How do you choose between the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4? On the one hand, the iPhone 5 is an entirely known entity that just works. You might not be getting the most exciting or feature-rich smartphone, but at least you know exactly what you’re getting. Samsung’s Galaxy S4, on the other hand, is world’s apart from the iPhone 5: It’s huge, and massively powerful, and it has a ton of features that might be awesome or gimmicky, depending on your point of view.
The best bet, if you need help choosing between the iPhone 5 and Galaxy S4, is for us to start at the beginning: the hardware. We’ll then work our way up through the software, first- and third-party support, and other features that might break the tie.
Hardware and battery life
For the hardware analysis, we’ll be looking at the US version of the Galaxy S4, which has a quad-core Snapdragon 600 SoC with integrated LTE support. The Exynos Octa version of the Galaxy S4 is a lot more exciting, but it probably won’t be available in the US — and, more importantly, we just don’t know how its eight cores perform in real-life use: They will almost certainly be lightning fast, but will it be at the expense of injudicious power consumption? (See: Atom vs. Exynos vs. Snapdragon vs. Tegra 3: Which mobile CPU is the most power efficient?)
As the table clearly shows, the Galaxy S4′s hardware is superior to the iPhone 5 in almost every way. The Galaxy S4′s cameras are better on paper, but as we know, more megapixels certainly don’t equate to better image quality. The RAM difference is big, though unlikely to have real-world repercussions; the Galaxy S4′s MicroSD slot is a definite edge over the iPhone 5, however.
Another area where the iPhone 5 might beat the Galaxy S4 is the GPU: In benchmarks, the Snapdragon 600′s Adreno 320 and the iPhone 5′s SGX543MP3 trade blows. In real-life use, the iPhone 5 might feel a bit snappier because its GPU is pushing fewer pixels — and really, we’re still not sure if it makes sense to squeeze a 1920x1080p display into a smartphone. Higher-resolution displays need stronger backlighting and require more processing power, pushing down battery life. If your eye can’t tell the difference between 1080p and 720p at 12 inches, why bother?
It’s also worth noting that the Galaxy S4′s battery is almost twice the size of the iPhone’s — but battery life is unlikely to be twice as long, due to the S4′s huge screen. Apple is famous for its ability to squeeze as much life as possible out of smaller batteries by specifically optimizing the software for the hardware — but even so, I think the S4′s 2,600 mAh battery will win out.
Winner: Galaxy S4
Chassis and dimensions
The one exception to the Galaxy S4′s hardware supremacy, of course, is if you want a smaller phone: The iPhone 5 is both smaller and lighter than the S4 by some margin. The other notable difference is that the Galaxy S4 is plastic, while the iPhone 5 is aluminium (and scuffable!)
Ultimately, though, it comes down to personal taste. While the Galaxy S4 is heavier, at 130 grams it isn’t heavy. If you want a big-screen device, go for the Galaxy; if you want something that’s easier to hold, go for the iPhone.
Winner: It’s a draw
Software
While the hardware specs certainly dictate a few real-world differences between the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 (most notably the iPhone’s lack of NFC and Micro SD slot), the key differentiator is the software. The Galaxy S4, with Android 4.2 and the TouchWiz skin, is completely and utterly different from iOS 6 on the iPhone. Deciding which experience is best, however, is tricky.
Apple’s iOS is something of a paradox, with its proponents claiming that its simplicity is what sets it above the competition, and its foes claiming the exact opposite. If you’ve never used a smartphone before, or if you’ve only ever used an iPhone, you will probably find iOS to be fun and easy to use. At the expense of simplicity, though, you just can’t do a whole lot with an iPhone — at least in comparison to the Galaxy S4. Not only does the iPhone 5 lack the features provided by the S4′s superior hardware (NFC, Micro SD), but iOS is so immutable that you can’t alter basic things like the home screen, web browser, or on-screen keyboard. Basically, iOS/iPhone is one-size-fits-all, and if it doesn’t fit you’re going to wish you’d got the S4 with its elastic waist. (See: Apple iOS 6 vs. Android: Google has some work to do.)
With the Galaxy S4, Samsung also introduced a bunch of crazy new features that iOS/iPhone can only dream of, and probably won’t be replicated even by the time the iPhone 5S or 6 rolls around. For more on how the Galaxy S4′s software is superior to the iPhone 5, see this story: Samsung Galaxy S4: The hardware race is over – software wins again.
Winner: Galaxy S4
Customer support
One important area where Apple still rules supreme is support, both before and after sales. There is simply no Samsung equivalent of the Apple Stores and their in-house Geniuses. As long as you’re happy with web-based and telephone support, though, Samsung is more than capable of walking you through any simple issues you might have. Due to the inherent complexity of Android and TouchWiz, though, you may find yourself wishing for a walk-in Samsung Store.
In terms of warranties, both the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 should come with a one-year manufacturer warranty, but if you’re on-contract it’s generally easier to deal directly with your carrier.
Winner: iPhone 5
First- and third-party ecosystem support
The last differentiator to take a look at is each device’s ecosystem, with regards to both hardware and software. When it comes to software, both the Galaxy S4 (Android) and iPhone 5 (iOS) have access to all of the key apps and games. There are a few platform exclusives, but they’re rare; if you’re buying a smartphone for a specific app, just make sure the phone you choose has access to that app. The Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 both have full cloud connectivity and cloud backup/sync, and both have full access to mapping and turn-by-turn navigation software.
When it comes to first- and third-party hardware accessories, the iPhone has the historical edge — it’s not uncommon for a car to only have an iPhone/iPod connector, and no USB — but support for Android and the Galaxy S4 is growing. You can already get a wireless audio dock that turns your Galaxy into a sound system, a wireless charging plate — and when the S4 launches, there will also be a gamepad accessory, an S Band pedometer/health monitor, a variety of flip covers, and more. Meanwhile, as we’ve already covered in some depth, the iPhone seems to be stagnating. By now we would’ve expected Apple to launch an iTV, or another revolutionary product that perpetuates the iPhone/iPad momentum — but, alas, there’s nothing.
Winner: iPhone 5, but the Galaxy S4 is gaining
Conclusion
So, should you buy the Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5? If we tally up our own scores, the devices have two wins each: the Galaxy S4 wins on hardware and software, while the iPhone 5 wins on customer support and the overall device ecosystem, with the chassis and dimensions perhaps acting as a tie breaker. In other words, you might say that the Galaxy S4 wins on paper, but the overall experience of using an iPhone 5 might be better.
Another potential tiebreaker which we haven’t covered here is connectivity: While both the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 support 4G LTE and 3G HSPA+, their connectivity in other countries will vary. If you intend to travel a lot, you might want to grab an international (Exynos Octa) Galaxy S4, for example. If choosing between the Galaxy S4 and iPhone 5 comes down to network support, be sure to spend a lot of time talking to carriers and researching the web.
Personally, I would go for the Galaxy S4 — but, if you’re coming from the iPhone, be sure to try it out first. It will be interesting to see if the iPhone 5S, due later this year, can regain the hardware and software crown again — somehow, with Apple’s lack of momentum, I doubt it.
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