HTC One M8 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 (comparison)

HTC One M8 vs Samsung Galaxy S5 (comparison)

Several OEMs have released their flagship devices in the past few months. Back at the Mobile World Congress in February, Samsung, the world’s largest smartphone manufacturer, released their flagship Galaxy S5.

Month after its unveiling, HTC also took the stage, and unveiled their primary flagship device for the year dubbed as the HTC One (M8). It’s an amazing device, not just by the specifications, but from all aspects.

HTC One (M8) is already available in the market in most regions, while Samsung Galaxy S5 will hit retail in over 150 countries on April 11th. If you’re confused about which handset to go for, we’ll do a detailed comparison for you to help you make your decision. Before we go through the differences, take a look at this table below.

Which One is Faster — Processor, RAM?
Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset clocked at 2.5GHz, while the HTC One (M8) is powered by the same processor but its clocked a little lower at 2.3GHz. Both handsets are equipped with 2GB of RAM on board.

In real life, normal users won’t be able to spot the difference in speed when it comes to processor. Obviously, many will call TouchWiz to be too bloated, affecting its performance, but HTC doesn’t provide stock Android experience either — although there is a Google Play edition of the HTC One (M8) available in the Google Play Store. It comes with Sense 6.0 which is HTC’s custom skin.

So, for a normal user, the 0.2GHz higher processor shouldn’t make a big difference when it comes to performance.

Display
Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a AMOLED 5.1-inch display sporting a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels with almost 441 ppi pixel density, while the HTC One (M8) features a slightly smaller 5-inch Super LCD3 display with 1080p resolution and a pixel density of 432 ppi. Both devices feature different display technology, but you should get a little bit better display in terms of colors on the Galaxy S5 due to its AMOLED display

On the other hand, the minor difference between the pixel density is pretty hard to spot, but users may get a little bit smaller room on the display due to the on-screen buttons compared to the Samsung Galaxy S5.

Can they last a day on a full charge?
This is a pretty important feature, which makes sure how much time you battery can last on a single charge. Due to the inclusion of latest technology, most flagship devices come with massive batteries with capacity over 3,000 – Xperia Z2 and Note 3 both feature 3,200 mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a 2,800 mAh battery, while HTC One (M8) features a smaller 2,600 mAh one. During the HTC One (M8) launch event, HTC announced the new 2,600 mAh battery is 40 percent more efficient than its predecessor, and can provide a pretty decent battery time. In addition, the company introduced an extreme power saving mode which can make the device last up to 14 days on a single charge when enabled.

On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy S5′s battery can also last at least a day with normal usage, and comes with an improved power saving mode to match HTC One (M8). But, there’s a major difference here: Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a removable battery, meaning users can just carry an additional battery and swap it when they run out of juice. However, HTC One (M8) comes with a non-removable battery so users either have to stick on with the extreme battery saving mode, or carry a portable battery pack for charging on the go which may cost a few bucks.

Camera
Samsung Galaxy S5 features a 16MP camera, while HTC One (M8) boasts a 4MP Duo cameras with a depth sensor. Galaxy S5′s 16MP camera is also capable of recording 4K videos, while the HTC One (M8) can only do so at 1080p. Personally, I do like the depth sensor on the HTC One (M8), but the overall results might be a little better on the Galaxy S5.

HTC has introduced a number of editing features to its camera app, but the camera on the Samsung Galaxy S5 is easy to use, and offers great shots.

Both devices come with a 2MP front-facing camera for video conferencing and selfies.

Plastic Vs Metal
This is an area where we have to go with the HTC One (M8) without thinking too much. HTC’s flagship comes with a beautiful metal design and finish, and feels great in hand. We’ve personally tested the handset for a brief period of time, and its build and finish looks simply amazing.

On the other hand, Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a somewhat similar plastic exterior. The company did change its design a little bit, with a dimply back cover, but it may not attract every user out in the wild. Samsung Galaxy S5 is also IP67 certified making it dust and water-resistant up to a certain level.

But, if looks is the major thing you care about, HTC One (M8) offers an amazing feel, and looks beautiful compared to the Galaxy S5.

Other features — Storage, Sensors, OS, etc.
Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with 16/32GB storage space with a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB of storage. In addition, it comes with 50GB of free Dropbox storage for 2 years which is a plus.

HTC One (M8) features also features 16GB storage along with microSD card support of up to 128GB with 65GB of free Google Drive storage for two years.

So basically, it’s a tie, but the inclusion of a memory card slot on the HTC One (M8) is good since its predecessor lacked one.

Additionally, Samsung Galaxy S5 comes with a swipe fingerprint sensor under the home button, as well as a heart rate monitor beneath the camera flash, while HTC One M8 doesn’t come with a fingerprint scanner.

Both devices are shipped with Android 4.4.2 KitKat out of the box, but HTC One (M8) comes with Sense 6.0 while Samsung Galaxy S5 features TouchWiz UI. HTC One (M8) is also available as a Google Play Edition device, but it’s software is not the pure stock Android as other Google Play devices, but it’s tweaked a little bit to make use of the Duo Cameras on the device.

Wrap up
Both devices are available for sale at the time of writing this. If looks is the main thing you’re looking for, think no further and get your hands on the HTC One (M8). As I said before, we’ve personally seen HTC One (M8), and it’s simply beautiful. Both devices are available with a some what similar price tag, so its totally up to you to decide. If you ask me, I’d go for the HTC One (M8). However, that doesn’t mean Galaxy S5 is not a good device, it offers excellent features as well, and is a future proof device.