Galaxy S3 vs Nexus 4 vs iPhone 5

Samsung revealed the Samsung Galaxy S3 in May of last year and the handset quickly became the best-seller of 2012. The Apple iPhone 5 came out in September and then the LG Nexus 4 was revealed in November. All of the handsets are superb but which happens to be the best?

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs LG Nexus 4 vs iPhone 5

Power: When it comes to processors the LG Nexus 4 has the Qualcomm quad core of 1.5GHz, while Apple chose the A6 processor for the Apple iPhone 5, which is 1.2GHz. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with the Exynos processor internationally. The Apple iPhone 5 might have the slowest of the three, however it has twice the speed of the Apple iPhone 4S. As the LG Nexus 4 has the four cores and 2GB it has the best of both. If you want four cores on the Samsung Galaxy S3 then you get 1GB of RAM, while with 2GB of RAM you get dual cores (US version). The LG Nexus 4 has to be the winner.

LG Nexus 4

OS: In terms of the operating system the LG Nexus 4 has Jelly Bean 4.2, while the Samsung Galaxy S3 has 4.1 and of course the Apple iPhone 5 has iOS. This is the most streamlined of the operating systems, but if you need customisation then you would have to choose Android. The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the LG Nexus 4 have Android, but it is the LG Nexus 4 that generally gets updates the fastest as it has the Nexus name. The OS is just personal choice and so this means that it has to be a draw for the LG Nexus and Apple iPhone 5.

Storage: The LG Nexus 4 comes in choices of 8GB or 16GB; however it lacks SD card support. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is in 16GB or 32GB and this can be expanded to 64GB. The Apple iPhone 5 is offered in 16GB, 32GB or 64GB but lacks SD card expansion. This means that the Samsung Galaxy S3 is the winner.

Samsung Galaxy S3

Display: In regards to displays the LG Nexus 4 has 4.7 inches of True HD IPS with 318ppi and resolution of 1280 x 768. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes in at 4.8 inches and has 306ppi and resolution of 1280 x 720. The Apple iPhone 5 has the 4 inch display, which is the smallest, and 206ppi with 1136 x 640 resolution. While all of the screens are great and this will be a personal choice, the IPS displays do offer more realistic colours and the Super AMOLED is generally hyper real and over saturated. On the plus side the blacks tend to be deep and colours are vibrant. As the LG Nexus has the biggest IPS display it stands out as the winner.

Battery life: You may get around 15 of talk time from the LG Nexus 4 thanks to the battery of 2100mAh. The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5 both offer around 8 hours. In recent tests AnandTech said that the Apple iPhone 5 came first and this was followed by the Samsung Galaxy S3, with the LG Nexus 4 just behind, which puts the Apple iPhone 5 ahead.

Design: The LG Nexus 4 comes in at 129 grams with measurements of 133.9mmx68.7mmx9.1mm, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is 136.6×70.6mmx8.6mm and weighs 133 grams and the Apple iPhone 5 is 123.8mmx58.6×7.6mm, with a weight of just 112 grams. If you want a handset with superb looks then it has to be the Apple iPhone 5, with the LG Nexus 4 following on close behind and the Samsung Galaxy S3 in last place. The device does happen to be the smallest and it is the lightest and so the Apple iPhone 5 is the winner here.

Apple iPhone 5

Connectivity: The Samsung Galaxy S3 and the LG Nexus 4 both come with NFC, while it is the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Apple iPhone 5 that support LTE. If you have a need for both then you would have to go for the Samsung Galaxy S3.

Camera: The LG Nexus 4 has a camera of 8 megapixels and this has support for 1080p video, LED flash and autofocus, there is also a camera of 1.3 on the front. The Samsung Galaxy S3 along with the Apple iPhone 5 both have a camera of 8 megapixels, which support LED flash and autofocus. The Samsung Galaxy S3 also has a camera of 1.9 and the Apple iPhone 5 a 1.9 on the front. The camera of the Apple iPhone 5 is best in low light and all of the cameras come with points that are good and bad. The LG Nexus features Photo Sphere, while the Apple iPhone 5 has a camera that is excellent in low light conditions and it has the better BSI sensor. The Samsung Galaxy S3 is known for taking video and still together.

Bottom line: If you want a device that is easy to handle and which looks great then you may go for the Apple iPhone 5. If you want a device that is cheap then you could take a look at the LG Nexus 4. The downside is that there are things missing on it, but you do get quite a lot for your money. If you want a handset that is all-round good then you could go for the Samsung Galaxy S3 which has a fair price tag as well. So if you are looking for a handset that covers all the bases without breaking the bank, it has to be the Samsung Galaxy S3.