The leak days is finally over, LG Nexus 5 running in Android 4.4 KitKat is now finally official. How does this latest Nexus smartphone stack up then? Does the LG manufactured smartphone have what it takes to snatch the crown from third party devices? More significantly, is this the next 5 star-smartphone? Will its high-end specs and budget-friendly price be competitive edge against the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the mighty Apple iPhone 5s.

With Google unveiling its flagship Nexus 5 smartphone is dedicated to hardcore Android fans as it will be the first and only device running the latest Android 4.4 KitKat OS. Also, it is worth noting that the device will be featuring a vanilla Android user interface.

Below is the comparison of the latest flagship devices in the market - the Google Nexus 5, the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the Apple iPhone 5s. Let us know what is the best smartphone 2013?

Dimensions and Weight

Google Nexus 5 138 x 69 x 8.6 mm, 130g
Samsung Galaxy S4 137 x 70 x 7 .9 mm, 130g
Apple iPhone 5s 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm, 112g

The Google Nexus 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 are quite identical in weight with almost similar dimension. However, the iPhone 5s is significantly smaller than the two Android devices. The Google Nexus 5 is a little bit chunkier (8.6 mm) compared to the Samsung Galaxy S4 (7.9mm). But then again the thinnest is the Apple iPhone 5s measuring only 7.6 mm.

Display

Google Nexus 5 - 5 inches full HD 1920 x 1080 IPS 445ppi display
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 5 inches full HD 1920 x 1080 Super AMOLED 441ppi display
Apple iPhone 5s - 4 inches Retina Display; 1136 x 640 pixels 326ppi

The Google Nexus 5 and the Samsung Galaxy S4 have very similar displays - both on full HD 1080p resolution. Google's latest flagship smartphone slightly beats the Samsung Galaxy S4 in pixel density; however it falls short in the vibrancy of images due to the lack of AMOLED technology. Apple's iPhone 5s come tailing the two devices with only 326ppi but the Retina Display makes up for this.

Processor

Google Nexus 5 - 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 1.9GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600
Apple iPhone 5s - proprietary A7 (64-bit) with M7 motion processor

In terms of processing power, the Google Nexus 5 beats the Samsung Galaxy S4. Although both devices have the same Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, the Google Nexus promises a more seamless experience with its 2.26GHz in comparison to the 1.9GHz of the Galaxy S4. On the other hand, the Apple iPhone 5s brags its M7 motion processor.

Battery

Google Nexus 5 - 2,300mAh embedded; usage time up to 17 hours; standby time up to 12 days
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 2,600mAh removable: usage time up to 17 hours; standby time up to 12 days
Apple iPhone 5s - usage time online up to 10 hours on 4G LTE; standby time up to 10 days

Software

Google Nexus 5 - Android 4.4 Kitkat mobile OS
Samsung Galaxy S4 - Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean mobile OS
Apple iPhone 5s - iOS 7

The Google Nexus 5 basically trumps the Samsung Galaxy S4, with the recently unveiled Android 4.4 KitKat which is the OS of this Google smartphone. The Samsung Galaxy S4 can be updated to the Android 4.3 Jelly bean and possibly Android 4.4 KitKat soon. The iPhone 5s remains on its Apple exclusive iOS 7.

Camera

Google Nexus 5 - 8MP rear camera, 1.3MP front camera
Samsung Galaxy S4 - 13MP rear camera, 2MP front camera
Apple iPhone 5s - 8MP rear camera, 1.2MP front camera

Storage

Google Nexus 5 - internal memory of 16GB or 32GB, 2GB of RAM
Samsung Galaxy S4 - internal memory of 16GB, 32GB or 64GB, microSD card slot for expansion up to 64GB, 2GB of RAM
Apple iPhone 5s - 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB, not expandable

The Verdict

Needless to say, the Google Nexus 5 and iPhone 5s is no match to the Samsung Galaxy S4 camera but the three almost match each other in other categories. The Google's flagship smartphone offers an incredible wireless charging feature while the Apple iPhone 5s offers fingerprint ID technology. But then again, the Nexus 5 is over $300 less expensive than the iPhone 5s or the Galaxy S4.