Google Nexus 4 vs. Samsung Galaxy S3: How Do They Stack Up?

Ever since the launch of Google Nexus 4 in India, the smartphone is selling at break-neck speed. The LG device was sold out in many online stores in record time. Popular online store Flipkart has already run out of Nexus 4 stocks twice since its release in mid-May, the case is the same in many other portals as well.

If prospective buyers are finding it difficult to get hold of the coveted Google Nexus 4, they can consider buying Samsung's record seller Galaxy S3 which has seen massive price-cuts in the past few months. It is now available in the market for ₹27,000, down from ₹32,000 a couple of months ago. Considering the specifications, Nexus 4 and Galaxy S3 are probably the top two smartphones in their price range.

To get a clearer perspective between the two flagship smartphones specifications, here is a brief comparison of main features between Google Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy S3:

Display:

Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch WXGA IPS screen panel with HD 1280x768p display resolution and pixel density close to 318 ppi (pixels per inch). On the other hand, Galaxy S3 features a 4.8-inch Super AMOLED screen with HD 1280x720p resolution having a pixel density of 306 ppi.

Processor:

In terms of power, Galaxy S3 and Nexus 4 stand even as they both pack quad-core processor with similar CPU speed. It is to be noted that the Samsung smartphone houses the company's in-house built Exynos 4412 chipset, whereas the LG device packs a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro series processor.

Nexus 4 also features the 400MHz Adreno 320 GPU, while Galaxy S3 packs a Mali-400MP graphics engine.

Storage and RAM:

Samsung Galaxy S3 houses 1GB RAM and 16GB internal memory which can be further expanded to 64GB via microSD card. In comparison, Nexus 4 boasts 2GB RAM and 16GB in-built memory, but it loses a point as it does not support microSD card slot.

Camera:

Google Nexus 4 sports an 8.0-megapixel camera on the rear side and a 1.3-megapixel front camera. The main camera boasts of auto-focus, LED flash, 4X digital zoom and other standard features.

Galaxy S3 too boasts an 8.0-megapixel camera with auto-focus, LED Flash and 1080p Full HD video recording capability, and it also houses a 1.9-megapixel camera on the front which can also take HD video.

Mobile Operating System:

Both, Nexus 4 and Samsung smartphone run on the ubiquitous Android Jelly Bean OS, but the LG smartphone has one advantage over Galaxy S3. It runs on the pure Android stock OS and will be the first among all other Android smartphones to receive the OS updates.

Price:

Currently, Nexus 4 is now available for ₹25,990 in the market whereas the year-old Galaxy S3 is priced a little over ₹27,000, almost ₹1,000 more than the LG smartphone.

Considering the overall comparison, Google Nexus 4 comes on top of Galaxy S3 as it boasts better design and build-quality as well as RAM capacity for smoother operation.

Here is a breakdown of specifications of LG-Google Nexus 4 and Samsung Galaxy S3:

 Prices vary depending on the market.