LG Nexus 4 vs HTC 8S: Android 4.2 and Windows Phone 8 Challengers Collide

Nexus 4, Google branded smartphone launched couple of months ago definitely borrowed some features from LG's flagship smartphone Optimus G and now the sizzling smartphone is selling like hot cake in the countries where it has been officially released. However, talking about Indian hemisphere, the launch of Nexus 4 is still not anywhere near the horizon.

Yet, those consumers interested in buying the smartphone always have an option of online retailer, prior to its official release. Tradus.com has listed the 8GB and 16GB variants of Nexus 4 at Rs 31,999 and Rs 37,999 respectively. However, the listing states that the devices are already sold out with an 'Out of Stock' status.

Scrutinizing the aspects of the smartphone arena and each step of the Korean phone maker, the Taiwanese tech giant HTC has also no plans to sit behind to win the race in the local market. The manufacturers' latest offering to the tech world, Windows Phone 8 based 8S already debuted in India during November alongside other handsets including 8X and One X+, however, 8S is still awaiting its market release in the country. But at the same time, just like the LG smartphone variant, HTC 8S is also available on online retailer Saholic.com, which has listed the handset at a cost of Rs 19,359.

Hence, Gizbot has come up with a spec comparison of HTC 8S and LG Nexus 4 to find out which latest OS integrated smartphones will be a better buy for you. Check it out below.

Dimensions & Weight: HTC 8S carries a dimension of 120.5 x 63 x 10.28 mm, weighing at 113 grams as compared to thicker and heavier Nexus 4 with a dimension of 134.2 x 68.6 x 9.1 mm and weight of 139 grams.

Display: When it comes to display, HTC 8S houses a 4 inch Super LCD 2 capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 800 x 480 pixels, whereas, Nexus 4 packs a larger 4.7 inch IPS display that has a resolution of 1280 x 768 pixels.

With IPD display, Nexus 4 offers faster response time, wide viewing angles and better quality color reproduction as compared to the one in HTC 8S.

Processor: In this segment, 8S is powered by a dual core 1GHz Qualcomm Snappdragon S4 processor, which is quite powerful even for the toughest tasks.

In comparison, Nexus 4 has a quad core 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor offering excellent gaming performance, supports 4G LTE in selected regions, better browser performance and more.

OS: Talking about the OS, the most contradictory segment of the comparison, HTC 8S runs on Windows Phone 8 operating system and Nexus 4 is based on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.

Detailing on software features, Windows Phone 8 has improved features like dynamic Live Tile Information, social network integration in the People hub, Skydrive and Office 365 documents synchronization, Facebook-events integrated calendar, visual voicemail, threaded email conversations support and many more.

On the other hand, Android 4.2 Jelly bean comes with a plethora of new features including Photo Sphere for panorama shots, Gesture Typing for predictive typing, Miracast supporting wireless displays, DayDream, improved notifications, quick settings, support to multiple user accounts, improved Google Now and more.

Camera: When it comes to camera, 8S has a 5MP rear camera and a front facing VGA camera for video calling.

On the other hand, Nexus 4 has an 8MP rear camera and a 1.3MP front camera for video calling.

Storage: On the storage front, 8S has 16GB internal memory and a 512GB RAM, whereas, Nexus 4 comes with 8GB/16GB internal storage and 2GB RAM.

However, both the smartphones lack a micro SD card slot for expandable memory support.

Connectivity: In terms of connectivity, both the handsets have features such as Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth and NFC.

Battery: 8S is loaded with a 1,700 mAh Li-Po battery of undisclosed backup and Nexus 4 has a 2,100 mAh Li-Po battery delivering up to 15.3 hours of talk time and 390 hours of standby.

Price: Both HTC 8S and LG Nexus 4 are available in India on pre-order from several online retailer sites for varying price points. The final market price will be known only when these handsets are released into the market.

Verdict

Both HTC 8S and LG Nexus 4 are equipped with decent specifications and packed with a plethora of software features that are based on their respective operating system.

If the concern is on a lightweight handset with a relatively lesser price tag, 8S should be a better choice.

On the other hand, if the concern is on a larger display, faster processor, better camera performance and improved battery capacity, Nexus 4 could be the right option.

At the end, the buying decision depends on the consumers based on the operating system that they want and on the price of the smartphone.