The Indian smartphone market is being flooded with aggressively priced Android smartphones and mobile devices. However, there are still a few premium Android smartphones that always set the bar high. These handsets do not compromise on any of the specifications or features. Today we look at three such high-end smartphones from three companies.
Since the Android operating system currently rules the smartphone market, we have two Android devices. No list about premium Android smartphones even begins without listing the latest Samsung Galaxy S Series. The Korean tech giant’s Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus is a feature-packed top-end Android smartphone. The next is the Sony Xperia XZ3. The Xperia XZ Series too, sports the best hardware, with an equally impressive price tag. Finally, we have the Apple iPhone XR. The smartphone runs Apple’s own iOS 12. But as far as premium mobile phones go, the Apple iPhone is certainly one of the top contenders. Let’s compare these devices for their prices, specifications, and features.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Price in India
The 64GB storage variant iPhone XR costs Rs. 76,900 in India. The 128GB storage model costs Rs. 81,900. The highest model with 256GB internal storage costs Rs. 91,900. Incidentally, the iPhone XR will reportedly have 3GB of RAM.
The Galaxy S9 Plus comes in two variants. The model with 6GB RAM + 64GB internal storage costs Rs. 64,900. The 6GB RAM + 256GB internal storage variant of the premium smartphone costs Rs. 72,920.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 is yet to officially launch. The smartphone is believed to pack 64GB of internal memory. However, there’s some discrepancy regarding the amount of RAM. While the international version may feature 4GB RAM, some markets may get a 6GB RAM variant. The amount of RAM could influence the pricing of the Xperia XZ3. We believe the 4GB/64GB could land in India with a price tag of about Rs. 63,000.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Design, Display
The iPhone XR features a 6.1-inch ‘Liquid Retina’ IPS LCD with a 1792 x 828 resolution, and a notch at the top, similar to that on the last year’s iPhone X. The smartphone features an aspect ratio of 19.5:9 and a 79 percent screen-to-body ratio.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus has a slightly larger 6.2-inch Super AMOLED screen with 2960 × 1440 pixels resolution and 18.5:9 aspect ratio. There’s no visible notch on the Galaxy S9 Plus, but it still manages to boast of a very impressive screen to body ratio 84.2 percent.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 sports a 6-inch P-OLED with 1440 x 2880 pixels resolution and 18:9 ratio. Even without a notched display, the premium Android smartphone sports a screen to body ratio of 80.5 percent.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Performance, Hardware, and Software
As far as processors are concerned, Apple has always managed to embed chipsets with a stellar performance, and the iPhone XR is no exception. The iPhone XR comes with Apple’s hexa-core A12 Bionic chipset with 4-core graphics Apple GPU. The processor is reportedly 15 percent faster in terms of performance, 50 percent faster in terms of gaming, and up 40 percent more efficient.
An octa-core Exynos 9810 chipset, combined with Mali-G72 MP18 GPU, powers the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Some variants of the smartphone come with Snapdragon 845 octa-core chipset clocked at 2.7GHz. The processor works with Adreno 630 GPU. The Sony Xperia XZ3, too, contains the same Qualcomm SDM845 Snapdragon 845 octa-core processor and the Adreno 630 GPU combination.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Camera Features
The iPhone XR packs a single 12MP rear camera with an f/1.8 aperture. It comes with Portrait Lighting, OIS, Portrait mode with advanced bokeh and depth control. There is a 7MP unit with a f/2.2 aperture on the front for selfies and video-calling.
The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus sports a dual camera setup on the back with each camera boasting 12MP sensor. The primary sensor comes with dual-aperture lens (f/1.5 and f/2.4). The front camera has an 8MP sensor with an f/1.7 aperture.
Surprisingly, similar to the iPhone XR, the Sony Xperia XZ3 too, features a single rear camera. However, the 19MP rear camera comes with Motion Eye Exmor RS sensor, large pixels, 5-axis stabilization, super slow motion HD video recording, 4K video recording, and Predictive Hybrid Autofocus. The front 13MP sensor has a wide angle lens with an f/2.0 aperture for group selfies.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Battery, OS
Apple usually doesn’t advertise battery capacity, but we managed to find out the battery within the iPhone XR has a capacity of 2,942mAh. Incidentally, the battery supports Fast Charging, but Apple includes only a 5W charger. The Apple smartphone also has wireless charging support. The Apple smartphone runs iOS 12.
A relatively larger 3,500mAh battery powers the Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus. Surprisingly, reports indicate the premium Android smartphone has Quick Charge 2.0 Fast Charging support, while the standard has reached its fourth version. Samsung is expected to update the smartphone to Android 9 Pie soon.
The Sony Xperia XZ3 has a 3,300mAh battery. It comes with Qualcomm’s QuickCharge 3.0 support, Qnovo Adaptive Charging technology and Qi wireless charging support. Interestingly, reports indicate the smartphone will boot Android 9 Pie out of the box.
Apple iPhone XR vs Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus vs Sony Xperia XZ3: Verdict
All the three smartphones undoubtedly belong to the premium Android segment. They are backed by powerful international smartphone brands. However, iPhone enthusiasts may grumble Apple has taken some populist approaches with its latest devices. The Xperia XZ3, on the other hand, includes just one single rear camera. It does belong to the brand which prides itself over the camera superiority.
Samsung smartphone users may demand a bigger battery and more RAM. However, these premium Android and Apple iOS smartphones aren’t meant for the mass public, and hence, the companies can be highly selective about the features and specifications.
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