Introduction
Do we have a good one for you today – the HTC 10 takes on the new ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe. Two all-metal designs clash to see which one of these flagships take home the prize in our specifications comparison. HTC finally updated its all-metal look after a few years – many thought it was getting boring – with a new chamfered look. The ZenFone 3 Deluxe buried the antenna lines in the frame of its metal design so there will be no antenna lines on the back of this beauty. These two devices do have a few things in common that we will take a look at now and then later we will look at each individual device to try to determine a winner of this specification comparison.
The HTC 10 and ZenFone 3 Deluxe do share a few commonalities – they are close in physical size with the ZenFone 3 Deluxe just slightly larger and weighing in 9 grams heavier. Both devices are running the new Snapdragon 820 and Adreno 530 GPU and both have the ability to expand their internal memory via a microSD card slot. Both devices enjoy a great camera area, but each has gone about it differently. They both have Hi-Res sound for those that use earphones and both devices have a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device as well as participate in authorizing mobile payments thanks to Marshmallow. Both have a 3000mAh non-removable battery and Quick Charge 3.0 for fast battery charging. The HTC 10 and Deluxe have the usual suspects – WiFi, Bluetooth v4.2, GPS, NFC, and the newer reversible Type-C connector for charging or data transfer.
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 depth 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.
Specifications
HTC 10
HTC finally hits that homerun with their new HTC 10. Their all-metal body has a bold, new look, it sports a QHD display, includes the best processor currently on the market, and finally, a great camera, BoomSound Hi-Fi, and 4GB of DDR4 RAM with expandable memory. It has taken HTC years to finally get all of the pieces together for a truly great smartphone experience after muddling their way with FHD displays, UltraPixels, Duo Cameras, and more. We are glad to see that HTC did not waste a ‘spot’ on the HTC 10 line up.
The HTC 10 sports a 5.2-inch Super LCD5 QHD display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels and a remarkable 565 PPI. HTC grabbed the best processor they could with the Qualcomm 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core with dual cores clocked at 1.6 GHz and dual cores clocked at 2.15 GHz. The excellent Adreno 530 GPU, which can handle the most demanding graphics, accompanies the Snapdragon 820. The HTC 10 packs 4GB of the faster DDR4 RAM and 32GB of internal memory that is expandable to 2TB via a microSD card.
HTC has played with the camera area for years and finally has it right – yes, it does use their UltraPixel 2, but the larger size sensor allows it to capture more light and image for better low light pictures. HTC also added laser autofocus, a dual-tone LED flash, a large aperture of f/1.8 and OIS. HTC took care of their front-facing camera (FFC) as well with a 5MP sensor, but also added the large f/1.8 aperture, a wide-angle lens, and OIS. HTC even included a screen flash to ensure excellent low-light selfies and video chatting. A 3000mAh, non-removable battery powers the device and it comes with Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 – which will give you up to a 50-percent charge in only 30 minutes.
HTC had to make a few design changes when they added their fingerprint sensor on the bottom front of the device rather than on the back. This design move took up the space where one of the BoomSound speakers resided, so they moved the ‘woofer’ to the bottom of the device, and the high-end sounds now originate from the earpiece. HTC renamed the popular BoomSound to BoomSound Hi-Fi, so as not to confuse the two. HTC also included Hi-Fi circuitry for great sounding music for your earphones. The HTC 10 measures 145.9 x 71.9 x 9mm and weighs in at 161 grams. It comes in Carbon Grey, Topaz Gold, and Glacier Silver and it will cost you about $650 with 32GB of memory.
ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe
We are looking at the top-of-the-line, ZenFone 3 Deluxe, as it has the best processor of the group. It comes with 6GB of DDR4 RAM and you have the option of 64GB or 256GB of memory – although the 6GB/64GB model is the one we will be looking at today. ASUS’ new ZenFone 3 is an all-metal device that they were cleverly able to build the antenna into the frame, so there are no lines on the back. ASUS changed just about everything from their ZenFone 2 model – different outside material, the brand of processor, more RAM, new and faster UFS 2.0 memory, and a better camera. The only way we can fault them is their insistence on using an FHD display resolution.
The ZenFone 3 Deluxe sports a large 5.7-inch Super AMOLED FHD display with the always-on feature. The resolution is 1920 x 1080 pixels and that produces a respectable 386 PPI. ASUS chose the new 64-bit Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor with a dual-core clocked at 1.6GHz and a dual-core clocked at 2.15GHz, which comes with the Adreno 530 GPU to handle the toughest graphics thrown its way. There are two versions that will eventually be available – a 6GB DDR4 RAM with 64GB of memory and a 6GB DDR4 model with 256GB on memory. Both versions have room to expand 128GB via a microSD card, and both models are using the new and faster UFS 2.0 memory.
ASUS’ primary camera uses a Sony sensor, 23MP ASUS PixelMaster 3.0 camera, with a sapphire crystal lens cover, an aperture of f/2.0, dual LED flash and 4-axis OIS. The FFC is an impressive 8MP sensor with an 85-degree wide-angle lens for selfies or video chatting. A 3000mAh non-removable battery powers the ZenFone 3 and it utilizes Quick Charge 3.0 technology. It has a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor for unlocking the device as well as authorizing mobile payments.
The ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe has the extra 2GB of RAM over the HTC 10, but nobody is exactly sure how the ZenFone 3 Deluxe will utilize the 6GB of RAM. It is running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow and will use ASUS’ own ZenUI 3.0 running over the top. It measures 156.4 x 77.4 x 7.5mm and weighs in at 170 grams. The colors available are Titanium Gray, Glacier Silver, and Sand Gold, and it will cost about $500 for the 4GB/64GB model. There is no pricing yet on the 6GB/256GB variant, but we assume it will certainly cost a few bucks.
…And The Winner Is…
Summary
Whoa, this is a close call and possibly we could say that the HTC 10 is the true specification winner because of its QHD display, but the on the other hand, the ZenFone 3 Deluxe, has 6GB of RAM and uses 64GB of the faster UFS 2.0 memory. While both devices could easily take this win, I am going with the ASUS ZenFone 3 Deluxe because of its $150 lower price tag.
Both of these devices are made of metal, both use the same processor and GPU, both have incredible RAM and expandable memory, and both have great camera areas. They both have NFC and a fingerprint sensor for authorizing mobile purchases, and they both use the new Type-C reversible plug.
The big difference is in the displays – the HTC 10 has a smaller, 5.2-inch Super LCD5 QHD display, while the ZenFone 3 Deluxe has a larger 5.7-inch Super AMOLED FHD display. The AMOLED display is a lower resolution, but will have better contrasts and colors that are more vibrant.
The other difference is in the price – you can save yourself $150 by purchasing the ZenFone 3 Deluxe. You have to decide how important the display resolution and type of display technology is to your selection/needs and take it from there.
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