Photo from androidauthority.com
Although the HTC One Max is coming out soon and is going to an improvement over the older HTC One, we’re going to compare the iPhone 5S and the HTC One. A lot of people trying to decide between an iOS phone or an Android phone will compare the iPhone 5S to the HTC One.
Size, Color and Weight
The iPhone 5S is significantly lighter, but also smaller in size, than the HTC One. The HTC One weighs 5.04 ounces and has a size of 5.41 x 2.69 x .37 inches, while the iPhone 5S weighs 3.95 ounces and has a size of 4.87 x 2.31 x .30 inches.
Both the iPhone 5S and HTC One are made out of aluminum. The iPhone 5S comes in silver, space gray and champagne gold, while the HTC One comes in silver, black and red.
Display
The HTC One really outdoes the iPhone 5S when it comes to the display. Not only is the HTC One’s display size 4.7″ and has a resolution of 1920 x 1080, but it also has a pixel density of 468 pixels per inch. The iPhone 5S has a display size of 4″ with a resolution of 1136 x 640 and a pixel density of 326 pixels per inch.
The HTC One offers 38% more screen area than the iPhone 5S. That’s a really huge difference! Especially when you consider that the iPhone 5S costs $200 with a two-year contract and the HTC One only costs $100.
Processors and RAM
The processors on these phones are really close to each other in terms of performance, and would not be a determining factor in deciding which one to get. Whereas the iPhone 5S has the world’s first 64-bit processor (a dual core 1.3GHz processor), the HTC One has a quad core 1.7GHz processor.
Photo from PhoneArena
When you factor the fact that the iPhone 5S only has 1GB of RAM and the HTC One has 2GB of RAM, you realize that these phones are both capable of running current and future games/apps. Even though the HTC One was released in March 2013, it still packs a punch and will not be outdated for another 2-3 years.
Special Perks
The iPhone 5S has a fingerprint scanner in the homebutton while the HTC One does not. Depending on your preference, this might not really be a deal breaker for you. Not to mention that the fingerprint scanner can only be used for unlocking the phone and buying apps without a passcode. Also if you’re sleeping, a parent or spouse can put your phone onto your finger and unlock it without your consent.
How long will it take a 7-12 year old to finger out that they can buy $1-10 apps while you sleep by just putting your finger on the iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner? In retrospect, the iPhone 5S fingerprint scanner sounds like a good idea but it’s not that worth it.
Photo from PhoneArena
The HTC One is NFC enabled. NFC is a technology similar to Bluetooth, but way more energy efficient and faster. NFC can be used for sharing files locally or reading special NFC chips to load contacts, websites and other data. The HTC One is also infrared enabled, meaning that you can use it as a TV remote.
Another great feature of the HTC One is that it has front facing speakers (on the same plane as the screen itself). The iPhone 5S has speakers on the bottom edge, which can easily be accidentally be covered with the hand when playing games in landscape mode.
Battery
The HTC One has a battery life of up to 19 hours talk time, while the iPhone 5S has a measly battery life of up to 10 hours talk time. Some battery testers have even reported getting close to 40 hours with the HTC One.
Camera
Both the iPhone 5S and HTC One have confusing camera specs that are hard to compare by just looking at numbers. Instead, you can look at the image below to get a better idea of the camera quality.
(Click to enlarge) HTC One: Photo from CNET
(Click to enlarge) iPhone 5S: Photo from CNET
In this outdoor shot, you can clearly tell the iPhone 5S has a better quality and color representation. In another camera battle, the iPhone 5S easily wins again.
Price
A lot of carriers are selling the HTC One 32GB model for $100-150 with a 2-year plan. The HTC One comes in 32GB ($100-150) and 64GB ($200-300). The iPhone 5S is a bit more expensive. The 16GB model costs $200 with a two-year plan, the 32GB model costs $300 and the 64GB model costs $400.
Conclusion
If I liked Android slightly more than I like iOS, I would easily buy the HTC One over the iPhone 5S. The reason behind this is that the HTC 64GB costs $200-300 with a two-year contract while the iPhone 5S 64GB costs $400 with a two year contract.
The HTC One also brings a better battery, screen size, pixel density, speaker quality and RAM, even though it skimps on the camera. When you factor in the fact that the HTC One is NFC and Infrared enabled, and half the price as the iPhone 5S, it will become really easy for a consumer to choose the right phone for them.
Photo from androidauthority.com
Personally I understand that the HTC One pushes its specs to the limits, but I feel more comfortable with an iPhone 5S that pushes reliability and experience to the limit. Couple that with $150+ of app purchases on iOS, and you can see why it would be hard for me to switch to Android.
For someone else that isn’t that invested in the iOS app market, then the obvious choice for them would be the HTC One.