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Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

posted by Ray S. / Mar 26, 2013, 6:51 AM

Introduction

This is it, the most epic Android face-off for the first half of 2013. The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One are coming out at about the same time to go ahead and have it out with one another. When the Galaxy S4 and One are in the same room, there sure ain't much love in the air, which is going to make this fight all the more interesting. Which side will you take? Wait till you've read our comparison!

Design

Isn't it obvious? The Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One have a completely different understanding of design. On one hand, we have the light, plastic body of the GS4, and on the other – the heavy, metal one of the One. Both have their pros and cons. The Galaxy S4 certainly doesn't feel like a premium smartphone, but is light, compact and comfortable to hold. In contrast, the HTC One has that expensive feel to it, but is bulkier and not as comfortable to use.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 (left) and the HTC One (right) - Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

The Samsung Galaxy S4 (left) and the HTC One (right)

Overall, though, it shows that HTC has paid much more attention to the design of its product. The One has an impressive appearance and every small detail like the physical buttons function like they are part of a quality, expensive product, which they are. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S4 has a blander appearance and none of its physical features manage to be particularly exciting, with the sole exception of the fact that Samsung has managed to fit such a big display in such a compact phone (for today's standards).

Left sides - The Samsung Galaxy S4 (bottom, left) and the HTC One (top, right) - Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

Right - The Samsung Galaxy S4 (bottom, left) and the HTC One (top, right) - Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

Top - The Samsung Galaxy S4 (bottom, left) and the HTC One (top, right) - Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

Bottom - The Samsung Galaxy S4 (bottom, left) and the HTC One (top, right) - Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

The Samsung Galaxy S4 (bottom, left) and the HTC One (top, right)

Display

Speaking of displays, both devices are equally impressive in this respect. On one hand, there's the enhanced Super AMOLED screen of the GS4, with its high contrast and lush colors, and on the other – the Super LCD 3 display of the One, which is more natural and also quite vibrant. The HTC One is also more visible when used in bright daylight, thanks to its higher brightness. Viewing angles are very good on both devices, but we seem to prefer the HTC One, as it retains the normal tones of its colors, whereas the Galaxy S4 is quick to degrade color quality as we start to tilt the handsets.

At 5 inches, the Galaxy S4's display is slightly bigger than the HTC One's 4.7 inches, but the difference isn't really that noticeable. Activities such as video watching are super-entertaining on both handsets.

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Display measurements and quality

	Maximum brightness Higher is better	Minimum brightness (nits) Lower is better	Contrast Higher is better	Color temperature (Kelvins)	Gamma	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Samsung Galaxy S4	289 (Poor)	9 (Average)	unmeasurable (Excellent)	7316 (Good)	2.16	5.52 (Average)	7.31 (Average)
HTC One	460 (Good)	14 (Poor)	1:1758 (Excellent)	8008 (Poor)	2.21	5.89 (Average)	5.33 (Average)

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The numbers below represent the amount of deviation in the respective property, observed when a display is viewed from a 45-degree angle as opposed to direct viewing.

	Maximum brightness Lower is better	Minimum brightness Lower is better	Contrast Lower is better	Color temperature Lower is better	Gamma Lower is better	Delta E rgbcmy Lower is better	Delta E grayscale Lower is better
Samsung Galaxy S4	58.5%	55.6%	unmeasurable	19.9%	0.9%	63.8%	74.4%
HTC One	84.8%	85.7%	77.2%	24.4%	1.8%	3.6%	27.8%

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The CIE 1931 xy color gamut chart represents the set (area) of colors that a display can reproduce, with the sRGB colorspace (the highlighted triangle) serving as reference. The chart also provides a visual representation of a display's color accuracy. The small squares across the boundaries of the triangle are the reference points for the various colors, while the small dots are the actual measurements. Ideally, each dot should be positioned on top of its respective square. The 'x: CIE31' and 'y: CIE31' values in the table below the chart indicate the position of each measurement on the chart. 'Y' shows the luminance (in nits) of each measured color, while 'Target Y' is the desired luminance level for that color. Finally, 'ΔE 2000' is the Delta E value of the measured color. Delta E values of below 2 are ideal.

These measurements are made using SpectraCal's CalMAN calibration software.

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Samsung Galaxy S4 360-Degrees View:

HTC One 360-Degrees View:

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247 Comments

1. fouadqr

Posts: 326; Member since: Nov 21, 2012

I prefer the htc one !

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 6:56 AM 100

4. sheik

Posts: 249; Member since: Sep 12, 2012

yikes, I prefer the mighty Galaxy S4!!!

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 6:59 AM 76

164. cloud_atlas1991

Posts: 61; Member since: Dec 21, 2012

GS4'S CAMERA IS TOTALLY WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

posted on Mar 28, 2013, 8:53 AM 7

169. kclgphilsbsa

Posts: 765; Member since: Jan 21, 2013

hahaha the comparison and the rcently held blind comparison says otherwise :)

posted on Mar 30, 2013, 12:52 AM 4

171. asteala8

Posts: 17; Member since: Mar 26, 2013

Are you daft? The blind comparison clearly showed the only one better is the iphone... htc failed miserably in the blind test.

posted on Mar 30, 2013, 12:27 PM 2

174. kclgphilsbsa

Posts: 765; Member since: Jan 21, 2013

ddnt u undrstand my comment? "says otherwise"

posted on Mar 30, 2013, 8:51 PM 1

12. TROLL

Posts: 4851; Member since: Apr 13, 2012

I like both!

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:13 AM 67

33. _Bone_

Posts: 2155; Member since: Oct 29, 2012

Agreed. May be controversial, but I don't think the GS4 looks bad next to HTC's beauty at all. Roughly the same size and curves, more screen, less premium feel, probably different in the hand but neither can be knocked for the looks, the question is built quality. Time for a drop test! :)

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:45 AM 39

41. jinxed

Posts: 107; Member since: Jan 10, 2013

drop test?? y u use ur phone to play yo yo?!

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 8:04 AM 10

123. AnTuTu

Posts: 1580; Member since: Oct 14, 2012

I would say both of them are great smartphones ever in the history so far. I would pick S4 on HTC only because of its software features and support here. But would definitely buy HTC One if I get some extra cash. Hats off to you HTC and Samsung for these devices. Thanks

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 2:48 PM 10

114. rizevnarastek

Posts: 349; Member since: Sep 06, 2012

Biast PA trying their best do make HTC's camera look horrid :S

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 1:33 PM 4

136. SleepingOz unregistered

First, it's "biasED" and no they're not.. GSMArena came to the same conlusion! http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s4_vs_htc_one-review-913.php Guess which one won the battle.. =3

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 8:42 PM 6

142. kclgphilsbsa

Posts: 765; Member since: Jan 21, 2013

even in low-light conditions, samsung did a great job on optimizing Sony's exmor sensor htc one got the loud sounds, but s4 handles the noise better.. PA said htc one's display is superior than gslaxy s4, gsmarena says otherwise, galaxy s4 has better viewing angles accdg to gsmarena.. yesterday im not sure if iLL pick s4 or htc One.. today im desperate to have the s4 :D i really really want it!!!!

posted on Mar 27, 2013, 2:53 AM 3

153. SleepingOz unregistered

GSMArena actually did a more detailed test, so you can't go wrong with their conclusions.

posted on Mar 27, 2013, 6:53 AM 2

242. Samsungadroidrules

Posts: 104; Member since: Jul 28, 2013

Yeah i find this one Biased too. Many reviews and tech sites find GS4 Better and Advanced than HTC ONE. Even in real life, many people loves GS4 even those who has HTC ONE.

posted on Jul 31, 2013, 10:13 AM 0

13. abdane

Posts: 506; Member since: Oct 07, 2011

Galaxy S4, Definitely !

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:14 AM 50

19. lovenyc8

Posts: 164; Member since: Mar 13, 2013

HTC ONE IS BEST

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:24 AM 60

21. MrJerry

Posts: 403; Member since: Oct 05, 2012

and I prefer GS4 :-)

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:25 AM 45

38. MrJerry

Posts: 403; Member since: Oct 05, 2012

And you know what? GS4 will be even better than this by finalizing its software in a month... And the true GS4 version with Octacore Cpu + PowerVR SGX 544MP3 GPU is coming soon..

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:51 AM 36

232. smutty.puppet

Posts: 24; Member since: Apr 24, 2013

what about the s4 most prominent feature, S Lag? you didn't know about octa-core problems?!!

posted on May 08, 2013, 6:16 AM 1

234. yadu004

Posts: 72; Member since: Apr 26, 2013

it has been rectified in the software patch (have been the user of the exynos version).

posted on May 13, 2013, 2:26 PM 0

24. danny_a2005

Posts: 336; Member since: Oct 06, 2011

HTC FTW!!

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:28 AM 38

34. sergiobr

Posts: 718; Member since: Feb 25, 2013

Galaxy S4 with 60fps !

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 7:45 AM 32

77. xvasek

Posts: 7; Member since: Mar 26, 2013

Unfortunately no. Look to Androidauthority... Know anyone if is HTC ONE able record 1080p 60 fps?

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 10:02 AM 4

147. TempUse

Posts: 5; Member since: Mar 21, 2013

Samsung fanboys believe even 90 fps on S4. what a pity!

posted on Mar 27, 2013, 5:01 AM 9

40. cmatej000

Posts: 13; Member since: Jan 22, 2013

I would choose HTC design packed with S4 inside :D

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 8:04 AM 30

42. kclgphilsbsa

Posts: 765; Member since: Jan 21, 2013

guys dont fight, i want both even thou im a samsung fan because they really made big in android with s2, s3 and notes that pushed hardware & software limits and wowed us and thats why Sony, HTC, LG & others are now doing their best to come with the best devices around.. stop the hate, let's wait for other review sites,, my dream device> a polycarbonate body. but more on htc one X style for back, front>galaxy s4 style.. dont want aluminum and glass, they had the most undesirable disadvantages.. Xperia UI with the polished features of HTC One and all Touchwiz Features and everything abt Galaxy software.. Boomsound but make the speaker grills smaller so the phone wont b tall camera>galaxy but if possible pureview :D battery>galaxy replcble battry, microSD software support>samsung display>SuperAmoled w/ the amazing Spen

posted on Mar 26, 2013, 8:07 AM 9

71. amiroo

Posts: 269; Member since: Sep 03, 2012

both are great and best for 2013.. i respect to sami fans but i think one is most solid and best package speceially with great design and bady material.. ONE in Top .