Samsung Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

The two hottest smartphones right now – and possibly some of the best Android smartphones ever- are the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 is the predecessor of the Galaxy S3, which is currently the best-selling Android smartphone ever.  Samsung has put their marketing muscle behind the Galaxy S4 and their loyal fan base was eagerly anticipating the S4.  Samsung also improved from the Galaxy S3 with some new software features.

HTC has pinned a lot of its hopes on the HTC One.  If this becomes a commercial hit, it’s a chance for HTC to turn its fortunes around.  HTC really thought outside the box when developing the HTC One and it comes with several new and unique features.

When you look at the two devices, how do they stand up? In this review, we will seek to answer that question.

Display

• Samsung has given the Galaxy S4 a 5-inch screen that uses Super AMOLED technology. The display is full HD for a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels for a pixel density of 441.
• Samsung uses a PenTile subpixel arrangement matrix for the Galaxy S4’s display. This ensures that you can’t notice pixelation with a naked eye.
• The contrast rates and brightness levels of the Samsung Galaxy S4.
• The only flaw, which seems to be inherent to Super AMOLED displays is that color reproduction is a bit too vivid that it seems inaccurate and unrealistic.
• HTC used a 4.7-inch screen in the HTC One. The screen is a Super LCD3 which also provides full HD.
• The pixel density of the HTC One is a little greater than that of the Galaxy S4 at 469 ppm. This is due to the smaller screen of the One.
• The contrast and brightness levels of the HTC One’s display are good and if you are one of those who feel LCD has more natural colors, the color reproduction provides a great experience.

Verdict: For a compact display and accurate color reproduction, go with the HTC One.  If you want richer colors and deeper blacks, go with the Samsung Galaxy S4.

Design and build quality

• The design of the Galaxy S4 remains familiar and is quite similar to the previous versions of the Galaxy S line.
• The Galaxy S4 retains its rounded corners and still have a home button with two capacitive buttons in front.
• The major change to the design of the Galaxy S4 is that it now has a chrome frame which surrounds the sides. It also now has a mesh finish instead of a glaze finish.
• The back of the Galaxy S4 has a polycarbonate removable cover.
• The Galaxy S4 is a very compact 5-inch smartphone. It measures 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 mm and weight 130 grams.
• The HTC One has an aluminum unibody. The HTC One has slightly rounded corners.
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• The bezels on the HTC One are a bit larger than average and are bigger than those on the Galaxy S4.
• The power button of the HTC One is on top and it has two capacitive buttons for home and for the back.
• The HTC One has BoomSound, a unique feature which incorporates a pair of stereo speakers. These speakers are placed so that they lie on the sides of the display when the device is held in landscape mode.
• The BoomSound allows the HTC one to give a better audio experience when gaming or watching videos than other Android smartphones.
• The HTC One has a smaller display than the Galaxy S4 but it is not the smaller phone. The One’s dimensions are 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm and it weighs 143 grams.

Verdict: Better build quality is found with the HTC One but the Galaxy S4 has a better ratio for screen-to-body.

Internals

CPU, GPU, and Ram

• The HTC One uses a Snapdragon 600 SoC with a quad-core Krait processor which clocks at 1.7 GHz.
• The HTC One has an Adreno 320 GPU with 2 GB RAM.
• Tests show that the Snapdragon 600 is a fast and efficient platform.
• The Samsung Galaxy S4 for North America also uses a Snapdragon 600 SoC and a quad-core Krait processor but this one clocks at 1.9 GHz, a bit faster than the HTC One.
• The international version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 has an Exynos Octa SoC which is the fastest chip currently available.

Storage

• You have two options for internal storage with the HTC One: 32/64 GB.
• The HTC One doesn’t have a microSD card slot so you cannot expand your storage.
• The Samsung Galaxy S4 has three options for internal storage: 16/32/64 GB.
• The Galaxy S4 has a microSD card slot, so you can expand your storage by up to 64 GB.

Camera

• The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 13MP primary camera
• The HTC One has a 4 MP Ultrapixel camera.
• Both these cameras can answer your point-and-shoot needs.
• The HTC One’s camera does a good job in low light conditions and in the proper light.
• The Samsung Galaxy S4 is best used in good lighting conditions.

Battery

• The Samsung Galaxy S4 has a 2,600 mAh removable battery.
• The HTC One has a 2,300 mAh battery that is non-removable.

Verdict: The microSD card slot and larger, a removable battery of the Galaxy S4 make it very attractive.  Also, the Galaxy S4 performs just a little faster than the HTC One.

Android and Software

• The Samsung Galaxy S4 uses Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
• The Galaxy S4 has the newest version of Samsung’s TouchWiz UI.
• Samsung adds a lot of extra functionality to the basic Android settings.
• Some of the new software functions in the Galaxy S4 are Air Gesture, Air View, Smart Scroll, Smart Pause, S Health, and Knox Security. They have also improved the camera app/
• The HTC One uses Android 4.1 Jelly Bean.
• The HTC One uses HTC’s Sense UI.
• The only new feature is BlinkFeed which is a news and social update stream on the home screen.

Verdict: If you want a lot of new features and tweaks, go for the Galaxy S4.  If you want a fresh and simple design, go for the HTC One.

There’s a lot to love in both of these smartphones and it’s hard to be subjective when choosing between them.  The best way would be to ask yourself these questions:

Is what you want a 5-inch, compact smartphone with fast internal hardware, a micro SD slot, and removable battery? Then you want the Samsung Galaxy S4.

If you want a display with color accuracy and a phone with good design and a premium build? Go for the HTC One.

What’s your answer? Should you go for the Galaxy S4 or the HTC One?

JR

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