Gadgetory

we know we know this comparison doesn't look like it makes any sense and we were skeptical too but then we took a look at the most often searched YouTube Nexus 5 strings and this comparison is up there and that makes a certain degree of sense if you think about it despite their obvious differences these are two of the highest profile devices out there right now the phones getting most of the buzz really so of course people want to know how they compare let's find out I'm Michael Fisher this is PocketNow and this is Google Nexus 5 vs samsung galaxy note 3 right up front probably the biggest difference between these devices is philosophical the Nexus 5 was built to be a flagship phone at an affordable price point while the note 3 was built to be a premium phone offered at a premium price more than that the devices differ in just what they're trying to accomplish the Nexus 5 exists to showcase the best of pure Android or more precisely perhaps pure Google the note 3 sits at the exact opposite side of the spectrum with so many modifications that at times it hardly looks like an Android device the gulf between these phones becomes apparent the minute you set eyes on their hardware where the Nexus 5 takes the form of a rather minimalist almost featureless slab the Galaxy Note 3 is meant to catch the eye there's a lot of imitation stuff here imitation metal imitations stitched leather and whether that comes off as high-end or tacky will depend on your taste in terms of in hand feel the note 3 is 38 grams more massive than the Nexus 5 and it's significantly larger so much so that it's pretty tough to use one-handed that's primarily because of the 5.7 inch AMOLED screen on the note nearly three-quarters of an inch larger on the diagonal and featuring a Wacom digitizer to sense input from the devices included S Pen the screen is the same resolution as on the Nexus it doesn't offer as much pixel density due to its larger size but it does bring deeper blacks and better viewing angles whether you like the added pop it's AMOLED technology brings two colors will depend on you under the hood the differences keep piling up and that's evidence starting right at the back panel the notes is removable granting access to the replaceable battery and expandable microSD storage the Nexus features neither of those its battery and 16 or 32 gigs of storage sealed up in its casing and while each phone is powered by a Snapdragon 800 SOC the note 3 takes things a step further by bumping up the RAM by 50% and tossing in an IR transmitter for controlling your home entertainment system as well as a higher resolution camera despite the Nexus 5's inclusion of qi wireless charging a touch we rather like and the favorite feature from the nexus 4 it's pretty clear that the speck beast in this contest is the samsung phone but at least part of the reason for that is because the note needs pretty intense hardware to run Samsung's software the TouchWiz third-party UI is one of the heaviest around and it enables the special features we covered extensively in our note 3 review everything from the s-pen note-taking multitasking and scrolling to the multi window mode that lets you run two apps side by side at the same time in exchange for this added functionality though you're forced to deal with samsung's idea of what smartphone software should be an environment which really isn't as mature or as reliable as what Google is doing on the Nexus which is namely providing the smoothest tightest cleanest Android experience to date with no third-party UI to tangle with the Nexus 5 may not bring as many features but what it does it does very well its Android in its most optimized form giving you a direct line to a very very powerful back-end of services and features and almost all of it is simple and enough to use with one hand it's the perfect combination of simplicity aesthetic beauty and utility so while we can get more done with the note 3 we like the software experience as a whole better on the Nexus 5 fortunately Android is customizable enough to allow custom launchers to replicate the best of both worlds for those who like to get adventurous elsewhere the note 3 and the Nexus are more similar than you might expect the camera is a good example we found the Nexus 5's optically stabilized shooter pretty inconsistent during our testing but it keeps up nicely with the note 3 in terms of still shots delivering a wider field of view than the Samsung device and also producing more true-to-life colors under certain conditions the Nexus 5's camera is a lower resolution unit but it's stabilization helps it deliver better shots particularly in low light and it also does a better job at attenuating the shakes and jitters that come from shooting video while walking otherwise these cameras are comparable on video each delivering a nice picture with excellent audio I shall have him I'll chase him round the moons of nippy and round and terraces until strong and round perdition's flames before I give him up there's a wider gulf in terms of battery life with the user-replaceable power pack the note 3 is already more flexible than the Nexus but that removable battery is also significantly larger that means the note 3 is much more likely to last a couple days away from the charger then while our testing showed the Nexus 5 is really no slouch in that department the note 3 is still our pick for you road warriors out there call quality is roughly equivalent in normal voice conversations but switch those calls to speakerphone mode and the bottom firing speaker of the note 3 handily out shouts the weak unit on the Nexus that holds true for media playback as well in short if the Nexus 5 is the small but quick sports car that's easy to just fire up and drive the note 3 is the finicky SUV that takes more time and attention but allows much more flexibility and power on your trip and you know that would be that if we didn't take costs into consideration as we made very clear in our Nexus 5 review a huge part of that devices appeal is its price at between 349 and 399 off contract in select markets through the Google Play Store the Nexus 5 is between three to four hundred dollars cheaper than the average cost of an off contract note 3 that's a big deal from any perspective and it makes the nexus something to seriously consider if you're on a budget or if you're looking for the best possible Android experience in a conventional sense if instead you're looking for the added utility that only the combination of a huge screen a stylist and class-leading Hardware versatility can provide or you're in the market for a phone that can also serve as a tablet replacement well seek out the note 3 no other phone fits the bill like it does just be sure to save your pennies beforehand and don't begrudge your Nexus 5 carrying friends their excellent value folks if you want to stay abreast of all the latest Nexus 5 developments here at PocketNow including our forthcoming comparison with the Galaxy s4 follow us on social media where we will be posting those just as soon as they're ready the Nexus 5 review is already up and the note 3 review of course has been up for a while now check it out pocketnow.com we're here on youtube at our channel page and toss us a like before you go anywhere if you did enjoy this video leave a comment down below with your feedback most importantly stay tuned for future videos until next time this has been michael fisher with PocketNow thank you for watching and we'll see you soon