Google Nexus 5 Arrives With Android 4.4 KitKat: How Will It Stack Up Against Apple iPhone 5s And Samsung Galaxy S4

On Friday, Google (NASDAQ:GOOG) finally unveiled its new Nexus 5, the company’s latest handset in the Nexus series, which boasts the Android 4.4 KitKat mobile operating system, the most up-to-date version of the platform. The device is currently available on the Play Store in white and black, starting at $349 for AT&T (NYSE:T), T-Mobile (NYSE:TMUS) and Sprint customers.

Nexus 5, manufactured by South Korea’s LG Electronics (KRX:066570), sports a few notable features that help the device compete against other high-end smartphones in the market, with a high-resolution screen, powerful processor and improved battery life, among other impressive specs.

Before making a comparison of the Nexus 5 with two new smartphones from the current market leaders -- Apple’s (NASDAQ:AAPL) iPhone 5s and Samsung’s (KRX:005935) Galaxy S4 -- let’s have a look at the key specifications that Google’s latest model has to offer.

The Nexus 5 is powered by a 2.2-gigahertz Qualcomm processor with 2 gigabytes of RAM, and features a 4.95-inch 1080p display. The smartphone supports 4G LTE connectivity, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, NFC and inductive charging.

Interestingly, the Nexus 5 also includes a pair of sensors that are seen as a response to the M7 motion coprocessor found in the iPhone 5s. According to Google, “two new composite sensors — step detector and step counter — track steps when the user is walking, running or climbing stairs,” Apple Insider reported.

As for the Android 4.4 KitKat, Google has incorporated a number of user interface and app updates. The company has also slimmed the new OS down by removing unnecessary background services and reducing the memory consumption of features that are regularly used, allowing KitKat to be run on devices with as little as 512MB of RAM.

Now, with the new Android 4.4 KitKat and improved nuts and bolts, will the Nexus 5 be able to give the iPhone 5s and the Samsung Galaxy S4 a run for their money? Below is a head-to-head comparison of all the key details of the three devices.

Let us know in the comment section which of these smartphones deserves to be your pick this holiday season: