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.
See also: How to Carrier Unlock or Sim Unlock Samsung Galaxy S4
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
Specifications | Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 | Galaxy S4 GT-9505 |
---|---|---|
Network: | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 | GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 |
HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 | |
LTE 800 / 850 / 900 / 1800 / 2100 / 2600 | ||
SIM Card | Micro SIM | Micro SIM |
Dimensions: | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm | 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm |
Weight: | 130 g | 130 g |
Operating System: | Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) | Android OS, v4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) |
Chipset: | Exynos 5 Octa 5410 | Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 |
Processor: | Quad-core 1.6 GHz Cortex-A15 & quad-core 1.2 GHz Cortex-A7 | Quad-core 1.9 GHz Krait 300 |
Graphics Processor: | PowerVR SGX 544MP3 | Adreno 320 |
Memory: | 2GB | 2GB |
Storage: | 16GB / 32GB / 64GB | 16GB / 32GB / 64GB |
Expansion: | microSD up to 32GB | microSD up to 32GB |
Display: | 5-inch Super AMOLED 1080×1920, 441 pixels per inch | 5-inch Super AMOLED 1080×1920, 441 pixels per inch |
Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | Corning Gorilla Glass 3 | |
Camera Rear: | 13 megapixels, 4128×3096, AF, LED, Dual Shot, 1080p HD videos | 13 megapixels, 4128×3096, AF, LED, Dual Shot, 1080p HD videos |
Camera Front: | 2 megapixels, 1080p, dual video call | 2 megapixels, 1080p, dual video call |
GPRS: | Yes | Yes |
EDGE: | Yes | Yes |
Speed: | HSDPA, 42.2 Mbps; HSUPA, 5.76 Mbps | HSDPA, 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 hotspot | Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot |
Bluetooth: | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE | Yes, v4.0 with A2DP, EDR, LE |
NFC: | Yes | Yes |
Infrared port: | Yes | Yes |
USB: | Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2), USB On-the-go, USB Host | Yes, microUSB v2.0 (MHL 2), USB On-the-go, USB Host |
Sensors: | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture | Accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass, barometer, temperature, humidity, gesture |
GPS: | Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS | Yes, with A-GPS support and GLONASS |
Battery: | Li-Ion 2600 mAh | Li-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 Tools | Galaxy S4 GT-I9500 | Galaxy S4 GT-I9505 |
---|---|---|
AnTuTu | 28378 | 24497 |
GeekBench2 | 3594 | 3179 |
Quadrant Standard | 12878 | 12236 |
SunSpider Javascript Benchmark | 668.65ms | 837ms |
3D Mark (Ice Storm) | 10483 | 10483 |
3D Mark (Ice Storm Extreme) | 6433 | 6433 |
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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