Samsung Galaxy Note 2 vs Samsung Galaxy S4
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the Samsung Galaxy S4, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Price | $109 | $30 |
| Our rating | 8/10 | 7/10 |
| Battery | 3,100 mAh | 2,600 mAh |
| Storage (max) | 64 GB | 128 GB |
| Screen size | 5.5 in | 5 in |
| Main camera | 8 MP | 13 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 182 g | 130 g |
| Released | Oct 2012 | Apr 2013 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy Note 2 is ahead on our rating, battery, screen size. Samsung Galaxy S4 is ahead on storage (max), main camera, weight (lower is lighter).
★ Which should you buy? Specs are close to an even split here, so Samsung Galaxy S4 is the better buy — the extra cost of the other one isn't matched by a clear spec advantage.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Type | HD Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors | Super AMOLED |
| Size | 5.5 inches, 83.4 cm² (~68.6% screen-to-body ratio) | 5.0 inches |
| Resolution | 720 x 1280 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~267 ppi density) | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 2 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 |
| PPI | — | 441 ppi |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Chipset | Exynos 4412 Quad | Exynos 5 Octa 5410 (International) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (USA/LTE) / Snapdragon 800 (LTE-A variant) |
| CPU | Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A9 | Octa-core (4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & 4x1.2 GHz Cortex-A7) or Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 |
| GPU | Mali-400MP4 | PowerVR SGX 544MP3 or Adreno 320 / Adreno 330 |
| OS | — | Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, upgradable to 5.0.1 Lollipop |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| RAM | 2 GB | 2GB |
| Internal Storage | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB |
| Card Slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot, up to 64GB) | microSDXC, up to 64GB (officially), 128GB (unofficially) |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Modules | 8 MP, f/2.6, AF | — |
| Features | LED flash, BSI sensor, autofocus, zero shutter lag, simultaneous HD video and 6MP image recording | Autofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording |
| Video | 1080p@30fps | — |
| Megapixels | — | 13 MP |
| Aperture | — | f/2.2 |
| Pixel Size | — | 1.14 µm |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Modules | 1.9 MP | — |
| Video | 720p | — |
| Megapixels | — | 2 MP |
| Features | — | 1080p@30fps video recording |
| Aperture | — | f/2.4 |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Type | Li-Ion 3100 mAh, removable | Removable Li-Ion |
| Talk time | Up to 16 h (3G) | — |
| Capacity | — | 2600 mAh |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 151.1 x 80.5 x 9.4 mm (5.95 x 3.17 x 0.37 in) | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 182 g (6.42 oz) | 130 g |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | — |
| Build | Plastic body, Gorilla Glass 2 front | Polycarbonate chassis, removable plastic back |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, LE, EDR | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE |
| GPS | Yes, with A-GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out, USB Host) | microUSB 2.0 (MHL 2.0 TV-out), USB On-The-Go |
| Radio | Stereo FM radio (market dependent) | — |
| Infrared Port | — | Yes |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy Note 2 | Samsung Galaxy S4 |
|---|
| Announced | August 2012 | March 14, 2013 |
| Status | Released October 2012 | — |
| OS at launch | Android 4.1.1 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 4.4.2 (KitKat) | — |
| Released | — | April 27, 2013 |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Samsung Galaxy Note 2 — 3,100 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 versus 2,600 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Samsung Galaxy S4 — 182 g for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 versus 130 g for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or Samsung Galaxy S4?
Samsung Galaxy S4 — Oct 2012 for the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 versus Apr 2013 for the Samsung Galaxy S4.
Is the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 or the Samsung Galaxy S4 rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy Note 2 8/10 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 7/10.
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