Introduction

Do we have a another good one for you tonight – the new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge goes up against the new HTC One M9.  We did a Galaxy S6 comparison with the HTC One M9 the other day, so this one will not be too different, considering the innards of both the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are identical…only the display and a few extra functions vary.

Both devices are beautiful in their own right – when HTC brought out the One M7, it was the first, real all-metal bodied smartphone and it turned a lot of heads.  The HTC One M9 continues this tradition and is one of the main reasons the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has been totally revamped from plastic to metal and glass.

Even though both devices have about the same size display (5.1-inches vs 5-inches), there are not many similarities between the two devices.  They both use a 64-bit Octa-Core processor, they both pack 3GB of RAM, they both offer a 32GB internal storage model and they both have the usual Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.1, are NFC capable and have a microUSB v2.0 port for charging and data transfer.  Both of these smartphones also include an IR Blaster. Both devices will be available on all major US carriers and both will be running the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop.

Please take a deliberate look at the detailed Specifications Comparison chart below and here you will see just how these two great devices stack up against one another – click on the “View Full Comparison” link at the end of the chart to expand the details.  After that, we will look at each individual device in greater detail and point out some of its pros and cons.  From all of this information we will try to determine the winner based on specs and execution of design and functions.

 Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge

The new Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge has been redesigned from the ground up – gone is all of the plastic, faux leather and dimples or Band-Aid look and in their place are metal and glass making it a true premium device.  The Galaxy S6 Edge is beautiful to look at and a pleasure to hold and operate – it flies through the screens and apps open immediately.  The curved edges on the device give it that wow factor and ‘phone watchers’ will stare at it with envy.

The Galaxy S6 Edge sports a 5.1-inch Quad HD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and 577 pixels-per-inch (PPI) with a curved edge on both the right and left sides on the display.  These can be used for notifications and makes it easier to swipe in from either side.  Samsung decided to use its own 64-bit Exynos 7420 octa-core processor with four cores clocked at 1.5GHz and four cores clocked at 2.1GHz…a clear departure from their past models that used a Qualcomm chipset in the US.  It is packing 3GB of DDR4 RAM and Samsung’s new flash memory with 32GB/64GB/128GB models with no room for expansion – a first for Samsung’s Galaxy S series.  Both forms of new memory are extremely faster when compared to past models that used DDR3 RAM.

The camera is part carry over from the Galaxy Note 4 and the other part are new improvements – 16MP Sony sensor, autofocus, LED Flash, F1.9 aperture, real-time HDR, ISOCELL technology and OIS.  With the Galaxy S6 Edge, Samsung has dramatically increased the speed – taking less than a second to open and be ready to shoot.  The front-facing camera (FFC) increased to 5MP with a F1.9 aperture, real-time HDR for excellent low-light selfies and video chatting.  The 2600mAh battery is smaller, but it should easily get you through the entire day – the new Samsung non-removable battery can charge up to 4 hours in only 10 minutes and they added built-in wireless charging for the first time.

The Galaxy S6 Edge includes a new fingerprint sensor – no more swiping your finger several times…just press once and you are done, heart rate sensor, an IR Blaster, active noise cancellation with an additional microphone, speaker on the bottom of the device and comes in colors White Pearl, Black Sapphire, Gold Platinum and Blue Topaz.  It will be running Android 5.0 Lollipop, and should be released worldwide on April 10.  The price is expected to be high, as much as $150 – $200 more than the normal Galaxy S6.

HTC One M9

When you look at the new HTC One M9, there will be no mistaking it for any other device…it looks very similar to its predecessor, the One M8, and even the One M7 from 2013.  However, there are many subtle changes – but it retains its all-metal body, is well-built, beautiful to look at and a joy to hold.  HTC redesigned the body ever so slightly on the sides, leaving a small lip to help hold it better…slipping out of the hand was a problem with the One M8.

It sports a 5-inch Full HD Super LCD3 display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 PPI, not quite up to the QHD display on the Galaxy S6 Edge with 577 PPI.  The One M9 uses a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor with four cores clocked at 1.5GHZ and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz.  It is packing 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, although it also has a microSD card for additional storage up to 128GB – something the S6 Edge does not have.

The camera area is completely revamped – gone is the 4MP UltraPixel main camera and now they are using a Sony 20.7MP sensor with autofocus, dual-tone LED flash, but still no OIS.  Rather than getting rid of the UltraPixel camera altogether, HTC moved the 4MP UltraPixel camera to the front for great selfies and video chatting.  It uses a non-removable 2840mAh battery (S6 Edge uses a 2550mAh) and supports Quick Charge 2.0 thanks to the Qualcomm processor.

The HTC One M9 retains the great sounding dual front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound, includes an IR Blaster, stereo FM radio and comes in Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose Gold and Gold/Pink.  It should be available in March running Android 5.0 Lollipop.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

This was a tough decision – the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge is the more fascinating device with the curved display and has a much better display, faster processor (if we can believe the recent benchmarks), OIS, ISOCELL technology, F1.9 lenses and more advanced camera software.  It has a new fingerprint sensor, built-in Samsung Pay, it uses the faster DDR4 RAM, Samsung’s new faster Flash Memory, includes a Heart Rate Sensor, built-in wireless charging and Samsung’s new battery quick charge…is that enough to call it the winner?

The HTC One M9 is a great device and it does have a microSD card for expandable storage, the camera is definitely upgraded over the HTC One M8, it retains those great dual, front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound and retains the all-metal body…is that enough to call it the winner?

From a purely specification standpoint, the Galaxy S6 Edge is the winner because of all the items mentioned above.  However, if you factor in the pricing, the HTC One M9 could be a couple of hundred dollars cheaper.  It still has a FHD display, great specs, great sound and a nice look and feel about it and if you do not need the cutting edge display technology, fingerprint scanner or heart rate monitor and money plays into your decision, then you would certainly be happy with the HTC One M9.

Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know what you think about these two devices. Which one you would pick as the winner of this comparison and WHY…as always, we would love to hear from you.