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iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920 vs Galaxy S3, the specs winner

Categories Apple iPhone Nokia Phone Comparison Samsung
Author by James September 13, 2012
3,569 143

Now that Apple has unveiled their latest smartphone offering for the iPhone faithful out there, obviously the specifications of the iPhone 5 will get compared to rival handsets. So how well does the new iPhone stack up against such high end rivals as the Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Nokia Lumia 920, which of these three devices can come out the specs winner?

Well the guys over at GSM Arena have done a little specs comparison between the iPhone 5, Nokia Lumia 920 and the Samsung Galaxy S3 to see if there can be a clear winner. Apple has packed a fair bit of hardware into the slimmer, taller iOS smartphone, but is it enough to best the Android and Windows Phone 8 rivals?

So let’s take a look at that spec comparison…kicking off with the iPhone 5, the handset offers a 4-inch LED backlit IPS TFT, along with a pixel density of 326 PPI and resolution of 1136 x 640, runs iOS 6, measures 123.8 x 58.5 x 7.6mm with a weight of 112 grams.

The iPhone 5 has an Apple A6 processor, the RAM is unknown at this time, 16GB, 32GB and 64GB storage, an 8 megapixel 3264 x 2448 pixels auto-focus rear facing camera with touch focus, face detection, geo-tagging, panorama and HDR, a 720p front facing camera, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, dual band, WiFi Plus Cellular, 2G network GSM 850/900/1800/1900, CDMA for Verizon 800/1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, CDMA2000 1xEVDO for Verizon, 4G Network LTE 700 MHz Class 17/2100 for AT&T, LTE 700MHz Class 13 for Verizon, 9-pin connector, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR, G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Ambient light, Digital Compass, and Proximity sensors, and will be available as of the 21st of September.

Now for the Samsung Galaxy S3, which offers a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED with Corning Gorilla Glass 2, with a pixel density of 306 PPI and resolution of HD 1280 x 720, runs Ice Cream Sandwich but will be updated to Android Jelly Bean, measures 136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6mm with a weight of 133 grams.

The Galaxy S3 has a 1.4GHz quad core Cortex AP processor Exynos 4212 Quad, Mali 400MP GPU, 1GB RAM, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB storage, microSD expansion up to 64GB, an 8 megapixel 3264 x 2448 pixels auto-focus rear camera with simultaneous HD video and image recording, touch focus, geo-tagging, image stabilisation, along with face and smile detection, a 1.9 megapixel 720p@30fps front facing camera, a 2100mAh Li-Ion battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, DNLA, WiFi Hotspot, and WiFi Direct, 2G Network GSM 800/900/1800/1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, 4G Network LTE regional, microUSB 2.0 (MHL) and USB On-the-go, Bluetooth 4.0 with A2DP and EDR, NFC, Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Gyroscope, Ambient light, and Proximity sensors, and is available right now.

Moving on to the Nokia Lumia 920 the smartphone offers a 4.5-inch PureMotion HD+ with Corning Gorilla Glass with a pixel density of 332 PPI and resolution of HD 1280 x 768, runs Windows Phone 8, and measures 130.3 x 70.8 x 10.7mm with a weight of 185 grams.

The Lumia 920 has a 1.5GHz dual core Krait processor Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon, Adreno 225 GPU, 1GB RAM, 32GB storage, an 8 megapixel 3264 x 2448 pixels auto-focus rear facing camera with Carl Zeiss optics, dual LED flash, PureView tech, geo-tagging, and optical image stabilisation, a 1.3 megapixel 720p@30fps front facing camera, a 2000mAh Li-Ion battery, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, DNLA, WiFi hotspot and WiFi Direct, 2G Network GSM 850/900/1800/1900, 3G Network HSDPA 850/900/1900/2100, 4G Network LTE 800/1800/2600/900/2100, microUSB 2.0 (MHL), Bluetooth 3.0 with A2DP and EDR, NFC, Digital Compass, Ambient light, G-Sensor, Gyroscope, Barometer and Proximity sensors, and is expected to release sometime in Q4.

So there you have it, the spec comparison between the iPhone 5, Samsung Galaxy S3 and the Nokia Lumia 920, which of these three devices do our readers want to own the most?

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143 thoughts on “iPhone 5 vs Lumia 920 vs Galaxy S3, the specs winner”

  5. Alan says:

    absolutly nokia lumia 920, becaus it has best screen with gorilla glass and 332 ppi.
    lumia 920 has best camera technology with pure view… Also the wireless charging is the most innovated technology ever made for a mobile….

  11. sheriff77 says:

    it is sad. but credit goes to apple for changing the landscape of phones. its a pity they are now falling behind. they raised our expectations of what phones are about and now losing the game the rules they set – ie constant ‘innovation’ Do or Die

  12. Lina Stein says:

    Nokia 920: Unique and great Design, Best Camera (most probably..), Most Sensitive Touchescreen, Refreshing WP8-OS. Best screen (at least when looking at specs) Rock Solid build. Unique Nokia Apps. 2. iphone 5: Good Design. Good OS but traditional, Siri (though not always very useful). 3. SG3: Good specs, Available today, Average design (plastic look & feel).

    1. TheEvilEye says:

      I would like to have some of what you’ve been smoking. Stop quoting their keynote bullshit and it most certainly isn’t 28 megapixel! Do you know how big the phone would be? Typical apple fanboy: No knowledge or intelligence but a lot of loud opinions!

      1. sydneybloke says:

        I’m sorry but you are one pathetic apple hater. I’m not one of those loser that you are who think that apple users are no knowledge or intelligence with technology. I’m a iOS and android app developer and find that iOS is far better than android. Stop ranting about open source when it’s actually the source of issues and incompatibility with the whole android application environment. If apple is not the best then why android fanatics always attack and criticize apple? The fact that there is only one iPhone every year being introduced while there are heaps of mobile phones makers using android as their OS platform. One iPhone against all android mobiles being released almost every 3 months. You android lovers are just insecure sad case. Motorola and Samsung suck. Doesn’t matter if Samsung has the biggest share in smartphones obviously because they are producing different models from the cheapest to what they called high end phones ( yea right!?) against one iPhone. I’m looking forward to seein more of windows mobile OS soon.

    2. Fortune says:

      No its not a 28 megapixel camera. Its a 8megapixel with with a panorama mode that allows
      picture stitching for multiple images into one larger shot of
      28 megapixels in total.

    3. Constantine says:

      I agree with you.
      Of course Lumia 920 is the best among the 3 Smartphones. I phone 5 has outlived its usefulness, It’s about time for Nokia to stage a massive comeback and get back its crown. I will order 2 units of Lumia 920 for my better half and for me. My iphone 4S will go to my son instead.

  23. Rich says:

    My contract is about to expire and this was the first time I would have considered a iphone. After the showcase however, no way.
    Certainly looking like the innovative Nokia 920 for me. Best features and most exciting of the lot.
    Shame they taking so long to release it, they may lose out big-time.
    Apply have either run out of ideas or have gotten complacent.

  30. bob s says:

    Nokia for me.Windows 8 looks to be a winner.I am running beta on my lap top and if it works as good as it does on a phone IOS will be out dated after a very long run.I still prefer the smooth running of IOS over Android.

  31. NutjobNumber1 says:

    I think the Apple might actually have the best processor of the bunch. It actually might have as good if not a better camera than the Lumia. I reserve judgement until i actually see photos taken on both to compare. The Lumia has older BlueTooth 3.0, which I don’t understand why they are using that, when the processor supports 4.0. I think the Apple also has the best voice/data chipset.

    The Samsung has older A9 based Exynos, which is outdated, slow, power hungry and generates a lot of heat.

    The positive thing is out of the three, Apple has the best OS, which will get yearly major updates, which Windows won’t have since Microsoft is on a 3 year development cycle. And who knows what upgrade path for Android since they don’t always upgrade phones when there is a major release of OS. After looking at the Samsung, they are actually kind of screwing people over with their processor and the MicroSD as an upgrade is just a means to push Micro SD cards they have in a warehouse collecting dust since no one really uses those things any more.

    1. TheGooner says:

      If you follow MS’ record with Windows Phone, they released it in October/November 2010, following this in March 2011 with the minor Nodo release, then Autumn 2011 with major Mango release (7.5), then Spring 2012 for the Tango release, and now WP8 in November 2012.
      Far more frequent than 3 years, do you agree?

      1. NutjobNumber1 says:

        Here’s how I look at Windows. Windows 8 is a MAJOR release.
        Windows 7 was a MAJOR release.
        Windows Vista was a MAJOR release.
        Anything else that comes in between are minor releases and bug fixes.

        Windows 7 with the Metro interface was done kind of something to spit out because Microsoft was kind of missing the boat and I think ANYTHING the Microsoft put out before the Windows 8 phones was more of prototypes that they sold just to get into the game.

        Now, if you look at the next release from Microsoft. What comes after Windows 8? Most likely WIndows 9. That’s probably going to be 3 years from now, and in between that next major release are bug fixes and maybe some minor enhancements.

        I’ve read too many mixed reviews about WIndows 8 and I feel it’s adoption rate is going to be probably close to what Vista was. I just don’t think they are going get a very fast adoption rate.

  32. gem0144 says:

    What about the note 2 in all this ? I’m a note user and can’t wait to have the note 2, I wish I had waited tho have it now, so I’ll stick to the note 1 for now as its fantastic! The note 2 must be amazing. Samsung all the way for me!!! The phones maybe more plasticy but they’re light and fantastic to use with great free apps and quality camera etc etc etc. 🙂

  33. googilish says:

    You have to be insane to choose Iphone 5… Nokia Lumia 920 will have a 8.7 meg camera and a PureView technology. Plus they haven’t mentioned anything about NFC on Iphone 5… When it’s included in Nokia Lumia 920 and the Samsung GS3.

    1. James Nabors says:

      nfc is of limited use to most people. it’s not widely adopted yet.

      having the best camera isn’t everyone’s priority, especially when the camera differences are possibly negligible.

      some want more storage or more apps or just prefer one design over the other. don’t herd everyone else’s needs and preferences into your logic.

      2. pK says:

        This review by James is definitely a paid review. Apple is good but it’s starting to look old. The wow factor is fading. The iPhone is still functionally very useful and many people won’t use any smartphone fully, but if you are competing in the smartphone category, the fone has to be smart to do stuff beyond what the user anticipates. That was Steve Jobs’ philosophy and that is what made Apple what it is today – but where’s the Apple of tomorrow? I have spent 10K+ on Apple products so far and each one of them had the wow when I bought them, no such feeling with the iPhone 5 for sure
        Btw I have an iPhone 4s and waiting for the BB10 (need it for business so no compromise there) but am impressed with the Lumia very much.

  36. CSJr says:

    Lumia 920 for me. I skipped the first Lumia (900), but this one seems to rock the house. Also the camera is 8.7MP, but that really doesn’t matter as its the Pureview and OIS that grabs my attention. 332ppi 1280×768 RGB 60hz refresh rate? thats insane

  39. Rich says:

    As for the Nokia 920, people keep skimming over other innovations such as the sensitive screen that can be used with gloves. In cold weather climates where you really don’t want to take your gloves off to use the phone, this is a significant issue.

    Not to mention wireless charging.

    Nokia is once again back and in 2012, setting the standard in which all new phones must follow.

    1. James Nabors says:

      gloves and wireless charging? wireless charging seems more of a gimmick to me. you still have to put your phone down in one place or buy numerous charging pads. as soon as you pick your phone up to use it then it stops charging, unlike using a cable.

      i was a little disappointed with the iphone 5 but every phone has pros and cons. i’d love a more dynamic and customizable lock screen on the iphone but that alone isn’t going to sway me away.

      i’d also like 64gb of storage and the lumia 920 doesn’t offer that. to me that’s way more important and useful than wireless charging. to each their own.

      1. Rich says:

        I often don’t fully charge my phone as I often forget to charge it and need it before it gets fully charged. So it gets small charges frequently.
        Simply placing it on a pad to do this will be much easier for me personally than messing around with cables all the time and trying to find the damn connector.
        Cables everywhere, really annoying.
        If unlike me you’re more sensible and charge it up every night, then it’s probably not much use.

        I’m quite sure iphone will have wireless charging too.

      2. Rendy Silva says:

        it has micro usb charging too. its perfect
        and the super sensitive screen is the coolest out there
        apple wins me once because of its innovation to make iphone alive which was great revolution
        but now by making it taller, iphone loses its class. it seems that they are afraid to lose from android phones with larger screen. really not like apple i used to love
        apple gone with steve jobs.

  45. pottsy says:

    well its nice to see apple have made so much of an effort changing the look of the iphone 5….. oh wait.. they haven’t, and oh wait its the same as the s3 just with a different connector that makes you change all your wiring and new docks ect.

  57. iLikeMyiPhone says:

    The problem with the Lumia 920 is the apps. How many quality apps do you see on Windows phones? Refreshing OS but most of us have heavily invested in iOS apps (few Android apps given that Android app collection is of subpar quality). It will be great to learn more about the pricing on Lumia 920 but with Windows Phone 8 not likely to meet the deadline, it might be a while. SIII or iPhone 5 – I think the iPhone due to the size and the solid UI, features and apps.

    1. Jed says:

      There’s no denying the iphone and its wealth of great apps is appealing. The problem is however, is that people get bored quickly and if Apple are unable to introduce any wow factor into an otherwise old and tired design and system, then it will simply grow stale.

  58. koe says:

    Galaxy S3… Apple just forget to do any good with new iphone5… nokia strikes back … but the app factor .. clearly galaxy s3 is the winner … windows have limited apps… apple sucks it is busy filing lawsuits on samsung

  64. Emily Altom says:

    The only smart phones I’ve ever owned were iPhones, but the iPhone 5 was disappointing. It’s ALREADY outdated! I think I’m getting the Nokia 920 bc I don’t like the Android OS. Windows runs just as smoothly as the iOS, in my opinion. I have friends with Windows phones who would never go back to iOS. And I’ve watched hundreds of videos on YouTube featuring the Windows OS. Windows 8 looks amazing! PLUS – the Nokia 920 has a better camera, a larger AND better screen (re: specs & sensitivity), wireless charging, NFC, etc. I may not even use the wireless charging or the NFC, but I would rather have the option. I’d rather have the most innovative phone out there, one that’s ahead of the curve, than one that’s just NOW meeting specs it should have met a year ago!

  65. andrefilipe02 says:

    hi, i dont like nokia lumia is so ugly. i prefer s3 and iphone 5 but iphone 5 is verry, you no know $$$$$$$. s3 is verry good for play games and make things realy goods.

  71. Tim Mackey says:

    Lumia all the way. Nokia did well with the 800 and 710, and are finally back in business with the 920. stunning phone. iphone5 is offering another row of icons and a modest spec upgrade… sorry but quite an anticlimax.

  72. Sanchit says:

    I would like to go with the samsung galaxy s3. Seeing its quad core processor and it’s best in class battery backup. I would recommend you to go for s3. I phone 5 is very much disappointing :(.

    1. Constantine says:

      Of course Lumia 920 is the best among the 3 Smartphones. I phone 5 has outlived its usefulness, It’s about time for Nokia to stage a massive comeback and get back its crown. I will order 2 units of Lumia 920 for my better half and for me. My iphone 4S will go to my son instead.

  74. terraslate says:

    nokia – it looks awesome. as long as its got wifi tethering, bluetooth tethering, bluetooth support, vpn, and a built in microsoft RPC client i’ll ride windows 8 and its accompanying phone all the way.

  79. snehal says:

    samusang glaxy s3 is better then iphone… because apple people are stupid thet made phone but they didnt chang the look… its not thin….its just same like iphone 4 and 4s…
    they shound chang the look…

  80. isheep says:

     Specs….specs don’t mean s***. Its performance within their OS that matters. Android has better hardware specs, but their software optimization is terrible and they need the extra horse power to compensate. Apple software is far more resource efficient and thus does not need unnecessary hardware epeen boost. 

    You tech wanna be idiots are the people who go into a shop and looks for the best TV or camera, it’s got more mega pixels!! etc and has no clue about what benchmarks mean, just because it says it on the tin. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself properly instead of being a ignorant fools!

    1. Sean says:

      Mr iangry-pants, iphone is good, but it’s also good to have competition or else there will be little need for progression.
      Your point is worthwhile however in a direct comparison to the Lumia 920 camera vs the iphone 5’s. Both around 8mp yet a combination of excellent hardware and software will undoubtedly make the 920’s far superior.

  81. isheep2012 says:

     Specs….specs don’t mean s***. Its performance within their OS that matters. Android has better hardware specs, but their software optimization is terrible and they need the extra horse power to compensate. Apple software is far more resource efficient and thus does not need unnecessary hardware epeen boost. 

    You tech wanna be idiots are the people who go into a shop and looks for the best TV or camera, it’s got more mega pixels!! etc and has no clue about what benchmarks mean, just because it says it on the tin. Do yourself a favor and educate yourself properly instead of being a ignorant fool.

  82. DeeBehling says:

    Former apple iPhone head but switched lumia 900 after being bored with my iPhone 4s. Wanted something new and different. I loved the Nokia 900 and can’t wait for 920.

  83. azariah says:

    Wow! I have been looking at my options for a new phone. Got a iPhone 4 (with JB) on a 2 year contract with around 8 months left so I’m not free from that yet but I’m still in the market for a new phone. And like just about everyone else here I’m leaning towards the Nokia 920. Not because of the wireless charging, not because of the gorilla glass screen, not because of the camera, and also not because of the screen. These are contributory yes but…. I’m a software man. Programmer by training.

    I appreciate good software and Windows Phone 8 just flogged the pants off Android and iOS. Assisting that are the technologies I mentioned before plus NFC and there voice dictation, which will be available for integration into APP’s, NOT just the OS, this also goes for video calling and many many other features. Not least of which is Windows 8 itself which will be capable of interfacing with WP8 at a very low level. And being Windows we’ll have the same file management system. Where YOU (hopefully) are in control of your files. One folder for Documents, one folder, for Music, and One for Video that any app can access. (this hasn’t been revealed for certain yet for WP8 but here’s hoping. It is there for WinRT so there’s hope.)

    Butt above all else I’m surprised that so many people have come to the same conclusion. The 920 has outrun the iPhone! And the S3, but well plastik does sort of describe the feel. In all my life I never expected such a solid shift in the market. And while around 90 post for the 920 doesn’t make or break the competition it does say that Apple is getting on the nose for a lot of people.

    (did I mention that I liked the extra colour choices. O.o)

  84. IhabMedany says:

    Hii, i have Lumia 710 and of course the lumia 920 is much more better but the lumia 710 with its limited features compared to the lumia 920 its great, perfect and practical, so it is great at business, awesome at social life as the integration of facebook, twitter and linkedin make this phone incredible and also it is veryyyy fast at syncing really the Lumia 920 will be the best phone

  86. Lewis H says:

    Selling my S3 as soon as lumia 920 is released in the uk. Nokia Care walk in service points are great always there to help! Unlike Samsung poor customer service. And apples one year warranty no thanks!!!

  87. Oz says:

    Using a nokia lumia 710 at the moment and love it. Wanted to try winwows and not shell out too much. At £99 not bad at all. A lovely clean interface compared to the main or only other competitors.Next the 920. Shame iplayer is still a no go on windows though.

  92. tou says:

    great come back NOKIA…
    there is nothing to be WOW about iphone5,still almost same a iphone4,nokia jump form one level to higher…
    S3 is also good ,better than ip5…!!!!

  95. Constantine says:

    For busy people, wireless charging and pureview camera with 8.7 mp is like heaven sent. Plus a Windows 8 version for its OS, wow that’s a knockout! Lumia 920 is now the new iphone. My iphone 4S looks so outdated!

  96. Constantine says:

    Of course Lumia 920 is the best among the 3 Smartphones. I phone 5 has outlived its usefulness, It’s about time for Nokia to stage a massive comeback and get back its crown. I will order 2 units of Lumia 920 for my better half and for me. My iphone 4S will go to my son instead.

  97. Greg says:

    Specs –> Lumia 920. I love the camera they build on N82. I believe it’ll be the same for 920. My concern now is the win phone 8 apps.

    As long as they have useful and cool apps, that’s enough for me. I’m not into games. I’m a business man and I just need like good camera, fun UI and easy charge.

  99. Hassib says:

    I find the nomia lumia to be a realy gd phone, but I’m sticking with my s3, probably because the larger screen and the customisation possibilities of android… and the new windows 8 just got me seriously dizzy…

  106. Max says:

    O Nokia é ótimo mas o iPhone é o celular do século, tive o prazer de ter os dois, hoje tenho o n8 da Nokia é um espetáculo de aparelho.

  108. CrAzYcAt says:

    Ive been Sony’s fan and user for many many years. but after doing some research on Lumia 920…its really tempting to have one. also, because i’ve found out that some Xperia users complain bout the home, back and menu buttons are not responding well when touch

  110. John says:

    It seems that nokia is regaining it’s crown back, Without steve jobs, apple is trash! I still don’t know what to get… I have experience on android and windows phones but i definitely go to galaxy s3 (that’s my opinion)! But great job nokia for striking back… So sorry for apple… BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME APPLE!

  111. ACP1 says:

    I would like the NL920 – I have been trying to get an upgrade in the UK on the 3 network for the NL900 but 3 don’t have it and dosn’t look like they are going to anytime soon. But the NL920 sounds and looks sexier than the 900 so I will wait for that I just want 3 to take it on… as they have the best line deals and I dont want to change….. the hardest part of getting a new phone is usually the decision of which phone to get… not in my case the hard part for me is weather the network i am on is going to get the phone I want…. PLEASE 3 network FATHER CHRISTMAS MY STOCKING NEEDS FILLING… X

  115. tri says:

    a lot of people complain about the thickness and the weight of lumia 920. but to be honest i don’t think it’s that heavy and i am comfortable with it. about the thickness, 90% iphone users use the protection case so the thickness end up the same or even thicker than lumia 920 then what is the point ? and about the app store, apple have about 700k apps BUT 250k apps are for ipad and they count free version and paid version separately so the actually apps are around 400k. more importantly, number doesn’t go with quality. a lot of apps on apple store are ghost apps which no one download or they don’t even know it’s exist. so 150k in window store are good enough for me, because most of famous apps on ios or android are also on window store

  116. a.svindaal says:

    SGS3 – winner by close against iPhone 5 …and nokia with this ugly brick has no sense in this comparison…lumia 920 it’s a mid level smartphone and sadly is the best they can do and they know it , it’s sad you don’t.The number of units sold will prove i’m right.

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