Apple iPhone 5 vs Samsung Galaxy S4
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Apple iPhone 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Price | $39 | $30 |
| Our rating | 4/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 1,440 mAh | 2,600 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Screen size | 4 in | 5 in |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 13 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 112 g | 130 g |
| Released | Sep 2012 | Apr 2013 |
Summary: Apple iPhone 5 is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Samsung Galaxy S4 is ahead on our rating, battery, storage (max), screen size.
★ Which should you buy? Samsung Galaxy S4 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Researched with AI assistance by infozme.com from manufacturer and retailer sources — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Type | IPS LCD | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 4.0 inches | 5.0 inches |
| Resolution | 640 x 1136 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Protection | Scratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coating | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | — |
| Pixel Density | 326 ppi | — |
| PPI | — | 441 ppi |
Platform
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| OS | iOS 6, upgradable to iOS 10.3.4 | Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, upgradable to 5.0.1 Lollipop |
| Chipset | Apple A6 | Exynos 5 Octa 5410 (International) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (USA/LTE) / Snapdragon 800 (LTE-A variant) |
| CPU | Dual-core 1.3 GHz Swift (ARM v7-based) | Octa-core (4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & 4x1.2 GHz Cortex-A7) or Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 |
| GPU | PowerVR SGX 543MP3 (triple-core graphics) | PowerVR SGX 544MP3 or Adreno 320 / Adreno 330 |
Memory
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Card slot | No | — |
| Internal | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | — |
| RAM | 1GB LPDDR2 RAM | 2GB |
| Internal Storage | — | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB |
| Card Slot | — | microSDXC, up to 64GB (officially), 128GB (unofficially) |
Main Camera
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Single | 8 MP, f/2.4, 33mm (standard), 1/3.2", 1.4µm, AF | — |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR | Autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | — |
| Megapixels | — | 13 MP |
| Aperture | — | f/2.2 |
| Pixel Size | — | 1.14 µm |
Selfie Camera
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Single | 1.2 MP, f/2.4 | — |
| Video | 720p@30fps | — |
| Megapixels | — | 2 MP |
| Features | — | 1080p@30fps video recording |
| Aperture | — | f/2.4 |
Battery
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Po 1440 mAh, non-removable | Removable Li-Ion |
| Talk time | Up to 8 h (3G) | — |
| Music play | Up to 40 h | — |
| Capacity | — | 2600 mAh |
Body
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm (4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 in) | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 112 g (3.95 oz) | 130 g |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass), aluminum back, aluminum frame | Polycarbonate chassis, removable plastic back |
| SIM | Nano-SIM | — |
Comms
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC | No | Yes |
| Radio | No | — |
| USB | Lightning, USB 2.0 | microUSB 2.0 (MHL 2.0 TV-out), USB On-The-Go |
| Infrared Port | — | Yes |
Launch
| Apple iPhone 5 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Announced | 2012, September 12 | March 14, 2013 |
| Released | 2012, September 21 | April 27, 2013 |
| Discontinued | 2013, September 10 | — |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Samsung Galaxy S4 — 1,440 mAh for the Apple iPhone 5 versus 2,600 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Which is lighter, Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Apple iPhone 5 — 112 g for the Apple iPhone 5 versus 130 g for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Which is newer, Apple iPhone 5 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Samsung Galaxy S4 — Sep 2012 for the Apple iPhone 5 versus Apr 2013 for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Is the Apple iPhone 5 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 rated higher?
We rate the Apple iPhone 5 4/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 7/10.
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