Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos Octa Core vs Snapdragon 600

Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos 5 Octa Core vs Snapdragon 600: Which to Get?

The popular Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available and people are very much excited to have one. As I read different reviews, check online community and Facebook pages, I noticed that there are people who do not know that there are actually four different versions of the Galaxy S4. Some knows that there is an Exynos 5 Octa Core version (no LTE) and an LTE version powered by a Quad Core Snapdragon 600 CPU chipset, but they don’t know which one to get. To help you with your dilemma on which Galaxy S4 version to get, below I’ll show you what are the difference between the two versions and which one is better for you. Please continue reading below.

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See also: How to Carrier Unlock or Sim Unlock Samsung Galaxy S4

Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos Octa Core vs Snapdragon 600

Like I said above, there are actually four different versions of the Samsung Galaxy S4 already. Below are their respective model numbers and the main features of the four different Galaxy S4.

Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 – Exynos 5 Octa Core 1.6GHz (4 + 4 Cores) without LTE
Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 – Snapdragon 600 Quad Core with LTE
Samsung Galaxy S4 GT-I9502 – Exynos 5 Octa Core 1.6GHz (4 + 4 Cores) Dual SIM without LTE
Samsung Galaxy S4 SHV-E300S – Exynos 5 Octa core 1.8GHz with LTE but Korea only

Oh, the Korean SHV0E300S version looks really good right? You get the best of both worlds plus it’s clocked higher. You get the 1.8GHz Exynos 5 Octa Core goodness plus LTE. Unfortunately it’s not available in other countries.

So for the purpose of this article, let’s just focus and compare the two main versions, the GT-I9500 vs GT-I9505, the Exynos 5 Octa core but no LTE vs the Snapdragon 600 Quad core but with LTE.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs Comparison

SpecificationsGalaxy S4 GT-I9500Galaxy S4 GT-9505
Network:GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100
LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600
SIM CardMicro SIMMicro SIM
Dimensions:136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm
Weight:130 g130 g
Operating System:Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean)
Chipset:Exynos 5 Octa 5410Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600
Processor:Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300
Graphics Processor:PowerVR SGX 544MP3Adreno 320
Memory:2GB2GB
Storage:16GB / 32GB / 64GB16GB / 32GB / 64GB
Expansion:microSD up to 32GBmicroSD up to 32GB
Display:5-inch Super AMOLED 1080×1920, 441 pixels per inch5-inch Super AMOLED 1080×1920, 441 pixels per inch
Corning Gorilla Glass 3Corning Gorilla Glass 3
Camera Rear:13 megapixels, 4128×3096, AF, LED, Dual Shot, 1080p HD videos13 megapixels, 4128×3096, AF, LED, Dual Shot, 1080p HD videos
Camera Front:2 megapixels, 1080p, dual video call2 megapixels, 1080p, dual video call
GPRS:YesYes
EDGE:YesYes
Speed:HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 MbpsHSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps; LTE, Cat3, 50 Mbps UL, 100 Mbps DL
WLAN:Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspotWi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot
Bluetooth:Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LEYes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE
NFC:YesYes
Infrared port:YesYes
USB:Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2), USB On-the-go, USB HostYes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2), USB On-the-go, USB Host
Sensors:Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gestureAccelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture
GPS:Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASSYes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS
Battery:Li-Ion 2600 mAhLi-Ion 2600 mAh

As you can see from the table above, there isn’t much really difference in terms of their features and specifications. The only difference is the processors that is powering both the Galaxy S4, and of course, one has LTE and the other has no LTE.

Since there is a difference in the chipset being used, expect that there is also a difference with their respective prices, and performance. So to help you answer which one is faster, check out the benchmarks I have gathered below.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Benchmarks Comparison: Exynos vs Snapdragon

Below are benchmarks comparing both the Galxay S4 Exynos 5 and the Snapdragon 600 from pocketnow.

Benchmark ToolsGalaxy S4 GT-I9500Galaxy S4 GT-I9505
AnTuTu2837824497
GeekBench235943179
Quadrant Standard1287812236
SunSpider Javascript Benchmark668.65ms837ms
3D Mark (Ice Storm)1048310483
3D Mark (Ice Storm Extreme)64336433

As you can see from the table above, the Galxy S4 GT-I9500, which is the Exynos 5 Octa core, performs faster or better than the Snapdragon 600. But the performance difference is not that huge. In fact it’s just a slight difference, and I bet you wouldn’t feel any real life performance difference at all.

Which Version of Galaxy S4 Should You Get?

Okay to conclude this article, which Galaxy S4 should you get? The Exynos 5 Octa Core GT-I9500 or the Snapdragon 600 Quad Core GT-I9505? There is no one answer for this question, because it really depends on you. It depends on the person who is buying the unit. It depends on your budget, your preference and which one do you think is more useful for you. To help you with that I have summarized it below.

Reasons to Choose the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 Exynos 5 Octa Core:

  • Faster Performance, perhaps slightly in real life situation
  • Better battery life (slightly)
  • It has Wolfson Audio which produces a much better sound quality
  • If you want to brag that you have an “eight-core” powered smartphone
  • If benchmark scores are important to you
  • If your country doesn’t have a Snapdragon 600 (no choice)

Reasons to Choose the Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 Snapdragon 600 Quad Core:

  • Get this if you need LTE
  • Cheaper compared to GT-I9500
  • If your country doesn’t have an Exynote 5 Octa version (no choice)

I’m not sure with regards to the prices, because it varies from one country to another. In the Philippines the Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 is more expensive than the snapdragon 600 version with LTE, by around Php 2,000 or $50 USD.

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Comments

4 responses to “Samsung Galaxy S4 Exynos 5 Octa Core vs Snapdragon 600: Which to Get?”

  1. i thought that i9500 consumes more battery than the i9505?

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