Google Nexus 5 vs. Apple iPhone 5S: Specification Comparison

Google's LG Nexus 5 set foot in the Indian market via Google Play store last week. The response from the subcontinent buyers was such that 16GB variant stocks ran out of stock within few hours.

Archrival Apple too released the new iPhone 5S (along with iPhone 5C) early this month in India and, despite its massive ₹53,000 plus price-tag, it made remarkable sales in the urban markets. But, with the launch of low-cost Nexus 5, people now have an alternative to the expensive Apple device.

Here is brief comparison of Google LG Nexus 5 and Apple iPhone 5S:

Display:

The new Nexus 5 comes with 4.95-inch display with full HD (1920x1080p) resolution having pixel count of 445 ppi (pixels per inch). It comes protected by the Corning's Gorilla Glass 3 shield.

On the other hand, Apple iPhone 5S sports a 4.0-inch widescreen retina display with 1136x640p resolutions and pixel density of 326 ppi.

Processor, RAM & Storage:

Nexus 5 ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series quad-core processor, backed by the 450MHz Adreno 330 graphics engine, sumptuous 2GB RAM and 16GB/32GB storage.

Apple iPhone 5S boasts a 64-bit architecture based A7 chipset, making it the most advanced smartphone in the market (current high-end smartphones have 32-bit based chipset). To further enhance the battery efficiency, the company has taken a leaf out of Motorola Moto X. Apple has planted a separate M7 co-processor to take care of motion related tasks of accelerometer and gyroscope, taking away a load from the main CPU. It packs 1GB RAM and is available in three storage variants 16GB/32GB/64GB in the market.

It is to be noted that both phones do not feature microSD card slot for memory expansion.

Operating System:

Like all Google-affiliated Nexus devices, LG Nexus 5 features pure Android OS stock. It ships with newest v4.4 KitKat OS, boasting enhanced features such as smarter caller ID, more organised message grouping, voice-command feature Google Now, low-power audio play playback (about 60 hours), quick access to settings, Quickoffice word document app, Bluetooth MAP (Message Access Profile) and many more.

Whereas, Apple iPhone 5S runs on the new v7.0 iOS out-of-the-box. It boasts a new control center (improved setting options), revamped Notification feature, AirDrop, real-time photo editing options, enhanced Siri (new male and women voice configuration), iTunes Radio, re-designed Safari search engine and more.

Camera:

LG Nexus 5 flaunts a pretty decent 8.0-megapixel main camera with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) and HDR +, full HD video recording, photo sphere with 360-degree view and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera.

On the other hand, Apple iPhone 5S boasts 8.0-megapixel camera with Dual-LED flash support called as True Tone, f/2.2 aperture, full HD video recording, 3X zoom and a 1.2-megapixel secondary camera capable of recording HD 720p video.

Price:

In a developing market like India, the price of the device plays a major role in the minds of buyers' decision-making process.

LG Nexus 5 is currently sold via Google Play and certain exclusive LG retail stores for ₹28,999 (16GB) and ₹32,999 (32GB). [Users have to shell out additional ₹1,000 in brick-and-mortar stores].

Apple iPhone 5S (16GB) holds a price-tag of ₹53,500, whereas 32GB and 64GB models costs ₹62,500 and ₹71,500 respectively.

Verdict:

Considering the specifications, both Google-LG Nexus 5 and Apple iPhone 5S are worth their price, despite the difference in margin.

The competitively priced Google phone features top-of-the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU and runs on the feature-rich v4.4 KitKat OS and is certain to draw huge attention from price-sensitive consumers.

On the other hand, Apple iPhone 5S will win the hearts of a tech-savvy smartphone enthusiast as its boasts a premium metal body and is the first smartphone in the industry to come with a fingerprint sensor and 64-bit architecture processor feature.

Key specifications of LG-Google Nexus 5 and Apple iPhone 5S: