the sample images
to find out for sure. The iPhone 5 also has a front camera that's 1.2MP, while the Galaxy
S4 has a 2MP front camera. Let's take a look at some side-by-side samples
from both phones. Those were the sample photos from the Galaxy S4 and the iPhone 5. From
just the sample images, I would call the camera round a draw. I think the iPhone 5's 8MP camera
took just as high-quality photo as Galaxy S4's 13MP camera, so I'd be happy to use either
one of these smart phone camera's. Because of the draw in rounds one and rounds three,
the winner from round two, the Galaxy S4, is going to win our overall schmackdown for
today. Now, it's time for you to sound off and let
us know which phone you think won the schmackdown today. Did we get it right? Is the Galaxy
S4 the better smart phone? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
If you like this video, make sure to give it a thumbs up. To stay up to date with the
latest in smart phones, make sure to subscribe to our Wirefly YouTube channel.
That wraps up our schmackdown for today. I'm Scott Lewis for Wirefly. Thanks for watching.