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HTC One M9 VS Samsung Galaxy S6 Comparison Overview

If there were two superstars at the MWC 2015, they would be the Samsung Galaxy S6 and the HTC One M9. Both are the flagship devices of the major smartphone companies. While Samsung has bounced back with handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and A-series handsets in the prelude to the Samsung Galaxy S6, the HTC One M9 is the make or break handset for the company in the premium range for this year. Both devices seem aces when it comes to the design philosophy. The HTC One M9 builds on the HTC One M8 form factor, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 represents a huge shift from the plastic form factor.

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Key Specs

Model Samsung Galaxy S6 HTC One M9
Display 5.1 inch, Quad HD 5-inch Full HD
Processor Octa Core Exynos 7420 2.0 GHz Octa Core Snapdragon 810
RAM 3 GB 3 GB
Internal Storage 32 GB/ 64 GB/ 128 GB, Non-Expandable 32 GB, Expandable 128 GB
OS Android 5.0.2 Lollipop Android 5.0 Lollipop
Camera 16 MP/ 3.7 MP 20 MP AF 2016p Video/ 4 MP 1080p video
Dimension and Weight 143.4 x 70.5 x 6.8 mm and 138g 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6 mm and 157g
Connectivity 4G LTE, GPS/GLONASS, BT4.0 BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GLONASS, 4G LTE
Battery 2,550 mAh 2840mAh
Price $699 T.B. A

Display and Processor

The HTC One M9 sports a 5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080p full HD resolution, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 5.1-inch display with a 2560 x 1440p 2K resolution. Both are protected by Corning Gorilla 4. In simple terms, Samsung should trump HTC when it comes to the display, especially since the HTC One M9 sports the same display as HTC One M8, while Samsung has actually equipped the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a more advanced display.

Samsung has done well with 2K displays, which the Note 4 and Note Edge sported, so definitely Samsung has an edge here.


As far as the internals are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with  an octa core Exynos 7420 chipset with 64 bit processor. It is based on the latest 14 nm process that makes it more powerful. The company claims superior performance due to this technology. Also, there is 3 GB of RAM to render excellent multi-tasking performance. The HTC One M9 on the other hand, comes with a 64-Bit octa core Snapdragon 810 SoC.

The Snapdragon 810 has four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four at 1.5 GHz. The 810 might help you get more juice out of your smartphone since it can easily switch between the four fast and four slow cores, depending on how much power your device needs at the moment. The RAM capacity, just like the Samsung Galaxy S6 is 3 GB on board.

It is difficult to call this one, so we would say that Samsung Galaxy S6 pips the HTC One M9 in terms of display. We cannot really come out with a verdict when it comes to the processor until our full review of both handsets, although the Samsung Galaxy S6 seems better on paper. The thing is that sometimes in recent times, the Exynos processor has given hard competition to the Snapdragon. For example, on Note 4, the Exynos version was better optimized.

Camera and Internal Storage

The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a 16 MP rear camera advanced camera system with OIS, IR white balance, F1.9 lens, fast tracking auto focus and other features. The HTC One M9 sports a 20.7-megapixel rear cam. Despite more megapixels, the HTC One M9 does not have OIS, so we are inclined to give the verdict in the favour of the S6.

As far as the internals storage is concerned, the HTC One M9 comes in a 32 GB version, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes in 32 GB/ 64 GB and 128 GB versions.

The front cam on the HTC One M9 is a 4-megapixel one, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 3.7-megapixel one. The HTC One M9 can capture 1080p videos at 30 fps from the front cam, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 can capture 1440p videos.

The HTC One M9 sports expandable MicroSD storage up to 128 GB, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 lacks a MicroSD slot.

Battery and other features

The Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 2550 mAh battery, while the HTC One M9 sports a 2840 mAh battery. The HTC One M9 comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop OS and Sense 7.0 UI, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with Android Lollipop 5.0.2 and TouchWiz UI.

Sense 7.0 makes your device more customizable with downloadable themes and icons that can be created based on your wallpaper. A Smart Launcher widget lets you easily launch your apps and new effects for the camera are things to look out for.  The TouchWiz UI on the Samsun Galaxy S6 is a simple UI, having less bloatware than the usual Samsung deal. While the HTC One M9 sports a bigger battery, Samsung has actually delivered the goodies in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Also Samsung Galaxy S6 has an edge since it supports both rapid charging and Wireless charging.

Other goodies on the Samsung Galaxy S6 are a Fingerprint Sensor and Mastercard and Visa certified Samsung Pay. We have no such goodies on the HTC One M9. Both devices are 4G compatible.

Conclusion

The HTC One M9 is an incremental upgrade to the HTC One M8, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 is actually a major upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S5. While the Samsung Galaxy S6 has learnt from the painful experience with the S5, the HTC one M8 was a marginally successful handset and the HTC One M9 has to build on that. Both seem exciting devices, although Samsung does have the leverage of a better brand value and a newer, better frame. What it will boil down to, in terms of actual performance will be the camera and that will be the major determinant of the better contender between the two.

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Abhinav Singh

Abhinav Singh, a software engineer who is very much interested in social engineering. He is responsible to manage all the social media profiles of Gadgets To Use. He also has a hobby of tracking new apps and gadgets and to share them with our readers as well.

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