“I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple’s $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong. I’m going to destroy Android, because it’s a stolen product. I’m willing to go thermonuclear war on this.” – Steve Jobs from “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson
On Tuesday, Google announced their new operating system Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), and its flagship phone the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Motorola also announced its “impossibly” thin Droid RAZR earlier the same day. These are the biggest and baddest smartphones Android has to offer this year, and Android’s best chance at competing with the iPhone. So how do they compare to the iPhone 4S?
On paper the iPhone 4S, Galaxy Nexus and Droid RAZR match up pretty evenly. The RAZR’s claim to fame is how thin it’s measuring in at 7.1 millimeters. The Galaxy Nexus boasts the biggest display (4.65 inches) and highest pixel resolution (1280 x 720) of all three phones, but the iPhone 4S edges it out (316 ppi) in pixel density with 330 ppi. The RAZR is in the middle with its Super AMOLED 4.3 inch display. I guess it all depends on how big you like your screen, or how thin you prefer your phone. Both the iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus cross the “Retina Display” threshold, so it seems like splitting hairs at this stage of the game.
Under the hood the RAZR and Nexus both feature powerful 1.2GHz dual-core processors, and double the iPhone 4S in RAM. Based on specs alone the Nexus and RAZR should beat the iPhone 4S in speed, but specs can be misleading. Lets just say all three phones won’t disappoint you in this category, but Android might have the edge. We will have to wait until they’re officially released to really know. The Galaxy Nexus and RAZR also offer fast download speeds on Verizon’s fast LTE network.
All three phones come with 16GB of built in memory. The iPhone 4S and Galaxy Nexus offer 32GB models and the RAZR includes a 16GB MicroSD card. The iPhone 4S is the only device that offers a 64GB model.
The iPhone 4S and RAZR both have 8-megapixel cameras with 1080p video support. The Nexus only features a 5-megapixel camera with 1080p video support. The iPhone 4S offers autofocus, face detection, and image stabilization. The Nexus promises Panorama photos and zero shutter lag.
So which is the better phone? Unfortunately the specs don’t really tell. I guess it comes down to same tired old debate. Apple fanatics will say the iPhone 4S is better, and Apple haters will tell you Android blows Apple away.
If you were considering switching from Apple to Android, Samsung and Motorola have delivered two great alternatives to the iPhone 4S. But based on the specs I would stick with the phone I’m used to using. You should also consider carrier options, extras like Siri and compare iOS 5 to Android 4.0 before you really make a decision.
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