Comparatively Speaking: iPhone 5s vs. Samsung Galaxy S4

January 5, 2014

Samsung and Apple are always trying to put out the best design and features for their smartphones. It is not just a matter of exterior features; it involves everything from smart operating system, screens, features, applications, designs and colors, as well as the other extras such as connectivity, speed, weight, battery life, camera, sound, display, memory and more. Users are getting smarter as well and more and more people do comparison shopping to get the best value for their money. Of course, there is also the matter of personal preference and brand loyalty. It is worth taking a look at the iPhone 5s vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 (GS4).

New features
There are some additional features in iPhone 5s but generally it is almost the same as iPhone 5. However, the upgrades such as the A7 chip, improved camera stack and the new fingerprint sensor of iPhone 5 could very well make comparing the smartphone from Apple against its closest rival, Samsung Galaxy S4 a wholly different experience.

Overall size and weight
Compared to the iPhone 5s, the Galaxy S4 of Samsung is 19% wider, 4% thicker and 10% taller although both phones are already considered quite thin. Whereas the size of the iPhone was once the standard, it now looks very small when compared to the larger smartphones available today.

The iPhone is compact and very well suited for people with small hands and it can easily be hidden in the pocket. Of course, the size of the phone is dependent on user preference as well. The iPhone 5s is lighter than the Galaxy S4, although considered still on the lightweight side. If you are looking at relative weight, the GS4 is lighter by 11%.

Construction and color
The GS4’s body is made from glossy plastic whereas the iPhone 5s has an airtight body that is made of anodized aluminum, making it more superior to the GS4. The GS4’s plastic body is not seamless and lint and grime can seep into the edges. The iPhone 5s is also available in space gray with black front, and there is a white and gold version as well while the white and silver version will still be retained for another year. One thing good about the GS4’s plastic body is that it is easy to remove the back cover for battery change.

Size of screen
Samsung Galaxy S4’s larger screen is a definite advantage over the smaller screen of the iPhone 5s, as the former’s screen is 56% larger than the latter. Likewise the GS4 has a bigger screen space, which in turn gives the user a bigger window for a better view of games, videos and apps. The GS4’s screen quality is sharper at 441 ppi compared to iPhone’s 326 pixels per inch. The AMOLED display of GS4 gives its colors intensity giving it a look that is hyper-real compared to the iPhone colors that are toned down for a more realistic look.

User access
The iPhone’s premium feature is the Touch ID system underneath its home button, allowing the user to identify the user’s fingerprint biometrically. It can store up to five identities. However, the hands should be dry or the system will fail to recognize the fingerprint, which can cause problems. Samsung Galaxy S4 has yet to add a security feature but it is not far behind. It will soon have its own security feature that will be synchronized with the Samsung smartwatch.

Camera and battery life
Samsung has a better camera than iPhone although the iPhone’s battery lasts longer by about two hours, lasting for more than six hours against Samsung’s four hours when video streaming.

Performance
iPhone’s A7 chip makes the phone incredibly faster, as it has migrated to a 64-chip architecture that in the near future will allow the phone to support 4GB of RAM. Both phones are highly responsive, especially when toggling between apps and features. But when it comes to keyboard, the trace keyboard of GS4 and other Android phones and the keyboard shortcuts make it better than the tap-only keyboard feature of iPhones, generally.

Conclusion

Overall, it is difficult to choose between the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S4. Each phone has its own set of pros and cons. Still, this is something worth considering, as Will Shanklin stated in his article in Gizmag.com

“The iPhone 5s is light and fits easily into just about any hand, but its screen is small and the phone is only slightly changed from last year’s iPhone 5. The Galaxy S4, meanwhile, has a big and gorgeous display, but its construction looks cheap next to the iPhone, and many of its software features are gimmicky wastes of space.”

We at DayNews got the same impression in our review, however some will prefer the bigger screen of the Samsung while others are influenced by the stronger and more solid feel of the iPhone.

Which will you go with?

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Comment Below

Geniusy Leung

Generally speaking, I prefer iPhone5s. I have bought an iPhone 5S, but I find ios7 drain battery rapidly. It’s pretty not convenient because of its irremovable battery, especially when I go out. I recently bought a portable charger from Kinkoo: http://www.ikinkoo.com/shop/portable-charger/kinkoo-infinite-one-8000mah.html
I have found it to be great. With real 8,000mAh can charge iPhone 5S for 4 times, with juice still to spare. Works so good to keep my phone alive.
Aadit Patel

S4 only
Rabbi Chowdhury

S4 Without any doubt.
Amandeep Dhanda

All touchscreen Samsungs (& yes i mean all of them) constantly stutter when opening apps + when scrolling up & down lists & believe me, this still happens to be the case with their latest handsets like the s4 & believe it or not, even the newly released note 3. In other words, one area samsung has always lagged at is "refinement" people!!..Samsungs just aren’t & never have been responsive enough nor fluid. Just open your eyes samsung fans!!.. Even LG, HTC, Sony & Nokia (never mind iPhones) offer much more of a fluid touchscreen experience.

I’ve paid great attention to detail with the whole galaxy range by samsung for the last 3 years & their touch screen technology still isn’t refined even to this day. Samsungs focuses too much on making their displays more and more attractive year after year but completely overlook fluidness working in harmony with the good looks of their displays.

Now finally speaking of the iPhone 5s in comparison to the S4, the 5S ultimately offers a better user experience since it is completely stutter-free & possibly the most fluid smartphone compared to the S4 which is the complete opposite. Plus the autofocus & shutter speed (as with all samsungs typically & yes!..the S4 too) are quite slow, whereas the iphone 5S will autofocus & capture photos simultaneously at the speed of a blinking eye. The 5S is undoutedly quality in every way. The S4 to me looks like it can’t handle its immense power, whereas the iphone 5s has just the right amount of power to work in harmony with its OS. Androids in general are quite aggressive when it comes balancing their OS with adequate amount of power.
Sean Patrick Hopwood

Personally, I think that the Google Nexus 5 is better than the Samsung now. It is a perfect size. Also, I don’t understand why iphone still doesn’t have Swype texting.