Xperia Z owners – any regrets on Galaxy S4 announcement?

by XB on 15th March 2013

in Xperia Z and Xperia ZL


Galaxy S4The Samsung Galaxy S4 has been officially announced and we’re sure most of you have read up on the handset in the last 24 hours. The handset looks largely similar to its predecessor, the Galaxy S III, but manages to pack in a larger 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED display in a similar sized chassis.

Under the hood, Samsung includes its Exynos 5 Octa chipset with 8-core big.LITTLE processor (other regions will get the 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 chipset). Camera duties are taken care of a 13MP sensor and a 2MP front-facing camera. Other features include infra-red and a 2600mAh battery.

We have attached the full spec list below, comparing it against the Xperia Z and HTC One. However, specs are one thing and where Samsung really focused its efforts was on its software. This included SmartPause, S Voice Drive, Dual Camera, S Health and Adapt Display. There are a number of other features, some look useful and some gimmicky.

Anyway, now that you’ve seen what Samsung has to offer – is your head turned? In our eyes, the Xperia Z has a lot going for it, namely its design and water resistant qualities. It’s hardware is broadly on par – yes the Samsung chipset is more powerful, but in day-to-day use we’d argue that you probably wouldn’t notice.

So if you own the Xperia Z, do you wish you went for the Galaxy S4 instead? Our view is that the Xperia Z has nothing to worry about and sits unique in the Android ecosystem. We’d love to hear your thoughts below.

PhoneXperia ZGalaxy S4HTC One
Display size (inches)554.7 Super LCD 3
Screen Resolution1080 x 19201080 x 19201080 x 1920
PPI443441468
ConstructionGlassPlasticAluminium
SpeakersSingleSingleDual
Water Resistant?YesNoNo
ChipsetQualcomm APQ8064 + MDM9215MTwo variants: Exynos 5 Octa and Snapdragon 600Qualcomm 600 (APQ8064T)
Processor1.5GHz Quad-coreEight-core big.LITTLE [1.6GHz Quad-core; 1.2GHz Quad-core] (Exynos) & 1.9GHz Quad-core (Snapdragon)1.7GHz Quad-core
GPUAdreno 320IT PowerVR SGX544MP3 (Exynos) and Adreno 320 (Snapdragon)Adreno 320
RAM2GB2GB2GB
Android version4.1.24.2.24.1.2
Storage16GB16/ 32/ 64 GB32GB / 64GB
Expandable storage?YesYesNo
Size (mm)139 x 71 x 7.9136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3
Weight (g)146130143
SIMmicro SIMmicro SIMmicro SIM
ColoursBlack, Purple, WhiteBlack Mist, White FrostBlack, Red, Silver
Rear Camera sensor13.1MP Exmor RS13MPUltraPixel: 1/3" 4MP BSI sensor, 2.0 µm pixel size, F2.0 aperture & 28 mm lens, Dedicated HTC ImageChip 2
Image StabiliserDigitalDigitalOptical
HDRYes (movie/video)YesYes (movie/video)
Burst Mode?Yes: Unlimited shots at 10 FPS & 9 MP resolutionYes (Drama Shot)Yes: Zoe Mode (Press the shutter to capture up to 20 photos and a 3-second video)
Video Recording1080p Full HD (both cameras)1080p Full HD1080p Full HD (both cameras)
Front camera sensor2.2MP Exmor R2MP2.1MP (88 degree wide angle lens with HDR)
Wi-Fi802.11a/b/g/n802.11 a/b/g/n/ac802.11 a/ac/b/g/n
BluetoothBluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0Bluetooth 4.0
LocationGPS, GLONASSGPS, GLONASSGPS, GLONASS
InfraredNoIR LED (Remote Control)Yes
Battery capacity233026002300
Embedded Battery?YesNoYes
HDMIMHLMHL 2.0MHL
NFCYesYesYes
PlayStation CertifiedYesNoYes
AccelerometerYesYesYes
Proximity sensorYesYesYes
Ambient light sensorYesYesYes
MagnetometerYesGeomagnetic?
GyroscopeYesYesYes
LTEYesYesYes (UL model only)
LaunchReleasedEnd April 2013End March 2013

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