For many tech watchers, this is the matchup to watch towards the end of the year. In one corner, we have the Nexus 4, a handset co-designed with LG that effectively represents Google’s vision of an Android smartphone; on the other, we have the iPhone 5, the latest iteration of Apple’s venerable handset that breaks with tradition by fitting in a larger screen.

From the outset, we have to acknowledge the fact that the Nexus 4 doesn’t have the necessary radios for 4G LTE compatibility. If this is a necessity, then the choice to purchase an iPhone 5 would be natural. However, if this doesn’t faze you, then Google’s latest handset offers something rather special over Apple’s handset.

The screen size and resolution comparison goes firmly in favor of the Nexus 4. This device packs a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768 pixel screen, which dwarfs the iPhone 5’s 4-inch 1136 x 640 panel. This size difference does come at the expense of pocketability and weight, so Apple’s device could be preferable for people with smaller pockets.

Under the hood, the Nexus 4 packs a quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, which promises to be a substantial improvement over its dual-core predecessor. The dual-core Snapdragon S4 has been benchmarked as slower than the A6 chip in the iPhone 5, but the Nexus 4’s two extra cores should give it enough grunt to ease comfortably past almost any other mobile chipset currently available. Google’s new device also has 2GB of RAM, double that of Apple’s offering.

In terms of imaging capabilities, the two devices should be mostly on par. Both the Nexus 4 and iPhone 5 have 8-megapixel primary cameras that perform well enough for all but the most demanding of shooters.

Finally, we come to the comparison in operating systems. There’s something to be said about the simplicity, user-friendliness and deep application library of iOS 6, but it’s unfortunate that Apple hasn’t really brought something spectacular to the table. In contrast, Google has seemingly weathered the tough spots of Android’s life, and if Android 4.1 Jelly Bean was anything to go by, its 4.2 update should still be the best version of this operating system, plus some new features.