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HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2: specs comparison

posted by Chris P. / Mar 25, 2014, 10:15 AM

HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2: specs comparison

Oh, boy, are you at the right place at the right time!

The time has come for HTC to come forth with its new One flagship, and remove whatever lingering doubt there is about the exact specifications of the hard-hitter. In abidance with an old PhoneArena tradition, this means it's also time for a quick spar between Taiwan's new hotshot and Samsung's and Sony's still minty-fresh Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2.

That's obviously an explosive line-up to pit against each other, not least because this trio is being released in a very similar time window. This means no advantages owed to newer technology. But make no mistakes -- there are nuances, and where one may excel, another likely only follows. At least from a purely hardware standpoint.

So, for example, the Galaxy S5 comes with the most potent bin of the newly-christened Snapdragon 801, but its camera sensor is not quite as big as the one found on the Xperia Z2, and the One has the smallest one (but with the biggest pixels). The Z2 also comes with the biggest, 5.2-inch display, and the largest, 3200mAh battery, not to mention that it sports 3GB of DDR3 RAM, whereas the Galaxy S5 is trailing behind with 2GB of DDR3 RAM, while the One M8 comes at the very bottom with less-speedy 2GB of DDR2 RAM.

Of course, the differences don't stop here, and you can study the specs sheets side-by-side for as long as you want, but do yourself a big one and wait for a more thorough and complete review comparison before making any rash decisions. These are just dry specs and nothing more. Experience has sure taught us to distrust their word. With that in mind, do take a look.

HTC One (M8) vs Samsung Galaxy S5 vs Sony Xperia Z2

Display

Display size

5.0 inches

5.1 inches

5.2 inches

Resolution

1080 x 1920 pixels

Pixel density

441 ppi

432 ppi

424 ppi

Technology

S-LCD 3

Super AMOLED

IPS LCD

Screen-to-body ratio

66.71 %

69.76 %

69.17 %

Camera

Rear

Dual camera

Single camera

Main camera

4 megapixels

16 megapixels

20.7 megapixels

Hardware Features

Autofocus

Back-illuminated sensor (BSI), Phase detection autofocus

Autofocus, CMOS image sensor

Specifications

Aperture size: F2.0; Focal length: 28 mm; Sensor size: 1/3"; Pixel size: 2 μm

Aperture size: F2.2; Focal length: 31 mm; Sensor size: 1/2.6"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Aperture size: F2.0; Sensor size: 1/2.3"; Pixel size: 1.12 μm

Second camera

4 megapixels

Hardware Features

Depth information

Video recording

1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (HD) (120 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (Full HD) (60 fps)

3840x2160 (4K UHD)

Recording format

MPEG4

MPEG4, H.264

MPEG4, 3GPP

Features

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Video light, Video sharing

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus, Digital image stabilization, Video calling, Video sharing

High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)

Front

5 megapixels

2.1 megapixels

2.2 megapixels

Video capture

1920x1080 (Full HD)

Design

Dimensions

5.76 x 2.78 x 0.37 inches (146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35 mm)

5.59 x 2.85 x 0.32 inches (142 x 72.5 x 8.1 mm)

5.78 x 2.89 x 0.32 inches (146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2 mm)

Weight

5.64 oz (160 g)

5.11 oz (145 g)

5.75 oz (163 g)

Materials

Back: Aluminum

Back: Plastic

Back: Glass

Resistance

Splash; IP X3

Water, Dust; IP 67

Water, Dust; IP 58

Biometrics

Fingerprint (swipe)

Features

Touch sensitive control keys, Interchangeable covers, Notification light

Hardware & Performance

System chip

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 MSM8974-AC

Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 8974-AB

Processor

Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400

Quad-core, 2500 MHz, Krait 400, 32-bit, 28 nm

Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400

GPU

Adreno 330

RAM

2 GB LPDDR3

3 GB LPDDR3

OS

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.3, 4.4), HTC Sense UI

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2), Samsung TouchWiz UI

Android (6.0 Marshmallow, 5.1 Lollipop, 5.0 Lollipop, 4.4.4, 4.4.2)

Battery

Capacity

2600 mAh

2800 mAh

3200 mAh

Charging

Yes

Talk time

21.00 hours

15.00 hours

Stand-by time

16.2 days (390 hours)

28.8 days (690 hours)

Talk time (3G)

20.00 hours

21.00 hours

19.00 hours

Stand-by time (3G)

20.7 days (496 hours)

30.8 days (740 hours)

Music playback

67.00 hours

120.00 hours

Video playback

13.00 hours

10.00 hours

FEATURED VIDEO

Options

25 Comments

1. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

M8 = Z2 > S5

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:16 AM 2

2. eq5555

Posts: 64; Member since: Dec 03, 2013

S5 1/2.6 isocell phase autofocus 6 lenses z2 1/2.3 bsi normal autofocus 5 lenses All new one 1/3 bsi normal autofocus 4 lenses S5 improved super amoled z2 ips on the color RGB lighting with the addition of red and green phosphorus in diodes All new one ips on the old white backlight S5 water and dust resistance Z2 water and dust resistance All new one no S5 is more or less thin frame Z2 more or less thin frame All new one big Smartphone for those who fap on metal and does not use a smartphone or simply noobs goodbye htc

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:19 AM 16

3. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

Noob? I think I heard that word last time maybe 5 years ago. So old.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:22 AM 0

7. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

This. HTC disappointed big time.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:39 AM 5

13. emadshiny

Posts: 1144; Member since: Dec 05, 2012

I was just waiting for such a comment of you. Now you understand what I was saying.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 12:20 PM 2

4. AppleHateBoy unregistered

Beats Audio is gone?

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:30 AM 0

6. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

I guess. But still has amazing stereo speakers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNbH7Jy6nIc

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:37 AM 0

20. Kaiser2007

Posts: 173; Member since: Nov 16, 2013

Z2 > S5 > M8

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 9:20 PM 2

5. darkvadervip

Posts: 366; Member since: Dec 08, 2010

Who cares about a water or dust resistance phone? Wow I've never had a problem with dust and as far as water goes don't talk while using the restroom or walking in the rain. I think htc did great but I'm waiting on the next Nokia generation of phones before I decide to get the htc one m8. I like phones with a little more weight that I can feel in my pocket not like the galaxy's that are too light for my taste. But each to it's own!

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:31 AM 2

17. rgxVOiD

Posts: 440; Member since: Aug 30, 2012

Because you never had a problem doesn't mean that its the same for everyone.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 6:12 PM 4

8. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

Galaxy S5 is coming home with me soon!

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:39 AM 7

9. ArtSim98

Posts: 3535; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

Wasn't it going to be the New One? Wonder why you changed your mind even though we already knew everything about this M8 before today

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 10:45 AM 3

10. PapaSmurf

Posts: 10457; Member since: May 14, 2012

That 4MP camera isn't cutting it. I really had high hopes for HTC in the camera department, and they let me down big time. The 5MP camera on the front is nice though.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 11:06 AM 4

14. Doakie

Posts: 2478; Member since: May 06, 2009

Hell yeah. I was considering trading my Note 3 for a One 2014 but with that 4 Megapixel camera again I can't deal with that. I think there might be a GS5 in my future too.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 12:34 PM 2

21. limporgyuk

Posts: 371; Member since: Nov 06, 2013

That much of a deal breaker hey?? Jeez, I am quite happy with the camera on my M7 and I have a young daughter so I take a lot of photos. I wasn't disapointed at all yesterday. The fact that boomsound is 25% louder and they haven't made it waterproof are major plus points.

posted on Mar 26, 2014, 3:01 AM 0

11. Lt.Green

Posts: 397; Member since: Mar 13, 2014

Sony, hands down.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 11:22 AM 6

12. amiroo

Posts: 269; Member since: Sep 03, 2012

M8 for enjoyable life.. Z2 for good life.. S5 for toy story life.. G3....

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 11:27 AM 0

15. Odiin

Posts: 373; Member since: Apr 23, 2013

1. Sony Z1 2. Samsung S5 3. LG G2

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 2:19 PM 0

16. Taters

Posts: 6474; Member since: Jan 28, 2013

It is obvious that the GS5 has the superior specs. Especially the screen size to dimensions ratio. They all are pretty disappointing though.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 5:25 PM 2

18. techperson211

Posts: 1280; Member since: Feb 27, 2014

Sony complete winner here.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 9:01 PM 1

22. limporgyuk

Posts: 371; Member since: Nov 06, 2013

Apart from the speakers of course and the UI and the annoying flaps and the ergonomics. The only thing I like about the Z2 is the dedicated camera button, but the M8 has one of those now (volume - button)

posted on Mar 26, 2014, 3:05 AM 0

19. anleoflippy

Posts: 596; Member since: Jan 03, 2013

I'd pick the Z2 or S5 anyday.

posted on Mar 25, 2014, 9:03 PM 0

23. PANIC

Posts: 138; Member since: Mar 06, 2014

Why have cotton, when you can have Silk....Z2!!!!!

posted on Mar 26, 2014, 8:27 AM 0

24. true1984

Posts: 869; Member since: May 23, 2012

the new one uses ddr3 not ddr2

posted on Mar 26, 2014, 2:49 PM 1

25. jay86

Posts: 5; Member since: Mar 29, 2014

I was disappointed with the Galaxy S5, i was expecting a better design and a slightly more power on the hardware. Instead, I will be waiting for the Nexus 6 to replace my still-new Nexus 5.

posted on Mar 29, 2014, 12:04 PM 0

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