Samsung Galaxy S4 vs Apple iPhone 5: A comparison of performance and camera

New Delhi, June 25: Samsung Galaxy S4 or iPhone 5? It's a tough question which is hard to answer, as there are voices both in favour and against both the Apple/Android device. As it is known Samsung Galaxy S4 is a superphone. It's got a 5-inch 1080p Super AMOLED screen, a superfast quad-core 1.9GHz Snapdragon 600 processor, 2GB RAM, LTE, NFC, and a 13MP camera. It comes with a powerful 2600mAh battery, and an IR blaster for controlling your home entertainment system. It runs Android 4.2.2 with Samsung's heavy TouchWiz skin on top of it. If you're familiar with the Galaxy S III, then the S4 looks strikingly familiar. A latest survey said the Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, took the top spot at three of the four major U.S. carriers' stores in the month of May, while the iPhone 5 still remained the most popular smartphone at AT&T retail. In April, when the Galaxy S4 saw limited availability, the iPhone 5 was the top selling smartphone at all four major U.S. carrier stores. But as shipments of the Galaxy S4 began to increase, Samsung's latest Android handset took over in May — but not at AT&T.The following analysis shows the difference between the two ssmartphones on two fronts: the performance and camera. Performance Comparing an iOS device to an Android device is not always easy. Racing the iPhone 5 against the quad-core 1.9GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor-powered Galaxy S4 means that the Apple device has met its match. While both devices are lightning fast – loading webpages in seconds, streaming video seamlessly and dealing with power-hungry apps with ease – after some period you'll find that the S4 is a pleasure to use.Comparatively, the Galaxy S4's processor has more cores (four to the iPhone's two), and is clocked higher (1.9 GHz to the iPhone's 1.3 GHz). The GS4 also has double the RAM offered in iPhone (2 GB versus 1 GB) and scores much higher than the iPhone 5 in a couple of benchmarks scoring 3227 and 41fps in Geekbench 2 and GLBenchmark compared to the iPhone 5's 1650 and 38fps. However, the iPhone 5 got a better time in SunSpider - 903ms against 1092ms.Besides doing well in benchmarking tests, the Galaxy S4 is great when it comes to opening of apps, multitasking and the overall speed. The iPhone 5's dual-core 1.2GHz processor might look measly in comparison, but there are hardly any issues with its performance. That's probably because all iOS apps are optimised to work on the iPhone. The buttery-smooth iOS in real world use has still no match yet. There is no doubt that the A6 processor inside the iPhone 5 is a fast chip. The dual-core ARM v7 combined with a triple-core GPU puts it well ahead of the iPhone 4S. Processor speed Cores RAMSamsung Galaxy S4 1.9GHz 4 2GBApple iPhone 5 1.3GHz 2 1GB GeekBench 2 GLBenchmark SunSpiderSamsung Galaxy S4 3227 41fps 1092msApple iPhone 5 1650 38fps 903msVerdict:Despite GS4 having better technical specs, the iPhone 5 holds its own in most casual day-to-day use. The S4 has an edge, but you'll hardly find anything to complain about with either phone's performance.CamerasOn a technical level, the Galaxy S4 sports a 13-megapixel rear camera, while the iPhone 5's rear shooter has 8 megapixels. Along the top of the screen, you'll see the 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera. The s4 is capable of taking some stunning photos and comes with a decent auto mode, which enables you to get really great shots no matter what the framing. The SGS4 also comes with lots of clever modes, taking their UI cues from the Samsung Galaxy Camera, meaning that a quick tap of the 'Mode' button below the on screen shutter will give you a scrollable wheel of options to choose from. These options include Drama Shot, Eraser mode and Beauty Shot, as well as cueing up the likes of HDR mode to improve the quality and light levels of your snaps.In general, the Galaxy S4 camera is great, as it delivers good images rich in colour that look great even when blown up on a larger screen. However, the S4 does not perform great in low light in comparison to iPhone 5, despite Samsung's claims that it matches them. There is also no dedicated camera key either.Daylight close-upIt's hard to tell any difference in these images but in the originals, the GS4's shot looks a little bit sharper.Closer shotsThere is clearly the finer detail from the Galaxy S4 shot.In shadesThe S4 again takes better pictures in shades. The GS4's shot still looks brighter, though the iPhone's still has plenty of detail.Moderate indoor lightingHere the iPhone 5 has slight edge. It's a hair brighter, and I'd say the contrast looks a bit better too.Extremely poorly-lit sceneHere the GS4's performance was bad but the iPhone 5 was not too good either. With flash in that same low-lit settingThe GS4's shot has a bit sharper detail and slightly deeper colors.Verdict:The Galaxy S4 has an edge, but not too much. Snapping an image in best of the conditions gives higher quality images on S4. The GS4's camera also holds up well under moderate lighting. The iPhone is better under terrible lighting.(images courtesy: gizmag.com)