Sign in with
Sign up | Sign in

HTC One (M8) vs. Samsung Galaxy S5

By - Source: Tom's Hardware US | B 27 comments

How do these two flagship phones stack up against each other?

HTC yesterday introduced us to its newest flagship smartphone, the HTC One M8. The HTC One is a refresh of last year's award winning phone of the same name. With it, HTC is targeting consumers that want their phone to get them noticed and those that influence the choices of their friends. So how does the HTC One hardware stack up against the Samsung Galaxy S5, arguably the biggest phone to launch this spring?

Read more: HTC Reveals All New HTC One (M8) Android Phone

Spec
Galaxy S5HTC One (M8)
Operating System
Android 4.4.2
Android 4.4.x
Custom UI
TouchWiz
Sense UI
Screen
5.1-inch Super AMOLED 1920x1080 432ppi5-inch LCD 1920x1080 440ppi
Chipset
Snapdragon 801
Snapdragon 801
CPU
2.5 GHz quad-core
2.3 Ghz quad-core
GPU
Adreno 330
Adreno 330
RAM
2 GB
2GB
Storage
16 GB or 32 GB
16 GB or 32 GB
Removable Storage
MicroSD
MicroSD
Camera
16-megapixel lens, 2.1-megapixel camera in front
4.1-megapixel UltraPixel camera, 5-megapixel camera up front
Connectivity
WiFi, NFC, Bluetooth, DLNA, GPS/GLONASS,
NFC, Bluetooth, DLNA, GPS/GLONASS,
Dimensions
42 mm (5.6 in) H
72.5 mm (2.85 in) W
8.1 mm (0.32 in) D
149 g / 5.1 oz
146.3 mm (5.76 in) H
70.6 mm (2.78 in) W
9.4 mm (0.37 in) D
159 g / 5.6 oz
Price
$649 off contract
$649 off contract

In terms of hardware, it's a pretty fair fight aside from a few key factors. Ultimately, it's about what you want from your phone (aside from the ability to make phone calls and send texts, of course). Samsung's focusing on health in a big way with the Galaxy S5. HTC has BlinkFeed integration with FitBit but spent considerably less time talking about the fitness aspects of the phone than Samsung did when it unveiled the GS5 at MWC (most likely because Samsung has to make you want the Gear, too). Samsung's Galaxy S5 also has that all important fingerprint unlock, which not only offers an alternative way to unlock your phone but also allows you secret folders of files, apps, and photos that no one else can access.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S5 Launching in 150 Countries On April 11

On the other hand, the HTC One has that beefed up camera with dual lenses for taking multiple photos at once and the ability to choose the point of focus after the photo has been taken. With the standard of flagship smartphones as high as it is right now, manufacturers really have to focus on custom UIs and added software to make their devices sparkle. It's striking the balance between enhancements and clutter that presents the biggest challenge.

Read more: Top 5 Best Features of the New HTC One (M8) Smartphone

Follow Jane McEntegart @JaneMcEntegart. Follow us @tomshardware, on Facebook and on Google+.

Discuss
Ask a Category Expert

Create a new thread in the News comments forum about this subject

Example: Notebook, Android, SSD hard drive

This thread is closed for comments
Top Comments
  • 11 Hide
    Shneiky , March 26, 2014 11:57 AM
    The S5 is 142 mm. In the table it is said 42mm.
Other Comments
  • 11 Hide
    Shneiky , March 26, 2014 11:57 AM
    The S5 is 142 mm. In the table it is said 42mm.
  • 2 Hide
    del35 , March 26, 2014 12:00 PM
    Does the S5 have a user replaceable battery?
  • Display all 27 comments.
  • -2 Hide
    TechnoD , March 26, 2014 12:20 PM
    Cool phones, but I think I will stick with my windows phone.
  • 1 Hide
    qlum , March 26, 2014 1:01 PM
    If the s5 indeed does have a replaceable battery it would put it quite a bit ahead of htc there. I can't tell you enough how useful it is to have a spare when you forget to charge your phone.
  • 6 Hide
    fudoka711 , March 26, 2014 1:53 PM
    Does the HTC One not have Wifi? I'm assuming that's a typo...
  • -2 Hide
    vmem , March 26, 2014 2:10 PM
    Quote:
    If the s5 indeed does have a replaceable battery it would put it quite a bit ahead of htc there. I can't tell you enough how useful it is to have a spare when you forget to charge your phone.
    I wouldn't be surprised if the S5 came with a replaceable battery as it was a pretty popular feature of the past galaxy S phones. That aside, I think the usefulness of the feature varies greatly from person to person. for someone like me who mostly have a desk-job in front of a computer, battery only becomes an issue on the weekends when I feel like going out...
  • 1 Hide
    schultzter , March 26, 2014 2:16 PM
    Quote:
    Does the HTC One not have Wifi? I'm assuming that's a typo...

    No, it's true, the North American telcos demanded it. Oh, and data caps are going down and prices are going up - purely a coincidence though. :) 
  • 0 Hide
    house70 , March 26, 2014 2:34 PM
    Obviously, the best phone is... the one that fits your needs. You can't go wrong with either of these phones, and future benchmarks will only be for completely useless bragging rights. And yes, of course HTC One has WiFi. Silly...
  • -2 Hide
    rwinches , March 26, 2014 3:08 PM
    The camera focus features are really cool as is the speakers output.__What'sup with the sealed battery?__The S5 has a bigger battery and AMOLED display so will that result in longer play time?
  • 1 Hide
    rwinches , March 26, 2014 3:11 PM
    For me metal cases and enclosed antennas don't jibe.
  • 3 Hide
    firefoxx04 , March 26, 2014 3:26 PM
    There is no way the HTC does not have wifi
  • 0 Hide
    rhangman , March 26, 2014 4:02 PM
    HTC really should have thought more about the name. One M8? The phone for people with only one friend.
  • 0 Hide
    Phillip , March 26, 2014 4:41 PM
    Quote:
    HTC really should have thought more about the name. One M8? The phone for people with only one friend.



    Other than clarifying which model you're talking about, nobody will call this phone the "One M8." Nobody calls it the original model the "One M7." :-)
  • 0 Hide
    JOSHSKORN , March 26, 2014 10:05 PM
    How could a phone have no Wi-Fi? What's the point!?!?
  • 1 Hide
    LordConrad , March 27, 2014 12:44 AM
    Looks like the S5 for me. User replaceable batteries are a must. I'm not a fan of pentile screens, but at 432ppi the checkerboard effect is probably not visible.
  • 0 Hide
    rhangman , March 27, 2014 1:05 AM
    Quote:
    Quote:
    HTC really should have thought more about the name. One M8? The phone for people with only one friend.
    Other than clarifying which model you're talking about, nobody will call this phone the "One M8." Nobody calls it the original model the "One M7." :-)
    The original model didn't need any clarification. It was just the HTC One. With a new model, people will have to distinguish between the two somehow.
  • 1 Hide
    AndrewJacksonZA , March 27, 2014 1:08 AM
    A Sony Xperia Z2 Compact for me thanks. It'll be a nice replacement for my Xperia T.
  • 0 Hide
    MaXimus421 , March 27, 2014 1:50 AM
    So I see Samsung still hasn't made an phone worthy of upgrading after my S3.Gotcha.
  • 0 Hide
    doron , March 27, 2014 1:58 AM
    Quote:
    On the other hand, the HTC One has that beefed up camera


    Just to be clear, I prefer HTC One's camera design and Jane, I enjoy reading most of your articles, but this is downright misleading.

    I mean, "that beefed up camera"? Is that pretty much everything you can say about each camera design and their corresponding strengths and weaknesses?

    I realize the fact that it's supposed to be a short article but this is a comparison, not a showcase.
    If you have word limit or don't have the time to do a proper research, you could at the very least point out that they're both some of the best cameras in the smartphone market, although HTC is taking the more creative approach.
  • 0 Hide
    jonnyhuk2 , March 27, 2014 2:56 AM
    Does the HTC have an FM Radio like the M7 does but the Samsung doesn't? I still use FM quite a bit on my phone, if I'm out in the garden or cycling, WiFi doesn't reach and you can't rely on a mobile data signal around here.
Display more comments