Key difference: The Xperia S features a 4.3-inch TFT touch screen with shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass. The display provides an impressive 342 ppi density and is powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Dual-core processor. The Nexus 4 is Google's fourth Nexus-branded Android smartphone. It was produced in collaboration with LG Electronics. The phone runs on the Android 4.2 (Jelly Bean) operating system, which was launched with the phone. The phone features a 1.5 GHz quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor and 2 GB of RAM.

Sony is well-known electronics company that has made itself a popular manufacturer of smartphones. The company initially launched phones in collaboration with Ericsson, but it has parted ways with the company and has completely taken over the Xperia brand. The company announced a new line up of phones for the Xperia line-up, including Xperia S. The Xperia S was launched in February 2012 and was a high-range phone at that time, amount to approximately EUR 520.

The Xperia S features a 4.3-inch TFT touch screen with shatter proof sheet on scratch-resistant glass. The display provides an impressive 342 ppi density, which was the highest at the time of the phone’s release. The high density ensures that the viewers get nothing but hi-res display with clear, crisp images and absolutely no pixilation. The device is a little bulky and heavy at 144 grams. The phone is encased in a plastic chassis, which comes off as a little cheap looking. The phone also said to creak and make noises when pressure is put on it. The Xperia S is a bar phone, which features a clear plastic strip on the bottom side of the phone that has the Home, Back and Menu button imprints on it but don’t let the imprint fool you, the buttons are actually located on the top of the clear strip and not on the strip. The top of the device houses the power/unlock button with the 3.55mm jack. The right side of the phone has the volume rocker, an HDMI out socket and the physical camera button, while the left side has a USB charging/sync port.

The phone is powered by a 1.5 GHz Qualcomm Dual-core processor, making it quite fast when operational. The processor allows the user to seamless shift between screens and apps on the phone. It can also handle hi-res games, movies and multi-tasking. The device comes with Android v2.3, which is upgradeable to Android v4.0. The company has announced a 4.1 update, but release date for the update is not yet revealed. The device is available with 32 GB internal storage capacity and 1 GB RAM. The device does not support MicroSD cards, which means that the user is stuck with only 32 GB storage and this also causes a problem for the user to transfer data on to the phone.

The device houses a 12.1 MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash. The camera comes with Sony’s Exmor R for mobile technology and produces beautiful, colorful high-res images. The device is also capable of recording HD videos. The Xperia S also sports a 1.3 MP front camera for video calls, which is quite good compared to the other VGA and 1 MP cameras available on the other phones in the same price range. The Xperia S also comes with xLOUD Experience, clear stereo and clear bass and 3D surround sound for an amazing audio experience. The device is available with other features such as: Wi-Fi hotspot, DLNA, NFC and USB On-the-go. The S has a non-removable Li-Ion 1750 mAh battery, that provides 8 hours 30 min talk-time and 420 hours of standby time on 3G according to the company.

Among the number of various companies, Google has also launched its own line of smartphones based on Android, called the Google Nexus. Each device in the Nexus line is produced via collaboration between Google and a leading original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partner.

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 features a new camera technology, called the Photo Sphere. This allows one to take 360 deg Panorama shots.

The Nexus devices in general have an advantage over other devices in that the Android in the Nexus devices is pure. I.e. the Android does not have any manufacturer or wireless carrier modifications to it, such as a custom graphical user interface. The Android also has an unlockable bootloader to allow further development and end-user modification, all of which is usually blocked on other Android smartphones.

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

Image Courtesy: sonymobile.com, blogs.computerworld.com