Weight and Dimensions
Samsung Galaxy S3 dimensions: 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm, weight: 133g Google Nexus 4 dimensions: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm, weight: 139g As can be inferred, the Nexus 4 is the smaller out of the two thanks to the screen which is 0.1 inch smaller compared to the S3. However, there’s not a lot of difference in weight, and the Nexus 4 is actually 6g heavier. Not that it would be felt.
Display and Processor
Both devices come with very usable and very similarly sized displays. While the Nexus 4 packs a 4.7 inch HD panel, the S3 comes with a slightly larger 4.8 inch screen which features the same resolution. The Nexus 4 screen comes with standard IPS LCD technology, while the S3 features Samsung’s favourite Super AMOLED, making pictures accentuated. General usage on the S3 might make you feel that the exaggerated colours don’t go well, while the Nexus 4 is a plain treat with the vanilla Android on offer. However, the very exaggerated colours on screen on the S3 seem to do well when it comes to multimedia. Both devices come with quad-core processors. While the S3 packs Samsung’s homegrown Exynos 4412, the Nexus 4 comes with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064, which is the more powerful out of the two, but not by a huge margin. Then again, there’s RAM which plays an important role, and the Nexus 4 has 2GB of it while the S3 comes with exactly the half amount.
Camera and Memory
Both devices being previous gen ones, do not come with cameras we see these days, which often leave you perplexed with the obnoxious number of pixels. Both, the S3 and the Nexus 4, bring along 8MP units at the rear, decent in quality. However, the S3 often does better at taking shots as compared to the Nexus. On the front, the S3 features a 1.9MP unit whereas the Nexus 4 does a insignificantly smaller 1.3MP. Both devices are equally efficient in making video calls. Memory has been a problem on Nexus devices ever since inception, and the Nexus 4 is no exception. The device comes in 8GB and 16GB variants, neither having a memory card slot for expansion. On the other hand, the S3 comes in 16/32/64GB variants with each having a microSD card slot, thereby increasing the device’s value manifold.
Battery and Features
Both devices aren’t known for their battery life, the Nexus 4 in particular. While the S3 features a removable 2100mAh unit, the Nexus 4 comes with a non-user-replaceable one with the same capacity. However, the Nexus 4 reportedly offers lesser screen-on time per charge. If battery is your main concern, going with the S3 might be a better idea. Nexus 4 is among the breed of those devices which get Google’s Android updates before any other device does, which is a very sought-after quality/feature. On the other hand, Samsung are usually pretty slow in delivering updates to their users.
Key Specs
Conclusion
Although the Nexus 4 comes with a processor that out-powers the S3’s in a small way, going for the S3 might be a better idea at this point in time. The device is readily available, comes with a slightly larger screen and a better camera. It also offers memory expansion which is, to be frank, a necessity today. For this, you have to give up direct Google support and of course, the more powerful processor (and RAM) bound on the Nexus 4.
