Today, we look at the Nexus 5 vs Note 3. I am going to compare the Google Nexus 5 to the most notable recent Android release before the Nexus, the Galaxy Note 3. If you’re looking for your next smartphone investment, both these phones could be on your shopping list. So how do they stack up against each other, in this Nexus 5 vs Note 3 comparison?
Let’s start with the look and feel of both models. The glass covered front of the Nexus 5 means maximum real estate dedicated to the screen. There’s barely enough bezel on the sides to be visible, this has been made for complete display domination. The glossy wraparound gives way to a matt plastic back which feels just like the Nexus 7. This black version looks pretty prone to fingerprints, but I’ll take a stab that the white-backed version wouldn’t have those same issues.
The Galaxy Note is very different in design. It has a physical home button with two capacitive controls flanking it, a finely detailed metallic wrap with space for the S Pen and a fake leather back. For such a large screen, the Note 3 still feels fairly comfortable in my hand.
Size wise, there’s no way to understate this. Nexus 5 vs Note 3, the Note 3 is gargantuan, it’s a full centimeter wider. With that size difference comes a big weight increase too from 130 to 168 grams, and you definitely can feel it. And the pocket test? The Nexus 5 slides right in, while there is a little jostling with the Note 3. And you can really feel it when you sit down with the Note 3 in the front pocket.
Even though they both have the same 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution, the Nexus 5 vs Note 3 difference in screen size means the Nexus 5 has a much higher pixel density – 445 to 386. Is it that visible? Comparing the Nexus 5 vs Note 3, watching HD content on both looked perfectly acceptable. In fact the eyes could relax a little more with the larger Note 3 screen.
And of course storage wars for the Nexus 5 vs Note 3 continue in the smartphone world with the Nexus 5 offering a 16 or 32gb capacity with no external storage, and the Note 3 with 32gb AND a micro SD card slot for up to another 64gb. Now is this a big issue? If you like to carry your multimedia files with you it could be. If you are more likely to stream or use cloud based storage then maybe not. But I find you do need to be conscious of the amount of photos and videos you record if you don’t have the ability to swap out a card. While we’re at it, the Note 3 battery is replaceable too, while the Nexus 5 is sealed.
And then we have the Nexus 5 vs Note 3 cameras. The 8 megapixel Nexus 5 camera shoots at Full HD quality with optical image stabiliser. The Note 3 has a 13 megapixel shooter that can shoot at a variety of video resolutions, with some regions getting access to 4K resolution video recording. Unfortunately mine isn’t one of them. The Note 3 also has digital stabilisation software, but really it would never be as good as a mechanical solution. We’ll be back another time with comparison shots of both, and I’m looking forward to that shoot out.
In the processor Nexus 5 vs Note 3 comparison, the engine in both phones is quite similar – both models use a quad core snapdragon at 2.3Ghz, and both have the same graphics engine as well. The Note 3 uses an additional gig of ram over the Nexus 5’s 2 gig, and this is important for the multitasking that the Note 3 is really designed to do.
The Nexus 5 vs Note 3 platforms are very different even though they share the same base OS. Android 4.4 is much more integrated into Google services like Google Now, to the extent that Hangouts is now the default SMS messaging system and the phone app allows you to search for nearby locations and call directly from there, moving you closer to Google’s vision of a seamless Google service experience no matter what your activity.
The Touchwiz platform is being increasingly tweaked to support the unique Galaxy features like the S-pen, Air view, multi-window, and remote control. It’s definitely two very different mindsets on what a OS should be defined by – the hardware of the manufacturer or the ecosystem that shrouds the total experience.