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28 March 2024

Samsung S5 vs HTC One (M8) vs Sony Xperia Z2: Best?

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Published
By Joseph George

The competition for the best Android phone in the market is getting hotter. During the next few weeks – and more so by the spring edition of Gitex 2014  - three new phones are scheduled to hit the UAE market.

Samsung unveiled Galaxy S5 at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this February and is scheduled to launch retail sales by April 11. Sony unveiled the Xperia Z2 at the WMC and later had a separate event in Dubai to announce its latest models for the Middle East market.

Sony, too, is set to launch its new products including the Xperia Z2 by the second or third week on April. HTC One (M8) that was only launched on Tuesday has already on sale in the US. The Google Play edition is available for $699 and is expected to ship in two to three weeks. The Middle East sales are also expected to start around the second week on April.

While the official pricing for the Galaxy S5 is yet to be announced, an online retailer has already listed the product on sale for Dh2,999 and is offering it at Dh2,699 at 10 per cent discount. In comparison it has priced the HTC One (M8) at Dh3,699 but offering a 9 per cent discount for Dh3,399. The Google play edition of HTC One is priced at $699. Sony is yet to reveal its pricing for the Xperia Z2.

The Spring edition of Gitex will especially throw up an interesting competition between the three new models and lay emphasis on the marketing strategy these brands adopt.

Here is a comparison of features between the Galaxy S5, The Xperia Z2 and  the New HTC One (M8).

Design and Size

Galaxy S5

It was widely expected that Samsung would this time around go in for an improved metal case. But that was not to be. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has marginally increased the display size to 5.1” HD super Amoled display with 1080 pixels resolution. But it retains the same old plastic design. From the front both the S4 and the S5 looks almost the same. The bezel on the side has gone slightly slimmer.

HTC One (M8)

HTC has been going with the tagline that “The best just got better.” Last year’s HTC One won rave reviews for its metallic covers and sleek design and how well it fits into the users’ hand. With the new HTC One the company has retained the similar design elements. The metal unibody flows right up to the 5-inch, full HD (1080p) display at 440ppi.

Xperia Z2

In terms of design, the phone looks similar to its predecessor although Sony has increased the display size of the Z2 to 5.2” offering high-resolution Full HD Triluminos Display with X-Reality and a 1920 x 1080 progressive scan at 423 pixels per inch.

According to the company, the Xperia Z2 also incorporates the latest Sony TV display technologies that are optimised for mobile. It comes with a unique Live Colour LED.

The phone comes with a one-piece aluminum frame with glass panels all around. The phone is 8.2mm thick.

Key Specs

Galaxy S5

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is equipped with a 2.5 GHz quad core krait 400 processor and Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset, a 2GB RAM.  It comes in 16 GB and 32 GB internal memory variants, which can be expanded by up to 128 GB using a Micro SD card. The S5 measures 142 by 72.5 by 8.1mm, and weighs 145g. The S5 however comes with a 2800mAh removable battery.

Samsung for the first time incorporated water and dust proof features into its Galaxy S5 when it announced the IP67 certification. However, do not think of plunging into the pool with the device. It is just meant for protecting the device against rainfall and dust and stormy weather.

Samsung has advanced its new phone by adding additional sensors that makes its device the first smart phone with a built-in Heart Rate Sensor. It enables you to measure your heart rate directly on your phone.

Additionally the S Health is meant for fitness freaks and through its pedometer tracks your walking distance, calories, speed, duration, and so on.

HTC One (M8)

The HTC’s 2014 flagship is supported by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor with 2.3 GHz quad-core Krait CPUs with a 2GB RAM and running Android 4.4, KitKat. It comes with a 16 and 32GB internal storage and can be expanded up to 128GB. The phone comes with a non-removable 2600mAh battery.

HTC has also introduced the Sense 6 what the company says gibes its phone capabilities of a sixth sense. “For example, Motion Launch is immediately able to detect its position and movement, thanks to built-in motion sensors that allow you to interact with the phone without turning on the screen. A simple swipe will activate the device, Auto Answer allows you to answer a call by putting the phone to your ear without touching the screen – a handy tool if the phone rings when you are digging the garden or washing the dishes – and a double tap turns the lock screen on and off,” the description says.

Xperia Z2: The phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 2.3GHz quad-core processor, backed by 3GB of RAM and also features the Adreno 330 GPU for rich graphics and gaming and a dual ISP for better camera and display experience. Xperia Z2 also includes a large 3200 mAh battery.

The Xperia Z2 has both the IP55/IP58 rating, which makes it waterproof and dust resistant. Unlike the Samsung device, the Xperia Z2 can be taken upto 1.5 metres deep in fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Sony has, however, warned users that all the covers for the micro USB port, the micro SIM slot and the memory card slot must be firmly closed.

Camera and sound

Galaxy S5

The phone comes with a 16 megapixel camera with an enhanced menu and user interface. According to Samsung the Galaxy S5 offers the world’s fastest autofocus speed up to 0.3 seconds. The camera is equipped with an advanced High Dynamic Range (HDR) which enables natural light and colour. A new feature called Selective Focus allows users to focus on a specific area of an object while simultaneously blurring out the background.

HTC One (M8)

The new HTC One has incorporated a Duo Camera that features HTC UltraPixel module, a dual flash and full 1080p HD video recording. The phone also has a 5-MP wide-angle front facing camera for selfies.

The Duo Camera boasts a depth sensor in addition to the main HTC UltraPixel module.

You can even alter the focus of your image after the photo has been taken with UFocus or alter the background with creative effects using Foregrounder. The camera autofocus operates at a speed of 300mseconds.

The camera also has an integrated Slow Motion mode, which lets you shoot HD slo-mo video and then edit that video so you can slow down the action at the part you want.

Xperia Z2

The Xperia Z2  comes with the industry’s first noise cancelling technology and packs the camera with 4K capable video recording.

Sony says its latest device incorporates the company’s experiences in the camcorder industry with “a combination of the world’s best mobile camera and our most advanced camcorder ever.” 

The 20.7 megapixel camera is matched with 1/2.3-type Exmor RS for mobile CMOS image sensor, Sony’s award-winning G Lens and intelligent BIONZ for mobile image processing engine.

Videos can not only be captured in 4K resolution (3840×2160 pixels/30p) but Sony has added additional features such as Plus, SteadyShot image stabilisation technology. The new Movie Creator allows the user to trim and crop videos. The inbuilt STM10 Stereo Microphone offers high quality stereo audio recording.