The Ultimate Smartphone Comparison: Iphone 5 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S3 Vs. Nokia Lumia 920 Vs. HTC One X

Now that the iPhone 5 is launched, we can now have a more exciting comparison where the flagship smartphones from different makers and operating systems can battle out with each other. In this comparison, we will be including the fierce competitors in the smartphone arena namely the Samsung Galaxy S III, Nokia Lumia 920 and HTC One X.

To have a quicker view on how these devices compare with each other, let us discuss the comparison per specification or feature:

Operating System –
As we already know, the iPhone 5 has the iOS 6, Samsung Galaxy S III currently has the Android 4.0 but will be upgraded to Android 4.1 by before the end of this year, HTC One X is also integrated with Android 4.0 but upgrade to Android 4.1 is yet to be announced, and Nokia Lumia 920 will be having the Windows 8. As for the Android devices, let us take into consideration the much later Android 4.1 operating system for a more challenging comparison.

These three updated operating systems allow consumers to enjoy a wide variety of features such as advanced calling features, app store, music store, OS updates, turn by turn navigation in the Maps app, social media integrations, digital wallet, etc. However, there are some operating systems where one has an advantage over the others.

Among these are the NFC technology which only the Android 4.1 and Windows 8 are capable of. Although the three operating systems have social media integrations, Windows 8 encompasses more social media facilities such as Linked In and Windows Live other than Facebook and Twitter. Each operating system also has its own browser namely, Mobile Safari for iOS 6, Google Chrome for Android 4.1 and Internet Explorer 10 for the Windows 8, and we all know who the daddy is when it comes to browsers and this is, Google Chrome.

In addition to these, digital wallet support is present for these three operating systems but Android 4.1 and Windows 8 users may be having a hard time since theirs will be dependent on the NFC technology where the merchant is required to have an equipment of carrying the digital wallet transaction. Right now, this type of device is not yet common among merchants. iOS6 has the upper hand since theirs will be software based and will be working fine with a wireless broadband connection which is practically everywhere these days. For this reason, iOS 6 phone users should ideally have a reliable high speed internet connection in their homes to take advantage of the digital wallet support and other internet based features.

Each operating system has its own set of apps but consumers shouldn’t worry since there are always iOS6, Android or Windows 8 versions of the most popular apps there is. However, they can be surer with the availability of their desired apps with the iOS6 with their more than 650,000 apps. Android 4.1 fares second with its more than 600,000+ apps and Windows 8 fares far third with its 100,000+ apps.

Dimension
If portability is a major concern, consumers can be better off with the iPhone 5 with its much improved dimension being 18% thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor iPhone 4s, which already has the ideal dimension which makes it convenient in one’s hand.

Other smartphones in this comparisons have the following dimensions: 136 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm for Samsung Galaxy S III, 134.8 x 69.9 x 8,9 mm for HTC One X and 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7 mm for Nokia Lumia 920.

Display
While the trend in smartphone display calls for screen sizes bigger than 4.5, iPhone 5 has finally joined the bandwagon with its 4 inch screen. While it hasn’t reach the least in the standard sizes, its vibrant Retina display is packed with 1136 x 640 pixels, resulting to a whopping 326 ppi pixel density.

Other smartphones in this comparison have bigger screen sizes but lesser pixel density such as Samsung Galaxy S III with its 4.8 inch screen and 306 ppi pixel density and HTC One X’s 4.7 inch screen and 312 ppi pixel density. Nokia Lumia 920, on the other hand, has a 4.5 inch screen and 332 ppi pixel density, exceeding iPhone 5’s screen specifications both in terms of size and pixel density.

Rear Camera
Samsung Galaxy S III, HTC One X and iPhone 5 has an 8mp rear camera but Nokia Lumia 920 has a 8.7 mp rear camera. However, iPhone 5 has the panorama feature and faster shutter speed, among other standard camera features.

About the author: Kristine M. is fond of writing about the latest sensational gadgets, comparisons, and other tech topics such as high speed internet, broadband providers and SEO.