Samsung Galaxy S5 Crystal Edition Teased Online; Tipped to Debut in May
A new Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is displayed at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona Reuters

The Samsung Galaxy S5 will hit store shelves in April and it is expected to have some tough competition with the existing flagship smartphones in the market today. Among the myriad of Android smartphones in the market, the Google Nexus 5 will be one of the tough competitors of the Samsung flagship. Here are the key differences between the Samsung Galaxy S5 and Google Nexus 5 that you should know about before buying.

Samsung Galaxy S5 and Google Nexus 5 Specs Comparison

Samsung Galaxy S5

Google Nexus 5

Display

5.1 inches Super AMOLED, Full HD (1920 x 1080), 432 ppi

4.95 inches true HD IPS+ (1080 x 1920), 445 ppi

Processor

2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, Adreno 330 GPU or 2.1GHz Octa-core Exynos, unspecified GPU in Exynos SoC

2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, Adreno 330 GPU or 2.3GHz Krait 400

RAM

2 GB

2 GB

Cameras

16 MP rear LED flash, 2.1 MP front

8MP rear LED flash, 1.3 MP front

Battery

2800 mAh

2300 mAh

Storage

16/32 GB, expandable

16/32 GB, non-expandable

Software

Android 4.4.2 KitKat

Android 4.4 KitKat, upgradable

Dimensions

142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm

137.9 x 69.2 x 8.6 mm

Weight

145 g

130g

Design

The two devices are fairly different in terms of aesthetics. The Google Nexus 5 uses matte plastic, which is similar to the Nexus 7. Although it is plastic, it still feels premium and it is extremely durable.

In contrast to the Samsung Galaxy S5, the Google Nexus 5 does not sport a removable back, which means that users are stuck with the 2300 mAh battery and there is no microSD card slot for memory expansion.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 design is also made of plastic but that's the only similarity the two devices have in common. The Galaxy S5 sports a textured pattern on the back cover, dustproof and water-resistant features. The Nexus 5, on the other hand is not water-resistant which means that it is more susceptible than the Samsung flagship.

Camera

The Google Nexus 5 has half of the Samsung Galaxy S5's 16MP rear camera but the 8MP camera of the Nexus 5 features Optical Image Stabilisation technology that helps stabilise the device when shooting videos. On the other hand, the Galaxy S5 comes with advanced HDR that allows users to see the final image on screen before the image is actually shot.

Software

One of the competitive advantages of the Nexus 5 is its vanilla Android, which is known as a pure Google experience OS. Basically, it is pure Android the way Google intended it to be.

The Galaxy S5 enjoys a different manufacturer UI with its TouchWiz and a few health-related features with the brand new "Ultra Power Saving Mode."