We’ve only a few more shopping days before Christmas and many of you will be purchasing a smartphone for somebody in your life, or have one on your own wish list. With this in mind we thought we’d bring you a comparison of two popular phones, the iPhone 5 vs. Lumia 920 as these are likely to be in demand. We’ll take a look at what each has to offer as they enter the gladiator arena and if either is a real defender see which will turn out to be a true fighter like Maximus Decimus Meridius.

The stores are so busy at this time of year that it can be a battle just to get to the device you want and make your purchase so hopefully this may help you make up your mind as to which of these phones is worth fighting for. We’ve written many posts now on each of these phones and although there are many other impressive phones on offer, the Apple iPhone 5 and Nokia Lumia 920 seem to be attracting a lot of attention at this festive time of year. If you are open to either an iOS device or one running the Windows Phone operating system then you may be considering one of these. Both have been released in various world regions and on a variety of carriers and so are widely available, so firstly we’ll look at the main specs and features.

Processors
The iPhone 5 has a 1.2GHz Apple A6 dual-core processor and PowerVR SGX 543MP3 triple-core GPU while the Lumia 920 rocks a 1.5GHz Qualcomm MSM8960 Snapdragon dual-core Krait processor and graphics are catered for by the Adreno 225 GPU.

Display
The famous Retina display features on the iPhone 5, which has a 4-inch LED-backlit iPS TFT display with resolution of 1136 x 640 and 326 ppi. The Lumia 920 on the other hand, has a larger 4.5-inch IPS TFT display with resolution of 1280 x 768 and 332 ppi.

RAM and Storage
The latest iPhone has 1GB of RAM and comes in 16, 32 or 64GB internal storage options (non-expandable) whereas the Lumia 920 also has 1GB of RAM but only a 32GB storage option, also non-expandable.

Camera
The iPhone 5 has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash, simultaneous HD voice and image recording, face detection, geo-tagging, HDR, panorama feature and touch focus and it’s capable of 1080p video capture with video stabilization, LED video light and geo-tagging. It also totes a 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera with 720p video FaceTime over WiFi or Cellular and also face detection. Contrast this to the Lumia 920 that also has an 8-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, dual-LED flash, Carl Zeiss optics and optical image stabilization and features Nokia’s PureView technology with touch focus and geo-tagging. The Lumia 920 also has 1080p video capture with video stabilization and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera with 720p video.

Battery
The iPhone 5 has a 1440 mAh battery while the Lumia 920 steps up to a 2000 mAh battery, something that will appeal to many.

Operating System
This may be the deciding factor for many of you as some people are firmly iOS, Android or Windows Phone device enthusiasts while others are happy to consider what each platform has to offer. The latest iPhone was launched running Apple’s latest mobile, iOS 6, while the Lumia 920 runs on Microsoft’s Windows Phone 8. The iOS system is great for those that want to be in safe hands and is easy to pick up. The Windows Phone 8 has a tiled interface that has earned a lot of praise, although it’s safe to say that the operating system as a whole hasn’t exactly caught on yet. One significant thing to point out here is that there are many more apps available for the iPhone 5 through Apple’s App Store

Dimensions and Build
The iPhone 5 measures 123.8mm x 58.6mm x 7.6mm and weighs 112g so this is beautifully slim and also light to hold. Meanwhile the Lumia 920 measures 130.3mm x 70.8 x 10.7mm so is bigger all around and it weighs in at 185g, a significant difference to the much lighter iPhone 5.

Design
The iPhone 5 is a good-looking handset although some were disappointed when it turned out to look very similar to the iPhone 4S. We had hoped for a new groundbreaking design and although that didn’t happen we did like the difference with the new two-tone coloring, white and silver or black and slate. It still feels as though it’s rather fragile though and easily breakable (you may appreciate an iPhone 5C spoof here). Turning our attention to the Lumia 920 we have to say we really admire the design of this handset, which comes in bright and vivid colors, red, white, black, yellow and cyan and has a stylish squared-off appearance. This is another area where personal preference may well decide your ultimate choice but as we all like something different it’s difficult for us to say which is best.

Pricing
World pricing will differ but as an example, in the US the iPhone 5 will set you back $199 on the usual two-year contract for the 16GB model on all of the major carriers. The 32 or 64GB models cost $299 and $399 respectively. The Lumia 920 on the other hand costs only $99.99 on a two-year contract with AT&T and bear in mind that although this only comes with one storage option this is 32GB and the same model iPhone 5 comes in a $299. This really is a significant saving so if you are still having difficulty making a choice this could well sway it for you.

Both of these phones also have LTE connectivity (where applicable), Corning Gorilla Glass, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and Bluetooth (iPhone 5 with v.4.0 and Lumia 920 with v. 3.1) but the iPhone 5 does not support NFC whereas the Lumia 920 does. The Lumia 920 also has support for wireless charging. Obviously there are many more features that each of these phones have but we haven’t room to bring you every single detail. Hopefully though the above information will give you enough to consider which might suit you best.

In conclusion we think that the iPhone 5 and Lumia 920 are both notable handsets and a lot of your choice will come down to your own personal requirements from a smartphone and personal preference of design, as well as that price factor of course. It’s difficult to decide a clear champion in this battle as they both offer very different experiences and will suit different consumers. The iPhone 5 is a clear winner in sales and when bearing in mind the reputation of the iPhone and its widespread and loyal fanbase, this will always be a victor. On the other hand the Lumia 920 isn’t outshone on specs and is certainly triumphant in the battle when it comes to price.

If it sounds as though we’re sitting on the fence and to be honest in this case we probably are so we’d like to know your thoughts on these two phones in the gladiator arena. Would you always choose an iPhone over a Windows Phone device even taking into account the extra cost? Maybe from this you realize the Lumia 920 has enough to offer you and its low price makes it an easy decision to opt for this instead? Send your comments to let us know.