Sony Xperia Z vs HTC Droid DNA vs Samsung Galaxy S III specs comparison

With the just-announced Xperia Z, Sony pulled the trigger on a Full HD smartphone, which HTC did with the Droid DNA, and Samsung hasn't done yet, yet its Galaxy S III keeps delivering sales backed in so small part by the company's larger-than-life reputation in smartphones now.

That's why we are running the three against each other in the specs list table below for easier comparison. As you can spot from a distance, the Xperia Z has every chance to become the hit Android device after it launches this quarter, at least until phones like the eventual Galaxy S IV or Optimus G2 start flaunting their stuff.

The Z is almost as compact as the Galaxy S III, and smaller than the Droid DNA, despite its waterproof certification, microSD card slot availability and glass chassis construction. It weighs only slightly more than the two, yet is built out of premium materials as it fits for a high-end smartphone, instead of the polycarbonate plastic used for HTC's and Samsung's handsets.

Sony's new flagship also has the largest battery capacity of those three, but 3rd party endurance tests will show its true performance. The same thing goes for the 13 MP Exmor RS camera on the back of the Xperia Z, which will be judged by its first sample pictures and videos. While it can be reasonably expected it won't be worse in the typical scenarios than the modules in the Galaxy S III or the Droid DNA, it certainly sports a unique feature they don't, with its hardwired HDR video recording capabilities.

All in all, with the Xperia Z announcement Sony seems to have climbed on top of the brand-name Android smartphone crowd, and, barring any significant hiccups in battery and camera tests, is likely to stay there at least for the first half of the year.

DESIGN
	Samsung Galaxy S III	Sony Xperia Z	HTC Droid DNA
OS	Android (4.1.2, 4.1.1, 4.0.4) TouchWiz UX UI	Android (4.1.2)	Android (4.1.1) Sense 4+ UI
Dimensions	5.38 x 2.78 x 0.34 inches (136.6 x 70.6 x 8.6 mm)	5.47 x 2.80 x 0.31 inches (139 x 71 x 7.9 mm)	5.55 x 2.78 x 0.38 inches (141 x 70.5 x 9.73 mm)
Weight	4.69 oz (133 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)	5.15 oz (146 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)	4.87 oz (138 g) the average is 4.3 oz (124 g)
Side Keys	Left: Volume control Right: Lock/Unlock key		Right: Volume control
Rugged		Water (Water), Dust proof
IP certified		IP 57
Colors	Black, Brown, Pink, Blue, Red, White, Gray

DISPLAY
Physical size	4.80 inches	5 inches	5 inches
Resolution	720 x 1280 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density	306 ppi	441 ppi	441 ppi
Technology	Super AMOLED	TFT	S-LCD 3
Colors	16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216
Touchscreen	Capacitive, Multi-touch	Capacitive, Multi-touch	Capacitive, Multi-touch
Features	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass	Light sensor, Proximity sensor, Scratch-resistant glass

BATTERY
Talk time	22.50 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)	11.00 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)	12.80 hours the average is 9 h (554 min)
Stand-by time	34.6 days (830 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)	22.9 days (550 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)	14.7 days (353 hours) the average is 19 days (464 h)
Talk time (3G)	11.60 hours the average is 8 h (483 min)
Stand-by time (3G)	32.1 days (770 hours) the average is 19 days (467 h)
Capacity	2100 mAh	2330 mAh	2020 mAh

HARDWARE
System chip	Samsung Exynos 4 (4412)	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064	Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro APQ8064
Processor	Quad core, 1400 MHz, ARM Cortex-A9	Quad core, 1500 MHz, Krait	Quad core, 1500 MHz, Krait
Graphics processor	ARM Mali-400/MP4	Adreno 320	Adreno 320
System memory	1024 MB RAM (Dual-channel) / LPDDR2	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel)	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / DDR2
Built-in storage	32 GB	16 GB	16 GB
Storage expansion	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC up to 64 GB	microSD, microSDHC up to 32 GB

CAMERA
Camera	8 megapixels, Immobile	13.1 megapixels, Immobile	8 megapixels, Immobile
Flash	LED	LED	LED
Aperture size	F2.6		F2.0
Focal length (35mm equivalent)			28mm
Features	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), CMOS image sensor, Auto focus, Face detection, Exposure compensation, ISO control, White balance presets, Burst mode, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Touch to focus, Digital image stabilization, Face detection, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes, Effects, Self-timer	Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Auto focus, Face detection, Exposure compensation, White balance presets, Burst mode, Digital zoom, Geo tagging, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Panorama, Scenes
Camcorder	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)
Features	Video calling, Digital image stabilization	Video calling	Video calling
Front-facing camera	1.9 megapixels	2.2 megapixels	2.1 megapixels
Video capture	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)	1920x1080 (1080p HD)

TECHNOLOGY
CDMA			800, 1900 MHz
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
LTE		800 MHz, 850 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2600 MHz	700 MHz Class 17
Data	HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE, HSPA (unspecified), UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSPA (unspecified), UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EV-DO Rev.A
Micro SIM	Yes		Yes
Global Roaming	Yes	Yes
Positioning	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass	GPS, A-GPS, Glonass, E911
Navigation	Turn-by-turn navigation, Voice navigation, Points of interest (POI)	Yes	Turn-by-turn navigation