HTC One M8 Vs. Samsung Galaxy S5

 

 

On a design side of things, it's more or less the same as last year where you have to choose between a beautifully put together metal or a more durable plastic build.  The M8 is slightly taller than the GS5 thanks to its BoomSound speakers.  Other than one looking better than the other, there are very few differences between the two.  But one of them is a big one. 

 

 

Samsung made their flagship water-resistant.  Making theirs a way more practical than the aluminum M8 which can be a bit slippery to hold w/o a case on it.  The GS5 rear case is removable but needs to be completely closed alongside the charging flap cover or else its IP67 rating goes to the crapper.  The M8 can withstand some water sprinkles getting on it but can't compete in water protection in comparison.  

 

For me, the water-resistance of the GS5 is cool and all but I still prefer the elegance of the metal unibody of the HTC One M8.  

 

Usually between these two, the decision between displays are one-sided leaning towards HTC for the most part.  But this year things have changed.  Both devices have beautiful 1080p HD screens that have offer great viewing angles.  HTC stays w/ a Super LCD3 panel w/ 468ppi and Samsung utilizes a Super AMOLED one w/ 432ppi.  Both of them are awesome!  HTC usually nails it on the display side of things and continues to do so but Samsung stepped their up their efforts as well.  I'm thinking Samsung tweaked their AMOLED recipe a bit - maybe in the nit department.  

 

The HTC One M8 has a 2600 mAh battery inside underneath the aluminum unibody shell.  Whether its moderate-to-heavy usage, you can get all-day charge on it w/ juice to spare.  The Samsung Galaxy S5 sports a 2800 mAh removable battery under the back cover. The GS5 can get you about close to the battery life of the M8.  Not sure whether its TouchWiz or not, but the M8 does a slight better job.  Both can last for days using the battery saving feature: Extreme Power Saving Mode (M8) + Ultra Power Saving Mode (GS5). 

 

Both flagships are sporting the latest version of Android w/ Kit Kat but there is more to their custom skins they have to offer.  Both offer top tier specs (minus the Ultrapixel camera) on the hardware aside of things but its the software side of things where things differ.  HTC offers just enough in features as the Samsung has more than enough or too many for some. In my opinion here's the breakdown of how the two standout. 

• Has a robust photo/video editing suite
• BoomSound speakers (nuff said!)
• 5MP front-facing for great selfies/video chatting quality
• lightning fast photo capture + allows you to save custom photo settings
• IR blaster for use as an universal remote control along w/ a social TV guide built-in.  

• Can record video in 4K
• It has a built-in health management system w/ S Health + built-in heart rate sensor
• Fingerprint scanner for security purposes
• IR blaster for use as an universal remote control
• The 'always-there' shortcut menu Toolbox   
• Download Booster for grabbing big files 

While there are more features on both especially the Galaxy S5, you have to go with which of them you would actually use on a day-to-day basis.  The choice may differ from person-to-person of course.  

 

Both shooters have their ups and downs as they excel in different ways but lets talk about them individually.  The M8's Ultrapixel is a decent all-around shooter but stands out in low-light environments.  While the GS5 ISOCELL offer great quality photos + 4K video.  But if the GS5 doesn't have a sufficient light source, it can a take a few seconds for it to capture an image.  While the M8 can handle mobile photography within a variety of light sources (a lot to little to none).  

 The camera features on the M8 are a bit more robust rather than having a bunch of settings on the GS5.  Both allow you to adjust the ISO, exposure, white balance, etc.  The M8 allows you save your adjustments as a custom setting within the camera app.  The video software on the M8 allows you to be more creative rather than on the Galaxy side of things.   At the end of the day, you have to choose between a 4MP Ultrapixel camera or a 16MP ISOCELL camera to shoot with.  It would be nice if you could combine the 2 shooters abilities but that's not the case and have to make a choice.

While I prefer the speed of the M8 camera, the Galaxy S5 wins this area.  

TG 2 Cents