Samsung Galaxy SL vs Apple iPhone 4
For the last one year or so the top spot among the smartphones has been usurped by iPhone and it is no surprise that others have been playing a catching up game. No doubt there have been some phones that have had impressive features but all failed to stand up to the charisma oozed by iPhone. However, things have changed a bit today with many contenders rubbing shoulders with the fourth generation iPhone that is perched atop smartphones. Samsung has launched its latest smartphone Galaxy SL in February that is loaded with features. Let us see how this gadget compares with iPhone 4.
Galaxy SL
Galaxy SL is the latest touch screen smartphone from the stable of Samsung, and sports a huge 4 inch WVGA screen that utilizes super clear LCD technology for display at a resolution of 480 x 800 pixels. It has Android Froyo 2.2 as its OS and is packed with a fast 1GHz Cortex A8 CPU in TI OMAP 3630 chipset. The dimensions of the phone are a bit more than its predecessor i9000 and stand at 127.7 x 64.2 x 10.59mm but allow a more powerful battery which is 1650mAh. The phone weighs 131g.
The phone is a dual camera device with a 5MP autofocus camera that is capable of recording HD videos at 720p at the rear side having face, smile, and blink detection abilities, and a front camera that is there to make video calls and also for video chatting. For connectivity Galaxy SL has Wi-Fi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and compatible with CSM/GPRS/EDGE and UMTS/HSPA networks. It has GPS with A-GPS connectivity. It is equipped with proximity sensor, accelerometer and digital compass.
The phone makes available 478 MB RAM to the user and a good 16 GB of internal memory. Those fond of keeping heavy media files can expand the memory using micro SD cards. The phone is also equipped with the standard 3.5 mm audio jack at the top. Web browsing is smooth as the phone supports full Adobe Flash 10.1 and coupled with TouchWiz UI of Samsung, the experience is indeed pleasing.
On the downside, the phone lacks flash in the camera that means you cannot use it in evenings. The plastic body is a virtual magnet for finger prints and for music lovers, the loudspeaker is a little feeble.
iPhone 4
iPhone by Apple has been ruling the roost among smartphones since it was first launched and the latest iPhone 4 is no exception. It has become more of a status symbol and is much more than just a smartphone.
iPhone 4 is a solid looking phone with a 3.5 inch LED backlit IPS TFT LCD display. The Retina display has a brightness that makes the display most clear among all smartphones and a big plus for iPhone 4. It has a capacitive touchscreen with 16M colors. What is remarkable about the screen is that it is scratch resistant and being oleophobic, leaves very few finger marks. iPhone 4 runs on iOS 4 and has a super fast 1GHz ARM Cortex A8 processor. The phone has 512MB RAM which is double what users got from its predecessor. As far as internal storage is concerned, the phone is available in both 16 GB and 32 GB models. However, there is no provision to expand internal memory using micro SD cards which is disappointing.
The phone is equipped with two cameras with the rear 5 MP camera being auto focus that has LED flash. It can record HD videos in 720p. There is a microphone that reduces external sounds in the videos recorded. Front camera is VGA that is meant for video calls.
For connectivity, the phone is Wi-Fi 802.1 b/g/n, GPS with support for A-GPS, Bluetooth 2.1 with A2DP, EDGE and GPRS. For easy emailing, there is a full QWERTY keyboard. Disappointingly, iPhone 4 lacks a FM radio.
Summary
• Galaxy SL is slightly bigger though surprisingly lighter (131g as compared to 137g of iPhone4) than iPhone4.
• Galaxy SL has a bigger display at 4 inches with iPhone 4 sporting a 3.5 inch display.
• While iPhone 4 has a full QWERTY keyboard, Galaxy SL has a virtual QWERTY keyboard with swype technology for text input.
• Galaxy SL has an FM whereas iPhone lacks it
• While memory can be expanded in Galaxy SL with micro SD card, it is not possible in iPhone4.