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 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Price₹4,765₹14,640
Our rating4/107/10
Battery1,440 mAh2,600 mAh
Storage (max)64 GB128 GB
Screen size4 in5 in
Main camera8 MP13 MP
Weight (lower is lighter)112 g130 g
ReleasedSep 2012Apr 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. If budget matters more than the extra capability, Apple iPhone 5 is the cheaper option.

Display

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
TypeIPS LCDSuper AMOLED
Size4.0 inches5.0 inches
Resolution640 x 1136 pixels1080 x 1920 pixels
ProtectionScratch-resistant glass, oleophobic coatingCorning Gorilla Glass 3
Aspect Ratio16:9—
Pixel Density326 ppi—
PPI—441 ppi

Platform

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
OSiOS 6, upgradable to iOS 10.3.4Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, upgradable to 5.0.1 Lollipop
ChipsetApple A6Exynos 5 Octa 5410 (International) or Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 (USA/LTE) / Snapdragon 800 (LTE-A variant)
CPUDual-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
GPUPowerVR SGX 543MP3 (triple-core graphics)PowerVR SGX 544MP3 or Adreno 320 / Adreno 330

Memory

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Card slotNo—
Internal16GB, 32GB, 64GB—
RAM1GB LPDDR2 RAM2GB
Internal Storage—16GB, 32GB, 64GB
Card Slot—microSDXC, up to 64GB (officially), 128GB (unofficially)

Main Camera

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Single8 MP, f/2.4, 33mm (standard), 1/3.2", 1.4µm, AF—
FeaturesLED flash, panorama, HDRAutofocus, LED flash, 1080p@30fps video recording
Video1080p@30fps—
Megapixels—13 MP
Aperture—f/2.2
Pixel Size—1.14 µm

Selfie Camera

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Single1.2 MP, f/2.4—
Video720p@30fps—
Megapixels—2 MP
Features—1080p@30fps video recording
Aperture—f/2.4

Battery

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
TypeLi-Po 1440 mAh, non-removableRemovable Li-Ion
Talk timeUp to 8 h (3G)—
Music playUp to 40 h—
Capacity—2600 mAh

Body

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Dimensions123.8 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
Weight112 g (3.95 oz)130 g
BuildGlass front (Gorilla Glass), aluminum back, aluminum framePolycarbonate chassis, removable plastic back
SIMNano-SIM—

Comms

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
WLANWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct
Bluetooth4.0, A2DP4.0, A2DP, EDR, LE
GPSYes, with A-GPS, GLONASSGPS, GLONASS
NFCNoYes
RadioNo—
USBLightning, USB 2.0microUSB 2.0 (MHL 2.0 TV-out), USB On-The-Go
Infrared Port—Yes

Launch

Apple iPhone 5Samsung Galaxy S4
Announced2012, September 12March 14, 2013
Released2012, September 21April 27, 2013
Discontinued2013, 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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