I recently had the opportunity to use both the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 at Pepcom's Digital Focus event in New York City. Let's take a look and see how these two smartphones stack up against each other in the time I got to spend with each.
HTC One vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Design:
The HTC One has been designed with an aluminum unibody case that has a slight curve to its back. The HTC One feels rock solid and the curve makes the smartphone feel great in the hand. HTC stepped up its game in the design and you can feel it from the second you hold the smartphone.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 follows Samsung's love of plastic, unfortunately. The Galaxy S4 is thin, light and feels comfortable to hold. It is a little wider and taller than the HTC One.
The HTC One easily tops the Samsung Galaxy S4 in terms of build and design. HTC did an amazing job with this one. This is the best Android smartphone ever built. Samsung really needs to step up their game and drop the plastic already, or take inspiration from Nokia's Lumia smartphones that are built out of polycarbonate but don't feel cheap.
HTC One vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Specs:
The HTC One features an aluminum unibody enclosure, 4.7-inch 468 ppi (pixels per inch) SuperLCD 3 Full HD 1080p display, a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, Android 4.1.2 with HTC Sense 5, 32GB of internal storage, and 2GB of RAM. It also sports an HTC UltraPixel rear camera with dedicated HTC ImageChip, an 88 wide-angle lens with HDR capability front camera, 1080p video recording on front and rear cameras, dual front stereo speakers with built-in amplifiers, 4G LTE radio, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/ac/b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC (near field communications), infrared remote control and a 2,300mAh battery.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 features a 5-inch, 441 ppi (pixels per inch) 1920 x 1080 full HD display protected by Gorilla Glass 3, Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, a 1.9GHz quad-core processor, and 16GB, 32GB, or 64GB of internal storage. It also packs 2GB of RAM, a microSD expansion slot with support for up to 64GB microSD cards, a 13-megapixel rear camera with auto flash and zero shutter lag, and a 2-megapixel front camera. Rounding out the phone is Full HD 1080p video capture at 30fps, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n//ac, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE radio, infrared LED universal remote control, color choices of Black Myst or White Frost, and will be powered by a large 2,600mAh removable battery.
Both smartphones have top of the line specs and feel very fast and fluid when being used. The Samsung Galaxy S4 might be a better choice for anyone that needs a removable battery and a microSD expansion slot, as the HTC One has neither.
HTC One vs. Samsung Galaxy S4 Screen:
The HTC One uses a 4.7-inch Super LCD 3 screen with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 468ppi. The screen is sharp, bright and gorgeous. Color saturation is great and it's a very impressive display.
The Samsung Galaxy S4 uses a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and 441ppi. Samsung is known for its screens and the Galaxy S4's does not disappoint. It's a beautiful display.
Both displays are among the best I've seen on any smartphone, but if I had to choose one it would be the HTC One. It has a higher pixel density and the smaller display at the same resolution of the Galaxy S4 just edges out Samsung.
I think that both smartphones are among the best Android smartphones to ever be released. They both offer tons of unique features to try and differentiate themselves and do a great job in doing so. I think the HTC One edges out the Samsung Galaxy S4 in one crucial area that's very important to me. I like my smartphone to feel solid and high-end. The HTC One gave me that feeling; the Galaxy S4 felt like a cheap, plastic toy. You'll need to choose what works best for your needs, but whichever smartphone you choose, I'm sure you're going to be very happy with either.
