Difference between Nexus 4 and Nexus 5

Key difference: The phones Nexus 4 and Nexus 5, both are Google products. They both are Android phones with same features, however the difference between the two phones is that Nexus 5 is an upgraded version of Nexus 4.

Smartphones have become a way of life for many people, allowing them to do anything and everything on the go. This includes typing up a document, chatting with friends, video conferencing, writing up reports, checking e-mails, etc. Thus, with the ever increasing demand and need for better technologically advanced smartphones, mobile companies have started upgrading and bringing out newer versions of old phones. Nexus 4 and Nexus 5 are such examples; this article differentiates between the two.

Nexus 4 The Nexus 4 is Google's fourth Nexus-branded Android smartphone. It was produced in collaboration with LG Electronics. The phone features a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2 GB of RAM, 8 or 16 GB of internal storage, front facing 1.3 megapixel camera and an 8 megapixel rear camera and a micro-SIM card tray. The phone runs on the Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system, which was launched with the phone. The phone also featured a new camera technology, called the Photo Sphere. This allows one to take 360 deg Panorama shots.

Nexus 5 The Nexus 5, the successor to the Nexus 4, is a smartphone co-developed by Google and LG Electronics that runs on the Android operating system. The device is the fifth smartphone in the Google Nexus series and was codenamed ‘Hammerhead’. The phone’s hardware consist a 2.3 GHz Snapdragon 800 system-on-chip (SoC), and a 4.96-inch 1080p display. It has an 180p IPS display, a polycarbonate shell and an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with optical image stabilization (OIS).

The Nexus 5 is the first device to feature the new 4.4 ‘KitKat’ version of Android. It supports LTE (4G) networks where available, and comes with 16 GB or 32 GB of internal memory. It is lighter in weight and has 8 hrs more on its battery life as compared to Nexus 4. Other notable features are the two new composite sensors: a step detector and a step counter. These new sensors allow applications to easily track steps when the user is walking, running, or climbing stairs.

Comparison between Nexus 4 and Nexus 5:

The information for the detailed table about the two phones has been taken from the Google Nexus website and GSMArena.com.

	Nexus 4	Nexus 5
Launch Date	November 2012	October 2013
Company	Google; designed in collaboration with and manufactured by LG Electronics.	Google; designed in collaboration with and manufactured by LG Electronics.
Size	133.9 x 68.7 x 9.1 mm (5.27 x 2.70 x 0.36 in)	137.84 x 69.17 x 8.59 mm (5.43 x 2.72 x 0.34 inches)
Display	True HD IPS Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors	True HD IPS Plus capacitive touchscreen, 16M colors
Screen	768 x 1280 pixels, 4.7 inches (~318 ppi pixel density)	1080 x 1920 pixels, 5 inches (~445 ppi pixel density)
Protection	Corning Gorilla Glass 2	Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Weight	139g (4.90 oz)	130 g (4.59 oz)
2G Network	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900	GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
3G Network	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100	HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100
4G Network	No	LTE 700 / 800 / 850 / 1700 / 1900 / 2100 / 2600
GUI	Pure Android	Pure Android
CPU speed	Quad-core 1.5 GHz	Quad-core 2.3 GHz
GPU	Adreno 320	450 MHz Adreno 300
OS	Android OS, v4.2 (Jelly Bean), upgradable to v4.2.3 (Jelly Bean)	Android OS, v4.4 (KitKat)
Chipset	Qualcomm APQ8064 Snapdragon	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 series
RAM	2 GB	2 GB
SIM Size	microSIM	microSIM
Internal Memory	8/16 GB storage	16/32 GB storage
Expandable Memory	None	None
Sensors	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer	Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer
Connectivity	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC (Android Beam), Unlocked GSM/UMTS/HSPA+, GSM/EDGE/GPRS, 3G, HSPA+ 42, Wireless charging, SlimPort	WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Bluetooth, NFC (Android Beam), LTE, HSDPA+ (4G), HSUPA, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS
Data	WiFi, NFC, GPRS, EDGE, USB	WiFi, NFC, GPRS, EDGE, USB
Speed	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps	DC-HSDPA, 42 Mbps; HSDPA, 21 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLAN	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi hotspot	Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth	v4.0 with A2DP	v4.0 with A2DP
USB	microUSB (SlimPort) v2.0	microUSB (SlimPort) v2.0, USB Host, USB On-the-go
Primary Camera	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, LED flash	8 MP, 3264 x 2448 pixels, autofocus, optical image stabilization, LED flash
Secondary Camera	1.3 MP	1.3 MP
Video	1080p@30fps	1080p@30fps
Camera Features	Touch focus, geo-tagging, face detection, photo sphere	Geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, photo sphere, HDR, dual recording
Sound Enhancement	Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic	Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Audio supported formats	MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player	MP3/WAV/eAAC+/AC3 player
Video supported formats	MP4/H.264/H.263 player	MP4/H.264/H.263/Dvix/ Full HD player
Battery Capacity	2100 mAh battery, endurance 32 hrs.	Li-Polymer, 2100 mAh battery, endurance 40 hrs.
Available Colors	Black	Black and White
Messaging	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS	SMS (threaded view), MMS, Email, Push Mail, IM, RSS
Browser	HTML5	HTML5
Radio	No	No
GPS	A-GPS support and GLONASS	A-GPS support and GLONASS
Java	Java MIDP emulator	Java MIDP emulator
Additional Features	Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean), Accelerometer, GPS, Gyroscope, Barometer, Microphone, Ambient light, Compass, Organizer, Image/video editor, Document editor, Google Search, Maps, Gmail, YouTube, Calendar, Google Talk, Picasa, Voice memo/dial/commands, Predictive text input	DayDream, NFC Support, Voice Search, Games, Magazines, Movies, Micro SIM, Wireless Display and Miracast, HDMI (Slip Port), Calendar, Video Editing, Calculator, Clock, Currents, Movie Studio, Power Control, Setting Shortcut, Analog Clock, Alarm, Timer, World Clock, Stopwatch, Multi-tasking, Pre-set Equalizer, MMS Enabled, Audio and Video Codec, SMS on Call Reject, Predictive Word Input, Data Usages Monitor, Cell Broadcast, Face Unlock, Back Up and Reset, Talk Back, OTA, Bi-Directional Text, Expandable Notifications, MTP Storage Calculator, Chrome, Downloads, Gallery, Movie Studio, People