Samsung Galaxy S4 Active vs Sony Xperia ZL

Sony and Samsung have both been doing their best to milk their flagships (the Sony Xperia Z and the Samsung Galaxy S4) for all they’re worth. Samsung have revealed the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active (itself in all likelihood influenced by the water resistant Sony Xperia Z), while Sony have made waves with the waterproof Sony Xperia ZR and now followed that up with the Sony Xperia ZL. We’ve put the Sony Xperia ZL and the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active head to head and you can read what we concluded below.

Samsung Galaxy S4 Active vs Sony Xperia ZL – Build quality and durability

The Samsung Galaxy S4 Active is built to last. It’s dust and water resistant so you don’t need to be quite as careful with it as with most smartphones. However it’s got a typically Samsung plastic build, and its rugged design also means that it has ended up quite thick and heavy.

The Sony Xperia ZL on the other hand is quite an attractive phone. The front is almost all screen which means that it’s surprisingly short and not very wide either, though to fit all the internals in that space it’s actually ended up even fatter than the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active at 9.8mm (compared to the 9.1mm Active). It doesn’t look quite as premium as the Sony Xperia Z as that handsets glass back has been replaced with a rubbery plastic, but that does make it a little more durable and it’s still a lot more aesthetically pleasing than the Samsung Galaxy S4 Active. So ultimately the Galaxy S4 Active is the more durable while the Xperia ZL is the better looking.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 Active Spec

Sony Xperia ZL Spec