Nokia Lumia 920 vs Sony Xperia Z vs BB Z10 vs HTC Butterfly

There is some competition at last for the two hottest-selling phones in the Indian smartphone market -- Apple iPhone 5 and Samsung Galaxy note II. What's more interesting is that this challenge will be posed not by a single new entrant, but from the four flagship models launched by established companies.


 Only time will tell if any of these smartphones are able to take on the brand might of these smartphones. Even as Samsung prepares to bring S IV, its latest flagship successor to S III, in the market in coming weeks, these four smartphones -- Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z, HTC Butterfly and BlackBerry Z10 -- will be vying for buyers' attention.

Launched in the past few weeks, all the four are capable competitors to the two bestsellers, at least when it comes to technological and design parameters.

We compared the four -- Nokia Lumia 920, Sony Xperia Z, HTC Butterfly and BlackBerry Z10 -- to see how they fare on different parameters. Here's the shootout.

Display

 

HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly features a 5-inch Super LCD III touch-screen with 441ppi pixel density and 1920x1080p resolution. The display is crisp and vivid, has good viewing angles and makes it a pleasure to watch videos and view just any content. What we do not like about its screen is that the colours wash out when seen under direct sunlight, even at full brightness.

Rating: 9/10

Sony Xperia Z:

A 5-inch TFT display is used in Sony Xperia Z; the keys are based on the display itself. The phone supports 1920x1080p resolution and 441ppi pixel density, same as the HTC Butterfly. The screen of this phone is as gorgeous as that of Butterfly but does not have the same contrast level. The two phones also share the poor sunlight legibility as well.

Rating: 8/10

BlackBerry Z10:

Z10 comes with a 4.2-inch with 355ppi pixel density and 1280x768ppi pixel density. Despite the lower pixel density, the screen does not pale much in front of the other three. Moreover, it wins when it comes to sunlight legibility. However, it does lose out to them when it comes to full HD support and the video playback is not as beautiful either.

Rating 7/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Lumia 920 has a 4.5-inch IPS panel with PureMotion HD+ and ClearBlack display technologies. The pixel density of this screen is 332ppi and resolution is 1280x768p. Where the screen of Lumia 920 scores above all others is sunlight legibility as it remains clear and vivid and does not lose contrast at all when viewed during bright sunlight. But again, the lack of full HD support will pinch those who wish to view high resolution movies.

Though the screens of Nokia Lumia 920 and BlackBerry Z10 are very good, the full HD video playback was not as good as what we got with the two Android phones. The video was scaled down to suit the phone's native resolution and video quality was not life-like. If Lumia 920's touchscreen sensitivity is set as High in settings menu, you can operate the phone even while wearing gloves, a feature that will come in handy in colder climes.

Rating: 9/10

Looks and build quality

 HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly, we feel, earns top marks when it comes to looks and build quality. It is made using plastic with rubber coating that makes it easy to grip and the unibody construction ensures there are no odd gaps and openings that may take away something from its beauty. Though a tad bigger than we would like, it never feels unwieldy and can be used with one hand quite easily. All the ports and openings except the earphone jack are covered by flaps and the body overall is resistant to water at low pressure.

Rating: 9/10

Sony Xperia Z:

Sony Xperia Z is a sturdy device that boasts of resistance to water as well as dust and features scratch resistant glass on the back. All slots are also covered with flaps and the device looks quite good and sophisticated. But the biggest catch here is its compact body design despite the 5-inch screen, making it quite easy to hold and operate with one hand.

Rating: 9/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry Z10 looks quite similar to iPhone 5 from a distance but the difference becomes obvious when it is held up close. The device looks quite industrial and neither has the elegance nor the durability that rivals boast of. As it has the smallest screen size among the four, it is also the most convenient to hold and fits in the palm perfectly.

Rating: 8/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia is made using polycarbonate and looks quite sturdy, yet attractive. It is available in a wide variety of colours that will appease those who want a flashy phone. All the keys are easy to access as well. Only thing we did not like about the Nokia phone was its weight. At 188gram, Lumia 920 is one of the heaviest flagship smartphones out there. The weight difference - and its bulgy shape, quite unlike its cousin Lumia 820 - became stark when we held together all four devices.

Rating: 9/10

 

 

Operating system

 

 

HTC Butterfly:

This phone runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and comes with Sense 4+ UI. The added functionalities of the customised user interface add a lot to the user experience of the phone. The Android operating system allows users to make a lot of tweaks to the phone's software and gives them access to one-touch widgets on the notifications bar and home screen. It is marred by security issues and inefficient resource consumption, though Google's Project Butter has improved performance by a good margin.

Rating: 9/10

Sony Xperia Z:

The Sony flagship also runs on Android 4.1 (Jelly Bean) and has a similar user interface when used alongside Butterfly. Software tweaks do set them apart but there is nothing that users would not expect. However, you do get 'small apps' here, which are miniature versions of Calculator, Notes, Voice Recorder and Timer that do not take up the whole screen space and can be resized as well as moved around the screen. The issues about security and resource management persist here as well, but we can see how smooth everything is due to Project Butter optimisations.

Rating: 9/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry Z10 runs on a brand new operating system that focuses on multitasking, without consuming too much battery. The transition animations look pleasing to the eye but will not seem too flashy for corporate users. BlackBerry Hub is a great feature that will appease users who do not want to switch between various apps to check their emails, SMSs, tweets and IMs.

However, the absence of Google services on the platform will irk many users. The security features of BB10 OS are as strong as ever and Balance allows users to keep two separate profiles in the same phone. On these counts, Z10 scores very well.

Rating: 7/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia 920 is powered by refreshing new Windows Phone 8 with Metro interface, which is based on Tiles rather than icons. The home screen as well as the app menu can be accessed by scrolling down, instead of swiping sideways as is the case with Android and iOS. The platform now has true multitasking too, which makes it a resource efficient OS. However, the notification system of WP8 is not good and you may miss a few important tweets or updates if you do not keep your eye on the phone constantly.

Rating: 7/10

Apps portfolio

 

HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly has the full Google Play repository at its disposal, which means that users have access to as many as 7,00,000 apps on the phone. Besides Android's popular stuff, most of the popular apps on other operating systems are available here too. We really do not feel the need to delve upon the app scenario on Android-powered HTC Butterfly. What we appreciate on Butterfly are custom apps that HTC offers, including personalisation options, a neat gallery and in-built movie editor and task manager, among others.

Rating: 10/10

Sony Xperia Z:

As Xperia Z is also powered by Android 4.1, it also has full access to all Google apps. What is good about this phone is that being a Sony it features Walkman music player that can access lyrics and other information about songs from the internet. Another good feature is small apps, which provide easy access to some key apps and allows users to resize them and move them around.

Rating: 10/10

BlackBerry Z10:

The BlackBerry 10 marketplace, launched on January 30 this year, is quite small and has around 75,000 apps. At least 40% of BB10 apps are Android ports and are not made especially for the platform. This means that users may see

some compromises in their functionality, such as the missing Facebook chat integration in the app. Moreover, key communication apps like Whatsapp, Instagram and Viber are missing, alongside the whole Google app portfolio. Despite these limitations, you do get access to popular apps like Twitter, Gaana.com, Joystick Joyride, Angry Birds, etc.

Rating: 7/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia 920 is powered by Windows Phone 8, which builds upon the app portfolio of the mobile OS' previous iteration, Windows Phone 7. So, you get access to approximately 1,50,000 apps, including popular ones like Facebook, Angry Birds, Wikipedia and Whatsapp, among many others. Plus, you also get the Microsoft Office suite for mobile devices with this OS, which is more efficient than all other similar apps.

However, some prominent apps missing from WP Store are Instagram, Google suite etc. Nokia has also integrated its Nokia Here location and mapping service in Lumia 920, which is said to be just as good as Google Maps.

Rating: 8/10

Processor & RAM

 HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly has a 1.5GHz quad-core processor with 2GB RAM, a combination that results in a smooth user experience. While the phone has great processing power and was the fastest Android phone in the country when launched, but it has been dethroned by Xperia Z in benchmark tests.

Rating: 9/10

Sony Xperia Z:

This phone is a performance powerhouse and packs the same chipset as Butterfly, with the same amount of RAM. It does better than the HTC flagship in benchmark tests like Vellamo Metal and Antutu and has us gushing about its computing prowess.

Rating: 10/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry Z10's performance cannot yet be charted via benchmark tests, but during our usage, we found the phone to be quite smooth. Though clearly not the fastest phone around (the browser performance and GPS locking time were obviously slower than that of rivals), it will not give you troubles like frequent hanging and automatic on/off, major problem with some earlier generation BlackBerry models.

Rating: 8/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

On WP Bench, Lumia 920 scored above 230, which is a big deal since the average score on this benchmark test is just 92. The phone never lags and can handle all the apps thrown at it. The browser performance of Internet Explorer for WP platform was great on SunSpider, where it got a pretty respectable score of 940+.

Rating: 9/10

 

Communications

 

HTC Butterfly:

HTC has FriendStream on Butterfly, which integrates various social networking services to give you collective updates about your friends. The stock keyboard is easy to use and connectivity suite consists of 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0; NFC's absence is conspicuous as all other rivals have this feature.

Rating: 8/10

Sony Xperia Z:

Sony has ditched its TimeScape social network integration feature in Xperia Z for SocialLife. This new feature has three panels, first to view friends' updates and posts, second to discover new sources of information and third to bookmark what you like to read later. Connectivity features of the phone include NFC, 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.

Rating: 9/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry has done a beautiful job with its BB Hub on Z10. It combines all your inboxes and allows you to see new messages without leaving a particular window. The feature is easy to set and use and keeps the information separate, but accessible from the same menu.

The keyboard of Z10 is very smooth; while typing, it gives you options based on the keys you are likely to press and you simply have to flick that character upwards to type it in. Connectivity features of Z10 include NFC, 2G, 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.

Rating: 10/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

The keyboard of Lumia 920 is quite simple and does not have haptic feedback (vibration upon pressing keys). We did not like its word prediction capability but overall messaging is fine. Communication suite of the phone has NFC, 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0 and microUSB 2.0.

Additionally, you also get wireless charging with this phone, a feature that all other rivals do not have; you simply put it on the wireless charging pad (sold separately) and the phone's battery is charged without a wall charger or USB connection.

Rating: 9/10 

Battery

HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly's 2,020mAh battery delivered around 12-14 hours on a single charge with Power Saver Mode turned on. We turned off GPS and kept brightness at 20% for this test, while keeping sync on. The usage consisted of an hour of video playing, calling and Wi-Fi browsing each and two to three hours of music playback.

Rating: 8/10

Sony Xperia Z:

The 2,330mAh battery of Sony Xperia Z lasted approximately 13-15 hours with the same usage pattern, but with Stamina Mode turned on, it lasted nearly a day.

Rating: 8/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry 10 OS is quite resource efficient and Z10's 1,800mAh battery lasts 16-18 hours with the usage pattern employed during our tests.

Rating: 9/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia 920 did the worst in the battery test as its 2,000mAh unit gave out in less than half a day.

Rating: 7/10

 

Video playback and gaming

 

HTC Butterfly:

The 1920x1080p resolution of HTC Butterfly's display makes sure that the videos and games played on the phone are vivid and as life-like as it gets. The graphics during gaming are extremely clear and your user experience will never be bogged down by the any pixilation whatsoever.

Rating: 9/10

Sony Xperia Z:

Sony Xperia Z's video playback and gaming experience was similar to that of HTC Butterfly. However, the low-contrast screen took some of the pleasure away and gave an edge to the HTC flagship.

Rating: 8/10

BlackBerry Z10:

Z10 is not a smartphone meant for gamers, though you get several popular Android and iOS games also on BB10. The colours are good, but the graphics are not as vibrant as those on HTC Butterfly and Sony Xperia Z. Video playback is good, with true colours and no pixilation.

Rating: 7/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia 920 brings Microsoft's Xbox Live mobile experience into the picture. This means you can play games like Real Soccer, Amazing Spider-Man and Skulls of Shogun on the phone, among various others. Full HD videos are obviously not Lumia 920's cup of tea, but the video player can handle files in MP4 and MKV formats quite easily. The beautiful display of the phone makes it a delight for media playback.

Rating: 9/10

 

Camera

 

HTC Butterfly:

HTC Butterfly boasts of an 8MP camera that is not bad by itself, but pales when compared to the other three on a neutral screen. The colours in photos taken by this device are not true and white balance is off, though detailing is good.

Rating: 8/10

Sony Xperia Z:

Photos taken by Sony Xperia Z's 13MP camera show good amount of detailing and dark areas do not have noise. However, primary colours do not come out as well as one would like them to and there is slight distortion when lowlight images are magnified.

Rating: 9/10

BlackBerry Z10:

BlackBerry Z10 has a surprisingly good camera when compared with the three rivals on a neutral screen. Colour contrast is good and images are sharp, with near-perfect colour saturation. However, the camera's performance dips in case of lowlight images. Also, there are very few customisation/manual options.

Rating: 9/10

Nokia Lumia 920:

Nokia Lumia 920's 8.7MP camera features Carl Zeiss optics and features PureView imaging technology. Its camera does the best job when all smartphone snappers are taken into account, not just Butterfly, Xperia Z and BB Z10. The image stabilisation feature ensures that photos are free of haziness, though they lack extra detailing if photos are examined very closely. Lumia 920's camera gives maximum exposure, resulting in some phenomenal low-light shots.

Rating: 10/10

Pricing

 

HTC Butterfly: Rs 45,500

Sony Xperia Z: Rs 38,990

BlackBerry Z10: Rs 43,490

Nokia Lumia 920: Rs 38,262

Challengers v/s leaders

Now we come to two top-of-the-line-phones that deserve a mention though both have been in the market for some time. iPhone 5 and Galaxy Note II are the best devices that leading smartphone makers Apple and Samsung offer right now. Let's see how they size up against HTC Butterfly, Sony Xperia Z, BlackBerry Z10 and Nokia Lumia 920.

When it comes to looks, iPhone 5 is the most compact device among all six. On the other hand, Galaxy Note II is the bulkiest and can be difficult to operate with one hand.

Both the phones run on mature operating systems that are most popular - iPhone 5 on iOS and Galaxy Note II on Android. Therefore, buyers have access to all the popular apps, giving them an edge over Nokia Lumia 920 and BlackBerry Z10, while the playing field remains level for HTC Butterfly and Sony Xperia Z10.

However, those bored with iOS and Android looks may want to Give a try to the unique appearance that WP8 and BB10 offer.

The screen resolution is the differentiator for top-end phones this year and iPhone 5 as well as Galaxy Note II lose out to the Butterfly and Xperia Z's full HD displays. Galaxy Note II's screen resolution is comparable to that of Lumia 920 and Z10, whereas iPhone 5 is surprisingly placed at the bottom of this list.

In terms of computing power, iPhone's dual-core 1.2GHz processor and Galaxy Note II's 1.6GHz quad-core processor pale in front of newer Android rivals. While both of them deliver good benchmark performance when CPUs are stressed, their processors do not have the strength that Lumia 920, Butterfly and Xperia Z possess. 

Our verdict

 

Going by looks, features and price one pays for it, our winner is Sony Xperia Z. For once, Sony has redefined the Xperia look that was becoming staid and predictable and made it wow! We reviewed the device with white body, but the all-black model looks even more striking. And to have all those sturdiness features in this price is a big plus.

But if price is not the consideration, HTC Butterfly is an even better phone. It beats Sony with its curvaceous looks, feels really light in hand and has a better, brighter screen.

For those wanting a serious communications device, BlackBerry Z10 is the device. But be warned, other than that, and the famed encryption and security positives of BlackBerry, it is an altogether new experience to play on BB10. And if price tag is not a consideration, Z10 is the device.

Where does it leave Lumia 920? For striking looks, reliability of Nokia, for the refreshing Windows 8 platform and for its buttery smooth experience, it stands out. Above all, in sunlight, it was the bright Nokia Lumia 920 display that stood apart. And it is decently priced.

We feel that HTC Butterfly is the best proposition out of the four, even though it comes at a premium. The device looks more elegant than the rivals and still boasts of water resistance, a feature that adds to its value. The tried and tested operating system brings a host of apps with it, while the full HD display brings colours to life, something Sony Xperia Z cannot boast of; Nokia Lumia 920 and BlackBerry Z10 do not tout full HD screens.

However, you will have to go with an inferior camera and low sunlight legibility with this device.

If you are willing to let go of the wide apps portfolio, Nokia Lumia 920 is a good option. It has the most powerful camera in any smartphone, vibrant screen and a refreshing operating system that has a few nifty features of its own.