HTC One M9 vs Apple iPhone 6: first look

Apple listened and delivered with the iPhone 6, evident by sales figures and the constant demand for the prized smartphone. There’s no doubt that it’s the phone to beat at the moment, but there’s a new phone lurking about that’s hoping to give Apple’s prized stallion some competition. The HTC One M9 is gearing up for a launch, where it’s obviously expected to tangle with several flagships in the space at the moment – the iPhone 6 included, naturally. HTC has spent a solid year perfecting and fine-tuning its latest flagship smartphone, but the ultimate test will be in how it’ll compare against the iPhone 6.

Design

When the iPhone 6 was announced, its design drew many comparisons to the HTC One M8 – more so in how they offer metal bodies broken up in the back by those spacers. With the arrival of the HTC One M9, however, it doesn’t really try to outshine the iPhone 6 in the size department, since it’s still thicker and heavier.

There’s no arguing the premium aesthetics between the two flagships, as their metal constructions prove that point all the way home, but the iPhone 6 is remarkably more comfortable to hold in the hand. Of course, that’s attributed to its lighter weight, more streamlined chassis, and the fact that it has a seamless design – whereas with the HTC One M9, its “dual finish” design leaves this gap on its sides that feels rather sharp to hold.

Display

Quite frankly, there’s nothing terribly new with the HTC One M9’s display – a 5.0-inch 1080 x 1920 screen. That’s not too terrible in this direct comparison, considering that the iPhone 6 features a 4.7-inch 750 x 1334 Retina Display. Technically on paper, it’s the HTC One M9 that outshines the iPhone 6 when it comes to pixel density, since it has the upper hand at 441 ppi, as opposed to the iPhone 6’s count of 326 ppi. Despite that, just briefly looking at the two, we can’t complain about their equal visibility from a normal viewing distance.

Employing LCD technology, the two offer good outdoor visibility and color reproductions that are on the natural side – though, we do notice that it’s the iPhone 6 that shines brighter. Of course, the HTC One M9 that we’ve been checking out is a pre-production model, so there’s still time for improvements.

Interface

Ah yes, it’s that age old comparison between Android and iOS – something that’s never-ending when you think about it. Sure, the two are totally different from one another, but the two follow the principle of being straightforward and to the point. Visually, though, we’d give HTC Sense 7.0 the thumbs up for its more modern styling – and that there’s an unprecedented level of personalization that iOS can’t match.

However, what makes iOS so appealing to the masses is its simplistic operation. Most folks just don’t want to be bothered by having so many software features at their disposal – choosing instead something that’s uncomplicated. On the other end of the spectrum, HTC Sense 7.0 enhances its sensing powers by delivering contextual suggestions in the lock screen, as well as a new smart launcher widget that appropriately changes based on what apps you use.

Processor and Memory

Apple has always proven the notion that specs don’t necessarily dictate the performance of a phone. That’s true just by checking out the iPhone 6, which is powered by a 64-bit based dual-core 1.4GHz Apple A8 processor with 1GB of RAM. In comparison, the HTC One M9 seems like a beast on paper with its 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 SoC with 3GB of RAM. When it comes to speed and snappiness, there’s no denying that the two offer plenty of it – so it’s nice to see them operating at a higher level than some other phones.

We’re all familiar that the iPhone 6 is available in 16GB, 64GB, and 128GB capacities, but the HTC One M9 is going to be offered out of the gates with 32GB of internal storage. Unlike Apple’s pride and joy, which doesn’t offer any sort of expansion, the HTC One M9 features an always handy microSD card slot to supplement its amount.