Key Difference: Samsung announced that it has added a new phone to its lineup that combines the ruggedness of the older Samsung Xcover with the features and oomph of the new Galaxy S4. S4 Active is dust and water-proof. The phone comes with a 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive touchscreen that differs from the AMOLED used in the S4. Sony Xperia Z is the latest smartphone designed, manufactured and marketed by Sony Mobile and was released February 2013. The Xperia Z is a bar phone that is available with 5 inch TFT touch screen that has approximately 441 ppi pixel density that produces a sharp and clear display. The phone sports 1.5 GHz Quad-core Krait, 2GB RAM with up to 16 GB internal memory storage capacity and up to 32 GB expandable storage available.

Samsung announced that it has added a new phone to its lineup that combines the ruggedness of the older Samsung Xcover with the features and oomph of the new Galaxy S4. S4 Active is dust and water-proof and aims to provide direct competition to the Sony Xperia Z. The phone is aimed at the users that require their phone to be durable as well as provide extra features. According to the CEO and President of IT & Mobile Communications Division at Samsung Electronics, JK Shin, the phone is designed for the people who love the outdoors.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active shares many features with the S4, but differs in terms of design and aesthetics. The S4 Active is thicker and heavier at 151 grams; the weight is mostly because of the added water and dust proof. The phone has a diamond-pattern textured back that makes it easier to hold the device. The company has also removed the capacitive buttons and replaced them with hardware buttons. The top of the phone houses the 3.5mm headphone jack and has the words waterproof etched next to it. The top also houses the secondary mic and the IR emitter. The volume rocker is on the left side of the phone, while the right side has the power/lock key. The bottom of the phone has the microUSB / MHL 2.0 port that is sealed with a plastic flap. The proximity sensor, light sensor and the IR motion detector are placed on the front above the screen near the speaker. The back of the screen houses the camera and the LED flash.

The phone comes with a 5-inch Full HD TFT capacitive touchscreen that differs from the AMOLED used in the S4. It has ~441 ppi pixel density and is protected by corning gorilla glass 3. The phone is powered by 1.9 GHz Krait 300 Quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, has Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM. The phone comes with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean. The TouchWiz UI changes certain Jelly Bean features offering users with more options. The lockscreen features new widgets such as displaying personal messages overlaid on photos from the TripAdvisor. The water ripples effect has been replaced by the lens flare effect, but can be switched or disabled completely. The lockscreen also offers multiple screen on which users can add widget. Another cool feature is the Quick Glance feature that uses a proximity sensor to detect nearby movement and automatically lights up to display time and notifications.

The company has replaced the 13 MP camera with an 8MP rear camera that as a capability to work underwater. The volume rocker can be changed into a temporary camera shutter button that allows users to click photos and record videos underwater. The hardware buttons are also provided for the same purpose. The phone offers 16 GB internal storage capacity of which around 11 GB is available to the user. However, the storage can be expanded by 64 GB using a microSD card.

The same amazing features that were offered in Galaxy S4 is available in the S4 Active; including gestures, hovering, air wave, smart play, smart scroll and many other fun features. The phone also comes with an Aqua Mode that can be applied to increase visual quality and clarity for enhanced underwater images. The company has also added certain helpful Samsung Apps including Samsung Hub, S Travel (Trip Advisor), S Health and S Translator that can translate as well as pronounce many different kinds of language. The camera also comes with many different features such as Drama Shot, Sound&Shot, Story Album and Group Play. However, it is unsure if the phone offers Dual Shot or Dual recording. The phone also comes with a IR blaster that can covert the phone into a remote.

Xperia Z and Xperia ZL are two phones that Sony has launched in competition to Samsung Galaxy S3 and iPhone 5. These two phones are similar in design and features, with only slight alterations to the ZL. These phones are Sony’s plan to put itself back on the smartphone market. Sony announced the phones at the 2013 CES in January.

The Sony Xperia Z is the latest smartphone designed, manufactured and marketed by Sony Mobile and was released February 2013. The phone is powered by Android and is one of the latest additions to phones launched by Sony after its separation from Ericsson. The Xperia Z is a bar phone that is available with 5 inch TFT touch screen that has approximately 441 ppi pixel density that produces a sharp and clear display. The design of the phone is focused on creating a balance and symmetry in all directions and is termed as “OmniBalance” by Sony.  The phone is held together by a skeleton frame made from glass fibre polyamide. The glass on the front and back are covered by shatterproof film. One of the amazing features about the phone is that it is dust and water resistance. It has captured attention for its ability to being submerged in water.

The phone differs from its predecessors in many ways. The company has also shifted the power button from the top of the phone to the middle of the right side making it easier for the person to operate the phone with one hand. The phone sports 1.5 GHz Quad-core Krait, 2GB RAM with up to 16 GB internal memory storage capacity and up to 32 GB expandable storage available. The quad-core processor makes the phone pretty fast and powerful, though Wired Magazine claims that the phone is a bit slow during starting up the camera. The phone offers a 13.1 MP Exmor RS camera and a 2 MP 1080p Exmor R front camera. The camera reviews on almost every website have been spectacular claiming that phone produces crisp images and the quality of the pictures is good even in low-lighting situations. The phone also offers USB-on-the-go, which allows users to connect USB drives to the phone. The phone is also offered at a decent price is considerably worth the every penny it charges.

The information for the detailed table about the two phones has been taken from Samsung Press website, Sony Mobile website and GSMArena.com.

Image Courtesy: samsung.com, sonymobile.com