Android Authority

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• Galaxy S3, not iPhone, best suited for fatty fingers, Sprint employee says
• Nexus 10 pogo charging cable sells out on eBay
• Galaxy S4 to spearhead impressive Samsung year, company to sell 390 million smartphones in 2013
• Most Gameloft Android games drop to $0.99 for Christmas
• Amazon vs Google: What’s in store for 2013?
• Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Google Nexus 4
• Sony Xperia T/TL vs Sony Xperia TX
• Google Nexus 4 vs Sony Xperia T/TL
• Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Sony Xperia T/TL
• Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Google Nexus 4

Galaxy S3, not iPhone, best suited for fatty fingers, Sprint employee says Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:21 PM PST Body fat is generally not on the list of items that should influence smartphone buying preferences. But one Sprint employee seems to disagree with that fact, at least according to one unhappy customer. Apparently one such Sprint employees tried his best to convince a customer not to purchase an iPhone 4 but select a different handset instead. In addition to calling the iPhone "a piece of shit" and listing all of its shortcomings, this employee went as far as to call the customer's fingers "too fat" for an iPhone 4, but apparently the right size for the Galaxy S3." Here's how things went down, according to that customer: I went to my local Sprint store on 12/16 to upgrade my phone. My wife's line had the upgrade, mine wasn't until April, but since we were on the same bill, I could use hers since my phone was broken. I was approached by a rep who asked me what I was looking for, and I informed them that I was looking for the "cheapest, free-est phone" because I was broke, and really didn't care about the phone I left with, so long as it worked. The rep, [M], tells me that the iPhone 4 is free, so I said I'd take it. I was told to have a seat while the rep pulled up my information. The rep says "Are you sure you want the iPhone? It's really a piece of shit." I tell him yes, I've had iPhones in the past and I've done my homework about the possible phones I would be leaving with. Having been a Sprint customer for over 10 years, I feel I am pretty knowledgeable when it comes to what Sprint has to offer. Apparently "yes" wasn't good enough. He proceeded to tell me EVERY shortcoming this phone had: The battery life sucks, if I dropped it, I'd break it, it's a little small compared to my last phone, etc. but the icing on the cake? "Your fingers are too fat for such a phone. You should get the Galaxy S III." Really? I replied "Okay [M], your nametag doesn't say 'Sprint Rep/Nutritionist' so don't tell me how I can't use the phone because of my "fat" fingers." Fed up with his attitude and tone of condescension, I walked out, no phone in hand. I'd rather have a broken phone than to have to put up with such a rude person. No matter what mobile OS you prefer, this kind of behavior from carrier employees is not something you'd want to put up with, right? I mean sure, it's clear mobile operators have their own agendas, and this isn't the first time we hear that one carrier or another is trying to push Android and/or Windows Phone devices instead of iPhones to subscribers. But should some line be crossed in such a manner as described above? It’s one thing to show a potential or existing customers the advantages and/or disadvantages of the handset they’re about to choose, but it’s a totally different thing to be disrespectful to  them in order to push a certain sale. Have you encountered similar convincing techniques in carrier stores? Related Posts Deal: $100 American Express Reward Card available with every Sprint smartphone purchase: Galaxy S3, EVO 4G LTE, iPhone and others Deal: Sprint Galaxy S3 available for $119.99 from Amazon Wireless Sprint's Samsung Galaxy S3 finally hit stores

Nexus 10 pogo charging cable sells out on eBay Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:47 PM PST In case you happen to own Google's latest Android tablet, the Samsung-made Nexus 10, then you may be interested in some official accessories to go with it. Unfortunately, you're out of luck if you're looking for them either from Samsung or Google. However, some lucky buyers managed to get their Nexus 10 pogo pin charging cable from eBay these days as one eBay seller had around 54 units to go around – yes, they have been already sold out. Priced at $19.99 without shipping, which will add another $5.99 on top of that price, the Nexus 10 pogo charging cable may be a very neat addition to your charging cable pile. The cable, apparently built by MagNector, is an "authentic" Nexus 10 pogo charging cable according to the listing, and is shipping directly from South Korea. While the accessory can't be ordered anymore at this time, chances are that more units will find their way to eBay in the following days, so keep monitoring the auction site in case you happen to also own a Nexus 10 tablet that could use a faster charging cable. Related Posts Google Nexus 10 pogo charger on its way? Nexus 7 charging dock priced at around $42 in Japan, shipping in early December 16GB Nexus 4 sells out in Australia on launch day, Nexus 10 still available

Galaxy S4 to spearhead impressive Samsung year, company to sell 390 million smartphones in 2013 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 04:11 PM PST Having safely survived the end of the world as we know it – hey Mayans, your calendar app turned out to be pretty buggy by the way – we can look forward at 2013 and what it will mean for the mobile business, and especially for Android. And we can't talk about Android in 2013 without mentioning Samsung, which is currently the most successful Android maker out there. In fact, The Korea Times has learned from some sources certain details about Samsung's plans for next year. According to the publication, Samsung will ship over half a billion handsets next year, of which 390 million will be smartphones: “Of the 510 million handsets it plans to sell, 390 million are slated as smartphones and 120 million, feature and budget phones,” according to an executive from one of Samsung's key suppliers. [...] Another source said that Samsung expects to manufacture 240 million devices at its Vietnamese factory, 170 million in China and 20 million in India to complement the 40 million to be produced in its Korean factory in Gumi, North Gyeongsang Province. [Add all that up and we're looking at 470 million units.] Obviously, we're mostly interested in those 390 million smartphones, because most of them will probably run Android. The online newspaper says that Samsung will also release Windows 8 mobile and TIZEN smart devices next year, but we expect Android to still play a major role in Samsung's future. Of course, not all projections are similarly positive, with research firm Gartner having a different view for Samsung's 2013 handset sales: The plan contrasts a previous outlook by leading market researcher Gartner, that predicted the Korean firm to sell between 250 million and 300 million smartphones next year. In 2011, Samsung sold 97.4 million smartphones, up from 23.9 million and 0.6 million in 2010 and 2009, respectively. While the article doesn't specifically mention Samsung's 2013 flagship Android smartphone, the Galaxy S4, we expect it to be the most important smartphone in the company's lineup no matter how many smartphones it ends up selling. The Galaxy S3 is currently the best sold Android device to date with well over 30 million units sold, but we wouldn't be surprised to see Galaxy S4 beat its predecessor when it comes to sales next year. As for 2012, the company is expected to sell 420 million handsets this year, with 288 million devices having already been sold in the first three quarters. We'll learn more about Samsung's fourth quarter in January when the company will share with the world Q4 financial details. Are you buying Samsung next year, or will you be waiting for HTC, Motorola (Google), LG and Sony to put up a stronger fight? Related Posts ZTE expects to sell 50 million smartphones in 2013 Gartner predicts sales of 1.2 billion tablets and smartphones in 2013 after 821 million this year Samsung Projected to Sell 150 Million Smartphones in 2012

Most Gameloft Android games drop to $0.99 for Christmas Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:54 PM PST With Christmas just around the corner, Gameloft has jumped on the bargain bandwagon offering the majority of its usually $6.99 Android games for just $0.99. After advertising the deals of its iOS games, Gameloft announced today that it’s “Android’s turn”. The deal includes games such as N.O.V.A 2 and 3, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Dark Knight Rises, 9mm, Backstab and Modern Combat 2 and 3 at the reduced priced of $0.99. How long the deal will last however is unknown, but we’d recommend you grab one or even more of these huge Android gaming titles in light of the festive season. You can see the full list of games and links to their respective Google Play on Gameloft’s official website. Related Posts Gameloft Still Bringing Games To The Android Market Gameloft's Thanksgiving games sale is on today, get your fave titles for $0.99 Gameloft has silently launched a buy one, get one free sale on Android games or a £0.99 sale if you’re in the UK

Amazon vs Google: What’s in store for 2013? Posted: 24 Dec 2012 02:30 PM PST When Amazon and Google first rose to online stardom, no one could've predicted that the two would eventually find themselves in each other's crosshair. Back then, the former was simply known for its e-commerce prowess, while the latter was concentrating on taking down the big guns in the search engine universe – which it did, by the way. It's not that Jeff Bezos didn't see it coming. A former executive of Amazon, as quoted by Reuters, said that Bezos knew as early as ten years ago that it'd cross path with the search engine giant, as he – being one of the early backers of Google – learned that Mountain View was scanning and digitizing books and product catalogs, which Bezos felt could lead to them treading on Amazon's territory. While Google never did monetize its digital endeavor then, Bezos himself ended up using the idea as the inspiration for its Kindle lineup, so the executive said. Fast forward to the present, those fears have been proven to be not entirely unfounded. The rivalry between the two giants may not be as exciting as the many headlines that Apple vs Google generates, but things are expected to escalate in 2013. Here's a quick look on the areas that Amazon and Google are going head to head. Amazing advertising Google is doing a phenomenal job with its ads business, as it raked in more revenues than the combined takings of all print media in the United States. Not so quietly, Amazon has been building a competitor to Google AdSense, which according to reports will be launched in Q1 2013. Amazon may not have the luxury of a massive search database like Google, but all those product searches you're doing on Amazon won't go to waste. The platform that the online retailer is introducing soon will have targeted ads for shoppers based on their browsing and shopping habits. Amazon has a complete data on what products people are actually spending their money on – also known as conversion data. In the words of Mark Grether, COO of audience buying company Xaxis: "They know what you just bought, and they also know what you are right now trying to buy." That's what makes Amazon more attractive to clients than Google. The stats are seemingly on Amazon's side as well. According to the latest study done by research firm Forrester, 30% of online shoppers went straight to Amazon as the starting point of their spending spree, with only 13% said that they began their online shopping ritual by going to Google. This was a reversal of the trend recorded just two short years ago. At stake for Google are the company's multi-billion dollar ads-based revenues. Not so Cloud-y business The two companies are also looking to one-up each other in the cloud sector. Amazon is clearly in the lead, as it launched its cloud computing business six years ago, but Google is more than eager to shake up the establishment. To a certain extent, Amazon has taken Google's bait. Following Google's decision to cut its cloud storage fees by 20% last month, Amazon followed suit and reduced its fees by 25%. It was Google who made the last move, as it shaved off an additional 10%. Forbes believes that Amazon will have no problem fending off Google's attack for the foreseeable future, as the retailer has an edge when it comes to infrastructure, presence, and experience. It can easily play the price game by relying on higher volumes. Hot hardware We have to hand it to Amazon, as Jeff Bezos and co was first to release an Android-based tablet – the original Kindle Fire – that managed to challenge Apple's iPad in the tablet market. In doing so, it has also cut Google out of the loop by introducing its own application store, among other things. It wasn't long until Google responded to Amazon's move. The Nexus 7 tablet, with its great specs and sub-$200 price point, was introduced and launched in the middle of this year to great commercial success. Its popularity also paved the way for an even bigger tab that bears Google's Nexus branding to enter the market, the Nexus 10 (check out our Nexus 10 review!). Google is following Amazon's way of selling the hardware cheap and reap the benefits on future purchased content, though one that's less extreme. Meanwhile, Amazon has also introduced a plethora of new Kindle Fire tablets this year. They all come with a forked version of Android, yet their owners are locked inside Amazon's walled garden – at least out of the box. In 2013, we'll also see Amazon finally entering the smartphone business. According to Foxconn, it's readying 5 million Amazon-branded phones to be launched in Q2/Q3 2013. It's a pretty safe bet to make that the phone will come with Android OS inside. Digital Content   Amazon's digital storefront has the lead when it comes to movies, TV shows, and music, while Google Play has more e-books and apps. Prices for movie rentals and purchase start at $3.99 and $10.99 on both stores, while a music album typically costs $10.99 – though Amazon seems to have better discount for new releases. There's no denying that Google has been aggressively adding more content to its Play Store and making it available in more markets. For example, it has scored deals with almost all major movie studios to bring their classic titles and new box office hits to the Play Store. With the company seemingly looking to digital content sales as a source of revenue, it simply can’t afford to rest on its laurel. Fortunately, things are looking pretty good for Google's ecosystem next year. As for Amazon, it will continue to offer added benefits for its Amazon Prime members, providing them with more incentives to stick with Amazon's content ecosystem and choose Kindle Fire over competing tablets. Oh right, the same users can also access their Amazon content on "pure" Android and Apple devices. Conclusion Isn't competition a neat thing? Not only does it force companies to push the innovation envelope, but it also challenges them to provide better services to users.  Whoever comes up on top on each of the category in 2013, it's us customers who will emerge as the real winners. What do you think of the growing rivalry between Amazon and Google? Any other category you’d like to add to the discussion? Do you see Amazon grabbing a bigger piece of Android market in 2013? Related Posts Amazon wants to sell the Nexus 7 in its online store Amazon Kindle ebook store lands in China Jeff Bezos: Amazon “likes” Android, will have more devices in 2013

Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Google Nexus 4 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 01:00 PM PST The first Nexus device was the HTC Nexus One which ran on Android 2.1 Eclair and then was upgraded to Android 2.2 Froyo. The Samsung Nexus S then followed with Android 2.3 Gingerbread. The third Nexus came in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which introduced the merged Android OS for phones and tablets, Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. And, to represent the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, Google worked with LG to create the latest Nexus device known as the LG Nexus 4 E960. But, it is not the only Jelly Bean phone around. In fact, Samsung has one — a phone-tablet or phablet, to be precise. The successor to the Samsung Galaxy Note GT-N7000, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Note 2 GT-N7100 a larger screen, quad-core processor, amazing display, and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Each of the said devices pushes boundaries, but apparently in different ways. Which of them stands out and has what you need in a phone? Read the rest of this article and find out. You can also skip to our comparison video below. Physical Build and Design Dimensions and Weight Nexus 4 Galaxy Note 2 Height 133.9 mm (5.27 in) 151.1 mm (5.95 in) Width 68.7 mm (2.70 in) 80.5 mm (3.17 in) Thickness 9.1 mm (0.36 in) 9.4 mm (0.37 in) Weight 139 g (4.90 oz) 183 g (6.46 oz) Nicknamed a “phablet,” the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is unsurprisingly taller and wider than the Nexus 4. Ironically, although it carries a bigger body, the Galaxy Note 2 has almost the same thickness as the Nexus 4. I find both phones light and easy to carry around. The Nexus 4, though, has a smaller chassis which makes it more portable than the Galaxy Note 2. Some users may find the Galaxy Note 2 big for their small hands or too huge inside their tight pants’ pockets. Front Both phones have simple and distinct front designs. On the Galaxy Note 2, you can find the physical Home button with silver lining at the bottom, flanked by the Menu and Back capacitive buttons. The silver Samsung logo, speaker grille, notification light, light sensors, and the front camera are located at the top. I particularly like the glossy, gray front bezels with brushed metal finish. This metallic finish shines when tilting the phone at a certain angle. Although the phone is primarily plastic, this polished front makes the handset look like it has a metallic chassis. A gray plastic frame surrounds the front. Meanwhile, the Nexus 4 bears a more minimalistic and mysterious frontal design than the Galaxy Note 2. There are no logos or physical buttons here. The screen is all glossy black and flat, interrupted only by the speaker grille. The notification light hides in the middle of the bottom bezel and can be seen only when it lights up. The light sensors and front camera are located at the top bezel. The front screen is surrounded by a silver plastic frame. Both phones have top and bottom bezels wider than the left and right bezels. This allows you more screen to use in portrait and easy handling while in landscape. Sides Locations of ports and buttons on both phones are the same. The Volume Rockers are on the left side. The Nexus 4, however, also has its SIM tray here. You need a pin to open this tray. The Galaxy Note 2′s SIM tray is located underneath the back cover. The 3.5-mm headphone jack sits on the top side of both phones. A small hole for the microphone can also be seen here. The right side contains the Power button. The standard Micro USB port on both phones are located at the bottom side. Another hole for the microphone is also located here. The Nexus 4 has, along this side, two torx screws which hold the chassis in place. The Galaxy Note 2 also has its S Pen cradle at the right-most end on this side. Back The back covers of both phones have distinct designs. Both exude an air of elegance. To make up for its minimalistic front, the Nexus 4′s back panel is glamorous and fabulous. The back panel is adorned by tiny glittering crystals, also known as LG’s Crystal Reflection Method. You can see these crystals when you tilt the phone at certain angles; this also creates a floating 3D illusion on the logos. The glittering crystals, LED flash, and the rear camera are protected by a layer of scratch-resistant Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The glass layer is flat and is interrupted only by the speaker grille at the bottom and the flash housing on top. The glossy brushed metal esthetic of the Galaxy Notes 2′s front extends to its back and makes the back cover look like a metallic back plate. But, when you remove the back cover, the back panel is actually just plastic, albeit thin yet durable. You can find the rear camera housing and LED flash on top. The loudspeaker grille and the S Pen cradle are located at the bottom-left portion. The Galaxy Note’s NFC tag is embedded underneath the back cover. Unlike the Nexus 4′s unibody design, the Galaxy Note 2 has a removable back plate and a removable battery, too. This allows me to customize the Galaxy Note 2 with custom back covers or change the battery when it wears down. Display Nexus 4 4.7-inch True HD IPS+ 768×1280 pixels 318 ppi pixel density Corning Gorilla Glass 2 Zerogap Touch Technology Galaxy Note 2 5.5-inch HD Super AMOLED screen 720×1280 pixels 267 ppi pixel density Corning Gorilla Glass 2 Both phones use different screen technologies: HD Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy Note 2 and True HD IPS+ LCD screen on the Nexus 4. Both displays are actually good, but I find colors on the Galaxy Note 2 more saturated and colorful than those on the Nexus 4. Colors of videos and games pop out from this display, making this screen ideal for media consumption. Meanwhile, colors on the Nexus 4 are slightly subdued but more realistic than on the Galaxy Note 2; this display is less straining to my eyes. Both phones have almost the same screen resolutions, however, since the Nexus 4 has a smaller screen, images viewed here are more crisp than on the Galaxy Note 2. The Galaxy Note 2 has Smart features that make its display smarter than the Nexus 4. Smart Stay, for instance, keeps the screen on while you are looking at the screen. Another one is Smart Rotation, which automatically adjusts screen orientation according to your viewing angles. These two features use the front camera and you must have adequate lighting to enjoy the two. In contrast, the Nexus 4′s screen is not smarter but is thin and responsive. The Nexus 4 uses Zerogap Touch Technology on its screen. This type of screen reduces air gaps, making the screen thinner, brighter, and more responsive to touch. Basically, you have only the glass layer between you and the screen. Both phones’ displays are clear, visible, and usable under direct sunlight. Processing Power Nexus 4 Galaxy Note 2 Chipset Snapdragon S4 APQ8064 Exynos 4412 CPU quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 GPU Adreno 320 Mali-400MP RAM 2 GB 2 GB Internal Storage 8/16 GB 16/32/64 GB External Storage none up to 64 GB Overall performance on both phones is smooth and seamless. The culprits behind this smoothness are the quad-core chipsets that power both phones. The two devices did not choke or lag while I was navigating through homescreens, playing HD games, launching apps, and browsing the Web. However, I noticed some minor jitter while scrolling using the stock Web browsers on both phones, although the flicker is easy to ignore. In terms of storage, though, the Galaxy Note 2 greatly outweighs the Nexus 4. The Nexus 4 has only either 8- or 16-gigabyte storage capacity. You’re also stuck with that storage capacity because the Nexus 4 doesn’t contain a microSD slot for expansion. The Galaxy Note 2, in contrast, can give you up to 64 gigabytes of internal storage and a microSD slot that can take up to 64 gigabytes of additional storage, giving you a whopping 128 gigabytes of storage. Benchmarks Benchmark Nexus 4 Galaxy Note 2 Quadrant 3984 5918 AnTuTu 14280 13666 CF-Bench 10528 15383 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark HTML5 1131 1832 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark Metal 550 626 Geekbench 2 1636 1989 Linpack for Android Single Thread 39.883 MFLOPS 65.546 MFLOPS Linpack for Android Multi-thread 91.866 MFLOPS 205.441 MFLOPS GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C24Z16 Offscreen 26 fps 17 fps GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C24Z16 Onscreen 26 fps 18 fps Nenamark 1 58.8 fps 58.2 fps Nenamark 2 57.6 fps 58.1 fps An3DBench XL 35911 40857 SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript (lower is better) 2298.5 ms 1169.2 ms BrowserMark 2.0 1873 2211 Google V8 Benchmark Suite 1006 2359 The Galaxy Note 2 outwits the Nexus 4 in terms of CPU and browser performance. Both phones gave a good fight with GPU performance. Connectivity Both phones can connect to 2G and 3G networks. Some variants of the Galaxy Note 2, however, can connect to 4G networks. The two phones also require micro-SIMs for you to use their phone capabilities. Both phones still feature the same stock connectivity feature of most high-end smartphones such as Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, NFC, and DLNA. Both phones use standard Micro USB ports and cables for transferring files and connecting the phones to their wall chargers. Camera Nexus 4 8 MP rear 1.3 MP front Photo Sphere feature flexible camera app 8 MP, 5 MP, 3 MP, 2 MP,1.3 MP, VGA, QVGA image sizes scene mode 1080p, 720p, 480p video quality Time lapse recording Galaxy Note 2 8 MP rear 1.9 MP front flexible Camera app 8, 6, 3.2, 2.4, 0.9, 0.3 megapixel various effects and scene Burst Shot, Best Face, Share Shot Voice enabled controls 1080, 720, 480, 240 video quality Slow motion and Fast motion recording With its large storage capacity, you can store lots of pictures on the Galaxy Note 2; that is what the 8-megapixel camera is for. The Nexus 4 also has an 8-megapixel shooter. The camera app on both phones are simple and provides flexibility to users via camera setting options. The Nexus 4 features the same stock Android 4.1 Jelly Bean camera app with some improvements brought along by Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Tapping the viewfinder reveals toggle buttons to allow you to change the settings on the camera. You can also take 360-degree photos with Photo Sphere. The Galaxy Note 2′s camera app also contains the stock camera features of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with new additions by Samsung such as Burst Shot, Best Face, Share Shot, and voice-enabled controls. Let’s see how these two 8-megapixel shooters fare. Images under bright settings came out good and crisp; however, the Nexus 4 rendered duller colors than the Galaxy Note 2. In low-light settings, though, both produced dark and noisy images. Both phones have LED flashes that bring light in low-light situations. The Galaxy Note 2 gave off a whitish light, while the Nexus 4 gave off a yellowish light. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 1.9-megapixel front camera and the Nexus 4 has a 1.3-megapixel front camera. Let’s see how these front shooters fare. Both phones produced acceptable-quality photos in bright environments. I find the Nexus 4′s images more vibrant than those from the Galaxy Note 2. In low-light settings, however, both phones produced noisy images with more noise evident in the Nexus 4′s images. Both phones can capture and record 1080p videos and lower-resolution videos. The Galaxy Note 2 has an Anti-Shake feature that allows you to capture less-jittery clips. The Nexus 4 doesn’t have this feature, so you will have to keep your hands still when recording videos. Media Playback Watching your favorite movies is pleasurable on both phones, as they can play 1080p Full HD videos without choking. The simple video player apps on both phones have basic playback control buttons. However, the Samsung phone has its own features that make movie watching more fun. The stock Video Player app on the Galaxy Note 2 allows you to multitask while watching a video — with the Pop up play feature, or in a split screen with the Multi Window feature. You can easily locate a particular scene by hovering the S Pen on the progress bar. The camera icon in the player allows you to take pictures right from within the video that you’re watching. You cannot find these features on the Nexus 4. For listening to music, both phones have simple and flexible music players. The music player apps on both phones have equalizer presets, multi-band equalizer, and sound enhancement filters. Sound quality is also crisp and clear on both phones, but I notice more distortion on the Nexus 4 than on the Galaxy Note 2 when turning the volume up. Sound output is muffled when you lay the Nexus 4 on its back. Sound quality on the Note 2 is clearer and louder than on the Nexus 4. Battery Life To power all these features, the Nexus 4 carries a 2,100 mAh Li-Po battery with 15 hours of published talktime on 3G, while the Galaxy Note 2 has a 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery with published talktime of 16 hours on 3G. To see how long these batteries last, I conducted our informal battery test on both devices. I turned on Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth; maxed out screen brightness; turned on sync options; and never allowed the screen to turn off. I looped an HD video for the first hour, and another hour was spent browsing the Web. From a full charge, the Nexus 4 left me with 50% power and the Galaxy Note 2 with 77% power. If I were to extend another 2 hours, the Nexus 4 would most likely run out of battery first, while the Galaxy Note 2 would leave me with about 20% to 40% power. Software The Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is the first Android smartphone that came with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out-of-the-box. The phone also uses the feature-rich and nature-inspired TouchWiz Nature UX. The Nexus 4, on the other, is one of the few devices to run the latest version of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Lockscreen Both the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Note 2 feature a simple lockscreen. Though already on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean, the Nexus 4 has the same lockscreen as in Android 4.1 Jelly Bean but with some significant changes. The lockscreen contains several pages that allow you to place widgets — such as Gmail, Calendar, and Messages — on the lockscreen. You can also launch the camera with the Camera widget on the lockscreen. To unlock your phone, tap on the ring lock icon at the bottom and swipe to any direction. On the Galaxy Note 2, you can have a glimpse of the nature-inspired theme on the lockscreen. Tapping on the screen causes a water ripple effect on the lockscreen. Tap and swipe anywhere to unlock your phone. You can also remove your S Pen to wake and unlock your phone. You can place up to five app shortcuts at the bottom of the lockscreen. Homescreen Both the Galaxy Note 2 and Nexus 4 have homescreens that serve as your personal space. Here you can place your favorite apps, place a wallpaper, and decorate the homescreens with widgets. The Nexus 4 has five default homescreen pages. You can neither add nor remove a homescreen. At the bottom is an app dock where you can place up to 4 app shortcuts or folders and one button for the App Drawer. The Google search bar at the top persists on all homescreen pages. You can use up to seven homescreens on the Galaxy Note 2. A special homescreen — part of a feature called Page Buddy — appears when you remove your S Pen or insert your earphones. The Galaxy Note 2 allows you to do most things right on the homescreen. You can open the Multi Window to instantly access and simultaneously open two apps at the same time. A Popup Note appears once you remove the S Pen, so you can instantly jot down notes. You can instantly call a contact or search for a keyword using gestures with Quick commands. Notifications The Nexus 4, of course, uses the stock notification menu of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Note 2 uses a Samsung-modified version of the stock Android 4.1 notification menu while still keeping the general look and layout of the stock notification menu. Aside from the usual notification menu, the Nexus 4 has another pull-down menu — although not for notifications. By swiping down from the status bar using two fingers, you’ll pull down the toggles menu, which, naturally, hosts the various toggles for frequently accessed settings. Frequently accessed toggle buttons are grouped together nicely on the Galaxy Note 2′s notification menu. You can adjust the screen brightness on this notification menu. When you remove the S Pen, recommended app shortcuts for the S Pen appear on the menu. Recommended apps for earphone use also appear on the notification menu when you insert your earphones. Both phones allow you to remove a single notification by flicking or remove all notifications by a tap of a button. App Drawer The Galaxy Note 2 and the Nexus 4 have the same App Drawer design. Your apps are arranged on a 5×5 grid. The App Drawer also contains a dedicated Widget tab that contains all your widgets, which you can place on the homescreen. The Note 2, however, offers viewing options for the App Drawer such as Alphabetical grid, Customizable grid, and Alphabetical list. On the Note 2, you can also hide apps from the App Drawer. Personalization Each phone has its own unique set of features that allows you customize the interface. The Nexus 4 allows you to do the following: Use screensavers while charging or connected to its dock Download and install third-party apps Sideload apps Use live wallpapers Group apps into folders Use widgets on the lockscreen The Galaxy Note 2 lets you: Choose between two homescreen modes Change the font style Select from 4 screen modes Enable/disable motion gestures Use live wallpapers Download and install third-party apps, keyboards, and launchers Rearrange apps in the app drawer Enable one-handed operation mode Customize S Pen functions Add customized gestures for Quick commands Keyboard The Nexus 4 uses the stock Android 4.2 keyboard which introduces swiping gestures for composing your text. You can also use voice to compose messages and you don’t need an Internet connection to use this. The Galaxy Note 2 has a simple keyboard with lots of amazing features. This keyboard also allows you to swipe to text using the Continuous Input feature. With the S Pen, you can compose your messages by writing on the screen. The keyboard also has gesture mode that allows you to delete, split, or edit words by using gestures. The keyboard also has voice-to-text feature, but it doesn’t work without an Internet connection. Search Since both phones run Jelly Bean, the two phones use Google Now as the default search app. There’s also a voice-activated assistant on the Galaxy Note 2 in the form of S Voice. You can tell S Voice to type your messages, set reminders, and even search for the nearest restaurant. Security Both phones still feature stock Android security features, such as the following: Various screen lock types such as Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password Encrypting the data on the phone Enabling/disabling installation of apps not from the Google Play Store Showing or hiding passwords Adding a PIN for the Google Play Store Samsung also added some of its own security features, such as the following: Motion unlock Face and Voice unlock Remote controls via SamsungDive Pricing and Availability The Nexus 4 is available in 8- and 16-gigabyte storage models that cost US$300 and US$400, respectively. Samsung claims that the Galaxy Note 2 is available as 16-, 32-, and 64-gigabyte storage models, but only the 16-gigabyte is currently available on the market and costs about US$650. Video Review For more info about these two phones, also check out our video review on YouTube: Conclusion In sum, the Galaxy Note 2 and the Nexus 4 are both good devices. Both phones have powerful hardware that perform smoothly and fluidly. The displays on both phones are perfect for watching movies and playing HD games. Both phones also run the smoothest versions of Android to date: Jelly Bean. These actually made it hard for me to choose one over the other. If you’re one of those hardcore users who frequently multitask on their phones or want some features of a tablet on a phone, then the Galaxy Note 2 is an ideal phone for you. If you want to use the phone as a phone that can still play HD movies and games, the Nexus 4 would suit you best. What do you think of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the Google Nexus 4? If you have to pick just one, which would you choose? Why? Let us know by leaving a comment and by voting in the poll. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

Sony Xperia T/TL vs Sony Xperia TX Posted: 24 Dec 2012 11:00 AM PST One thing is for certain: Sony isn’t going to let trends in the Android world dictate how it designs its phones. Both the Xperia T LT30p (Xperia TL LT30at) and the Xperia TX LT29i are gorgeously designed, standing out from the competition — thanks to their curved backs, 13 MP shooters, and gorgeous displays. Both of these phones, however, also stand out for another reason. While a lot of competitors are producing quad-core beasts, these two Sony devices are equipped with dual-core processors. Does this mean that these phones have been left behind? The Xperia T is best known as the Bond phone, complete with a cameo appearance in Bond’s latest movie Skyfall, while the Xperia TX is a quieter but equally elegant device. How do these two attractive phones stand up against each other? Does the Bond phone have more muscle against the sleek Xperia TX? Physical Build and Design Dimensions and Weight Xperia T Xperia TX Height 129.4 mm (5.1 in) 131 mm (5.16 in) Width 67.3 mm (2.6 in) 68.6 mm (2.70 in) Thickness 9.35 mm (0.4 in) 8.6 mm (0.34 in) Weight 139 g (4.90308 oz) 127 g (4.48 oz) If you’re looking for a device that you can easily slip into your pocket, then look no further. Both of these phones are small enough to pocket while being a good size for your hand. The Xperia TX is taller and slightly wider than the Xperia T but it’s also thinner and lighter. The Xperia T’s thickness and weight makes it feel solid, while the Xperia TX’s thinner body makes it feel elegant. Next to the Xperia T, the Xperia TX feels a bit fragile, almost cheap. But, don’t judge a phone by its slimness. Grip both of these phones in one hand and you won’t hear any creaking. Front The Xperia T and the Xperia TX do not have physical navigation buttons. Navigation is done purely through the buttons onscreen. On the top bezel of both phones, you can find the notification light, light sensor, phone speaker grille, and 1.3-MP front camera surrounding the silver Sony wordmark. There are, however, a few differences. The notification light on the Xperia TX is located on the right side and is bigger and brighter compared to the Xperia T’s smaller and subtler notification light on the left side of the Sony wordmark. The Xperia T’s phone speaker is located right above the Sony wordmark, compared to the Xperia TX’s own phone speaker which is against the frame surrounding the front. The Xperia T’s phone speaker is also deeper, which may attract particles to accumulate. The silver Xperia wordmarks decorate the bottom bezel on both phones, but unlike in the Xperia T, the Xperia TX’s wordmark lights up when the phone is unlocked. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX’s jet black fronts are surrounded by a plastic frame, jet black on the Xperia T and white on the Xperia TX. It’s a lot subtler on the Xperia T, but with the Xperia TX, it’s a cool visual effect. Sides A thin silver stripe runs around the Xperia TX’s edges, while the Xperia T’s own sides are where the hard plastic of its front meets the soft rubber material of its back. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX want you to use them as music players, as their 3.5 mm headphone jacks are conveniently located on their top sides. The Xperia TX’s headphone jack, however, looks more attractive compared to the Xperia T’s which breaks the nice curved edge at the top of the device. Also located at the Xperia T’s top side is a hole for a microphone. The Xperia T’s left side contains only the Micro USB port, while the Xperia TX’s own left side has the Power button and at the lower portion, a place to hang phone accessories and for removing the Xperia TX’s backplate. I consider the position of the Xperia T’s Micro USB port to be a good move, as it is less likely to be covered up by fingers when using the phone. The Xperia TX’s right side holds its Micro USB port, Volume Rocker, and the dedicated Shutter button. I wasn’t very fond of the location of the Xperia TX’s Micro USB port, as it has a tendency to be covered by the user’s thumb and may be a good place for dust and grime to gather. The Xperia T’s own right side is a lot busier; at the top portion, you’ll find the cutaway flap covering the microSD and micro-SIM card slots, below that is the Volume Rocker, and finally the Shutter button. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX have only a microphone on their bottom sides. When I first picked up the Xperia T, I found its hardware button placement to be strange. It’s a bit lower than usual on the phone and the buttons are a little hard to reach if I don’t hold the Xperia T by its lower portion. The Xperia TX’s buttons, on the other hand, are much easier to access as they’re at the usual height. Back Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX inherited the curved back of previous Xperia phones such as the Xperia Arc and Xperia J. Both of these phones’ left and right sides curve inward, allowing the phones to snuggly fit in the hand. The Xperia TX’s back is more curved than the Xperia T’s, but this also gives the Xperia TX a tendency to see-saw when you use it on its back. Both phones’ rear elements are all arranged along their back covers’ center. There’s the 13-MP camera, which juts out slightly, the LED flash, the NFC certification sticker, the Xperia logo, and the loudspeaker grille. On the Xperia TX, however, right below the NFC certificaion sticker, is a small hole for the recording microphone. The Xperia T’s back is covered in a soft touch rubber material while the Xperia TX’s own back is covered by textured plastic with a pearl-like shine to it. Though the Xperia T’s back feels comfortable to hold, the Xperia TX’s back looks more sophisticated. The Xperia TX’s back cover can be removed, allowing users to replace the device’s battery and access the microSD and micro SIM slots. Display Watching HD videos is a great experience on both phones. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX have gorgeous displays, enhanced with Sony’s Mobile BRAVIA Engine, but next to each other, the colors they produce are different. The Xperia T’s screen gives off very bright colors, while the Xperia TX’s own colors are slightly darker, slightly yellow, and more saturated. This makes the Xperia TX’s colors look more natural compared to the overly bright colors of the Xperia T. The Xperia T’s dark tones, especially when displaying videos, are also rather noisy. For watching movies and videos and viewing pictures, I prefer the Xperia TX’s screen because it provides me with richer and more vivid colors. Processing Power Xperia T Xperia TX Chipset Snapdragon S4 MSM8260A Snapdragon S4 MSM8260A CPU dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait dual-core 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Krait GPU Adreno 225 Adreno 225 RAM 1 GB 1 GB Internal Storage 16 GB 16 GB External Storage expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB Despite owning dual-core processors when many competing devices are carrying quad-core muscle power, the Xperia T and the Xperia TX performed well when I launched apps and when I scrolled through the homescreens and the app drawer. They performed the same tasks at nearly the same time, with only split seconds between them. The Xperia T, however, was slightly faster in loading web pages and was more responsive to my pinching in and out. It’s worth noting that the Sony white paper for the Xperia TX declares it to have an Adreno 220 GPU, but AnTuTu says it is an Adreno 225 GPU. Benchmarks Benchmark Xperia T Xperia TX Quadrant 4631 4882 AnTuTu 10825 10933 CF-Bench 9491 9534 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark HTML5 1821 1749 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark Metal 582 626 Geekbench 2 1588 1572 Linpack for Android Single Thread 95.131 MFLOPS 75.052 MFLOPS Linpack for Android Multi-thread 102.737 MFLOPS 115.922 MFLOPS GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Offscreen 13 fps 14 fps GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Onscreen 22 fps 22 fps Nenamark 1 60.1 fps 60.0 fps Nenamark 2 60.0 fps 59.5 fps An3DBench XL 36846 36748 SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript (lower is better) 1747.8 ms 1623.4 ms BrowserMark 2.0 2921 2450 Google V8 Benchmark Suite 1488 1601 Though benchmark tests do not produce the same results, in our set of scores, the Xperia TX seems to provide more muscle than the Xperia T. Connectivity These two phones are NFC-capable, though no NFC tags came in the box. You can also connect to other devices and accessories via Bluetooth. To transfer data to and from these devices, as well as to charge them, you can plug in a cable into the phones’ Micro USB port. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX are DLNA-certified, allowing you to view your videos and movies on large screens thanks to their “Throw” feature. To use their phone capabilities, both phones require a micro-SIM. The micro-SIM slot on the Xperia T is covered by the cutaway flap on the device’s right side, while the Xperia TX’s micro-SIM slot is located underneath the back cover and can only be accessed by removing the battery first. Neither of these phones are LTE capable, however the Xperia T’s AT&T variant, the Xperia TL LT30at, supports LTE. Camera Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX are equipped with 13 MP rear cameras with Sony Exmor R sensors and 1.3 MP front cameras. I took a couple of shots outdoors, under direct sunlight. Though the Xperia T and Xperia TX’s rear cameras produced nearly identical pictures, the Xperia T’s camera picked up richer colors and had higher contrast. In this shot, taken in broad daylight, the Xperia TX’s camera produced a yellowish image. Indoors, the Xperia T’s camera took longer to focus on the subject. Despite this, the Xperia T performed well and captured crisper images than the Xperia T. The Xperia TX continued to take yellowish images, even out of direct sunlight. Turning on the flash for indoor pictures resulted in a foggy and very yellowish picture from the Xperia TX. The Xperia T’s own flash was also slightly yellow, but it helped produced crisper and more natural-looking pictures. Night mode on the Xperia TX activates the flash, which washes out the subject, but the Xperia T’s own night mode looks more natural. The Xperia TX’s front camera produced noisier images indoors. Outdoors, the Xperia T’s front camera captured crisper colors. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX are capable of 1080p Full HD recording, with image stabilization. Unfortunately, image stabilization is poor, though the Xperia T at least produces clips with vivid and vibrant colors. Media Playback Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX are equipped with Sony’s WALKMAN music app, which lets users customize their listening experience using equalizer presets, a 5-band equalizer, and Clear BASS. Both phones also come with xLoud to really make that loudspeaker loud. I played the same music tracks the phones came with and noticed that the Xperia T provides louder and clearer sound. When you turn up the volume on the Xperia TX, you’ll hear unpleasant distortion. The Xperia T, however, is a bit disappointing when watching videos. Though both phones have no trouble playing 1080p Full HD videos, the Xperia T’s noise reduction seems so aggressive that dark tones look noisier and unattractive instead. In the Amazing Spiderman’s trailer, for example, the city lights looked terrible against the black of the night. The Xperia TX may not give you as much contrast but it does, however, make dark tones look better. Battery Life The Xperia TX may pack a lower-rated battery, but the same battery has the benefit of being removed and replaced — handy for users on the go and who prefer carrying extra batteries. The Xperia T, on the other hand, has a unibody design which prevents this. To put these two phones to the test, I subjected them to an informal battery test. This consists of turning on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, and syncing options. I also turned Volume and Brightness up to their highest settings. Both phones’ screens were not allowed even a moment’s rest. The first part of the test involved playing a video on loop for one hour. The second part of the test involved browsing a graphics-heavy website for another hour. After two hours of our battery test, the Xperia T walked away with 51% of its battery left. The Xperia TX, however, did not do bad at 49%. If you’re a heavy user, you’ll need to bring your charger for both phones, but with conservative use, these phones may have enough battery power to last you the day. During our camera test, I noticed that both phones became quite warm, but the Xperia T was warmer. This may be because of its unibody design. The Xperia T’s vibration motor also seems to rattle more than the Xperia TX’s. It may not bother some people, but I found this rather unappealing. Software Nowadays, devices are expected to come out of the box with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, but the Xperia T and the Xperia TX come with only Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich with Sony’s Timescape UI. Sony has promised, however, to deliver a Jelly Bean update in February, 2013. Both of these phones’ interfaces are similar. Their lockscreens feature only an icon for unlocking the phone and another for launching the camera app. Both phones each have 5 homescreens to utilize and a notification menu that you can pull down from the status bar. Their App Drawers are arranged in 5×4 grids, allowing you to uninstall apps directly from the App Drawer and a number of ways to arrange your apps. You can tweak the keyboard layouts, add additional buttons, and add your own personal jargon to the Personal Dictionary. Voice typing is available on both devices, but you’ll need the Internet to use it. Both of these phones have gesture typing as well, which I prefer over the stock Xperia keyboard that’s too small for my thumb. Both the Xperia T and the Xperia TX also come with Sony’s Small Apps, which you can use while doing other things on your phone. You can use a calculator, timer, notepad, and voice recorder on both of them. Searching on these devices lets you not only look at results on the web, but also content available locally. The security features that the Xperia T and the Xperia TX come with are standard Android ones, such as Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password. One of the main differences between the two is that the Xperia T allows you to pull down your notification menu while the phone is locked. This means being able to check your notifications on the go, but I personally prefer the privacy that the Xperia TX gives you. The Xperia T also comes with Music Unlimited and Video Unlimited apps pre-installed, as well as Play Books and Play Music. Pricing and Availability The Xperia T is available in black, silver, and white but with only a 16 GB storage model. It is available for 399 pounds (about US$642) in the U.K. Clove is offering it SIM-free, with a free 60 day Music Unlimited Premium trial, for 378 pounds (US$612.21) including VAT. Unlocked Mobiles is offering the Xperia T for 374.98 pounds (US$607.32) including VAT. If you’re based in Canada, you can get the Xperia T for anywhere between CA$525 to CA$550. Bell Canada is offering the Xperia T, SIM-free, for about CA$549.99. The Xperia T’s LTE variant can be purchased from AT&T as the Xperia TL LT30at with a 2-year US$99.99 contract. The Sony Xperia TX comes in black, pink, and white will cost between US$545 – US$635 (Rs 30,000 – 35,000) in India, a price tag of about US$606 (HK$4,698) in Hong Kong and about $680 in China. Conclusion The Xperia T LT30p (Xperia TL LT30at) and the Xperia TX LT29i are two of Sony’s most gorgeous devices, equipped with gorgeous displays, 13-MP cameras, and curved backs. Equipped with dual-core processors, these phones may seem to have been left behind by the quad-core competition, but they can still provide a snappy experience for users. Video Review Find out more about these two phones in our YouTube video review: YouTube video The Xperia T’s display produces bright but sometimes washed out colors while the Xperia TX’s own display gives viewers more natural and more saturated colors. For music listening, however, the Xperia T is louder and provides crisper sound. The Xperia T’s camera also captures crisper and more vibrant colors compared to the slightly yellowish look of the Xperia TX’s images. Neither of these phones, however, are ideal for video capture as their image stabilization features still produce jittery clips. Which one of these devices did you like most? Let us know in a comment or vote in the poll below. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Related Posts Videos: Quick hands-on of the Sony Xperia J, Xperia V, and Xperia T Sony Xperia SL is now official: a revamped Xperia S with dual-core 1.7GHz Snapdragon S3 chip Sony Xperia T and J coming early to UK's Carphone Warehouse, Xperia Tablet S to follow soon

Google Nexus 4 vs Sony Xperia T/TL Posted: 24 Dec 2012 09:00 AM PST The Sony Xperia T LT30p (Xperia TL LT30at on AT&T in the U.S.) is a gorgeous device bearing Sony’s unique design, but Sony isn’t the only smartphone manufacturer out there that knows how to design a phone. The LG Optimus G was LG’s latest offering to the market, and it certainly did not disappoint either. Not only was it a powerful phone, it was quite attractive, as well, especially with its glittering backpanel. With Google and LG’s collaboration to produce the Nexus 4 E960, you can now find a similarly beautiful glittering backpanel on the latest phone in the Nexus series. The Nexus 4 is a truly attractive phone, enough to match the Xperia T’s sleek lines and curves. Looks aren’t everything, however, so we’re taking a closer look at which phone has the brawns and brains to match its beauty. Which of these phones will come out on top? The Xperia T or the Nexus 4? Read our comparison review below, or jump ahead to our video review. Physical Build and Design Dimensions and Weight Nexus 4 Xperia T Height 133.9 mm (5.27 in) 129.4 mm (5.1 in) Width 68.7 mm (2.70 in) 67.3 mm (2.6 in) Thickness 9.1 mm (0.36 in) 9.35 mm (0.4 in) Weight 139 g (4.90 oz) 139 g (4.90 oz) The Nexus 4 and the Xperia T are almost the same in terms of height, width, thickness, and weight. The phones are light but feel right in the hand. You’ll be able to slip either of these phones into and out of your pants’ pocket with no trouble. Front If you’ve owned a Nexus phone before, you’ll notice that there’s something different about the Nexus 4. Compared to displays on the earlier Nexuses, the Nexus 4′s display is smooth and flat rather than slightly curved. Neither the Nexus 4 nor the Xperia T has physical buttons on its front. Navigation is done purely through the phones’ three homescreen buttons: Back, Home, and Menu/Options. The Xperia T’s jet black mirror-like front is broken by the silver Sony and Xperia wordmarks at the top and at the bottom. Around the Sony logo, you can find the Xperia T’s notification light, light sensor, earpiece grille, and front camera. The front elements of the Nexus 4 are similar to the Xperia T, but no wordmarks or logos are on the Nexus 4′s front. Instead of the notification light’s being located at the top portion of the phone, however, the Nexus 4′s notification light can be found at the bottom bezel. The Nexus 4′s front is accented with a silver frame, and has slightly sharp edges. The Xperia T’s jet black front is surrounded by a thin and slightly raised frame but the little space between the frame and the front screen might be the perfect place for particles to gather. Sides There are no sharp corners and edges on the Xperia T. The sides angle away from the front before they meet the soft rubber of the backplate, contrasting the front’s minimalist industrial look with the almost comforting feel of the back. The sides of the Nexus 4, on the other hand, are covered by a plastic silver frame. The edges are slightly sharp, too. If you hold the Nexus 4 too tightly, you might feel some discomfort. On the top side of both phones, you can find the 3.5 mm headphone jack and a small hole for the microphone. The left side of the Xperia T is where you can find its Micro USB port, while you can find Nexus 4′s Volume rocker and SIM tray on the latter’s left side. The Xperia T’s right side is rather busy. At the top portion, you’ll find the cutaway flap for the microSD and micro-SIM card slots. The flap’s hinges don’t feel very sturdy, but the flap snaps cleanly back into place. The Power button, the Volume rocker, and the Shutter button are all placed on the lower portion of the Xperia T’s right side. Their unusual location makes them difficult to access if you’re not holding the lower part of the phone. Only the Power button sits on the right side of the Nexus 4. The bottom side of the Xperia T is beveled, angling away gracefully before it merges into the backplate. This is where you can find another microphone. The Nexus 4′s bottom side, on the other hand, contains the Micro USB port and two torx screws which break the phone’s seamless frame design. The screws appear to hold the phone’s chassis in place, but I’m not brave enough to remove them and find out what’s underneath. Back The back covers of these two phones are elegant but have very different looks. The Nexus 4 is all dolled up with LG’s Crystal Reflection Method which, coupled with a black background, gives the silver Nexus 4 and LG logos a cool visual trick. The logos appear to be floating, surrounded by glittering stars. A layer of Gorilla Glass 2 protects the Nexus 4′s beautiful back, but it’s worth noting that while the glass may be scratch-proof, falls will still do damage. The glass cover is also very friendly to smudges, diminishing the back’s aesthetic value. You can find the Nexus 4′s 8-megapixel camera and LED flash in the upper-left corner of the backplate. In the lower right corner of the backplate, you can find the thin strip for the speaker grille. The Xperia T, on the other hand, is another type of elegance. The backplate is covered by soft, rubbery material that discourages fingerprints from being left behind. The rear camera, LED flash, NFC-certified sticker, the Xperia logo, and the loudspeaker grille are all arranged along the backplate’s center. The 13-megapixel camera, highlighted with silver, juts out a little and makes the phone wobble a little when it’s on its back. The loudspeaker grille is also rather deep, which strikes me as a great place for more particles to gather. Another striking thing about the Xperia T is its curved back which makes the phone lean into your hand. The Nexus 4′s back, in comparison, is flat but is not less comfortable to hold. Display The Nexus 4′s display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2 and is equipped with Zerogap Touch Technology. This means that there are fewer air gaps, making the screen slimmer, brighter, and more responsive. This also makes the Nexus 4′s display more visible under direct sunlight. The Xperia T’s comes with Sony’s Bravia Engine technology which enhances images on the screen and reduces noise. When viewing videos, however, dark tones become rather noisy while bright colors look fine. The Xperia T’s display showed very bright and vibrant colors, whereas the Nexus 4′s display leaned towards darker yet more natural colors. When viewing HD videos on both phones, there were no problems. In fact, my viewing experience was great, as I could make out tiny details such as grains of sand, drops of water, and fingerprints. Processing Power Nexus 4 Xperia T Chipset Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8064 Qualcomm Snapdragon MSM8260A CPU quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait GPU Adreno 320 Adreno 225 RAM 2 GB 1 GB Internal Storage 8/16 GB 16 GB External Storage none expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB Two different processors power these phones: dual-core on the Xperia T and quad-core on the Nexus 4. Between the two, I find the Nexus 4′s performance to be smoother than the Xperia T’s. There’s a slight lag on the Xperia T when you scroll between homescreens, when you launch apps, and when loading high-definition images. It also worth noting that the Xperia T runs only Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, whereas the Nexus 4 has Android 4.2 and Project Butter. The Nexus 4 also has an additional gigabyte of RAM to keep things running smoothly. Playing games was a pleasure on both phones. No lags, stutters, or freezes were experienced while playing HD games, such as Dead Trigger. In terms of storage capacity, the Nexus 4 has 8- and 16-gigabyte models, whereas the Xperia T has a 16-gigabyte model only. The good thing, though, is that the Xperia T has a slot for a microSD card for up to 32 gigabytes of additional storage. There is no expansion slot on the Nexus 4, which means that users need to be more careful when downloading large files. Benchmarks Benchmark Nexus 4 Xperia T Quadrant 3984 4631 AnTuTu 14280 9807 CF-Bench 10528 9491 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark HTML5 1131 1821 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark Metal 550 582 Geekbench 2 1636 1588 Linpack for Android Single Thread 39.883 MFLOPS 95.131 MFLOPS Linpack for Android Multi-thread 91.866 102.737 MFLOPS GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Offscreen 26 fps 13 fps GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Onscreen 26 fps 22 fps Nenamark 1 58.8 fps 60.1 fps Nenamark 2 57.6 fps 60.0 fps An3DBench XL 35911 36846 SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript (lower is better) 2298.5 ms 1747.8 ms BrowserMark 2.0 1873 2921 Google V8 Benchmark Suite 1006 1488 The two phones get varying results when it comes to CPU and GPU performance. Some tests point to the Nexus 4 as more powerful, while others to the Xperia T. In terms of browser performance, though, the Xperia T fared better than the Nexus 4. Connectivity Both phones can connect to 2G, 3G, and Wi-Fi connections. However, the AT&T variant of the Xperia T, the Xperia TL LT30at can connect to 4G LTE networks. Both phones require a micro-SIM for you to use their phone capabilities. On the Nexus 4, a pin is required for you to access the SIM tray. The SIM tray on the Xperia T is located underneath the flap on its right side. Other means of connectivity on both phones include Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, and NFC. Both phones also use standards-compliant Micro USB ports and cables for data transfer and connecting to the wall charger. Camera The Nexus 4 is equipped with an 8-megapixel rear camera, while the Xperia T has a 13-megapixel shooter with a Sony Exmor R sensor. The camera apps on both phones are simple to use and offer flexibility to users. The camera app on the Nexus 4 comes with some new changes that were introduced in Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. Tapping the viewfinder reveals the toggle buttons used to adjust the camera. The camera also allows you to shoot 8-, 5-, 3-, 2-, 1.3-megapixel, VGA, and QVGA image sizes. Photo Sphere lets you take 360-degree pictures of your surroundings. The Xperia T’s camera app is set to automatically detect your scenes by default, but you can turn off the said feature to enable normal mode, switch to the front camera, or take a Panorama shot. Normal mode lets you use any of the standard camera modes, such as portrait, landscape, and sports. You can also adjust the image resolution to shoot 10MP 16:9, 2 MP 4:3, and 2MP 16:9 images. What follow are some sample shots illustrating how the cameras on the two phones fare in a variety of conditions: The Nexus 4′s image was rather subdued compared to the Xperia T’s image. In low-light settings, the Xperia T produced a brighter and less noisy image. The Nexus 4 gave off too much bluish light. The Xperia T flashes a yellowish light that is just enough to brighten up the subject. Both the Nexus 4 and the Xperia T have 1.3-megapixel front cameras. Let’s see how these two front cameras fared: The Xperia T’s front camera tends to produce foggy images. In low-light settings, however, the Nexus 4 produced darker and noisy images. The Xperia T’s image was brighter but still noisy. Both phones can capture and record 1080p videos. Videos taken by the Nexus 4 resulted in rather dull and washed out colors. Sound recorded were also very sharp and tinny. There is no image stabilization on the Nexus 4, so expect jitter in your clips especially if you have shaky hands. The Xperia T’s own videos captured more vibrant and closer-to-life colors, as well as better sound, but the phone’s video capture was a huge disappointment. Out of the box, the Xperia T’s autofocus is rather poor and its autofocus motor is quite noisy. However, Sony recently released an update that quiets the autofocus motor and improves the autofocus a bit. Image stabilization for video capture, even with the update, is bad and leaves you with a jittery clip. The Xperia T could capture better colors and better sound, but image stabilization, even when enabled, is terrible and autofocus is difficult. Neither of these two phones could really wow me with its video capture abilities. Media Playback The video players on both phones are simple and easy to use. Both video players contain the necessary buttons to control your videos. Playing 1080p Full HD videos on both phones is smooth and seamless. For listening to your music, the Nexus 4 has the Play Music app while the Xperia T has the WALKMAN app. Both music players are flexible and allow you to customize and tune your music. Both the Play Music app and the WALKMAN app let you use equalizer presets, as well as personally tweak your music listening experience using 5-band equalizers.The Play Music app comes with bass booster and 3D effect, while the WALKMAN app comes with Clear BASS and xLoud. Sound quality on the Nexus 4 is loud enough, but I can clearly hear distortions as I increase the volume. Since the loudspeakers are located at the back, sounds are easily muffled when you lay the phone on a flat surface. The Xperia T’s xLoud feature is quite effective and turning it off does significantly reduce the loudness. Thanks to the Xperia T’s curved back, the loudspeaker isn’t covered up when you place the phone on its back, but when you turn the volume up to maximum and when you put on techno and dubstep tracks, you’ll also hear distortion. Battery Life To power their hardware, the Nexus 4 uses a Lithium-Polymer rated at 2,100 mAh which can provide up to 15 hours of talktime on 3G, whereas the Xperia T uses a Li-ion battery rated at 1,850 mAh that can give you 7 hours of talktime on 3G. To put these batteries to the test, I conducted our informal battery test on both devices. I turned on the Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS; set brightness to maximum; enabled sync options; and never let the screen to turn off. I looped an HD video for 1 hour. Another hour was also spent for browsing a graphics-heavy webpage. From a full charge, the Nexus 4 left us with 50% battery and the Xperia T with 51% after two hours. With moderate use, I think both phones could last up to 8-10 hours but heavier users may want to bring their chargers with them. Software Nowadays, flagship devices are expected to come with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box but the Xperia T is equipped with only Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich. Sony, however, has promised to give the Xperia T an upgrade to Jelly Bean sometime in 2013. On top of Android 4.0.4, Sony has added its Timescape UI. The Nexus 4, on the other hand, comes with the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and can be upgraded to Android 4.2.1. Lockscreen The lockscreens of these phones are quite different, though they both display the time and the date at the top of the screen. The Nexus 4 comes with the same familiar lockscreen as that on the other Nexus phones. There’s a ring at the bottom of the screen; tap it and swipe in any direction to unlock your phone. You can swipe up from the bottom of the Nexus 4′s lockscreen to access Google Now. The Xperia T’s own lockscreen has a slider at the bottom. On the left end of the slider is a lock icon that you can drag to the right to unlock your phone. On the right end, there’s a camera which you can slide to the left to launch the camera app. The Xperia T has only one lockscreen, whereas the Nexus 4 has lets you swipe left and right to navigate to different lockscreen pages where you can put widgets such as Gmail, Calendar, and Messaging. That’s not all; you can launch the camera app from the Nexus 4′s lockscreen by swiping to the camera widget. The Nexus 4′s lockscreen allows you to easily check for emails and appointments but it doesn’t afford the same privacy as the Xperia T’s own lockscreen does. Homescreen Both the Xperia T and the Nexus 4 give you only 5 homescreen pages to work with, neither of them allowing you to add nor remove homescreen pages. They both have a dock bar at the bottom of the screen for 4 app shortcuts or folders and a button for the App Drawer in the middle. Both phones have a search bar at the top of the homescreen but on the Nexus 4, this search bar persists on all homescreen pages. Notifications On both the Xperia T and the Nexus 4, you can pull down the notification menu by swiping down from the status bar. Both of these phones allow you to remove individual notifications by flicking them away and clearing all of them with one click. When playing music, music controls appear on the notification menu for both the Xperia T and the Nexus 4. You can also pull down the notification menu when both phones are locked. The Xperia T’s notification bar is rather standard, showing you quick toggles for Sound, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Data, and a shortcut for Settings. Pulling down the Nexus 4′s notification menu with one finger will show you your notifications but swiping with two fingers will open your toggles menu. You can switch easily between the notification and toggles menu by tapping a button in the upper-right corner. App Drawer The Xperia T’s app drawer is arranged on a 5×4 grid and does not have a separate tab for widgets. You can easily uninstall apps in the app drawer and arrange them in a number of ways, such as by your own order, alphabetically, the most used, and recently installed. The Nexus 4, on the other hand, still features the stock App Drawer of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Your apps are arranged alphabetically on a 5×5 grid but you cannot rearrange them. The Nexus 4 does, however, have a separate tab for Widgets. Widgets The Xperia T has some standard widgets, such as the Google search bar, weather info, and the music widget. Sony, however, included a lot of its own widgets which emphasize on keeping in touch with friends, such as Timescape Friends, Timescape Feed, and Friends’ Music. To make up for the limited selection of toggles in the notification menu, Sony has included a widget that contains all your necessary toggles, such as Backlight, GPS, Auto-sync, Airplane, Hotspot, Roaming, and NFC. The Nexus 4′s widgets are located inside the Widget tab in the App Drawer. Widgets used here are pretty much the same from previous Nexus devices. You can use these widgets to decorate your homescreen and to make certain apps easy to access. The Nexus 4′s widgets are not just limited to its homescreen; you can also place widgets on the lockscreen. Personalization Since both the Xperia T and the Nexus 4 are Android devices, they allow you to customize the interface in a number of ways, such as: Changing the font size Changing the time and date format Installing third-party keyboard, launchers, and apps Sideloading apps Attaching Live Wallpapers to the homescreen Grouping apps into folders Decorating your homescreen with widgets. The Nexus 4, however, has an edge above the Xperia T by allowing users to put widgets on its lockscreen. Keyboard I found the Xperia T’s Xperia keyboard to be a bit too small for my thumbs, leading me to make errors. Gesture typing, however, is available and is rather accurate. The Nexus 4 also uses the same stock Android Keyboard on Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with added features. This keyboard now supports swiping gestures that allow you to compose text without lifting your fingers. Just like the Nexus 4, the Xperia T has a voice-to-text feature, but the Nexus 4′s feature allows you to use it offline while the Xperia T’s needs an Internet connection. Search Both phones use Google as their default search engine; however, the Nexus 4 has an advantage because it uses Google Now which is only compatible with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and above. This search app is very fast and smart. It automatically displays results based on your Google data. Security The Nexus 4 and the Xperia T are equipped with the same security features, such as Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password. They also allow the encryption of your phone, and the showing and hiding of passwords. Pricing and Availability The Nexus 4′s 8 GB variant is available for about US$300, while its 16 GB version is available for US$350. The Xperia T is available in black, silver, and white. It is available for about 400 pounds (about US$642) in the U.K. If you’re based in Canada, you can get the Xperia T for anywhere between CA$525 to CA$550. The Xperia T’s LTE variant will be landing in the U.S. with a different model name, the Xperia TL LT30at, which you can get from AT&T with a 2-year US$100 contract. Video Review Find out more about these two phones by watching our comparison video on YouTube: Conclusion Both the Nexus 4 and Xperia T have stunning displays, good cameras, good sound quality, and decent processors. Watching movies, browsing the Web, and playing games are perfect on both phones. Although there was a tiny lag on the Xperia T, I think it’s more software-related than hardware-related. Yet, I could also not just ignore that it has only dual-core processing power compared to the Nexus 4′s quad-core power. In terms of OS, though, the Nexus 4 has a great advantage over the Xperia T. Who can resist the buttery smooth experience of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean? Performance on the Nexus 4 is very smooth and seamless. The Xperia T has acceptable performance, but I bet its performance will greatly improve once it receives its Jelly Bean update next year. Which of these beautiful phones do you think is the best for your needs? Is it the Nexus 4 or the Xperia T? Share your thoughts by leaving a comment and voting in the polls below. (with contributions from Alvin Ybañez) Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. Related Posts Nexus-like AOSP update support for Sony Xperia S starts as Google experiment Sony Xperia S running ICS caught on video Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Sony Xperia T/TL

Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Sony Xperia T/TL Posted: 24 Dec 2012 07:00 AM PST It isn’t uncommon for Android devices to have reputations. The Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 is considered by many to be the King of Android phones, and with good reason. According to Samsung, it sold 30 million Galaxy S3 units during the first 150 days after the phone was released in May. The Sony Xperia T LT30p (Xperia TL LT30at on AT&T in the U.S.), on the other hand, did not quite gain a reputation. Rather, Sony has attached James Bond’s name to the device. That’s right — Agent 007, man of charisma, charm, and exquisitely tailored suits, has his name attached to the Xperia T and even uses it for a few seconds in the latest Bond movie, Skyfall. These two devices, the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T, both have very large names but do they deserve them? More importantly, which of these phones will come out on top? Read on for our comparison review, or you can skip to our comparison video. Physical Build and Design Dimensions and Weight Galaxy S3 Xperia T Height 136.6 mm (5.38 inch) 129.4 mm (5.1 in) Width 70.6 mm (2.78 inch) 67.3 mm (2.6 in) Thickness 8.6 mm (0.34 inch) 9.35 mm (0.4 in) Weight 133 (4.69 oz) 139 grams (4.90308 oz) The Galaxy S3 and Xperia T almost have the same height, width, and thickness. Both phones are light and easy to carry around. I can’t really tell which of these phones are heavier when I hold them in my hands. For this device comparison, I used a the Pebble Blue version of the Galaxy S3. The plastic surrounding the screen has a brushed metal look, which you can see when you hold the Galaxy S3 up to the light. The Galaxy S3 also has rounded corners, giving it a more natural look. The Xperia T, on the other hand, has a more industrial look going for it, with lots of elegant lines, a hard plastic front, and a back cover that feels nice to touch. The Xperia T’s build looks and feels solid. When I hold it tightly in one hand, the body doesn’t creak. However, don’t let the Galaxy S3′s looks fool you. The phone may look slim but it doesn’t creak at all when gripped tightly in one hand. Front The Xperia T’s front has no physical button as all its buttons are onscreen. The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, has a physical Home button flanked by the capacitive buttons for Menu and Back, but you can only see them when they light up. I feel that they’re placed a little too low and too close to the bottom side of the phone; they could have benefited from being placed a little higher and out of accidental touching range. Both the Xperia T and Galaxy S3 have wider bottom bezels, slim top bezels, and slimmer left and right bezels. These make the phones easy to hold in portrait and in landscape mode, though I’ve many times accidentally touched the Galaxy S3′s capacitive buttons while watching a video or playing a game. Sides On the top side of both phones, you can find the 3.5-mm headphone jack, making them easy to plug your headphones into. The Galaxy S3′s left side contains its Volume Rocker, while the Xperia T’s left side only contains its Micro USB port. While the Galaxy S3 only has its Power button on its right side, the Xperia T has more going on this same side. This is where you can find the cutaway flap covering the microSD and micro-SIM card slots, as well as the Power button, the Volume Rocker, and the dedicated Shutter button. The Xperia T’s buttons are located lower on the phone than usual, making it difficult for users to reach if they don’t hold the lower part of the phone. The Galaxy S3′s button placement, on the other hand, is much more convenient for users. On the Galaxy S3 and Xperia T’s bottom side, you can find the small hole for the microphone but the Galaxy S3 also keeps its Micro USB port here. Back The Xperia T’s non-removable back is a nice contrast to its industrial minimalistic front. The backplate is covered with soft rubber material that does not attract smudges and fingerprints. The Galaxy S3′s own back is made of polycarbonate plastic, matching the plastic of the phone’s front. The Galaxy S3′s backplate is removable and is quite flexible, but it’s not immune to scratches and tends to attract smudges. I’ve been using the Galaxy S3 for a while now and I can already see scratches on the back cover. The good thing about the Galaxy S3′s backcover, however, is that I can easily replace it with a third-party back cover in case the previous one gets worn. I can also replace the battery if the phone runs out of juice. The Xperia T has a unibody build, so you’re stuck with one back cover style and an irreplaceable battery. The Galaxy S3′s 8 MP camera juts out from the backplate, flanked by the LED flash and the loudspeaker grille. The Xperia T’s 13 MP camera also juts out from backplate; below it, you can find the LED flash and the N-Mark logo. On the lower half of the Xperia T’s backplate, you can find the loudspeaker grille, which is rather deep. The Xperia T bears the same curved back as those on such Xperia phones as the Xperia J, the Xperia Arc, and the Xperia TX. Because of the curved edges, it feels as if the Xperia T is leaning into your hand. The Galaxy S3′s polished and glossy back is nice to look at. The rounded corners and the smooth surface make the phone easy and comfortable to hold, as if you’re holding a smooth round pebble in your hand. This polished and glossy back cover not only is simple but also gives the phone an air of elegance. Display Both these phones are great for watching videos and looking at pictures, but the screens are quite different. The Xperia T’s colors are a bit too bright while the Galaxy S3′s own screen showed more saturated and darker colors. Compared to the Xperia T, however, the Galaxy S3′s screen shows more realistic colors. Regardless of whether you want your colors to be more realistic or to be brighter, both of these screens provide great viewing experience and have no trouble displaying tiny details such as sand, drops of water, and scales. The Xperia T comes with Sony’s Bravia Engine technology, which enhances images and reduces noise on your screen. I’ve noticed, however, that while brighter colors in videos look fine on the Xperia T, the dark tones are quite noisy. The Galaxy S3 has a unique feature that keeps your screen on while you’re looking at it. It’s called Smart Stay, and as long as your eyes are on the screen, it won’t be timing out any time soon. This is great when you’re reading an ebook or browsing the Web. You’ll need adequate lighting, though, for this feature to work. Processing Power Galaxy S3 Xperia T Chipset Exynos 4412 Snapdragon MSM8260A CPU quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 dual-core 1.5 GHz Krait GPU Mali-400MP Adreno 225 RAM 1 GB 1 GB Internal Storage 16/32/64 GB 16 GB External Storage Up to 64 GB expandable via microSD card up to 32 GB Two different processors power these phones: a quad-core processor on the Galaxy S3 and a dual-core processor on the Xperia T. Both phones are generally smooth and fluid but I noticed some minor lag on the Xperia T, which may not just be because of its dual-core processor but also because the phone is still running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The Galaxy S3 is smoother and more fluid, thanks to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean’s Project Butter. No lags and freezes were observed on either of the phones while I played HD games such as Dead Trigger. The Galaxy S3 also offers more storage capacity options compared to the 16-gigabyte storage capacity of the Xperia T. Both phones also have microSD card slots for additional storage; the Galaxy S3 can support up to 64 gigabytes while the Xperia T can support up to 32 gigabytes. Benchmarks Benchmark Galaxy S3 Xperia T Quadrant 5461 4631 AnTuTu 10239 9807 CF-Bench 13224 9491 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark HTML5 1417 1821 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark Metal 557 582 Geekbench 2 1489 1588 Linpack for Android Single Thread 54.937 MFLOPS 95.131 MFLOPS Linpack for Android Multi-thread 460.838 MFLOPS 102.737 MFLOPS GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Offscreen 15 fps 13 fps GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Onscreen 15 fps 22 fps Nenamark 1 60.0 fps 60.1 fps Nenamark 2 58.8 fps 60.0 fps An3DBench XL 34334 36846 SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript (lower is better) 2036.8 ms 1747.8 ms BrowserMark 2.0 1881 2921 Google V8 Benchmark Suite 1744 1488 In terms of CPU performance, the results of our benchmark tests vary. The Galaxy S3 beats the Xperia T in some areas, while the Xperia T bests the Galaxy S3 in others. In terms of GPU and browser performance, however, the Xperia T fared better than the Galaxy S3. Connectivity Both the Xperia T and the Galaxy S3 can connect to 2G, 3G, and Wi-Fi connections. Some variants of the Galaxy S3 and AT&T’s variant of the Xperia T, the Xperia TL LT30at, can connect to 4G LTE networks. Both phones require a micro-SIM for you to use their phone capabilities. The SIM tray on the Galaxy S3 is located under the back cover. The Xperia T’s SIM slot is hidden under the cutaway flap on its right side. Other means of connectivity are NFC, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, and Bluetooth. Both phones use standards-compliant Micro USB ports and cables for transferring files and connecting to their wall chargers. Camera The Xperia T carries a 13-megapixel rear camera with a Sony Exmor R sensor while the Galaxy S3 has an 8-megapixel shooter. Taking pictures with both of these phones is great, but I definitely give plus points to the Xperia T’s dedicated Shutter button. It turns the phone into a mini-digicam. The camera apps on both phones are simple but offer flexibility to users. These two apps offer a variety of modes to enhance images. Both cameras can shoot different sizes, but between them, the Galaxy S3 has more image size options. Aside from taking 8-megapixel pictures, the Galaxy S3 can also shoot 6-, 3.2-, 2.4-, 0.9-, and 0.3-megapixel images. The Xperia T has options for only 13-, 10- and 2-megapixel picture sizes with varying aspect ratios. In my experience, both cameras’ performance was quite fast. They instantly snapped the picture the moment I pressed the Shutter button. Auto-focus usually takes 1-2 seconds in bright settings and much longer in low-light environments. Let’s see how both rear cameras performed: In these outdoor shots, both images came out crisp and of great quality. There were hardly any differences between the them. In low-light settings, however, the Galaxy S3 produced a darker and noisier image than the Xperia T did. Both phones’ LED flashes were bright enough to brighten the area. The Xperia T’s flash produced a yellowish light, while the Galaxy S3′s own LED flash was bluish-white. For video calling, the Galaxy S3 carries a 1.9-megapixel camera while there’s a 1.3-megapixel on the Xperia T. The Xperia T’s front camera tended to produce foggy images. In low-light settings, the Xperia T’s front camera captured a brighter image, but it was noisier than the Galaxy S3′s picture. Both phones can capture 1080p Full HD videos and have image stabilization to avoid jittery clips. Although both phones have image stabilization features, the video that I recorded on the Xperia T is more jittery than the Galaxy S3. Video quality on both phones were good but colors rendered on the Xperia T were more subdued and less vibrant than those on the Galaxy S3. Video sound was also good, however, they also captured background noise. Media Playback For watching your favorite videos, both phones can play 1080p Full HD videos without choking or stuttering. The video players on both phones are straightforward and simple to use. The Galaxy S3, however, has a unique feature called Pop up play that lets you watch your videos while browsing the Web or reading your messages. Both phones’ respective music players are simple and flexible. They both allow you to enhance your music experience using equalizer presets or by manually adjusting the equalizer. The Xperia T’s WALKMAN Music app comes with a 5-band equalizer but the Galaxy S3′s music player has a 7-band equalizer. The Galaxy S3 also features extended equalizer settings such as Bass, 3D effect, Reverb Level, Room Size, and Clarity. The Xperia T, on the other hand, comes with Clear BASS, which lets you tweak the lower sound spectrum, and xLoud to enhance the volume of the Xperia T’s loudspeakers. Turn up the volume on the Xperia T, however, and you’ll hear distortion, especially for techno and dubstep tracks. The Galaxy S3′s own loudspeaker does better when you turn up the Volume and, though there is some distortion, it is not particularly bothersome. Putting these phones down on their backs while you’re playing music is not a problem. The Galaxy S3′s camera protrudes from the backplate, giving it a bit of lift, and preventing the loudspeaker grille from being covered up. The Xperia T’s own curved back also helps prevent its loudspeaker grille from being muffled. Battery Life We subjected the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T to our informal battery test, which consists of turning on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS; setting brightness to maximum; enabling sync options, and never letting the screen turn off. For the first part of the test, I looped an HD video for 1 hour. The second half of the text involved browsing a Web page with lots of graphics for another hour. The test had whittled the Xperia T’s battery down to 51% but the Galaxy S3 managed to walk away with 61%. With normal use, the Galaxy S3 might make it through 8 hours but Xperia T users may want to pack their chargers with them. Software Both the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T ran Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich out of the box. The Galaxy S3, however, was released earlier this year and is now running Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean with Samsung’s TouchWiz Nature UX on top. The Xperia T, however, may see an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update some time in 2013. The Xperia T uses Sony’s own Timescape UI. Lockscreen True to Samsung’s design cues from nature, the Galaxy S3′s lockscreen becomes a collection of ripples when you tap on it. You can slide your finger anywhere to unlock the screen. To quickly launch apps, you can place up to 5 app shortcuts at the bottom of the lockscreen. You won’t find that on the Xperia T. Contrasting the Galaxy S3′s more natural look, the Xperia T is all business with its slider. On the left side is a lock icon while on the right is a camera icon. Sliding the lock icon to the right unlocks the phone, while sliding the camera icon to the right launches the camera app. I find the Galaxy S3 quicker to unlock, but it’s also more prone to being accidentally unlocked with a wayward touch. The Xperia T’s icons, whether for unlocking the phone or launching the camera, need to reach the end of the slider. In my opinion, this makes the Xperia T less likely to be accidentally unlocked. Homescreen Both the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T allow you to use homescreens for your app shortcuts and widgets. The Galaxy S3, however, offers 7 homescreens while the Xperia T only has 5. At the bottom of the screen on both phones, you can find an app dock that can contain 4 app shortcuts or folders and one button for the app drawer. Notifications Because the Xperia T and the Galaxy S3 are Android devices, you can pull down the notification menu by swiping down from the status bar. You can even dismiss individual notifications or clear all of them with one click. At the top of the notification menu, you can access several toggles, but the Xperia T’s toggles are limited to only Sound, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Data, and a shortcut to Settings. The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, has quick toggles for Wi-Fi, GPS, Sound, Screen rotation, Power Saving, Blocking mode, Data, Bluetooth, and Sync. The Galaxy S3 allows you to adjust brightness from the notification bar, something you cannot do on the Xperia T. App Drawer The App Drawers on both phones are similar, arranged on a 5×4 grid. Both of them allow you to arrange apps in certain ways. The Galaxy S3 lets you view your apps as a customizable grid, an alphabetical grid, or an alphabetical list. The Xperia T, on the other hand, lets you arrange apps by your own order, alphabetically, most used, or recently installed. Both phones let you uninstall apps from the App Drawer without having to go through Settings. The Galaxy S3′s app drawer has a separate tab for widgets, which the Xperia T’s own app drawer does not have. Widgets Both the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T let you utilize the homescreen by adding widgets and app shortcuts. The Xperia T’s widgets are geared towards keeping in touch with your friends, while the Galaxy S3′s own widgets suggest apps for you to try out and keep you up to speed on the latest news. One notable widget on the Xperia T is a widget that contains all the vital toggles that Sony couldn’t cram into the notification menu. These include Backlight, GPS, Auto-sync, Airplane, Hotspot, Roaming, and NFC. Personalization Since they’re both Android smartphones, the Xperia T and the Galaxy S3 carry the same stock Android features that allow you to customize your phone. Each phone, however, has a unique set of personalization features. The Galaxy S3 has the following: Selecting two homescreen modes Changing the font style Selecting from 4 screen modes Enabling/disabling motion gestures The Xperia T, on the other hand, has the following: Themes Customizing keyboard layout and adding additional keys Keyboard The Xperia T, by default, uses the Xperia keyboard which I found a bit too small for my thumbs. The Galaxy S3′s default Samsung keyboard, on the other hand, was easier to type with as it provided more space between the keys. Both these phones offer gesture typing, known as Continuous Input on the Galaxy S3 and Gesture Input on the Xperia T. If you’re tired of typing, you can use the voice-to-text feature. This feature, however, cannot be used on either of the phones without an Internet connection. Search Both phones use Google as default search engine; however, the Galaxy S3 uses the smooth and fast Google Now which is only compatible with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and higher. Aside from Google Now, the Galaxy S3 also has a virtual voice assistant called S Voice. You can ask S Voice to find a restaurant nearby, to compose your messages, to set important notes, and to give you the current weather. Security Both phones have the same stock Android security features such as pattern lock, PIN, and Face Unlock. The Galaxy S3, however, added some of its own features, such as Motion unlock, Face and Voice unlock, and remote controls with SamsungDive. Pricing and Availability The Xperia T is available in black, silver, and white but with only a 16 GB model. It is available for about 400 pounds (about US$645) in the U.K. If you’re based in Canada, you can get the Xperia T for anywhere between CA$525 to CA$550. The Xperia T’s LTE variant can be purchased from AT&T as the Xperia TL LT30at with a 2-year US$100 contract. The Samsung Galaxy S3 comes with 16- and 32-gigabyte variants for an estimated price of US$550 and US$680, respectively. The 64-gigabyte variant is available in select countries for an estimated price of US$800. Video Review Check out our video comparison of these two phones on YouTube: Conclusion In sum, the Galaxy S3 and the Xperia T are both great Android devices. Performance-wise, both phones fare pretty well. The two have gorgeous displays that are perfect for watching HD videos. Gaming is also smooth and fluid on both phones. Shutterbugs will definitely love both phones’ snappy camera performance and flexible camera apps, especially the dedicated Shutter button on the Xperia T. In terms of operating system, though, I’m all for the Galaxy S3′s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. This OS makes the interface more fluid and seamless with Project Butter. You also get to use the smooth and fast search app Google Now. Plus, the nature-inspired TouchWiz user interface is very relaxing and easy to use. The Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich with Timescape UI on the Xperia T is generally smooth but not as smooth as Jelly Bean. Sony will be releasing the Jelly Bean update for the Xperia T next year. Until that time arrives, I’ll stick with the Samsung Galaxy S3. Which phone is your personal favorite? Is it the Samsung Galaxy S3 or the Xperia T/TL? Tell us what you think by leaving a comment or voting in the polls below. (with contributions from Alvin Ybañez) Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. 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Samsung Galaxy S3 vs Google Nexus 4 Posted: 24 Dec 2012 05:00 AM PST The Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300 is one of the hottest smartphones on the market. Samsung claims that it sold 30 million units within the first 150 days after the Galaxy S3′s initial release. This phone runs Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and introduces the natured-inspired TouchWiz Nature UX by Samsung. Google’s Nexus devices are also known for the pure Google experience that they offer to their users. The newest addition to the Nexus line comes in the form of the Google Nexus 4 E960 by LG. This phone carries the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and some new goodies, such as Photo Sphere and a revamped Camera app. Does the Nexus 4 have what it takes to match the smartphone giant, the Samsung Galaxy S3? Let’s find out. You can also skip to our comparison video below. Physical Build and Design Dimensions and Weight Nexus 4 Galaxy S3 Height 133.9 mm (5.27 in) 136.6 mm (5.38 in) Width 68.7 mm (2.70 in) 70.6 mm (2.78 in) Thickness 9.1 mm (0.36 in) 8.6 mm (0.34 in) Weight 139 g (4.90 oz) 133 (4.69 oz) Though taller and wider than the Nexus 4, the Galaxy S3 is lighter and slimmer. These two phones almost have the same physical dimensions. They’re both light and I can hardly tell which phone is heavier or lighter in my hands. These two phones are very portable, too. You won’t have any problem slipping either one into your pocket. Front Both phones’ front designs are simple and have distinct looks. The Nexus 4′s front screen is all glossy black. You cannot find any physical button here. Navigation is done through virtual buttons on the screen. The screen is flat and smooth except for the earpiece grille at the top. At a glance, the phone looks like a Nexus S or a Galaxy Nexus. What makes this phone unique is its all-flat screen. The Nexus 4 did not inherit the curved display of the previous Nexus phones. You can find the 1.3-megapixel front camera and light sensors at the top. The Nexus 4′s notification light is found at the bottom bezel and can only be seen when it lights up. A silver plastic frame accents the front screen. For this article, I got to play with the blue variant of the Galaxy S3. The Galaxy S3′s front design is also simple and contains some of the elements found in earlier phones in the Galaxy S series, but better and more beautiful. The Galaxy S3′s Home button is still located at the bottom, but now it is more slender and wider than the Home buttons on the Galaxy S or the Galaxy S2. On either side of the Home button are the capacitive buttons for Options and for Back. At the top bezel, you can find the notification light, sensors, earpiece grille, and the 1.9-megapixel front camera. The Samsung logo in silver sits below the earpiece grille. A light-blue plastic frame surrounds the phone. Both phones’ have wider top and bottom bezels, giving you a wider screen to use while holding them in portrait, as well as better handling when you’re holding the phone in landscape view. Sides The sides of both phones are protected by a plastic frame, silver for the Nexus 4 and light-blue for the Galaxy S3. On the top and bottom sides of the Galaxy S3, the plastic frame meets its plastic back cover. The location of buttons and ports on both phones are the same. On the left side of both phones, you can find the Volume Rocker. The Nexus 4, however, has its SIM tray on this side, as well. You’ll need a pin to open this tray. On the top side of both phones, you can find the 3.5 mm headphone jack and a small hole for the microphone. You can find the Power button on the right side of both phones. Both phones have their Micro USB ports at the bottom side, but the Nexus 4 also has two torx screws here which hold the phone’s chassis in place. I wasn’t nosy enough to see what would happen If I were to remove these screws. On the Galaxy S3, you can find another hole for the microphone. Back Both the Galaxy S3′s and Nexus 4′s back covers have distinct and elegant designs. On the Nexus 4, you can see crystal-patterns shining on the black back cover. This is LG’s Crystal Reflection Method. You can see these patterns when you hold the phone against the light at certain angles. These patterns create the illusion of the Nexus logo floating in space, surrounded by glittering stars or crystals. The Nexus 4′s back is topped with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 that can withstand scratches; however, this glass is not shatter-proof. You might want to invest in some protection to keep the glass damage-free in case of falls. The back is smooth and flat and is interrupted only by the LED flash housing and the loudspeaker grille at the bottom. The 8-megapixel rear camera sits underneath the glass layer. Similar to the glossy minimalistic design on its front, the Galaxy S3 has a simple and polished polycarbonate back cover. At the top, you can find the LED flash, the loudspeaker grille, and the 8-megapixel camera that slightly protrudes from back cover. The Samsung logo is embossed on the back. The Galaxy S3′s flimsy polycarbonate backcover is both a blessing and a curse. It’s durable enough to not shatter or break during falls. If you have seen our Galaxy S3 drop test, the front screen had shattered while the back cover remained intact. Though the back cover appears durable, it is still prone to scratches. I have been using the Galaxy S3 for some time now and I can see some ugly scratches on the blue back cover. However, scratches may be less visible on the Galaxy S3′s white variant. The good thing, though, is that you can replace the original back cover with a sturdy third-party one. The battery is removable and is also replaceable, too. Display I compared the displays on both phones and they both performed well. The colors on the Galaxy S3 were more vibrant, more saturated, but less realistic. Colors on the Nexus 4, on the other hand, were a bit subdued but were more realistic. HD images are no problem for both of these phones. Under direct sunlight, both phones’ displays were still visible and usable. The Galaxy S3′s HD Super AMOLED screen is an ideal screen for media consumption. But, If you want a display that is more realistic, the True HD IPS+ screen on the Nexus 4 might suit you better. The Nexus 4 also uses Zerogap Touch technology that reduces air gaps on the screen, making the screen slimmer, more responsive, and brighter. Basically, you only have the top glass between you and the screen. Processing Power Nexus 4 Galaxy S3 Chipset Snapdragon APQ8064 Exynos 4412 CPU quad-core 1.5 GHz Krait quad-core 1.4 GHz Cortex-A9 GPU Adreno 320 Mali-400MP RAM 2 GB 1 GB Internal storage 8/16 GB 16/32/64 GB External storage none up to 64 GB Both the Galaxy S3 and the Nexus 4 are powered by quad-core processors. Navigating between homescreens, browsing Web pages, and playing HD games were smooth and seamless on both phones; however, it seems that the Galaxy S3 lags a little bit when launching apps. I also noticed some minor jitter while scrolling using the stock Web browsers on both phones. The Nexus 4 also has additional RAM. Though, I find the 1 GB of RAM on the Galaxy S3 just enough to support the phone. In terms of storage, the Galaxy S3 has storage capacities of 16-, 32-. and 64-gigabytes to choose from. The Nexus 4 has only 8- and 16-gigabyte variants and doesn’t have a slot for microSD card expansion. You can expand the memory on the Galaxy S3 with its microSD slot that can take up to 64 gigabytes of additional storage. Benchmarks Benchmark Nexus 4 Galaxy S3 Quadrant 3984 5461 AnTuTu 14280 10239 CF-Bench 10528 13224 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark HTML5 1131 1417 Vellamo Mobile Benchmark Metal 550 557 Geekbench 2 1636 1489 Linpack for Android Single Thread (MFLOPS) 39.883 54.937 Linpack for Android Multi-thread (MFLOPS) 91.866 460.838 GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Offscreen 26 fps 15 fps GLBenchmark 2.5 Egypt HD C16Z16 Onscreen 26 fps 15 fps Nenamark 1 58.8 fps 60.0 fps Nenamark 2 57.6 fps 58.8 fps An3DBench XL 35911 34334 SunSpider 0.9.1 JavaScript (lower is better) 2298.5 ms 2036.8 ms BrowserMark 2.0 1873 1881 Google V8 Benchmark Suite 1006 1744 In terms of CPU and GPU performance, the two phones have varying results. Some tests point to the Nexus 4 as more powerful, while others say it’s the Galaxy S3. In terms of browser performance, though, the Galaxy S3 scored higher than the Nexus 4. Connectivity Both the Nexus 4 and the Galaxy S3 can connect to 2G, 3G, and Wi-Fi. Although, some variants of the Galaxy S3 can connect to 4G networks. To be able to use the phone capabilities on both phones, you need to insert a micro-SIM card. The Galaxy S3′s SIM tray is located underneath the back cover. For the Nexus 4, you’ll need a small pin to access its SIM tray. Other means of connectivity on both phones are Bluetooth, NFC, DLNA, and Wi-Fi Direct. Both phones use standard-compliant Micro USB cables and ports for transferring files and connecting the phone to its wall charger. Camera The Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4 feature simple and flexible camera apps, though they each have something up their sleeves to amuse users. The Nexus 4′s Camera app features the following new goodies: Capturing 360-degree images with Photo Sphere Improved viewfinder layout Shooting 8-, 6-, 5-, 3-, 2-,1.3-megapixel, VGA, or QVGA images The Galaxy S3′s camera app, on the other hand, also lets you enjoy the following: Taking images in 8-, 6-, 3.2-, 2.4-, 0.9-, and 0.3-megapixel sizes Using Burst Shot to capture the perfect shot Letting the phone choose the perfect picture with Best Photo Instantly sharing images with Share Shot Applying various filters and effects Using voice-enabled controls Both phones use an 8-megapixel shooter to capture images. Both cameras were very fast and took a picture the moment I pressed the shutter button. Auto-focus usually took about 1-2 seconds but took longer in low-light settings. Let’s take a look at how these two 8-megapixel cameras fare in different settings: The shots above look crisp and good, though, I notice some yellowish tint on the image taken with the Nexus 4.  Colors on the Nexus 4 are quite subdued compared to the vibrant colors on the Galaxy S3′s picture. Indoors, both phones produced noisy images, but the Nexus 4′s picture had more noise, as illustrated by the photos above. Each phone has a LED flash but not all flashes are created equal. I prefer the Galaxy S3′s flash because it evenly distributes light on the subject. The flash on the Nexus 4, however, was so bright that our Bugdroid friends were not seen. The Nexus 4 has a 1.3-megapixel front camera, while the Galaxy S3 has a 1.9-megapixel front camera. Let’s see how these cameras fared: Both phones produced acceptable images in bright environments. The Nexus 4′s image colors are darker compared to those on the Galaxy S3′s picture. In low-light settings, though, both images were noisy but more noise was seen on the Nexus 4′s image. Both camera apps can record 1080p, 720p, and 480p videos. The Galaxy S3′s camera can even scale down the quality further to 240p. The Galaxy S3 also has the Anti-Shake feature for image stabilization while recording your videos. Videos from both cameras turned out great, but the colors on the Nexus 4 were subdued, while colors on the Galaxy S3 were vibrant and colorful. Media Playback The Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4′s respective video players are straightforward and contain the necessary buttons to control your videos. Both phones can play 1080p video without choking or lags. Aside from the usual buttons you can find on a video player, the Galaxy S3 has a button for the Pop up play feature. This feature allows you to watch your favorite movies while browsing webpages or composing a text. The Nexus 4 doesn’t have this feature. The Video Player app on the Galaxy S3 animates some of your video thumbnails, giving you a sneak peek at your videos. For listening to music, you have the Play Music app on the Nexus 4 and the Music Player app on the Galaxy S3. Both players are simple and look like the usual music players. Both players also have equalizer presets that allow you to configure sound level and quality. The Galaxy S3 calls this SoundAlive. You can manually adjust the equalizers, too. The Nexus 4′s Play Music app has a 5-band equalizer with Bass boost and 3D effect. The Galaxy S3′s Music Player, on the other hand, allows you to do more with its 7-band equalizer and extended settings for Bass, 3D effect, Reverb Level, Room Size, and Clarity. Sound quality from both loudspeakers is good, but I can hear distortion when I tune up the Volume on both phones. The Nexus 4′s loudspeaker is muffled when you lay the phone on a flat surface. The Galaxy S3′s loudspeaker doesn’t suffer the same fate, as the camera’s protrusion from the backplate keeps it from being covered when the Galaxy S3 is on its back. Battery Life The Galaxy S3 uses a Li-ion battery rated at 2,100 mAh that can give you up to 12 hours talk time on 3G. The Nexus 4, on the other hand, uses a Li-Po battery with the same rating, which can provide up to 15 hours talk time on 3G. To see which battery would stand out, I conducted our informal battery test on both phones. I turned on Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS; increased screen brightness to maximum; enabled sync options; and never allowed the screen to rest. I played an HD video on loop for the first hour. For the second hour, I browsed a graphics-heavy website. Two hours after, the Galaxy S3′s battery was at 61% while the Nexus 4′s battery level was at 50%. With moderate use, I think both phones could last about 10 hours or more. The Galaxy S3, however, seems more likely to make it to the end of the day. Software The Galaxy S3 was released with Android 4.0.4 Ice Cream Sandwich and later received an upgrade to Android 4.1.1 Jelly Bean. The Nexus 4, on the other hand, is the first Android smartphone with Android 4.2 Jelly Bean out of the box. Compared to the pure Android interface of the Nexus 4, the Galaxy S3 has Samsung’s TouchWiz Nature UX on top. Lockscreen The lockscreen on the Nexus 4 looks similar to the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean lockscreen but with the new features of Android 4.2 Jelly Bean. You can now swipe left and right on the lockscreen to scroll to different lockscreen pages. Here, you can place widgets, such as Gmail, Calendar, and Messages, and launch the Camera app directly from the lockscreen. To unlock the phone, simply tap the lock ring icon and swipe in any direction. The lockscreen on the Galaxy S3 was inspired by nature. When you tap on the screen, you can see ripple effects and hear the sound of water droplets. Just tap anywhere and swipe in any direction to unlock your phone. You can also place up to 5 app shortcuts on the lockscreen. Homescreen Since both phones are running Android, you can enjoy your homescreen as your personal space. You can group your favorite apps together, place widgets, and personalize the homescreen. The Nexus 4 can only give you 5 homescreen pages, while the Galaxy S3 lets you use up to 7 homescreen pages. Both phones also have a dock bar at the bottom for app shortcuts and folders. Each dock bar contains 4 app shortcuts or folders, with a button for the App Drawer. At the top of the Nexus 4′s screen, you’ll find its persistent search bar; the Galaxy S3 does not have this feature. Notifications For both phones, simply swipe down from the Status bar to open the notification menu. The Galaxy S3′s notification menu looks similar to the Nexus 4′s Jelly Bean notification menu layout, but with a few changes courtesy of the TouchWiz UI. At the top of the Galaxy S3′s notification menu, you can find toggle buttons and a brightness bar so you can do your adjustments directly from there. The Nexus 4 also has toggle buttons but they are situated in a different notification menu. You can find a button at the upper-right corner to view your notifications or to switch to toggle buttons. You can also swipe down from the status bar with two fingers to open the toggle buttons menu. App Drawer All your apps are stored in the App Drawer. The Galaxy S3′s app drawer looks the same as the Nexus 4′s, with some minor changes and customizability options. The app drawer on the Galaxy S3 is a 5×4 grid, whereas the Nexus 4 uses a 5×5 grid. The Galaxy S3 also allows you to change your App Drawer into a Customizable grid, Alphabetical grid, and Alphabetical list. You can even hide some apps from the App Drawer. You cannot do these on the Nexus 4. Both App drawers also contain a dedicated tab for widgets. You can view your widgets here and place them on the homescreen. Personalization Being Android devices, both phones have a unique features that allow you to customize the phone’s interface. The Nexus 4 allows you to do the following: Use screensavers, also known as Daydream, while charging the phone or when it’s on its dock Download and install third-party keyboards, launchers, and apps Use live wallpapers Group apps into folders Use widgets on the lockscreen The Galaxy S3, too, has its customizable features such as: Select from two homescreen modes Change the font style Select from 4 screen modes Enable/disable motion gestures Use live wallpapers Download and install third-party apps, keyboards, and launchers Rearrange apps in the add drawer Keyboard The Nexus 4 uses the stock Android Keyboard while the Galaxy S3 uses its very own Samsung Keyboard. Both keyboards are easy to use and have their own unique features. Android 4.2 Jelly Bean’s Android Keyboard features swipe gestures. With this keyboard, you can compose a text without lifting your fingers from the screen. If you’re tired of typing, you can compose your messages by using your voice; this voice-to-text feature does not need an Internet connection to work. The Samsung Keyboard also lets you swipe to text with Continuous input. You can also write text messages with your hand or with a compatible stylus using the Handwriting feature. The keyboard also has a voice-to-text feature but it doesn’t seem to work offline. Google on the Galaxy S3 has an offline voice recognition feature but it doesn’t seem to work. I’m not sure if this is an isolated case on our test device. Search The Nexus 4 uses Google Now as its default search app. I like how this app displays results on flashcards and automatically displays reminders or updates according to your data on Google. Google Now also allows you to search the Internet using the Nexus 4′s camera. You can take a picture of a monument and Google Now will search for info about it. The Galaxy S3 also uses Google Now as its search app. You also have a virtual assistant called S Voice. You can ask S Voice for search terms, to set reminders, to set the alarm clock, to compose your text, to launch apps, and even search for nearby locations. Security The Nexus 4 and the Galaxy S3 feature the same stock Android security features, such as: Screen lock types such as Slide, Face Unlock, Pattern, PIN, and Password Encrypting the data on the phone Enabling/disabling installation of apps not from the Google Play Store Showing or hiding passwords Adding a PIN for the Google Play Store app The Galaxy S3, however, has added security features, such as: Motion unlock Face and Voice unlock Remote controls via SamsungDive Video Review Check out our comparison video of these two phones: Pricing and Availability Google sells the the 8 GB and the 16 GB Nexus 4 for the price tags of US$299 and US$349, respectively. The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, comes in 16-, 32-, and 64-gigabyte variants with estimated prices of US$550, US$680, and US$800, respectively. Conclusion Both the Nexus 4 and the Galaxy S3 are excellent phones. These two phones have almost the same dimensions, eye-popping displays, fast processors, good cameras, and run on Android. I actually have a hard time deciding which phone to pick. In terms of operating system, both phones run Jelly Bean but the Nexus 4 features the latest version, Android 4.2.1 Jelly Bean, which is much smoother and carries new features such as Photo Sphere, lockscreen widgets, and UI improvements. The Galaxy S3, on the other hand, has the features of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean with a lot of customizations and modifications through Samsung’s TouchWiz Nature UX. The OS on the phone is generally smooth, but not as smooth as Android 4.2 Jelly Bean on the Nexus 4. Which phone are you getting for the holidays? Is it the newest Google Nexus 4 E960 or the popular Samsung Galaxy S3 GT-I9300? Let us know what you think by leaving a comment and voting in the polls below. Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll. 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