When it comes to produce mobile behemoths, both Samsung and HTC give stern competitions to the counterpart. Incidentally, both of the makers are known for their fantastic designs, superb build qualities and great durability – their latest line of smartphones does not disagree with that. Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus is a mobile powerhouse that runs the latest and greatest in Android arena, namely Ice Cream Sandwich or Android v4. On the other hand HTC Sensation XL is a gargantuan of a mobile device, sporting a huge 4.7 inch screen and boasting Beats audio. Today, we will compare both the devices to find out where they excel, and also where they lack.
Comparison Attributes
1. Operating System
Google jointly announced with Samsung in their special Ice Cream Sandwich event this month that Android 4 is finally here and Samsung Galaxy Nexus will be the first device to run it. As it is also a Google Nexus device, it will run the stock version of Android without any manufacturer customizations in terms of UI and other features, just the way Google wanted their mobile operating system to be run. On the other hand, HTC Sensation XL run the latest publicly released version of Android, namely Gingerbread and being a new device, it is most likely to get Ice Cream Sandwich next year.
Winner: While HTC’s customization of Android aka HTC Sense is pretty fantastic in terms of visual treats and usability, we are pretty amazed by the features Ice Cream Sandwich has in its sleeves. The new operating system looks pretty stable, minimalistic, and beautiful even without a need of any customization. So, Samsung Galaxy Nexus wins this round for now, though HTC Sensation XL is also going to get Ice Cream Sandwich in near future.
2. Display
Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus uses a large 4.65 inch Super AMOLED based capacitive touchscreen display with a monstrous resolution of 720p or 1280 x 720. The huge leap in resolution cannot be easily understood unless you hold the device on your hand and it has a PPI of 316 which is fairly close to that of iPhone 4/4S. HTC Sensation XL, in contrast, uses a Super LCD capacitive touchscreen with a paltry resolution of 800 x 480 and effectively a PPI of 199.
Winner: The screen resolution and clarity gives the verdict in favor of Galaxy Nexus trumps Sensation XL, by almost 100 PPI which is more than just fantastic. Though Samsung used a PenTile based AMOLED display which has a reduced count of sub pixels and the outdoor performance in bright sunlight is not so good, it easily overcomes Sensation XL’s Super LCD in terms of viewing angles, vibrant colors, and contrast ratio.
3. Memory
Galaxy Nexus comes with two models, depending on their internal memory sizes which are either 16 GB or 32 GB. Unfortunately, the phone does not support external memory via microSD slot, like the iPhones from Apple which effectively bars the freedom of users. Galaxy Nexus also sports full 1GB of RAM, much like other Android superphones of current age. HTC Sensation XL comes with an internal 16GB space and also does not support any expansions. In RAM front, Sensation XL uses a total of 768MB.
Winner: While both of the phones do not support expandability in terms of external storage which is quite unlikely for Android devices, Galaxy Nexus simply wins for providing more storage choices and more amount of RAM.
4. Camera
HTC Sensation XL has a primary camera with f/2.2 lens, autofocus, dual LED flash and backlight illuminated sensor of 8MP resolution which performs extremely well in almost all conditions and provides satisfying results even in low light. It also features touch to focus, geo-tagging and face detection among others. On video front, it wears out at 720p resolution at max which is not expected from a phone like this. Samsung Galaxy Nexus contains only a 5MP based primary camera which is a bit of shocker as most of the modern smartphones have already moved to standard 8MP cameras, including the latest iPhone 4S. Offering all the standard features like auto focus, geo-tagging, face detection etc. Galaxy Nexus can also record full HD 1080p videos unlike Sensation XL and the video quality is pretty good.
Winner: While Galaxy Nexus features full HD 1080p video recording in its kitty, the usage of 5 MP camera sensor, is really old idea. HTC Sensation XL wins the crown in this segment with an 8 MP backlight illuminated sensor based camera.
5. Battery
Galaxy Nexus comes with a 1750 mAh battery with talk time and standby time unannounced till now by the manufacturer. HTC Sensation XL is loaded with a 1600 mAh battery which, according to HTC, provides a standby of 360 hours in 2G and 460 hours in 3G which are quite impressive. In talk time, Sensation XL gives up to 11 hours 50 minutes in 2G and 6 hours 50 minutes in 3G which are just average.
Winner: Though Samsung or Google is yet to announce the standard talk time and standby time for their flagship phone, the bigger 1750 mAh battery should give a better performance in terms of battery life considering the power optimizations brought in by Ice Cream Sandwich. So Galaxy Nexus wins this segment.
Verdict
As Samsung Galaxy Nexus wins in most of the reviewed segments, it comes off as the overall winner here.
Galaxy Nexus looks like an awesome phone and Ice Cream Sandwich also has a lot to offer. While the big 4.6+ inches profile may not be accepted by all, both of the phones provide excellent Android experiences. But Galaxy Nexus simply comes forward with its advanced features; newer operating system and a brilliant display that can single handedly win a lot of fans.
