Sony Xperia Z vs HTC Droid DNA vs Samsung Galaxy S3: Specs Showdown

With more and more large-sized Android smartphone emerged in the market, consumer just like you must be smart in choosing the optimal smartphone to match your daily needs: entertainment, multimedia, social networking, web browsing, etc. Bear in mind that just choose the device based on your real purpose of owning a smartphone.

Everybody has already known that Sony just unleashed its latest Android flagship device Xperia Z. To see how it stacks up, I have put it against two established kings of Google’s castle, the Samsung Galaxy S3 and HTC Droid DNA. Also, I have run the three against each other in the specs list table below for easier comparison.

How does Sony’s latest flagship Android device compare to its peers? Take a gander at my comparison, spec sheet and see for yourself.

• Display 

Galaxy S3 boasts a sizeable 4.8-inch Super AMOLED touch display with a 1280x720p resolution at 306 ppi. Frankly, the picture quality of Galaxy S3 is a little lower. However, it is still plenty sharp for most uses. The contrast and brightness are good and color are rich.

The touchscreen of Xperia Z is bit bigger, it's a 5-inch LCD with a 1920x1080p HD resolution clocking in at an impressive 443ppi. The display delivers good brightness and also uses OptiContrast technology for deeper blacks along with the Sony Mobile Bravia Engine 2 for improved color and saturation.

HTC Droid DNA has the same 5-inch screen size and resolution as the Xperia Z. The difference is Xperia Z has TFT screen with Sony Mobile BRAVIA Engine 2, Shatter proof and scratch-resistant glass protection, while HTC Driod DNA has Super LCD3 with Corning Gorilla Glass 2 protection, HTC Sense UI 4+.

Considering the special waterproof feature, the winner on this round – Sony Xperia Z

• Processor and Memory

Sony Xperia Z comes with 1.5 GHz Quad core Snapdragon S4 CPU, while HTC Droid DNA also powered by 1.5 GHz Quad core Snapdragon S4 CPU. In terms of memory, both of them have 2GB RAM and 16GB internal ROM storage memory and up to 32GB expandable via MicroSD card.

The Galaxy S3 is fitted with Samsung’s own Exynos quad-core processor clocked at 1.4GHz with 1GB of RAM. Samsung offers the Galaxy S3 in both 16GB and 32GB options, with microSD capability for high-capacity cards up to 64GB.

Actually, speed is quite important to a mobile and removes your worrying on slowdown, especially wanting to do more multi-task or play high-end game. So, this round winners – Sony Xperia Z and HTC Droid DNA.

• Camera 

This is a big battle section among three models. Sony Xperia Z sports a 13MP rear camera and 2.2MP front camera. It also supports 1080p video recording. As it has water resistant support, users could take some beautiful snaps like fish under water.

HTC Droid DNA comes with 8MP rear camera and 2.1MP front camera, while Galaxy S3 is packed with an 8MP camera and 1.9MP front face. Both support 1080p video recording.

Obviously, this round winner – Sony Xperia Z

• Price and release date 

Xperia Z is announced at CES 2013 event and is expected to be on sale on first quarter of 2013. Price is rumored to be equal with Galaxy Note 2.

HTC Droid DNA is announced at December 2012, while Samsung Galaxy S3 is released on May 2012. Both are available for a starting price of $199.

It the rumored price of Sony Xperia Z is true, most likely it will let its followers down. Personally, no winner here.

• Final thoughts

Other features like battery, connectivity, software are nearly the same, so I will never take them as comparison. Actually the new Xperia Z stacks up quite well against the competition. It pulls head of the Galaxy S3 and HTC Droid DNA in quite a few aspects.

Xperia Z matches the HTC device’s high-resolution display and quad-core processor. In terms of camera and battery life, Xperia Z takes the lead. The camera is to be expected, especially with Sony’s intense focus on photography. Nevertheless, a slightly better camera and improved battery life doesn’t exactly blow the competition out of the water. As usual, only time will tell whether or not Sony can pull off the impossible and take the lead on the Android front.

Related Article:

Sony Xperia Z Review: Sony Released Its Flagship Xperia Z on CES 2013
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iPod Touch 5G vs iPod Touch 4G: Full Comparison for Your Black Friday Reference

As the era of smartphone rises, it is widely believed that the age of MP3 player is coming to an end. However, now Apple still keeps its iPod Touch lineup living and updates iPod device to 5th generation. With the hotly-anticipated Black Friday getting close, I found there are so many music enthusiasts hanging about choosing which generation of iPod Touch for Thanksgiving gift. So today I will show you all a full comparison between these two booming devices, so as to let you know better about the difference between the iPod Touch 5G and iPod Touch 4G just before you go to buy them on Black Friday.

Dimensions

From above photo, you will clearly find that iPod Touch 5G basically remains the original physical design, and simultaneously becomes much thinner and taller. Just following the evolution of iPhone 5, the screen aspect ratio of iPod touch 5G grows to be 16:9. The screen aspect of iPod touch 4G is 3:2.

Weight

When it comes to the weight of iPod Touch 5G, you must see that the iPod Touch 5G is much lighter than iPod 4G. When putting it on your pocket, I do believe you will always worry about the disappearing of this new 5G iPod. 

Display

Just similar to the iPhone 5 and iPhone 4S, there is a screen increase for the two iPod touch generations. Apple has upgraded the 3.5-inch screen to a bigger 4-inch Retina screen.

Speaking of the screen resolution, the fourth generation is 960x640 at 326 pixels per inch, while the newer iPod Touch has a pixel resolution of 1,136x640 pixel resolution at also 326 pixels per inch.

Processor

As is known to all, the 5th generation iPod touch is the first model in iPod family to outfit a dual-core processor. The A5 processor makes the 5G iPod Touch fast and powerful enough for generally uses.

The engine power of the older 4G iPod touch is an A4 chip. For today's standards, it is a bit slow while doing multi-tasks on iPod touch 4G, like watch HD videos on iPod Touch. 

RAM

Comparing to the 4G iPod touch, the RAM of this newest iPod is upgraded to a double number 512MB. Combined with the dual-core chip and the perfect iOS, the 5G touch will be pretty quick. 

Storage

At present, the iPod Touch 5G is made available in the 32GB and 64GB variants, while the fourth generation offers in 16GB and 32GB options.

Wireless Connectivity

Talking about the connectivity, there is no difference between 4G and 5G iPod Touch. Both two devices are able to connect with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. 

Cameras

The camera of 5G iPod touch is a massive upgrade over its predecessor. It has a 5MP iSight camera and a front-facing camera with 1.2 megapixels. Meanwhile, it support to record video of up to 720p.

No quite detailed camera specs of 4G iPod Touch are provided by Apple. We just know that it supports to record videos at 720p. 

Battery

The iPod Touch 5G supports 40 hours music playback time and 8 hours for video playback. Meantime, the 4G variant has a music playback time of 40 hours, yet one hour less video playback time than iPod touch 5G. 

Voice Assistant

Far as I know, the iPod touch 5G is the fourth Apple device to equip Siri (after the iPhone 4S, New iPad and iPhone 5). This voice assistant could recognize so many languages. Personally, it is a quite great aide for our daily life. Bear in mind that you need to connect Wi-Fi if wanting to use Siri. 

Some other comparison about iPod touch 5G and iPod touch 4G:

About selling colors: the 4G iPod is only available on black and white versions, while 5G touch have a white front and various color choices for black.

About selling prices: Perhaps the only reason you will choose the 4G iPod Touch on this Black Friday is its much cheaper price. It will cost you $199 for the 16GB version while compared to $299 for the 32GB version of iPod Touch 5G.

Just my personal view, I highly suggest you to buy the newest iPod touch 5G on Black Friday. It is said that Apple will give some discounts for this appealing device. Well, if you just care about the price, iPod touch 4G is also a good choice.  

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Tablet Wars: Nexus 10 vs iPad 4 vs Windows Surface vs Kindle Fire HD 8.9

Just recently, Google has introduced a new 10-inch tablet to its flagship Nexus line, which officially called Nexus 10. As a device built by the cooperation between Google and Samsung, you will find that Nexus 10 picks up some design concepts from Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Galaxy Note 10.1. So, we have enough reasons to believe this 10-inch Android tablet contains strong power to stack up against the newest iPad 4, Windows Surface and even the Kindle Fire HD 8.9. So, now let us take a look at the key features of all four tablets and then figure out which one is the finally king.

Screen resolution:

If you are seeking for a high quality screen, the Nexus 10 is undoubtedly the first choice. The screen resolution of the Nexus 10 is 2560 x 1600p for the 10-inch screen which comes to 300 pixels per inch beating iPad 4, Surface and Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

You know, the iPad 4 has a 2048×1536p resolution at 264 pixels per inch for a 9.7 inch screen. Surface features a 1,366 x 768p resolution at 148 pixels per inch for a 10.6 inch screen. Kindle Fire HD 8.9 includes a 1,920 x 1,200p resolution at 254 pixels per inch for an 8.9 inch screen.

Winner: Nexus 10.

Processors:

When it comes to the processing speed, Nexus 10 has a 1.7GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor with 2GB RAM, while iPad 4 has a dual-core A6X processor with unknown RAM; Surface includes a 1.5Ghz Quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 CPU with 2GB RAM; Kindle Fire HD 8.9 features a dual-core 1.5GHz chip with 2GB RAM.

Although Apple does not reveal the RAM of iPad 4, it is widely believed iPad 4 is just with 1GB RAM. Based on the data, you might think Nexus 10 is the best one. However in my view, the phone speed cannot just be decided by its processor. The overall performance of a phone is the real determiner.

No winner here

Camera:

Based on official introduction, Nexus 10 has a 5MP rear camera and 1.9-megapixel front camera for video chat; iPad 4 comes with a 5MP rear camera and a 1.2MP front camera; Surface contains two 720p HD cameras and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 includes a HD front camera.

Winner: Nexus 10

Operating system:

The Nexus 10 ships with Android 4.2 and some new features like gesture typing are added. iPad 4 runs iOS 6 and supports the smart assistant Siri. Only considering Google Map, I think Nexus 7 is better than iPad 4. At least I will never use the stupid Apple Map.

With regard to Windows Surface, it comes with Microsoft's newest Windows 8 OS. However, the apps on Windows 8 platform are so poor. Well, the Kindle Fire HD 8.9 is just with Android 4.0.

Winner: Nexus 10

Connection:

The Nexus 10 and Surface support Wi-Fi but no 3G or 4G service, while iPad 4 and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 supports both 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi connections.

Winner: iPad 4 and Kindle Fire HD

Battery life:

Far as I know, Surface supports 8 hours of mixed activities; iPad 4 lasts 10 hours of video playback; both Nexus 10 and Kindle Fire HD 8.9 can be used for 9 hours video playback.

Winner: iPad 4

Price:

Nexus 10 starts at $399, while iPad 4 starts at $499, Surface starts at $499 and Kindle Fire HD starts at $299. Considering the cost and performance, undoubtedly Nexus 10 is the best one.

Winner: Nexus 10

To sum up, Nexus 10 and iPad 4 are the winners when comparing the performance.

In consideration of the high cost-effectiveness, Nexus 10 is the obvious winner.

Only take into account price, just choose Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

Okay, I will never recommend you using Windows Surface due to its high price and bad performance, only if you want to take a try on Windows 8 OS.

To make you more clear about all fours tablets, an in-depth table is provided for your reference:

Related Article:
All You Need to Know about Google’s Fire-new Nexus 10, Nexus 4 and Nexus 7

Windows Phone 8 Fight: Samsung ATIV S vs. Nokia Lumia 920 vs. HTC Windows Phone 8X

There is no denying that Windows Phone OS crafted by Microsoft has not taken the mobile world by storm. When it comes to Window Phone 7 OS, to some extents, it is end up in failure.  However, with Microsoft getting to unveil their brand-new Windows Phone 8 platform and meantime a multitude of top-tier Windows Phone 8 smartphones joining in Windows Phone 8 family, seemingly its adverse conditions will be changed.

As you probably know, the newest children added to Windows Phone family are Samsung ATIV S, Nokia Lumia 920, HTC Windows Phone 8X. If you have watched the official announcements and at this moment, you are eager to seek for something totally different from Android, iOS, all these three phones are worthy of your consideration. Get stuck in which one is the best choice for you? Perhaps below reference will help you out. 

Camera:

We should admit that the mobile camera is not the main tool for image shooting in our daily life. However, more and more folks tends to give up carrying bulky professional camera with them and choose to use smartphone mobiles to take pictures. Now let us talk about their stuffed cameras:

• The Samsung ATVI S is packed with an 8MP rear camera with certain features like auto-focus, flash, plus its front camera resolution is 1.9MP.
• The Nokia Lumia 920 comes with an 8.7 MP camera with the widely reputed Carl Zeiss Tessar lens and a secondary VGA camera.
• HTC Windows Phone 8X boasts a primary 8MP camera at the rear and a secondary 2.1 MP camera in the front to support video-calls.

Winner: If you are the one loving photographing and hate to bring a clunky camera, the Lumia 920 is undoubtedly your best choice, thanks to its PureView camera with the best image stabilization in the industry and Carl Zeiss optics. 

Screen:

Personally, the most important part of a mobile is the screen. A bigger and sharper screen will present the best visual experience and viewing angle when enjoying the multimedia. A high quality screen will deliver the most perfect touch sense. So, now let us talk about their packed screen. 

• Samsung ATIV S has a 4.8-inch super AMOLED display with a screen resolution of 1280 X 720. The display is protected by Gorilla Glass.
• A 4.5-inch Huge PureMotion HD+ display sits on Lumia 920, with a screen resolution of 1280 X 768. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.
• The HTC Windows Phone 8X sports a 4.3-inch super LCD screen with the same resolution as the Samsung ATIV S and is also covered up by Gorilla Glass.

Winner: Among all three mobiles, Samsung ATIV  S is the largest one; Lumia 920 is the brightness one; HTC 8X is the smallest one. No winner here. You can choose your preferred one based on personal needs. 

Processor:

It is a common sense that the CPU is the heart of each mobile and a high-end processor can provide a blazing-fast responsiveness alongside quick data speeds. At present, seemingly the high-profile Windows Phone 8 smartphones announced recently are packed with the nearly same performance processor. For example:

• Samsung ATIV S has a 1.5 GHz dual-core processor with 1GB RAM
• Nokia Lumia 920 boasts a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB RAM
• HTC 8X also sports a 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor with 1GB RAM

Winner: The same processor and the same RAM, there is no winner here too.

Battery:

If you prefer to do video games and watch videos on your smartphone, a far long battery life is so vital.

• Samsung ATIV S contains a 2300 mAh battery.
• Nokia Lumia 920 covers a 2000 mAh battery.
• HTC 8X has a battery power of 1800 mAh.

Winner: On the surface, the Smasung ATIV S is a slight winner.

In my mind, the Lumia 920 is the hero of all three Windows Phone 8 mobiles. The HTC 8X is also a quite good one especially considering its Beats Audio, however, it seems that the 8X completely imitate the design of Lumia 920, which is the part I really dislike. Apart from the fresh OS, no surprise with HTC 8X and Samsung ATIV S.

Top 5 Widespread Gadgets for Apple Haters

1. Best iPhone 4S Alternative: Samsung Galaxy S III

As the newest flagship smartphone created by Samsung, the Galaxy S3 is released to certain international market on May, 2012, which comes fully loaded with Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich,  4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display with 1,280x720 pixel resolution, 4G LTE capability, a zippy dual-core processor, a strong 8-megapixel camera and tones of internal memory and 2GB RAM. Most importantly, the handset's price is quite compelling.

Pumped with high-performing hardware and creative software features, the Samsung Galaxy S3 is an excellent, top-end phone that is neck and neck with the Apple iPhone 4S.

2. Best iPad Alternative: Google Nexus 7
As for the biggest competitor for currently well-liked iPad and Amazon Kindle Fire, Google Nexus 7 delivers a premium design with only Wi-Fi connection and is powered with Google’s excellent Android 4.1 Jelly Bean Software, 1.3GHz quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor, a 1280 x 800 IPS capacitive touchscreen. When holding this 7-inch tablet at hand, you will find it is pretty easy for you to carry it around in your pocket or purse. Furthermore, this smart tablet device offers easy access to Google’s Play Store for you to obtain various media contents, including magazines, movies, TV shows, games and e-Books.

3. Best iPod Touch Alternative: Samsung Galaxy Player 4.2

As the latest Samsung offering among Android media player lineage, Galaxy Player 4.2 looks more like a phone featuring a larger screen than iPod touch (4.2 inches versus 3.5 inches), a much better sound due to the combination of front-facing speakers and SoundAlive technology, a pair of cameras allowing you to capture your beloved scenery and a expandable memory letting you store more media files. Besides, you can directly access to Google Play Store for multi-media entertainment.

4. Best iPod Nano Alternative: MotoActv

When you check out the rundown of what’s inside this watch-like music player that is based on Google Android operating system, you will clearly know why MotoActv is more attractive than iPod NANO.

1.       Perfect sound quality for music listening

2.       A 1.6-inch touchscreen which is slightly bigger than the nano

3.       built-in GPS for tracking running, cycling, golf and more

4.       Wi-Fi connection for wireless syncing

5.       Bluetooth 4.0 with ANT+ compatibility

6.       FM radio for killing your free time while running

7.       Lengthy battery life for long runs/ rides

5. Best MacBook Pro with Retina Display Alternative: Samsung Series 7 Chronos

Samsung’s Series 7 Chronos is a full-featured portable machine at a much lower price than MacBook Pro. Although it looks more like a clone for MacBook Pro, this Windows 7 powered 17-inch laptop delivers us a big surprise for just selling at $1,000, which packs a full HD matte screen along with a lot more storage than the MacBook Pro (1 TB versus 256 GB). The sleek aluminum Series 7 also packs a quad-core Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and Nvidia GeForce GT 650M graphics with a DVD-ROM included!