The new HTC One rustles up an impressive list of hardware features and a
slick new software shell. So far, the 'M8' stands strong against its
influential rivals.
There's no question that the visually-refined HTC One M8
is one fancy piece of hand candy. Luckily, its prowess isn't just
chassis-deep. The 5-inch screen is bright and sharp, the 4-'ultrapixel'
camera produces pleasing photos, and the phone's quad-core processing
power is one of the fastest there is.
On paper at least, the HTC One M8 more than stands up to its fiercest competitors, the Samsung Galaxy S5 and iPhone 5S.
Pay close attention to the M8's expandable storage option; HTC's
inclusion of this slot knocks out one Samsung's major benefits over the original HTC One.
Although
we spent a lot of time with the GS5 at its launch in Spain several
weeks back, we still won't know which of these two Android phones comes
out on top, and how they both also compare to the iPhone 5S, until we can review the Galaxy S5.
Until then, here's how the three superphones' specs compare, side by side.
| HTC One M8 | Samsung Galaxy S5 | Apple iPhone 5S | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Size | 5.76 x 2.78 x 0.37 in.; 6.3 oz. | 5.5 x 2.9 x 0.31 in; 5 oz. | 4.9 x 2.3 x 0.30 in; 4 oz. |
| Screen | 5-inch; 1,920x1,080; 441ppi | 5.1 inches; 1,920x1,080 pixels; 431ppi | 4-inch; 1,136x640 pixels; 326ppi |
| OS | Android 4.4; Sense 6.0 UI | Android 4.4; TouchWiz UI | iOS 7 |
| Processor | 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 | 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 | Proprietary A7 (64-bit) with M7 motion processor |
| Rear camera and recording | 4-'Ultrapixel'; 1080p HD | 16-megapixel; 1080p HD | 8-megapixel; 1080p HD |
| Front-facing camera | 5-megapixel; 1080p HD | 2-megapixel; 720p HD | 1.2-megapixel; 720p HD video |
| Capacity | 16GB, 32GB | 16GB, 32GB | 16GB, 32GB, 64GB |
| RAM | 2GB | 2GB | N/A |
| Expandable storage | Up to 128GB | Up to 128GB | None |
| Battery | 2,600mAh battery; embedded | 2,800mAh; removable | Embedded; Up to 10 hours on 4G LTE; standby time up to 10 days |
| 4G LTE | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4, 5GHz) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4, 5GHz) | 802.11 a/b/g/n (2.4, 5GHz) |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth | 4.0 | 4.0 Low energy | 4.0 |
| IR Blaster | Yes | Yes | No |
| Notable extras | BlinkFeed, BoomSound | Fingerprint scanner, heart rate monitor | Touch ID scanner |
| Color choices | Gray, silver, rose gold | Black, white, blue, copper | Gray, white, gold |
| US carriers | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon | AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless, MetroPCS, and U.S. Cellular | AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and global |
To dig in a little more, be sure to check out why I think that HTC's One M8 gives Samsung's Galaxy S5 a run for its money.
