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Holyfield and Tyson. Ali and Frazier. Hopefully Pacquiao and Mayweather if the two stop dancing around the issue. And now, HTC M8 vs the Samsung Galaxy S5. These two heavyweights of the smartphone world have launched pretty much at the exact same time. It’s practically the first time we’ve seen an actual head-to-head launch of two major flagships.
With this unique situation comes the need for each company to exalt their smartphone as the second coming, going as far as calling out the competition in a direct fashion the likes of which we don’t often see. HTC has seemingly thrown the first known punch, with leaked documents from the company attempting to sway salespersons on why the One M8 is better than the Samsung Galaxy S5.
Here’s a quick rundown of their five reasons:
- Metal beats Plastic: subjective, no doubt. There’s no secret that metal gives the One M8 that more premium feel, though questions of durability and signal strength even out this particular area.
- Two powerful front speakers: can’t argue here. Nothing beats BoomSound (even on last year’s model).
- Easy one-handed use and faster access: they’re talking about the Motion Launch features, mainly. Samsung doesn’t have it. HTC does. Simple as that.
- World’s first Duo Camera with graphic effects: fun and cool, though the camera sensor itself is seen as inferior to the ISOCELL sensor on the Galaxy S5 (though UltraPixel can still hold its own).
- HTC delivers more value with HTC Advantage: free display repair, 50GB of Google Drive space, and a commitment to timely software upgrades. Samsung can likely match two out of three of those advantages (with the display repairs being left up to whether or not you decided to grab insurance for your device).
While we haven’t had enough time with either device to say HTC is right or wrong on these, they do make compelling arguments. Of course, HTC can’t force anyone but their own employees to push the HTC One M8 over the Galaxy S5, so whether or not this document will help move more units will depend on factors such as personal opinion, sales incentives and more. It’ll be an interesting race to say the least. Be sure to read the full sales document below.
[via HTCSource]
Well… I’m convinced
I’m not.
I’ll never know. Nexus 5!
Yeah boy! We already rocking the Snapdragon 801 and 2GB ram so :)
*edit, ya I mixed up. 800 but same Adreno so we good!
Snapdragon 800*
It’s only the 800, but still no slouch’
I had the Nexus 5. I loved it but the battery left me keeping a charger nearby. On the M8 now and getting nearly 16 hours on one charge. What good is a phone if it doesn’t stay on?
I agree but not all of us have the same phone usage. I normally get 4.5-5 hours of SOT. I don’t play games on my phone so I am sure that helps. I easily make it a day and a half on the N5 while my wife makes it to 2. As far as the shooter, I really like HDR+ but I do see some problems when you take photos of moving objects.
I generally pull 3 hours of screen on time with it being on for 2 days. I wouldn’t have it any other way. Nexus or gtfo.
I see a lot of folks complain about the battery life, but honestly this is the first phone I’ve had that didn’t require me to bring my charger to work every day. I do flash custom ROMs, but I’ve been on OmniRom for over a month now with stock kernel and battery life is fantastic for me.
There is a lot of people saying how bad the N5 battery life is but when a proper test is done, it was right around other flagships at that time.
I had a nexus 5 and went back to my m7. The battery was pretty bad, camera took horrible pictures, OIS didn’t even work for me, and the speaker was low.
The free screen repair is interesting.
Lol that’s pathetic. Would be much easier if they actually made a phone that is actually better and not just prettier than the Galaxy S5.
I actually think it is uglier than the S5 although I wish that Samsung would have changed up the design of the S5.
I’m pretty sure Samsung did the same thing. And to me ITS light years ahead of the Galaxy S5, to each their own.
more like the HTC ONE M8 is galaxies ahead of it.,
I’m sure Samsung did the same too but the list was much bigger and it was comparing the GS5 to the iPhone. Not really sure Sammy knows what’s HTC is tho. Haha ;P
What makes the S5 better?
Water resistance is something that I’m really looking forward to, being able to use the phone at the beach and pool and even during shower. It’s just too good to ignore. Other than that Samsung has better camera and better battery life. There is the fingerprint and heart rate sensors. I do like TouchWiz better than Sense and the Samsungs ecosystem and resale value is better as well. Don’t get me wrong if I was to buy a phone right now it’d be a Sony Z2 not a GS5.
The boomsound is nice and I do prefer their skin over samsungs. The One is prettier but I buy off contract and wouldn’t have a $700 phone without a case.
Samsung has a better camera and I prefer a plastic phone so I have no problems with wireless charging, or attenuated signals.
interesting since samsung is none for having worse signal reception than other manufacturers
The components also make a big part of that too. My last 2 phones were HTC and had wonky gps, one was aluminum and the other was plastic. So maybe the material plays less on signal than I thought I read somewhere. I stand corrected. But can you have wireless charging with a metal casing?
yeah my mom had an Evo 4g and i bought her a gs3 and she was complaining she wasnt getting the same signal she was getting before in a couple places.
wireless charging i wouldn’t know anything about so maybe maybe not, i never researched it since it usually required me buying more stuff lol.
Please Mom’s opinions and Evo 4G? That’s cute but doesn’t really add anything to the convo on phandroid.com April 2014. ( lol sorry, I know that was mean, I’m sure you’re mom is awesome!!).
lol dont worry my mom doesn’t take offense. I was simply giving you an example of something more than a standing inside one retail store test of 2 devices. I was explaining how in 2012 when my mother upgraded her phone to a gs3, she said her signal strength has suffered and she no longer gets a signal in certain places that she used to get while on her commute. (she lives in NYC but works n hour drive out on long island). So to put it another way, you cant just say metal phones = worse signal since there are other factors and other phones that have notorious worse signals than either regardless of build materials (ex. motorola vs samsung)
The M8 is a great phone, but these “advantages” are hit or miss. The one handed usage for example is a stretch. That knock off “Knock on” feature doesn’t help reach across an acre of bezel to reach the top of the touchscreen. The duo camera is cool and I have seen some of its photos look better than similar shots with the S5, but you can’t deny the S5 camera is a better all around performer. Can’t blame HTC for this type of marketing strategy. Just look at the the bullshit Sammy does. By the end of the year I plan on having both the OPO and the GN4 tho, Can’t Wait!!
Pause and Go video is already available in LG G2 and is working great
I would have to wait for the Note 4 for anything Samsung related. HTC hasn’t caught my eye in quite some time now. I just don’t see the value in these phones. Keeping my G2
You have a G2 already, these aren’t much of an upgrade..
Exactly. Similar battery life, better camera than the m8, better speakers than the S5. The G2 is right in the middle of these phones so I don’t see any huge reason to move on unless you really hate LG’s skin.
Fair points all, but of course they don’t address the advantages that the S5 legitimately has over the M8.
The Camera is all that it has over it.
Sure, if you discount the IP67 (killer feature IMO), fingerprint scanner (we’ll have to see how well it does), the better screen (per displaymate.com), and USB 3.0 (faster charging and data transfer). But it isn’t made of metal, and I’m sure that’s what’s important to you.
when you say “all that matters is its made of metal” it is the equivalent to me saying “all that matters to you is its made of plastic, nothing else”
My point is that the subjective aesthetics of the phone is what’s being defended, or subjective lack thereof. You’ve just confirmed that point.
I’m not saying the M8 is a bad phone, I actually quite like it. It just doesn’t have the features to stand with the S5. I wish it did.
Fingerprint scanner is a fail according to some reviewers who said it is unreliable, display is a toss-up if you like AMOLED better than LCD and the USB 3.0 port that Samsung uses is not good. The one on my Note 3 was always incredibly loose and didn’t charge correctly (another reason I am shying away from the S5).
IP67 isn’t a “killer” feature at all. It’s water resistant, not water proof. Take care of your phone and you don’t need to worry about water. Plus the M8 showed pretty good water resistant abilities as well.
More subjectivity. Enjoy your HTC One M8.
IP67 isn’t a killer? Hmm well I live in Florida, love the outdoors, going to the beach and just hanging by the pool. Plus how cool is to be able to answer your phone while showering? IP67 should be standard in any flagship phone from 2014 on. Period.
NOPE actually according to actual users not htc paid shills on XDA, it’s great.
“Been using my S5 for about an hour now, and as expected not a single issue unlocking it with one hand using my thumb angled on the fingerprint reader. I must have unlocked about 20-30 times and it’s failed maybe once or twice due to moving it too fast.”
my fingerprinter scanner works fine
I used to be a Samoled fan. Now they’re screens don’t look right too much. The IP67 is a gimmick and just about anybody who’s actually careful with their phone will never need it. Not to mention the number of people who actually use the phone underwater will probably be just as small and the people who used air gestures on the S4. And the fingerprint scanner, come on. Not only is that a gimmick but its a gimmick stolen straight from Apple. The iris scanner would have been impressive but not a fingerprint scanning home button half a year after apple already did it. Now onto the M8. Less bloat, way better dark light photos, speakers that NO other phone can compare to, a beautiful screen that also has the least latcency and many more features (not gimmicks). I owned Galaxy’s from the original S to the S4 and I’m not nearly as impressed with them as I have been HTC the last two years.
Not to mention quick charge 2.0 coming out later this year.
The only thing on there that’s not subjective is the front facing speakers, which I agree are a great (but patented) idea. Apple wasn’t the first to implement a fingerprint scanner and the way Samsung has done it is not the same as the way Apple did it.
The screen latency hasn’t been tested on the S5, but I’m confident that it will also score very well (fingers crossed).
On the “you’ll never use them” features of the S5, I plan to use every one of them except the heart rate monitor. I have no use for that one. But just because you’ll never use them doesn’t mean they’re not valuable.
It doesn’t matter if Samsung did it the exact way Apple did or not. They placed a fingerprint scanner in their home button not even half a year after Apple. Their phones are about the only Android devices out there that even use a physical home button. Samsung thrives from copying Apple. I never said Apple was first on the fingerprint scanner. I was just pointing out that once again Apple put something out and Samsung quickly followed suite. Bottom line is, they both scan your fingerprints via the home button to unlock the device. No matter how each one does it, the end result is mostly the same. Like I said I used to be a huge Samsung fan. However in the end you’re finally right. YOU like the S5. Just like the previous person you replied to likes the One. Its a matter of opinion and its one of the many strong things about Android. Diversity. I myself would like my phone to be crammed full of “valuable” features that will actually be used though. Most regular users play with Samsung’s gimmicka for a week and then bitch about them after. I get to hear about it all the time :/.
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of course because htc is trying to win over customers, they won me over 2 years ago, i cant mess with sammy, to me sammy is a big name that refuses to use there full potential because there is so big they dont have to
Cmon HTC
I don’t get the appeal of the S5 over the M8 outside of the camera, and even then the M8 does fine for normal use.
Yeah, we get that.
USB 3.0
Water protection
Removable Battery
Air Commands & S-Share (both of which prove that not all Sammy software is junk)
Sure, the heartbeat and fingerprint sensors might be more gimmicky (less so on the fingerprint), but between the above and the stellar camera performance, I can’t see a reason to choose the M8. I’m slapping a cover on all of my phones, I hate on-screen only buttons (they’re the least responsive option), and I dislike the concept of speakers on the face of the phone.
Plus, some people (like myself) really like the versatility of the home button. Click it, screen on. Hold it, multi-task control. Double-Click it, voice search. I don’t find it ugly, and the certainty of a hardware button was something my Samsung Vibrant sorely lacked after coming from the G1. I was glad to get it back with the SGS3.
enjoy your s5, that is all
You really have a hard on for Samsung huh?
Look, it’s really quite simple. I buy the phones that limit me the least. It used to be the G1, and now it happens to be Samsung. I’d have loved to get the OG Evo, as that was a kickin’ phone, but I wasn’t on Sprint. Now, we only have one OEM interested in providing removable batteries, non-locked down bootloaders, SD card slots, video out, & timely updates for at least 2 years on their flagship models. If HTC released a version of the One with waterproofing, a less ridiculous camera, a removable battery, and a physical (or at least capacitive) key set, I’d be all over it.
You buy phones that limit you the least. That’s great but you try so hard to push the S5 on other people. The M8/S5/Z2/G2 pic comparison article is the perfect example of that. Everytime someone praised the M8’s pics you dogged it and started praising the S5’s pics.
Flagship devices should not feature average cameras, Samsung and Sony have done a good job, HTC were just lazy.
I went to a sprint store yesterday to check out spark speeds on the htc m8 indoors…I was surprised by what i saw between two devices. The HTC M8 pulled down 3Mbs while on spark consistently going no higher. I decide to try it on a HTC One Max and its pull down was 30Mbs and 10-16Mbs upload. I found that highly unusual in regards to performance. So this shows an obvious degradation in signal with the M8 indoors. Since I dont understand the technology properly, could it be the M8 is downloading from one LTE frequency and not from all 3 of sprints…or does Spark work to download from all 3 wavelengths…….
My test today is to check out the S5’s download speeds on Spark.
https://community.sprint.com/baw/thread/155129
It looks like some are having sprint problems with the M8.
sprint is never a good barometer for speed tests lol
I get where you are coming from with that. But if the spark speeds are providing excellent values on one phone, and providing garbage speeds on the HTC M8 this deserves attention at least for sprint subscribers.
nah i know, i was just trying to “make a funny” as master splinter would say
US carriers are a good guidemarker as to how NOT to provide wireless service.
Anyone else thinks that last year’s HTC one look better? The “more metal than ever before” thing didn’t work so well, in my opinion
Or that stupid black bar
I think the colour on the 2014 HTC One is well too dark.
If I wanted more metal I would have downloaded more Metallica, Judas Priest and Slayer.
I’m not going to battle for either HTC or Samsung for their current phones. I’m still content with my Nexus 5.
However, leakster extraordinaire @evleaks’ tweet from Wednesday caught my eye and I will stay tuned.
https://twitter.com/evleaks/status/454056546935504896
what exactly does this edition consist of
From what I gather, it could be harman/kardon speakers in place of the regular HTC speakers + software boost ala Beats/Boom Sound.
oh ok, man i got them same speakers on my toshiba excite pro, i think they suck, actually i think that tablet itself sucks
Yeah, I’ve heard the Toshiba Excite doesn’t exactly… excite. Harmon Kardon is supposed to be on par with Bose. I can’t confirm.
i dont care what anybody say, yea the camera in htc may not be as stellar as some phones but it is by noway a cheap and horrible camera, and they even upped their game with the 5mp front camera, build quality, sound quality all good, phone runs smooth as butter, everything in this phone screams premium, plus you get 32gig version with micro-sd slot for 199 on contract with free screen replacement. And sammy, yea you get the waterproof and removable battery, and decent camera, but touching the phone you can tell its not as premium and the sound quality is horrible, completely horrible, yes its spec’d pretty good but it is not a premium quality phone IMO, for sammy to be as big of a company that they are, to skimp out on build quality and sound quality and only provide 16gig version at $199 is crazy, with as much money as sammy got they can afford to offer a 32gig version for $199 and a 64 gig version for $249 on contract. i just think sammy is a greedy company but with a huge fan base because of there name
Haven’t read anywhere that the S5 has a terrible speaker. Can it match Boom Sound? Ofcourse not, but what phone can. The S5 offers a vibrant screen that some people prefer over LCD. You also can’t overlook USB 3.0 and it’s benefits over regular micro USB connectors. Removable batteries are also important to some people. You may also be mistaking build quality with aesthetics. The One is a great looking phone, but is it more likely to survive a drop in the toilet than the S5? Nope. That’s build quality my friend. Not knocking the M8 tho.
thats the thing buddy, i dont go off of reading. i walked in best buy, picked it up and felt it, went into the volume control and turn the volume all the way up,and tested the sound….it sucked horribly compared to anything i ever tested. after in-depth reading and that video of htc m8 water test, i think a drop in the toilet might be ok for the m8, maybe i am mistaking build quality and aesthetics, but like i said for sammy to have the money they have and not try to use even more premium components just makes them seem greedy to me. and while htc maybe using a older usb 2.0 or whatever, at least they added technology to there device to push the limits of that older usb tech making everything go faster. faster charging and i think faster transfer rate, not to sure about the transfer rate, but i think so
Do you want Samsung to make the phone of solid tungsten or carbon fibre? Go hate on someone else.
ill go hate somewhere else when you go find a friend. you done commented on almost everybody status dude, you must be a very lonely person. i feel bad this is your life buddy, maybe samsung will hire you and you can start socializing, 8-( i really feel bad for you……………….. hahaha, dude you suck
Here’s how to avoid the toilet problem. Don’t use your phone in the bathroom.
The screen is a really subjective issue. Well, the M8 has quick charge 2.0, ( thought no adapter is available yet.)
The S5 speaker does suck. It’s horrible. Also the phone feels very cheap.
Not everyone is an audiophile or video freak. I have e-mails and texts to send and browsing to do on my phone. I can watch videos and listen to music using my laptop and my 46″ TV and save my phone’s battery life for things I actually do more than once a week.
Most of people have issues locking into what they are used to previously. Such notion is seen for Apple and Samsung. For apple, we understand that it is by itself different operating system and smartphone. You like or you don’t. For android customers, people we have choice. Don’t have to mentaly locked into Samsung if you are current user. Check it out new HTC M8 and decide. Make sure you adjust screen settings on HTC M8 and G5 similarly because stores will play tricks to to keep G5 higher to influence, fool you. I have seen such tricks played at number of retail stores.
Local Walmarts make sure that all iPads run well and are shiny while most Android devices are out of battery.
Yep, they do that.
after your comments, I went to 2 local walmart store(combining personal purchase at walmart along with to verify your comment) and that is not true. In fact, there were more samsung and other android phones/tablets on display than Apple and did not see any screwy thingy. I did not want to put the name of stores but to make it clear, was talking about settings adjustment that happens typically at Bestbuy, AT&T retail store that I personally have verified. In fact, few days back I went to ATT store, I show HTC totaly unplugged and the brightness/sharpness on Sony and Galaxy S4 lower, dull but Galaxy S5 sitting next was way, way higher to make it stand out. I am sure they make more on such models than older.
I did not say which locale I was in… I agree that placement in some sort is made to boost sales of some models.
totally the opposite, due to the AMOLED burn-in on the Samsung store demo units. They try running videos on the screens so you don’t see it. I am an HTC user but I’m not slamming AMOLED as I can see they have improved it significantly each year, but I do think burn-in is still something they need to improve on.
AMOLED screens take a ridiculous amount of time to burn in, over the normal life of a product you won’t see any.
Been using AMOLED devices for years and the only device I’ve seen it on is the original Galaxy S.
Demo units with burn in already? that’s grade A BS right there.
Sorry I forgot to mention I was talking about demo units I’ve seen of the Galaxy S3/S4 and Note 2/3 in stores. They are on display for prolonged periods, now they usually have a video playing to PREVENT burn-in, but sometimes when I stop that video and use the phone, I still can see the burn-in because someone else left the phone on the home-screen too long.
Of course, LCDs can also suffer from image retention but this is only temporary.
6. Touchwiz = AIDS
Are you saying I have touchwiz?
I don’t know why I laughed at this.
“but its software backing in the face of Sense 6.0 can’t quite match the versatility and functionality of TouchWiz. ” GSMArena
You = pox on mankind
Metal definitely feels better but is more prone to bumps and scratches after regular use. Regular wear and tear is more apparent on the one while you could rock a galaxy phone naked and wear and tear won’t affect it as much
Wish more iPhone and HTC fans knew that.
“Metal beats Plastic: subjective, no doubt. There’s no secret that metal gives the One M8 that more premium feel, though questions of durability and signal strength even out this particular area.”
I work for a developer and we have close to 100 mobile devices to test. Both Android and iOS.
8 have cracked displays. of those 8, eight are made of aluminium.
True story
Well we know which phone has SUPERIOR BUILD QUALITY. Just try dropping it form a 2 story building to concrete, face down, or boil it for an hour, or maybe put it in the washing machine for an hour see which device has better build quality. The build quality on the HTC is pretty bad I heard. Guess even with the screen you need to be lucky to get the “good” one (still worse than gs5 screen). So, there ya go. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2705983
Build quality can mean: 1. Durability. 2. How good it feels in your hand. 3. General description of assembly process/materials.
Come on. Give me break. Throwing words like that does not make it true. Informed people read between lines.
Yeah! Metal can submerge to water, plastic float.
HTC One M8 is not meant to be submerged, doing so will probably lead to corrosion over time and a defective phone.
Can submerge to water. Please leave.
Lol in 4-5 months both will be old news so who cares…
Don’t be ridiculous. I’d find it 6-7 months, haha.
*give*
You know how many people were lined up for the S5 at the verizon store… We ordered 100… Opened at 9am… Still have 98 of them… It’s a dud
Considering there are thousands of mobile stores all around America I’m sure it’s still going to sell just as many as it did last year if not more. You can’t judge something on it’s first day. Such ignorance.
Actually yes you can … The release was anticipated over months… Have you seen an iPhone release… It’s freakin insane…. And obviously they haven’t gotten there yet…. The only Two people that I know purchased it were disappointed one took it back the other sold his… So yeah if your hyping thigd for months and you don’t have a line waiting for it when it comes out….there is a problem with that… At this point after a weekend if the iPhone release if you have not gotten it you won’t find one for months
Not just bashing android in general for iPhone just making a comparison of what a product release should look like…. I don’t know maybe a little…. Excitement
That’s because as crazy as some Android fans are about their devices n not that many of them are as easy to convince that a static device like the iPhone is worth camping on the street for.
I’ll also ad I work for the largest verizon store in Atlanta…. And it was the same store in almost all of our region
No one cares. Sorry to say, but it’s true.
So is having Charlie “ilovehookersandcocaine” Sheen as your profile pic.
So this is the best list HTC could muster…. is why you losing man….
Pretty much, it’s not like the Galaxy S5 is their only competition, there is also the Xperia X2 and other flagship devices yet to be launched.
Products need to sell on their own merits, if they can’t do that no amount of advertising or badmouthing of competing products is going to help.
Got to love the bickering. I miss the days where we were all unified Android users against apple lol. I guess that happens around the time apple releases new hardware and software. The beauty of our platform is choice! I’m happy to be torn between two great android devices.
But it all is a matter of opinion and what works for you. I chose the M8 this time around. Wish I could have them both honestly. So many things I wish I could combine.
Now that Android has become a serious contender against iOS we’ve begun squabbling about who’s the best. In about 7 years both platforms may be well on their way to becoming obsolete.
TouchWiz is insult to Android
I’ve not had an issue with the way touchwiz looks until now, it’s performance and lag they still need to address.
That said, I don’t like what they’ve done with the settings on the Galaxy S5, the icons do look a bit crap.
I’ve briefly seen how some of the regular menus and settings sections of the carrier versions of the S4 looks. It’s not great-looking, I’ll tell you that. Very happy with Cyanogenmod 11 on my S3.
Briefly used Google Edition roms on my Galaxy S4, it’s great but there is but one problem.
The stock Android camera app is bloody horrible, without touchwiz roms you lose touch to focus and a working HDR mode plus the other features of the Samsung camera application.
If your frequent camera user it’s not worth it.
Boomsound is AMAZING!! Oh my gosh!! It’s SO much louder and clearer than the M7. I’m in love. =.D
Xperia Z2 also has stereo speakers and they’re quite good too.
Wub, wub, bitches!
I had samsung S4 because my friend and my brother had. It was like locked-in Samsung followers, cult mentality. But, this time when I show HTC One M8 and played around a bit; I liked more than galaxy S5 sitting next to it. So, plan is to buy HTC M8 soon as my 2-year contract is over. One thing I hate about android phones from carrier is bloatware/crapware that iphone don’t. And you can’t get rid of easily without screwing functioning of phone. Some apps you can’t remove at all.
Way to go on escaping the group mentality (not sarcastic).
As for the bloatware I couldn’t say. I don’t live in the US or Europe but I think the US carriers kill Android for some people because of bloatware. I’d imagine that bloatware is much less of an issue in Europe. Canada doesn’t have carrier bloatware as such as far as I know but it still has some apps from Samsung that can’t be removed (they can be disabled, however).
So basically their phones are not selling that well on their own merits so their taking cheap shots are the competition.
Good job HTC.
If htc wants to sell, they need to do better at retail than making a sales sheet. I went into a sprint store and the htc devices are stuck with accessories, have no fact or price tags and look like demo devices for jbl speakers and beats headsets. A woman was looking at the m8 and actually asked me if it were for sale or was a demo device for the speakers! Meanwhile samsung, apple, motorola and lg had their own sections! If you want to sell htc, make it easy for customers to find your products in store. Thats one of the 4 p marketing basics you can’t get right.