Nexus 5 Vs. iPhone 5s: Picking The Best 5-Star Smartphone In The Land

When the iPhone 5s was launched in September, none can match up to it in terms of portability. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 was the closest to a rival, but its screen was too large to be matched with the iPhone's 4" screen. But when Google launched its LG-made Nexus 5, everyone was excited to compare the two, giving birth to the Nexus 5 vs. iPhone 5s battle. 

In terms of size, either phone can win depending on the consumer's preferences. For one, the Nexus 5 could be a perfect fit for some pockets, but none can deny the fact that owning an Apple device really does something. But let's see which one wins the war. 

iPhone 5s

The iPhone 5s is the best smartphone that Apple has developed, that is a fact, but is it able to live up to the expectations of consumers and analysts while waiting for the announcement? The answer is yes and no. It borrows from the design of the previous flagship, the iPhone 5, and that's not a bad thing. However, for consumers who rely on Apple as an innovator, at least giving it some new design tweaks could have been welcomed. Instead, the company created a new gold color option to still make the phone premium.

Fortunately, the software department has done good job in upgrading the iPhone 5s. Its A7 chip which has 64-bit support can be compared to even the fastest quad-core CPUs the market has to offer today. But while iOS 7 is still a work in progress, it is a leap forward for the Cupertino company in keeping touch with Android's colorful homescreen setting. 

Finally, there is the Touch ID sensor that completely changed the game in the smartphone world. And in just a few short months, several manufacturers have already adopted the technology to keep their devices 'at par' with the best of Apple. This fingerprint sensor enables users to unlock their devices, and even make payments by authentication. It certainly has a promising future, though for now its sole purpose is mainly to be a distraction. 

Nexus 5

Leaked months before it was launched, the industry knew almost everything about the Android device before it quietly hit stores all over the world. And like what Google has done previously, it also came with a brand new version of Android, KitKat, out of the box. But is this phone worth the hype which was built up through all those weeks?

In paper, the Nexus 5 specsheet closely resembles that of LG's G2 smartphone and that's not a coincidence. From the looks of it, LG may have completely made its G2 as the inspiration in building the current Nexus flagship. In that case, what could be its selling point when you can already see its features from a device that was released two months ahead? It has Android 4.4 KitKat. 

Promised to unite all Android phones together, KitKat is able to run at even the lowest of specs. This ultimately means that the Nexus 5 is much faster than the LG G2 because it's already running on the new version, and it does not have LG's homebaked UI. 

Verdict

The iPhone 5s is by all means capable of competiting in a tighly-contested smartphone battle heading to the holiday shopping season. But pure Android lovers would surely not miss to look at the Nexus 5 and take in all that screen estate and snappy UI controls. Apple's device may have an edge when it comes to camera features, but Nexus has OIS for better stability in taking shots. However, the option that could spell the huge difference is pricing.