Nexus 4 vs. Galaxy Note 2: Can Google Steal Samsung's Thunder?

By Anu Passary | Nov 05, 2012 10:19 AM EST

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Samsung unleashed its much-awaited Galaxy Note 2 in October this year, followed by Google who launched the LG-manufactured Nexus 4 smartphone on Oct. 29.

With the launch of the competitively priced Nexus 4, Google is looking to establish its presence in the hotly contested smartphone market. What's more, the Nexus 4 is not only easy on the pocket it also packs in high-end features; however, the big question is will that be enough to steal Samsung's thunder?

Here's a look at how the Galaxy Note 2 and Nexus 4 stack up against each other.

Processor

The Galaxy Note 2 features a powerful quad-core Exynos processor, which is clocked at 1.6GHz. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 has a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, which is clocked at 1.5GHz.

Display

The Nexus 4 sports a 4.7-inch WXGA True HD IPS Plus display with 1280 x 768 pixels. Google claims that Nexus 4's display is supported by Zerogap Touch technology, which will bring a clear viewing experience and offer users "a feeling of touching every pixel."

On the other hand, the Galaxy Note 2 has a much bigger 5.5-inch Super AMOLED screen with 1280 x 720 pixels resolution. The Galaxy Note 2 has a 16:9 screen ratio which Samsung claims delivers an "immersive" and "enriched cinema-like video viewing" experience, claims Samsung. What's more, the larger screen size lets users view content clearly.

Both the devices have Gorilla Glass 2 covering. Additionally, the Nexus 4 scores over the Galaxy Note 2 with its much higher pixel density of 320 pixels per inch (ppi) versus 267 ppi.

Weight, Thickness, and Body

The Nexus 4 measures 5.28 x 2.72 x 0.36 inches and the Galaxy Note 2 has 5.95 x 3.16 x 0.37 inches dimensions. The Galaxy Note 2 is taller, wider, and slightly thicker than the Nexus 4. At 6.35oz, the Galaxy Note 2 is a much heavier than the 4.90oz of the Nexus 4.

Storage and Memory

The Galaxy Note 2 is available in 16/32/64 GB of on-board storage options, whereas the Nexus 4 is available only in 8/16GB variants, giving the Samsung device a clear edge. Moreover, unlike the Nexus 4, the Galaxy Note 2 has an expandable memory option (of up to 64GB) via a microSD card.

Both smartphones offer 2GB of RAM.

Software

The Nexus 4 comes with the latest Android 4.2 Jelly Bean software, whereas the Galaxy Note 2 comes with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box. The Nexus 4 clearly has the edge when it comes to software.

Battery

A 2100mAh battery powers the Nexus 4, which Google claims will support 15.3 hours of talk time. On the other hand, a bigger 3100mAh battery powers the Galaxy Note 2 and supports up to 16 hours of talk time on 3G.

Camera

Both the smartphones have an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera. However, the Galaxy Note 2 has a front-facing camera with higher a pixel count of 1.9 megapixels, whereas the Nexus 4's camera has 1.3 megapixels.

Availability and Pricing

The unlocked 16GB versions of the Nexus 4 and Galaxy Note 2 cost $349 and approximately $580, respectively. The Nexus 4 will be available from Nov. 13 from the Google Play store. The Galaxy Note 2 hit the shelves in October.

Time will tell whether Google's Nexus 4 is able to pull the rug from underneath Samsung's feet.