The HTC One Max is now a reality, and though product unveilings are usually a joyous occasion for the companies behind them and consumers both, it falls down on the latter to roll up their sleeves and start weighing the product's relative pros and cons. And though the general user experience is arguably only partially reliant on specs, they do remain an important reading that we go through every time a new flagship device enters the market.
Today, we're comparing three of the hottest flagships currently (and soon, in the case of the HTC One Max) available. Unlike the software side of things, where the trio features a wildly different value propositions, down under in the world of hardware, things are simpler and far less subjective. This, for example, means that we can easily call HTC on using a somewhat cheaper, slightly outdated chipset with the One Max – the Snapdragon 600 (Adreno 320), whereas the competition in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the LG G2 has already moved to Snapdragon 800 with Adreno 330 graphics. On the other hand, at 5.9-inches, the HTC One Max has the largest screen real estate of the group, and this one should prove to live long enough to see more than a day of heavy usage, thanks to the large 3300mAh battery that HTC has snugged inside the One Max. While we're still at the topic of displays, it's probably also worth mentioning that the three contenders have all opted for a somewhat different display tech, each with its respective cons and pros – Super-LCD 3 for the One Max, Super AMOLED for the Note 3 and an LG IPS LCD panel for the G2. In our experience, Super-LCD 3 panels are a tad superior to some IPS LCDs (S-LCD3 is also an IPS panel) and also have a hand over AMOLEDs (though that gap has been significantly reduced with the Note 3).
Another rather more substantial win for the HTC One Max is its dedicated fingerprint sensor, not a first for Android or the world of smartphones as a whole, but definitely the first in a truly modern smartphone. Whether the said sensor delivers, however, remains to be seen (or tested).
With those in mind, and taking into account the extensive specs break-down we've provided for you below, do you think the HTC One Max will manage to sway consumers off rival propositions?
HTC One max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs LG G2
| Design | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| OS | Android (4.4.2, 4.4, 4.3), Sense 5.5 UI | Android (5.0, 4.4.4, 4.4, 4.3) | Android (5.0, 4.4.2, 4.2.2) |
| Dimensions | 6.48 x 3.25 x 0.41 inches (164.5 x 82.5 x 10.29 mm) | 5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm) | 5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches (138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm) |
| Weight | 7.65 oz (217 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) | 5.93 oz (168 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) | 5.04 oz (143 g) the average is 5.4 oz (156 g) |
| Materials | Main body: Aluminum | ||
| Features | Fingerprint (swipe), Touch sensitive control keys | Stylus, Interchangeable covers |
| Display | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical size | 5.9 inches | 5.7 inches | 5.2 inches |
| Resolution | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels | 1080 x 1920 pixels |
Pixel density
Pixel density - The pixel density of a display represents the number of pixels over an area of one inch. It’s measured in “pixels per inch”, or ppi. The higher the number, the more detailed and good-looking the display is. | 373 ppi | 386 ppi | 423 ppi |
Technology
Technology - There are two main screen technologies currently used in phones and tablets: LCD and AMOLED. The former usually features a light source and liquid crystals, while the latter is based on organic light-emitting diodes. Newer LCD variations like IPS-LCD and Super-LCD allow for very accurate color reproduction and very wide viewing angles, where no significant image quality loss is observed. Current AMOLED screens differ in such a way that they can exhibit much more saturated colors (sometimes too much) and incredibly high contrast levels, which is due to black color being completely black in AMOLED displays. | S-LCD 3 | Super AMOLED | IPS LCD |
Screen-to-body ratio
Screen-to-body ratio - Shows what part of the frontal area of a phone its screen occupies. | 70.63 % | 74.78 % | 76.28 % |
| Colors | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 | 16 777 216 |
| Peak brightness | 450 cd/m2 (nit) |
| Camera | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Camera | 4 megapixels | 13 megapixels | 13 megapixels |
| Flash | LED | LED | LED |
| Aperture size
Aperture size - The aperture of a camera is the opening through which light travels before it reaches the camera sensor. The smaller the number is, the bigger this opening is, allowing for more light to pass. | F2.0 | F2.2 | F2.4 |
| Focal length (35mm equivalent)
Focal length (35mm equivalent) - The lower (shorter) the focal length number, the wider the shot will be. Conversely, longer focal length cameras produce narrower frames, which can be used for telephoto (zoomed-in) purposes. | 28 mm | 31 mm | 29 mm |
| Camera sensor size
Camera sensor size - A bigger camera sensor is able to capture more light, and thus produce better photos. | 1/3" | 1/3.06" | 1/3.06" |
| Pixel size
Pixel size - The size of an individual pixel on a camera's sensor. The bigger, the better. | 2 μm | 1.12 μm | 1.12 μm |
| Hardware Features | Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Autofocus, CMOS image sensor, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) | Sapphire crystal lens cover, Optical image stabilization, Autofocus, Back-illuminated sensor (BSI) |
| Software Features | Digital image stabilization, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Digital image stabilization, Touch to focus, Smile detection, Face detection, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging | Touch to focus, Face detection, Voice activation, Self-timer, Digital zoom, Geo tagging |
| Camcorder | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (60 fps) | 3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps) |
| Features | High Dynamic Range mode (HDR), Continuous autofocus | Continuous autofocus, Video light, Digital image stabilization, Video calling | Optical image stabilization |
| Front-facing camera | 2.1 megapixels | 2 megapixels | 2.1 megapixels |
| Video capture | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) | 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps) |
| Hardware | |||
|---|---|---|---|
System chip
System chip - Most modern handsets use an advanced chip that includes many of the device’s hardware modules like the processor, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and sometimes even the wireless radio. This field shows what particular system chip (or System-on-a-Chip) is used in the phone. | Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 | Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974 |
Processor
Processor - The processor is the main computing component of a phone and is a major factor when it comes to the overall speed of the device. Some more powerful smartphones use dual-core and quad-core processors designed to deliver greater performance. | Quad-core, 1700 MHz, Krait 300 | Quad-core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400 | Quad-core, 2260 MHz, Krait 400 |
Graphics processor
Graphics processor - The graphics processor is important for the smooth operation of the system and especially in games and other applications that may involve complex graphics and animations. | Adreno 320 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
System memory
System memory - System memory, or RAM memory is the type of memory that the device uses to temporarily store data from the OS or currently-running apps. The more RAM available to the device, the better the performance will be when multiple or heavier programs are running. | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / LPDDR2 | 3 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3 | 2 GB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3 |
Built-in storage
Built-in storage - Bigger storage capacity allows you to keep more content saved onto your device, such as more applications, photos or video. Games and video content typically take up the biggest amount of storage space. | 32 GB | 64 GB | 32 GB |
Storage expansion
Storage expansion - Some handsets allow you to expand their storage capacity by using a memory expansion card – most often microSD. Expansion memory is mostly suitable for media storage, such as photo, video or music content. | microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC | microSD, microSDHC |
| Battery | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Capacity
Capacity - The bigger, the better! However, battery capacity is not the only factor that has an effect on battery life. Those include the chipset in use, the software running on the device, as well as the consumer's unique usage pattern. | 3300 mAh | 3200 mAh | 3000 mAh |
| Wireless charging | Optional | ||
| Talk time | 28.00 hours the average is 20 h (1202 min) | 25.00 hours the average is 20 h (1202 min) | 34.30 hours the average is 20 h (1202 min) |
| Stand-by time | 16.4 days (393 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) | 22.0 days (528 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) | 34.2 days (821 hours) the average is 19 days (459 h) |
| Talk time (3G) | 25.00 hours the average is 18 h (1087 min) | 21.00 hours the average is 18 h (1087 min) | 21.30 hours the average is 18 h (1087 min) |
| Stand-by time (3G) | 24.4 days (585 hours) the average is 24 days (583 h) | 17.5 days (420 hours) the average is 24 days (583 h) | 34.4 days (826 hours) the average is 24 days (583 h) |
| Stand-by time (4G) | 15.8 days (380 hours) the average is 21 days (511 h) | ||
| Music playback | 84.00 hours | ||
| Video playback | 13.00 hours |
| Multimedia | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Screen mirroring | DLNA, MHL, TV-out | DLNA, MHL | DLNA, Wireless screen share, MirrorLink, SlimPort |
| Cellular | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz | 850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz |
| UMTS | 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz | 850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz |
| LTE (FDD) | Bands 3, 7, 8, 18 | Bands 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, 17, 18 | Bands 1, 3, 7, 8, 20 |
| Data | LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS | LTE Cat 4 (150/50 Mbit/s), HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 21.1 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s |
Check out our Specs Comparison tool to compare the specs of the HTC One Max to those of any other smartphone!
