Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition vs Sony Xperia Z1
A spec-by-spec comparison of the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition and the Sony Xperia Z1, taken from their full specification sheets. Green marks the better value in each measured row.
Head to head
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Price | $54 | $52 |
| Our rating | 6/10 | 8/10 |
| Battery | 2,600 mAh | 3,000 mAh |
| RAM (max) | 2 GB | 2 GB |
| Storage (max) | 64 GB | 64 GB |
| Screen size | 5 in | 5 in |
| Main camera | 13 MP | 20.7 MP |
| Weight (lower is lighter) | 130 g | 170 g |
| Released | Feb 2014 | Sep 2013 |
Summary: Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition is ahead on weight (lower is lighter). Sony Xperia Z1 is ahead on our rating, battery, main camera.
★ Which should you buy? Sony Xperia Z1 is the stronger overall pick on the measured specs.
Reviewed by the infozme.com Editorial Team — see how we research & rate phones.
Display
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Type | Super AMOLED | TFT LCD, 16M colors |
| Size | 5.0 inches | 5.0 inches, 64.5 cm2 (~64.7% screen-to-body ratio) |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels (Full HD) | 1080 x 1920 pixels, 16:9 ratio (~441 ppi density) |
| Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | — |
| Pixel Density | ~441 ppi | — |
| Features | — | Triluminos display, X-Reality Engine |
Platform
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| OS | Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean (upgradable to 4.4.2 KitKat, planned upgrade to 5.0 Lollipop) | Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to 5.1 (Lollipop) |
| Chipset | Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 | Qualcomm MSM8974 Snapdragon 800 |
| CPU | Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 | Quad-core 2.2 GHz Krait 400 |
| GPU | Adreno 320 | Adreno 330 |
Memory
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Card slot | microSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 64GB | microSDXC (dedicated slot), up to 64 GB |
| Internal | 16GB/32GB/64GB, 2GB RAM | 16GB 2GB RAM (some variants 32GB) |
Main Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Single | 13 MP, f/2.2, 31mm (standard), 1/3.1", 1.12µm, AF | 20.7 MP, f/2.0, 27mm (wide), 1/2.3", AF |
| Features | LED flash, panorama, HDR | LED flash, panorama, HDR |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, dual-video recording | 1080p@30fps |
Selfie Camera
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Single | 2 MP, f/2.4, 22mm (wide) | 2 MP, 1080p@30fps |
| Video | 1080p@30fps, dual video call | — |
Battery
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Type | Removable Li-Ion 2600 mAh battery | Li-Ion 3000 mAh, non-removable |
| Talk time | Up to 17 h (3G) | Up to 15 h (2G) / Up to 15 h (3G) |
| Music play | Up to 62 h | — |
| Stand-by | — | Up to 880 h (2G) / Up to 850 h (3G) |
Body
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Dimensions | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm | 144 x 74 x 8.5 mm (5.67 x 2.91 x 0.33 in) |
| Weight | 130 g | 170 g (6.00 oz) |
| Build | Glass front (Gorilla Glass 3), plastic back (faux leather), plastic frame | — |
| SIM | Micro-SIM | Micro-SIM |
| Protection | — | IP55/IP58 dust/water resistant (up to 1.5m for 30 min) |
Comms
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| WLAN | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, DLNA, hotspot |
| Bluetooth | 4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE | 4.0, A2DP, aptX |
| Positioning | GPS, GLONASS | GPS, GLONASS |
| NFC | Yes | Yes |
| Infrared port | Yes | — |
| Radio | No | Stereo FM radio, RDS |
| USB | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out), OTG | microUSB 2.0 (MHL TV-out), USB Host |
Launch
| Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition | Sony Xperia Z1 |
|---|
| Announced | January 2014 (Black Edition) | 2013, September 04 |
| Status | Available February 2014 | Released 2013, September |
Frequently asked questions
Which has the better battery, Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition or Sony Xperia Z1?
Sony Xperia Z1 — 2,600 mAh for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition versus 3,000 mAh for the Sony Xperia Z1.
Which is lighter, Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition or Sony Xperia Z1?
Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition — 130 g for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition versus 170 g for the Sony Xperia Z1.
Which is newer, Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition or Sony Xperia Z1?
Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition — Feb 2014 for the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition versus Sep 2013 for the Sony Xperia Z1.
Is the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition or the Sony Xperia Z1 rated higher?
We rate the Samsung Galaxy S4 Black Edition 6/10 and the Sony Xperia Z1 8/10.
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