Introduction

Here we have the infamous Apple iPhone versus the new HTC One M8.  This is a great comparison of high-end devices, especially in the looks department – the iPhone 5s has nothing over what might be the best looking Android device, the HTC One M8. The Apple and HTC both have the same philosophy – build the best device you can and let the other companies build several lower priced models – it is a take it or leave it attitude. As long as what you build is truly premium, you can get away with it, and thankfully these devices work. Apple uses glass and metal in their construction and HTC uses metal and more metal.  Apple revamped its O/S pretty drastically with this latest rendition of iOS7, so much so, many people thought it looked a lot like Android!  Apple believes in a closed O/S…they want total control – this is a two-edged sword because it does keep future upgrades fast and easy, but the user lacks the ability to customize their device the way they want it to look and run.  In addition, Apple builds their device and develops their own O/S – total control, where Google is not in the business of making devices, only the Android O/S, so when the many manufacturers around the world use Android, they can ‘massage’ the O/S with their own skins…and in this case, Sense 6.0.

You can look over the specifications and see how different the two devices are in design and then we will discuss each device individually and then make a decision on a winner of the comparison.

Specifications

HTC One M8

The new HTC One M8 is the perfect competition to the iPhone 5s – it is beautifully rendered in aluminum and certainly competes in the construction and looks department head-to-head with the iPhone 5s. It has a larger display, and higher resolution, 441ppi vs the iPhone’s 326ppi, 2GB vs 1GB of RAM, and the HTC One M8 has a microSD slot to add up to 128GB of internal storage. The processor in the HTC One M8 is the next to the fastest processor and it shows. It uses a common microUSB plug for charging and data transfer, adds an IR Blaster, and a much larger battery – 2600mAh vs the iPhone’s 1560mAh. The cameras are totally different – HTC uses a 4MP with UltraPixels and adds a second camera for special effects called a Duo Camera. It takes decent pictures, but still not at nice as the iPhone’s 8MP shooter. The HTC One M8 is certainly much larger and heavier – 160 vs 112 grams – due to the larger display and the dual stereo speakers that blows away the iPhone 5s.

Apple iPhone 5S

The Apple iPhone 5s came out in the Fall and its main competition comes from the Android community with the likes of LG, HTC, Sony, and Samsung. There is no denying that Apple builds some quality products, and the iPhone 5s is certainly one of them – made of glass and metal, it has the look and feel of quality.  They added a fingerprint scanner in this model and a 64-bit processor – which is the real surprise here because with only 1GB of RAM, even once 64-bit programs are released, the device cannot fully appreciate the benefits of 64-bits…I just cannot see Apple plugging 4GB in their iPhone, so it should be interesting what Apple does this year with the iPhone 6. Apple also insists on always using proprietary connectors to keep you into their ecosystem, and then they changed the connector on the new iPhone 5s so even their old proprietary connectors do not work without an adaptor on the new phone.  Because the chassis on the iPhone 5 and 5s is the same, Apple was only able to increase the battery from 1440mAh to 1560mAh and it was terrible in the iPhone 5 and only slightly better in the iPhone 5s.  You also have to buy into the whole iOS7 and its lack of creativity or personal choices – what you see is what you get – no widgets or custom live wallpapers for iOS7. The device runs fast, smooth and is dependable, but for most users the 4-inch display is just a little too small – although great for one-handed operation, but 4.7-inches seems to be most users’ sweet spot.

…and the Winner is…

Summary

We had not choice but to pick the HTC One M8 as the winner, and not because its an Android – no, seriously, if we really thought the iPhone 5s was better, we would say so, but it simply is not the case. The HTC One M8 is every bit as beautiful and solid as an iPhone, so there will be no discussion of plastic here. HTC’s Sense 6.0 has been pared down since 4.0 and our review of the HTC One M8 shows it to be as fluid as the iPhone. As far as choosing the HTC One M8 over the iPhone 5s, it all starts with the O/S. Besides the O/S, the screen is bigger and sharper, the M8 has more RAM, you can expand the internal storage with a cheap microSD card, the microUSB 2.0 is a universal connector and you can buy yourself a charging or transfer cable for only $5 – try finding an Apple cable for that amount. People may think that the iPhone 5s is so “business like,’ and all I can say is, “move over iPhone;” the HTC One M8 looks professional and will be right at home in the executive boardroom. The HTC One M8, has a larger, 2600mAh battery, and as it has shown excellent battery life, a department that the iPhone seems to have problems. The BoomSound  blows every other device away, and certainly the iPhone is no exception. If there is one place the iPhone might win out over the HTC One M8 it would be the camera – the iPhone has always had a great camera, and the addition of the fingerprint scanner, but that is not enough to win this comparison.

Please get on our Google+ Page and let us know which device you would choose between these two devices…we always love to hear your opinions.