The Sony Xperia Z1 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 have received excellent market response and reviews from the time they were released. The two Android phones both boast of exceptional display and excellent performance. They are part of the higher end group along with Apple's iPhone 5s. But which is the better Android handset of the two?

Price

Even with SIM-free versions, both phones cost higher than most products. Depending on the carrier, users may be able to save up on the devices depending on their plan. Nonetheless, generally, both the Sony Xperia Z1 and Samsung Galaxy Note 3 cater more to those who can spend extra few dollars on their smartphones. The SRP for both is pegged at £599.

Quality and Design

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the Sony Xperia Z1 are two of the bigger sized options today. The Note 3 may seem bulky but it is slim, thus, portability is not really an issue here. It has a certain appeal that people will be interested in picking it up to try and use it. Unlike other Galaxy items, it does not have the feel of plastic or other cheap construction.

The Xperia Z1, on the other hand, appears to be a high-class version of the Xperia Z with a number of changes. The phone still features a glass front and rear, though Sony changed the rim to aluminium. The aluminium rim is a great leap from the rubber plastic. Sony also transformed the phone's edges into rounder ones. The changes on the edges may seem little but it changes the overall feel of the product. Users will find it more comfortable to hold the device.

The Xperia Z1 weighs more than Note 3 at 170 g compared to 168 g. It is also thicker at 8.7 mm compared to the Note 3 at 8.3 mm. Individually, these differences may not seem much but they can affect the overall feel of the devices depending on the user's preferences.

Specs and Performance

The Note 3 boasts of impressive specs, though Z1 is not too far behind. The Note 3 packs on Qualcomm Snapdragon Quad-core 2.3 GHz Krait 400 processor plus 3 G RAM. The Xperia Z1, on the other hand, uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with 2 GB RAM. They are both fast phones compared to other options on the market. The Z1's clock speed is at 2.2 GHz. Together, the Note 3 and the Z1 ranks as first and second in terms of speed in the smartphone market.

The Z1 passed reviews with flying colors for its latest Adreno 330 GPU and Krait 400 cores. The Note 3 features Adreno 330 graphic processing unit offering just as impressive a performance as the Z1.