The LG-manufactured Google Nexus 5 (Quick Review) is among the biggest, if not the biggest, smartphone launches that have taken place this year. The device was a victim of innumerable leaks prior to its release, however with the pricing and the specifications, Google have left us with virtually nothing to complain about. The Google Nexus 4, which was launched in the US last year and came to India only this year, will be seen as one of the biggest competitors to the Nexus 5. If you are among those who are confused about which of the two Nexus smartphones to go for, read on and we’ll help you make your mind.
Weight and Body Design
Nexus 5 dimensions: 137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm, weight: 130g
Nexus 4 dimensions: 133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm, weight: 139g
As you can infer from the numbers above, the Nexus 5 is slightly longer than the Nexus 4. After losing the Glass textured back, Nexus 5 is more plastic. However, the Nexus 5 is also lighter and thinner, which means that the device will be much easier in your hand.
Display and Processor
The Nexus 5 gives in to the trend of 5 inch full HD displays, and comes with one of on itself. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 comes with a smaller 4.7 inch screen which packs an HD resolution of 1280×720 pixels. But, because of the reduced bezel thicknesses around the screen, the Nexus 5 is almost as wide as the Nexus 4, making it possible to have a 5 inch display on pretty much an identical footprint. Given a choice, a 5-inch full HD display like on the Nexus 5 should be chosen over a 4.7 inch one on the Nexus 4.
Since the Nexus 5 is the newer of the two, it is obvious and expected that the phone comes with a more powerful setup beneath the hood. The device packs a Snapdragon 800 chipset, which comes with a quad core CPU clocked at 2.3GHz per core, and is regarded as one of the most powerful mobile processors. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 packs the older but powerful APQ8064, which again comes from the house of Qualcomm. Both devices are extremely potent on the processing department, with the Nexus 5 taking an obvious lead. There’s 2GB of RAM on both phones, which means the multitasking should be pretty much the same on either device.
Camera and Memory
Both devices come with 8MP cameras. If you think that there would be no difference in the picture quality because of the identical megapixel count, you’d be wrong, since a lot has changed in one year; the Nexus 5 now comes with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) making your pictures blur-free up to an extent. On the other hand, the 8MP shooter on the Nexus 4 features no such tech; it can be said that the Nexus 5 should and probably will be the better camera phone out of the two. Both smartphones come with the same 1.3MP front-facer which should be enough for most.
While the Nexus 4 comes in 8GB and 16GB variants, the elder sibling takes it up a notch and very wisely gives the 8GB variant a ditch; the Nexus 5 comes only in 16GB and 32GB variants. However, like the case was with the Nexus 4, it does not feature any storage expansion, which means you will have to make do with the on-board storage.
Battery and Features
While we expected a significant bump of about 50% on the battery segment, we were slightly disappointed to see only a 2300mAh unit on the Nexus 5. This doesn’t seem like a mammoth in front of the 2100mAh which the Nexus 4 packs, however, with the advanced power management algorithms the Snapdragon 800 and Android 4.4 KitKat implements, you should be able to see the light of a second day on a single charge on the Nexus 5. On the other hand, the Nexus 4 struggles to accompany you till the end of one day on a single charge, which means that the Nexus 5 should be an obvious choice if battery is your major concern.
The Nexus 5 will introduce the latest version of Google’s Android OS, i.e., v4.4 KitKat. However, it won’t be long before the Nexus 4 gets a KitKat upgrade too, so there’s not a lot between the devices on the software front.
Key Specs
| Model | LG Google Nexus 4 | LG Google Nexus 5 |
| Display | 4.7 inches 1280x270p | 4.95 inches, full HD |
| Processor | 1.5GHz quad core | 2.3GHz quad core |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB |
| Internal Storage | 8GB/16GB | 16GB/32GB |
| OS | Android v4.3 | Android v4.4 |
| Cameras | 8MP/1.3MP | 8MP/1.3MP |
| Battery | 2100mAh | 2300mAh |
| Price | Starting about 24,000 INR | Starting 28,999 INR |
Conclusion
It is obvious that the Nexus 5 is the more powerful one between the two; however, you need to ask yourself if you need this added processing strength. If you are one among the regular users who hardly exploit a phone to its maximum potential, you should probably thinking of saving some bucks and going for the Nexus 4 instead. With this release, the prices of the Nexus 4 are expected to go down, so it might be a good idea to analyse your pattern and style of usage, and then decide. I for one, would be happy with a Nexus 4 and a bundle of notes that would’ve been saved.
