Comparative test-review of the flagships of 2013: Sony Xperia Z, OPPO Find 5, Samsung Galaxy S IV and HTC One
At our disposal were four flagship smartphones of the mid-2013 model - Samsung Galaxy S4, HTC One, Sony Xperia Z and OPPO Find 5. The characteristics of these devices, I think, have long been well known to everyone - they have been discussing on the Internet for several months. And if so, then we will not repeat and describe each digit from the specification of these smartphones - we better turn to the practical points and the level of implementation of specific functions. For example, three of the four models have 13-megapixel cameras, that is, everything is the same on paper; but which one is the best shot? In which smartphone is ergonomics elaborated? What is neater assembled? Which is the fastest loading? We will answer these and other questions in this article. Below - a lot of letters and pictures.
Key Ergonomics
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One of the best ergonomic buttons in my opinion was the Samsung Galaxy S4. Immediately it is necessary to clarify that in my understanding the best position is achieved when the keys are located under the fingers. And the user does not have to significantly change the position of the smartphone in his hand to reach the elements. So, in the Samsung Galaxy S4, both the power button and the volume are located exactly where it should be.
Almost at the same level as the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the OPPO Find 5, except that the power key is set just below my “ideal”.
Sony Xperia Z left a depressing impression. I honestly do not understand why it was necessary to put the power button almost in the middle, and to control the volume control a) at the same end b) and even lower than the middle. From the photo you can see that for the left-handed option is not the worst. But what about the rest?
HTC One upset the most. The power button is located on the top, and even on the curved "inward" side. As a result, the finger, which is so difficult to press a low-profile key, has to bend in addition. The volume rocker may be “under the fingers”, but it is made almost on a par with the body. To say that it is difficult to press is to say nothing.
On time
The video clearly shows how much it will cost to wait for access to the system from the moment a key is pressed and before the start-up screen is loaded. I applaud the HTC One, 10 seconds - a record result, the closest rival is behind with a double loss. Samsung Galaxy S 4 showed a moderate 20 seconds, while the OPPO Find 5 and Sony Xperia Z are in the tail with 28 and 26 seconds, respectively.
Number of setup screens after first run
In my opinion, a very interesting and controversial parameter. On the one hand, in my understanding, the manufacturer should take the time from the user to the minimum and give access to the system as quickly as possible. On the other hand, it is impossible to deny the benefit of the fact that the company immediately tries to force the user to understand the basic parameters, such as connected accounts or dates.
In my opinion, OPPO Find 5 wins, giving access to the desktop in three screens.
Sony Xperia Z is not too annoying to the user.
But with HTC One will have to tinker.
However, all the "surpassed" Samsung Galaxy S 4 - to spend 10-15 minutes on it will definitely have. But, I repeat, everyone decides for himself whether it is good or not.
Available memory
I didn’t quite understand the policy of the HTC One - right after the launch, without any files and programs, almost 10 GB of 32 GB was “eaten” from my side. Too much.
OPPO Find 5 also cannot be called a “dietetic” smartphone in terms of allocated memory, but the total available almost 27 GB compared to the previous smartphone is no longer “oppressive”.
Samsung is not in a hurry to share the declared memory, for the files I was given only 8.2 GB.
19.56 GB - this result is observed in the flagship Sony. Almost 12 GB was spent on the personal needs of the smartphone, which does not suit me at all.
Screen quality
Regarding display technologies in front of us: Super AMOLED (Samsung), PVA (HTC), IPS (OPPO), and TFT (Sony). Smartphones are listed in the order in which they are located in the photo from top to bottom. As a result, we can definitely say that the worst display quality is observed in Sony Xperia Z - the colors are faint and inexpressive, the brightness also loses to all the test participants. The most saturated and contrasting colors predictably demonstrated the brainchild of Samsung. HTC and OPPO have approximately the same high quality level - the colors are calm, there are no obvious "distortions".
Sun behavior
Oddly enough, there are no clear favorites or “losers”. With greater readability of displays in bright sunshine, it remains at approximately the same level. Of course, for this, all four smartphones had to set the maximum brightness. I note that, regardless of the model, the miracle did not happen - faded tones and semitones were equally poorly visible to all participants.
Camera launch speed
In the comments of the announcement of the article I was asked to conduct this test, for this I suggest you see the results with your own eyes. OPPO Find 5 worked the fastest, Sony Xperia Z turned out to be the most thoughtful. In my opinion, by and large, all smartphones with the exception of Sony worked almost equally quickly.
Photo quality
From top to bottom, in each example, there are snapshots of HTC One, OPPO Find 5, Samsung Galaxy S 4 and Sony Xperia Z. I think the images speak for themselves. In the daytime scheme, I liked that the OPPO model makes the picture a bit more saturated and “warm”. The Sony smartphone has slightly lagged behind, adding barely noticeable fading to the photos.
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
In the night shooting when viewing “on the spot” in the street, it seemed to me that the HTC One was the unreachable leader. But no, on closer inspection, both the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy S 4 showed themselves very well in places. Only the latter regularly added purple tones to the photos. Alas, OPPO Find 5 had nothing to boast of at night.
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
Game loading time
Real Racing 3 gives you a good opportunity to start testing for the time of the “initial” launch of the program, and then see the download duration of the game track. Congratulations to HTC and OPPO, I wonder about Samsung. True, then the Samsung flagship was rehabilitated and showed approximately identical result with other smartphones.
Vibration
At first, I wanted to put a glass of water on smartphones or put it on an inclined surface and find out who would win the “race” for rolling speed. But in reality, smartphones did not show the wonders of “shake” at all. The HTC One was shaking a little harder than others, due to the small area of ​​contact with the table, he even managed to “travel a little”.
Volume and sound quality
I liked the multimedia speakers most of all on HTC One and OPPO Find 5 - if we talk about the quality of the music you listen to. The volume was measured in a rather banal way - using a microphone and a Waves plug-in that detected the maximum volume. Smartphones were located at a distance of the index finger from the microphone. OPPO Find 5 takes the first place with -7.9 dB, then HTC One with 9.8 dB, then Samsung Galaxy S 4 with - 10.2 dB. Anti-record set Sony Xperia Z with - 20.6 dB. The speaker of the model is too quiet, especially for the flagship.
.
Regarding listening to an earphone, I used the AKG K44 home pair to balance the test conditions. The greatest pleasure I received from a Samsung smartphone. It is a pleasure - it is difficult to describe, but if the audio system is capable of artificially embellishing the sound and even hiding the bit-rate flaws, then in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 I have nothing against such a “fraud”.
Clear monitor sound showed OPPO and HTC, both models are considered leaders in this issue. OPPO is slightly ahead due to the fact that with a smaller position of the slider showed a louder sound - it means that everything is fine with a volume reserve. Sony doesn’t blame it much, the clear sound in the asset, but the saturation and volume reserve of the model was not enough. I note that I fully understand the complexity of the test due to the possibility of setting different equalizer settings for a significant change in sound quality in a particular smartphone model.
Autonomous work
Due to circumstances, I decided to abandon the “daily” tests of the duration of the work, after conducting a capacious test-hodgepodge. It always amazed me how voracious the Cool Reader becomes in the automatic page turning mode. Each smartphone had to endure two hours of reading, then each showed me a DVDrip of the film “How to Train Your Dragon” (1:37, 720x304, 1.54 Mbps, Xvid). After that, I wanted to listen to music for an hour, so all four smartphones “digested” the new album Snoop Dogg for 60 minutes.
As a result, Samsung Galaxy S IV has 65% of the battery, Sony Xperia Z stopped at 43%, but the HTC One and OPPO Find 5 were in the tail with 26% and 23%, respectively. I note that the indicator of the Sony smartphone was for me the most significant achievement of the model in the test.
Conclusion
Conclusions about the following. Samsung Galaxy S4 is really worth its money and is the best of this "great four" (as evidenced by sales - SGS4 has already sold millions of copies). Yes, it can be scolded for a rather faceless plastic case, but otherwise it is a leader. The main advantage of the HTC One is to call the full metal case, and this is the only smartphone in our review with such a chip. However, the use of this material has led to the fact that One heats up more than others and then cools longer. We fully admit that this moment will not upset anyone, but it nevertheless has a place to be.
In most "disciplines" HTC One is inferior to SGS4, but not too much. So the "unit" is quite a decent option. As for the Sony Xperia Z, then this device is remarkable except the design. It photographs the model worse than the Galaxy S4, although both devices have similar photomodules from Sony. The screen in the “zedka” is mediocre, there are also a number of questions for the program part, and the hardware of the previous generation is here ... In general, we recommend ardent fans of “sonistyle” and no one else. OPPO Find 5 is cheaper than other heroes of this review - 19,990 rubles for a version with 16 GB of memory. This model may be somewhat inferior to the same SGS4 and HTC One in most parameters, but exactly the amount that can be saved by purchasing it. So for budget buyers, this option is very good: it doesn’t look like any other model next to other models.
Key Ergonomics
')
One of the best ergonomic buttons in my opinion was the Samsung Galaxy S4. Immediately it is necessary to clarify that in my understanding the best position is achieved when the keys are located under the fingers. And the user does not have to significantly change the position of the smartphone in his hand to reach the elements. So, in the Samsung Galaxy S4, both the power button and the volume are located exactly where it should be.
Almost at the same level as the Samsung Galaxy S4 is the OPPO Find 5, except that the power key is set just below my “ideal”.
Sony Xperia Z left a depressing impression. I honestly do not understand why it was necessary to put the power button almost in the middle, and to control the volume control a) at the same end b) and even lower than the middle. From the photo you can see that for the left-handed option is not the worst. But what about the rest?
HTC One upset the most. The power button is located on the top, and even on the curved "inward" side. As a result, the finger, which is so difficult to press a low-profile key, has to bend in addition. The volume rocker may be “under the fingers”, but it is made almost on a par with the body. To say that it is difficult to press is to say nothing.
On time
The video clearly shows how much it will cost to wait for access to the system from the moment a key is pressed and before the start-up screen is loaded. I applaud the HTC One, 10 seconds - a record result, the closest rival is behind with a double loss. Samsung Galaxy S 4 showed a moderate 20 seconds, while the OPPO Find 5 and Sony Xperia Z are in the tail with 28 and 26 seconds, respectively.
Number of setup screens after first run
In my opinion, a very interesting and controversial parameter. On the one hand, in my understanding, the manufacturer should take the time from the user to the minimum and give access to the system as quickly as possible. On the other hand, it is impossible to deny the benefit of the fact that the company immediately tries to force the user to understand the basic parameters, such as connected accounts or dates.
In my opinion, OPPO Find 5 wins, giving access to the desktop in three screens.
Sony Xperia Z is not too annoying to the user.
But with HTC One will have to tinker.
However, all the "surpassed" Samsung Galaxy S 4 - to spend 10-15 minutes on it will definitely have. But, I repeat, everyone decides for himself whether it is good or not.
Available memory
I didn’t quite understand the policy of the HTC One - right after the launch, without any files and programs, almost 10 GB of 32 GB was “eaten” from my side. Too much.
OPPO Find 5 also cannot be called a “dietetic” smartphone in terms of allocated memory, but the total available almost 27 GB compared to the previous smartphone is no longer “oppressive”.
Samsung is not in a hurry to share the declared memory, for the files I was given only 8.2 GB.
19.56 GB - this result is observed in the flagship Sony. Almost 12 GB was spent on the personal needs of the smartphone, which does not suit me at all.
Screen quality
Regarding display technologies in front of us: Super AMOLED (Samsung), PVA (HTC), IPS (OPPO), and TFT (Sony). Smartphones are listed in the order in which they are located in the photo from top to bottom. As a result, we can definitely say that the worst display quality is observed in Sony Xperia Z - the colors are faint and inexpressive, the brightness also loses to all the test participants. The most saturated and contrasting colors predictably demonstrated the brainchild of Samsung. HTC and OPPO have approximately the same high quality level - the colors are calm, there are no obvious "distortions".
Sun behavior
Oddly enough, there are no clear favorites or “losers”. With greater readability of displays in bright sunshine, it remains at approximately the same level. Of course, for this, all four smartphones had to set the maximum brightness. I note that, regardless of the model, the miracle did not happen - faded tones and semitones were equally poorly visible to all participants.
Camera launch speed
In the comments of the announcement of the article I was asked to conduct this test, for this I suggest you see the results with your own eyes. OPPO Find 5 worked the fastest, Sony Xperia Z turned out to be the most thoughtful. In my opinion, by and large, all smartphones with the exception of Sony worked almost equally quickly.
Photo quality
From top to bottom, in each example, there are snapshots of HTC One, OPPO Find 5, Samsung Galaxy S 4 and Sony Xperia Z. I think the images speak for themselves. In the daytime scheme, I liked that the OPPO model makes the picture a bit more saturated and “warm”. The Sony smartphone has slightly lagged behind, adding barely noticeable fading to the photos.
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
In the night shooting when viewing “on the spot” in the street, it seemed to me that the HTC One was the unreachable leader. But no, on closer inspection, both the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy S 4 showed themselves very well in places. Only the latter regularly added purple tones to the photos. Alas, OPPO Find 5 had nothing to boast of at night.
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
HTC One
OPPO Find 5
Samsung Galaxy S 4
Sony Xperia Z
Game loading time
Real Racing 3 gives you a good opportunity to start testing for the time of the “initial” launch of the program, and then see the download duration of the game track. Congratulations to HTC and OPPO, I wonder about Samsung. True, then the Samsung flagship was rehabilitated and showed approximately identical result with other smartphones.
Vibration
At first, I wanted to put a glass of water on smartphones or put it on an inclined surface and find out who would win the “race” for rolling speed. But in reality, smartphones did not show the wonders of “shake” at all. The HTC One was shaking a little harder than others, due to the small area of ​​contact with the table, he even managed to “travel a little”.
Volume and sound quality
I liked the multimedia speakers most of all on HTC One and OPPO Find 5 - if we talk about the quality of the music you listen to. The volume was measured in a rather banal way - using a microphone and a Waves plug-in that detected the maximum volume. Smartphones were located at a distance of the index finger from the microphone. OPPO Find 5 takes the first place with -7.9 dB, then HTC One with 9.8 dB, then Samsung Galaxy S 4 with - 10.2 dB. Anti-record set Sony Xperia Z with - 20.6 dB. The speaker of the model is too quiet, especially for the flagship.
.
Regarding listening to an earphone, I used the AKG K44 home pair to balance the test conditions. The greatest pleasure I received from a Samsung smartphone. It is a pleasure - it is difficult to describe, but if the audio system is capable of artificially embellishing the sound and even hiding the bit-rate flaws, then in the case of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 I have nothing against such a “fraud”.
Clear monitor sound showed OPPO and HTC, both models are considered leaders in this issue. OPPO is slightly ahead due to the fact that with a smaller position of the slider showed a louder sound - it means that everything is fine with a volume reserve. Sony doesn’t blame it much, the clear sound in the asset, but the saturation and volume reserve of the model was not enough. I note that I fully understand the complexity of the test due to the possibility of setting different equalizer settings for a significant change in sound quality in a particular smartphone model.
Autonomous work
Due to circumstances, I decided to abandon the “daily” tests of the duration of the work, after conducting a capacious test-hodgepodge. It always amazed me how voracious the Cool Reader becomes in the automatic page turning mode. Each smartphone had to endure two hours of reading, then each showed me a DVDrip of the film “How to Train Your Dragon” (1:37, 720x304, 1.54 Mbps, Xvid). After that, I wanted to listen to music for an hour, so all four smartphones “digested” the new album Snoop Dogg for 60 minutes.
As a result, Samsung Galaxy S IV has 65% of the battery, Sony Xperia Z stopped at 43%, but the HTC One and OPPO Find 5 were in the tail with 26% and 23%, respectively. I note that the indicator of the Sony smartphone was for me the most significant achievement of the model in the test.
Conclusion
Conclusions about the following. Samsung Galaxy S4 is really worth its money and is the best of this "great four" (as evidenced by sales - SGS4 has already sold millions of copies). Yes, it can be scolded for a rather faceless plastic case, but otherwise it is a leader. The main advantage of the HTC One is to call the full metal case, and this is the only smartphone in our review with such a chip. However, the use of this material has led to the fact that One heats up more than others and then cools longer. We fully admit that this moment will not upset anyone, but it nevertheless has a place to be.
In most "disciplines" HTC One is inferior to SGS4, but not too much. So the "unit" is quite a decent option. As for the Sony Xperia Z, then this device is remarkable except the design. It photographs the model worse than the Galaxy S4, although both devices have similar photomodules from Sony. The screen in the “zedka” is mediocre, there are also a number of questions for the program part, and the hardware of the previous generation is here ... In general, we recommend ardent fans of “sonistyle” and no one else. OPPO Find 5 is cheaper than other heroes of this review - 19,990 rubles for a version with 16 GB of memory. This model may be somewhat inferior to the same SGS4 and HTC One in most parameters, but exactly the amount that can be saved by purchasing it. So for budget buyers, this option is very good: it doesn’t look like any other model next to other models.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/185186/
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