http://www.gizbot.com/img/2014/04/22-z1-compact-nexus-5-2.jpg

LG Nexus 5 vs Sony Xperia Z1 Compact Comparison Review: And the Winner is..

Japanese handset maker Sony seems to be doing a silent yet steady growth in the Indian market. Recently, the company announced that they had passed Apple to become second largest smartphone brand in India in 2014.

 

Sony divulged the secret of success by saying that the company focused on dishing out low priced smartphones under the category of Rs 10,000 to Ra 20,000 including popular handsets like Xperia M Dual and Xperia C. This strategy helped them attain the glory in smartphone market.

In contrast, moving on to a slightly higher priced range, Sony introduced Xperia Z1 Compact in the Indian market - filled up with pretty impressive specs, the handset was a declared hit, the moment it got launched.

But at the very similar time, one more smartphone was released in the native market - yes, we are talking about the Android chief - Google branded LG manufactured Nexus 5, which swayed the market with its stylish, simple looks and powerful performance at mid-range price category. Hence today, GizBot has got both the phones and we plan to compare them head-to-head in respect to features which play an important role in a buyer's decision. Take a look at the review section below.

Form Factor

Form Factor

When compared Nexus 5 at 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm is bigger in size than the Xperia Z1 Compact which comes at 127x65x9.5mm, however width-wise and weight-wise the latter has heavier dimensions. Interestingly, Nexus 5 is 130 grams and Xperia Z1 Compact's weight is 137 grams. Well, the reason is IP55 and IP58 certifications which also makes the phone water and dust resistant. And Sony's offering completely lives up to the expectation in that case.

But at the same time, when it comes to fingerprint proof test, Nexus 5 had some better results as comparable to Xperia Z1 Compact, which also features a polished back in contrast to Nexus 5's touch matte rubber back.

Meanwhile, Google Nexus 5 might be a beautiful phone to complement your palm, however its a little to fragile to handle, as it might not survive some of your greatest drops. On the other hand, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is built to drop and survive.

Winner: Xperia Z1 Compact

 

Display
 

Display

As far as the screen space is concerned, of course you will get more on the Nexus 5, thanks to its 4.95 inches display complemented by 1080 x 1920 pixels along with 445 ppi pixel density. But at the same time, Xperia Z1 Compact with its 4.3 inches along with 720 x 1280 pixels and 342 ppi pixel density is easy to handle and apt for users with the smallest fingers.

Further moving on to the screen display capabilities, Xperia Z1 Compact is backed by a Triluminos display with X-Reality which presents the text on the screen very crisp, however, the Nexus 5 screen is a winner over here, its just beautiful in terms of colors, sharpness, vibrancy and viewing angles.

Winner: Nexus 5

 

Operating system

Operating system

Being flavoured by latest Android 4.4.2 KitKat, Nexus 5 surely scores over here, whereas Xperia Z1 Compact comes powered by an older version - Android 4.3 Jelly Bean and will still take a month to get the latest Google Android version update.

Also the customised skin by Sony also including some widgets, applications and minor UI changes doesn't help Xperia Z1 Compact much to beat Nexus 5 signature UI in this segment.

Winner: Nexus 5

 

Processor Power

Processor Power

In this segment, both the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and Nexus 5 are powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processors and feature 2GB RAM. Specifically the Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is powered by a 2.2GHz quad-core chip while the Nexus 5 uses a 2.3GHz quad-core version.

Despite the Nexus 5 being slightly faster on paper, when we benchmarked the two phones, it was Sony's Xperia Z1 Compact that came out on top. Using Antutu benchmarking software the Z1 Compact scored 25322, while the Nexus 5 scored 20097.

Well, we definitely support the Antutu scores as the Sony phone is decidedly smarter and faster than Nexus 5. Whether it be playing games, running applications or general multitasking, Xperia Z1 Compact scores over here.

Winner: Xperia Z1 Compact

Camera

Camera

Advantageously, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact sports a 20.7 MP rear camera which clicks pictures with resolution 5248 х 3936 pixels. It also features autofocus, LED flash, 1/2.3'' sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face and smile detection, image stabilization, HDR, panorama, 1080p@30fps, video stabilization, HDR and a 2MP secondary camera along with 1080p@30fps.

On the other hand, Google Nexus 5 comes with an 8 MP rear camera(3264 x 2448 pixels). Other features include autofocus, optical image stabilization, LED flash, Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere, HDR, dual recording, Video 1080p@30fps and a lower 1.3MP secondary camera.

Further, the Z1 Compact also comes with Sony Exmor RS mobile image sensor technology, which gives more clarity to a picture, as seen in sample image. At the same time, Nexus 5 camera focuses more on the colors and the composition of a picture.

We would say that a Xperia Z1 Compact camera is much better than the Nexus 5 offering, even the 'Tap to focus' feature works without any glitches on the former as compared to the LG device.

Also the filter and editing options can be found on both the phones. But yes, you won't get the 'lens blur effect on the Z1 Compact camera, which recently got available on Nexus 5 with the latest Google camera update.

Winner: Xperia Z1 Compact

 

Battery

Battery

Again, both the phones have a common feature, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and Nexus 5 are powered by 2,300mAh batteries and have similar lasting power, which is around 7-8 hours, when used rigorously.

Regular use entailed listening to music all day, regularly checking our social media and email accounts, making and taking and making calls, watching Youtube, playing Grooveshark and more.

Winner: Both

 

Storage

Storage

The Sony Xperia Z1 Compact is currently available in India with 16GB of internal storage, while Nexus 5 is being offered in 16GB/32GB. But, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact comes with micro SD card slot which makes the memory expandable upto 64GB. Similar option is missing in Nexus 5.

Winner: Xperia Z1 Compact

Price

Price

In this segment, of course Nexus 5 is a winner - with its top specification and middle range price.

Nexus devices have, for the past few years, been sold at a lower price than their top-end specifications would imply. By comparison Sony handsets have traditionally gone the opposite way and come with premium price tags. Xperia Z1 Compact (16GB) variant is available in the market at Rs 34,299 which is costly for Indian buyers, whereas the Nexus 5 is comparatively priced low at Rs 29,240 (16GB) and Rs 33,280 (32GB).

Winner: Nexus 5

Xperia Z1 Compact vs Nexus 5 Verdict

Xperia Z1 Compact vs Nexus 5 Verdict

LG Nexus 5 and Xperia Z1 Compact both are world class phones at the range they are being offered, now the point is what is the requirement of the phone buyers.

If you are looking for a better display, latest Android phone with all the top features and UI, a hpone with good battery and smart price, then you should go for Google Nexus 5. It's basically a complete value for money smartphone.

However, if you looking out for an experience in terms of camera, sound, form factor and especially a waterproof phone then Xperia Z1 Compact is good to go with.

The decision is yours! Let us know your opinion in the comment's section below.

 

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