Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Sony Xperia Z3: Battle of Quad-Core Giants

Samsung Galaxy Note 4 and Sony Xperia Z3 are among the hottest products to be unveiled at the IFA 2014, given their power-packed specifications and premium body-build. Especially, the Xperia Z3 with rounded aluminium frame and tempered glass panels stands out.

IBTimes UK brings you a comprehensive comparison guide detailing the contrasting specifications and features of Sony Xperia Z3 and Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

Design

The Galaxy Note 4 looks imposing with its bigger 5.7in screen and bigger body dimension: 153.5 x 78.6 x 8.5mm, while the Sony Xperia Z3 stands out for its premium aluminium frame with a smaller dimension: 146 x 72 x 7.3mm.

Given the dimensions, the Xperia Z3 is both sleeker (7.3mm thickness) and lighter (152g) than Samsung's new flagship phablet, which measures 8.5mm in thickness and its bulky body frame translates to heavier weight (176g).

The Note 4 will be available in Black, White, Gold and Pink variants, while the Xperia Z3 offers you to choose between Black, White, Copper and Silver Green colours.

The Note 4 does not offer any protection against dust and water.

On the contrary, the Xperia Z3 offers water and dust resistant capabilities up to 1.5 meters for a period of 30 minutes, while also adding up a step counter and detector to aid fitness enthusiasts.

In addition, the Note 4 comes with an improved S-pen stylus that allows you to perform a bunch of creative tasks with precision.

Display

The Note 4 retains the basic hardware specifications from its predecessor (Galaxy Note 3) including the 5.7in Super AMOLED screen, but the former bumps the display resolution to 1440 x 2560 pixels (Quad HD) from the latter's 1080 x 1920 pixels.

Along similar lines, the Xperia Z3 also gets a minor upgrade from its predecessor wherein the same 5.2in IPS LCD TRILUMINOUS display has been retained with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution. Unlike the Note 4, the Xperia Z3 does not receive any boost in the display resolution from its predecessor or Xperia Z2.

Note 4's superior pixel density of 515 pixels-per-inch (ppi) should compensate for the loss of pixels due to its larger 5.7in screen, as opposed to the Xperia Z3 with a pixel density of 424ppi on a smaller 5.2in screen.

Hardware (Processor, RAM and Connectivity Options)

Samsung's power-packed hardware on the Note 4 includes a quad-core Snapdragon 805 processor (clocked at 2.7GHz) or Exynos Octa 5433 with 3GB of RAM that is capable of processing twice the number of pixels found on the Xperia Z3.

The Xperia Z3, on the other hand, is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor clocked at 2.5GHz and paired with 3GB of RAM.

The Note 4 features a more powerful Adreno 420 graphics unit, while the Xperia Z3 holds its own with the older Adreno 330 GPU for gaming apps.

Both the smartphones feature regular connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth, NFC and USB 2.0 along with 4G/LTE capability. However, only the Note 4 supports Infrared communications among the two smartphones.

Camera

The Note 4's 16MP rear camera flaunts the fastest focusing speed owing to its latest ISOCELL sensor technology which is boosted by Galaxy S5's phase-detection auto-focus capability.

The new Note 4 also features optical image stabilisation feature for its rear camera and a 3.7MP front camera for capturing selfies as well as full HD video recording at 30fps.

In contrast, the Xperia Z3 sports an imposing 20.7MP rear camera with 8x digital zoom and 3x clear image zoom, and a compact 2.2MP front camera for capturing 1080p (Full HD) video at 30fps.

Software

Samsung's TouchWiz UI is focused at enhanced functionality with bulky apps and well structured menus, while Sony's multimedia-centric Xperia UI looks sleek with stock-like Android experience.

The Galaxy Note 4's new S-Pen stylus is definitely the deciding factor with improved user interface quotient and its extensive array of features starting from automatic conversion of handwritten notes, contact number or addresses into digital memos and diving deep into the concept of stylus integration into the TouchWiz UI.

In addition, the S-Pen stylus finds its use with creative tasks such as a homemade greeting card, a map and precision-oriented tasks that would otherwise be impossible with a finger.

The Galaxy Note 4 also supports a couple of interesting native software features including swipe gestures and a fingerprint scanner.

Battery Life

The Galaxy Note 4 ships with a 3220mAh battery, though there is no official word on its battery life yet.

The Xperia Z3 is powered by an equally capable 3100mAh non-removable battery that is rated to deliver up to 16 hours of talktime on 3G or up to 740 hours of standby time or up to 130 hours of music playback time.

Release Date and Price

The Galaxy Note 4 is expected to arrive in UK in October with an estimated price tag ranging from £550 to £600.

The Xperia Z3, on the other hand, is likely to ship some time later in September. The handset is available for pre-order at £549 via Sony's UK online stores, while Clove UK is selling it for £525 (including VAT).

The Xperia Z3 is also available for free as part of carrier-based contract offers via Phones4u, starting from £38.50 per month.