HTC One (M8) vs. iPhone 5s

Size

There's nothing close about this category. The HTC One (M8) is 18 percent longer, 20 percent wider, and 24 percent thicker than the iPhone 5s. Android phones have created a new normal for smartphone size, but the iPhone isn't (yet) playing this new game.
But that isn't to say that there aren't also advantages to having a smaller phone. If you have small hands, or simply want something that will disappear in your pocket, then the iPhone's petite build could be just what you're looking for.

Weight

We have another huge discrepancy in the weight department. The One M8 is 43 percent heavier than the feathery iPhone.

Build

You won't find two smartphones with more thoughtful and premium constructions than these two. Both are made of aluminum, and have an attention to detail that most other smartphones can't match.

Colors

Well isn't this awkward? Apart from some slightly different marketing terms, we're looking at the same basic color options with both phones. In fairness to Apple, the 5s launched six months before the One M8.

Display

Screen size is, as you can see, a huge difference. The One M8 gives you 56 percent more screen real estate than the iPhone gives you. iPhones always sell like hotcakes, but I imagine its smaller screen size has led to more than a few customers defecting to Android.
HTC's phone also has a much sharper screen. The iPhone's Retina Display is supposedly sharp enough that the human eye can't differentiate individual pixels (according to the completely unbiased Apple marketing department). But my eyes always notice a difference when they look at razor-sharp 1080p phones like the One.

Fingerprint sensor

Motion Launch

The One's Motion Launch is a handy set of sensor-based shortcuts offering such time-savers as swiping or tapping on your sleeping One's screen to jump to your lock screen or home screen, or pressing a volume button while you're holding the phone in landscape to launch its camera. You can even answer a phone call just by lifting the M8 to your ear.

Battery

The iPhone has solid battery life, but, in our video streaming test, the One M8 lasted 49 percent longer. It's another big strength for HTC's gorgeous powerhouse of a phone.

Extreme Power Saving Mode

A future software update is going to give the One M8 a feature similar to the one Samsung packed into the Galaxy S5. If your battery dips down too low, you can jump into Extreme Power Saving Mode, which desaturates the screen and limits background processes. You'll supposedly be able to squeeze hours of extra uptime out of just a small amount of juice.

Front-facing speakers

The One's front-facing BoomSound speakers are the best in the business. Unless you like to throw dance parties with your smartphone pumping out tunes, this probably isn't something you'll want to base your decision on. But it is a nice bonus, if you're already leaning toward the One.

Cameras

The iPhone's camera wins on megapixels, but the One's "UltraPixels" (larger pixels) help it to take brighter and more colorful shots under low lighting.

Depth sensor

The One's second rear camera senses depth, so you can add a bokeh (blurred background) effect to portraits and other shots. The effect is a little hit-or-miss in the One, but when you get it just right, it can add an extra spark to your smartphone photography.

Dual LED flash

Both phones have dual-LED flashes, to help make your flash photography look a little bit less like ... well, flash photography. Expect more even lighting and richer colors than typical smartphone flashes will give you.

Slow-motion video

Both phones also let you capture videos in slow-motion, which is always a fun feature if you're filming children, pets, or other fast-moving creatures.

Storage

The iPhone caps out at a 64 GB option that HTC doesn't offer this year, but the One M8 also supplements that with a micro SD card slot.

Processor

On paper, the One's Snapdragon 801 looks to dominate. But the iPhone's 64-bit A7 system-on-a-chip is zippier than its dual core processor and 1.3 GHz clock speed might suggest. The bottom line is that both phones are very fast, and performance shouldn't be a concern in either case.

RAM

The One M8 does double the iPhone's 1 GB of RAM.

Software

We won't go into the played-out iOS vs. Android debate here, but both phones do give you the latest versions of their respective operating systems. The One's Android 4.4 KitKat has HTC's custom UI, Sense 6, sitting on top of Google's core OS.

Release

If Apple releases its next iPhone at about the same time this year, then we're now halfway towards the 5s' follow-up. The One just launched last week.

Starting prices

Typical off-contract pricing is tied up at US$650. If you live in the US and are buying with a new two-year contract, then you'll probably be throwing down $200 for either handset

HTC One (M8) vs. Nexus 5

Size

No huge difference here, but the HTC One (M8) is a little bigger. It's about 6 percent longer, 3 percent wider, and 9 percent thicker than the Nexus 5.

Weight

The One M8 isn't a ridiculously heavy phone, but it is noticeably heavier. It gives you 23 percent more heft than the Nexus 5.

Build

I don't have a problem with the Nexus 5's matte plastic finish, but there's no doubt that the One M8 has the higher-end construction. Its aluminum unibody finish riffs off of the design we saw in last year's One (M7).

Colors

Right now we're looking at three color options for each phone. Though I wouldn't be shocked if we saw a few more One M8 colors roll out later this year, as we saw with the 2013 version of the One.

Display

Both phones give you sharp and spacious screens. The differences here are pretty trivial, and probably not worth basing your decision on.
Both phones also use onscreen navigation keys. So outside of apps that use Android's Immersive Mode, those virtual buttons will always be camping out at the bottom of your screen, taking up a little real estate.

Motion Launch

The One M8's Motion Launch is a set of sensor-based shortcuts. We're looking at things like tapping or sliding on your sleeping phone's screen to jump straight to your lock screen, home screen, or widgets. It's also things like launching your camera app by holding the phone in landscape mode and pressing a volume button, or answering a call by lifting the One to your ear. Simple, but also very convenient.

Storage

Internal storage options are even, though the HTC One does also have a micro SD slot on board this time around.

Battery

Battery capacities are pretty close, but in our hands-on battery test, the One M8 spanked the Nexus 5 pretty hard. Streaming video, with brightness set at 75 percent, the One lasted 107 percent longer than the Nexus 5. Battery tests can vary a bit based on wireless signals and other factors, but we think the One M8 is easily the longer-lasting phone.

Extreme Power Saving Mode

Like the Galaxy S5, the One M8 is going to have a cool new feature that lets you squeeze some serious juice out of your phone. If your battery life drops down to a critical level, jump into Extreme Power Saving Mode, and the screen will go black & white, with background apps and processes more constricted. The result? Hours of extra battery life out of just a very small amount of juice.
The only catch is that, unlike the Galaxy S5, the One M8 didn't launch with this feature. It will be coming soon via software update.

Camera

The Nexus 5 looks better on paper, but the One's larger pixels ("UltraPixels" as HTC likes to call them) make it one of the best options for capturing shots in low-lit conditions.
The One also has an unusually high-resolution front-facing camera. So if you're into selfies (any 16-year-old girls in the house?), the M8 might be just what the doctor ordered.

Depth sensor

The One M8 has a second rear camera that's there just to sense depth. It can create some unique effects, including a blurred-background (bokeh) feature called UFocus. It's a little hit-or-miss, but when it's on the mark, it can make for some striking shots ... well, at least for a smartphone camera.

Slow-motion video recording

Like a lot of high-end phones from the last six months or so, the One M8 lets you shoot slow-mo videos.

Dual LED flash

The One's dual LED flash helps to make your flash photography look more even and colorful, and less washed out.

Front-facing speakers

When you go shopping for a new phone, do you make speaker quality your highest priority? Yeah, me neither. But it is a nice bonus that the One M8's front-facing speakers pump out the best built-in smartphone audio I've heard.

Processor

Performance isn't an issue with either phone. The One M8 has the slightly-updated 2014 version of the Nexus 5's Snapdragon 800 processor living inside.

RAM

RAM is even, at 2 GB a pop.

Software

Both phones run Android 4.4 KitKat. But they have completely different UIs, including some extra features thrown in on the One. That's all thanks to HTC's Sense UI, while the Nexus runs stock Android.

Release

The One hit the market about five months after the Nexus 5 first went on sale.

Starting price (off-contract)

This is the Nexus 5's killer feature. You could easily argue that the One M8 is the better all-around phone – in fact, I'd probably vote for the new HTC One as the best smartphone you can buy today. But when you look at overall value, the Nexus 5 is really hard to beat. It isn't every day that you see a phone with high-end hardware and the latest version of Android ring up for US$350 off-contract.
This isn't an easy decision, but if you need a little extra help, you can hit up