Mobile Technology

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One (2013)

Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One (2013)
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 2013 version of the HTC One
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 2013 version of the HTC One
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The Galaxy S5 records 4K video; no dice for the One
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The Galaxy S5 records 4K video; no dice for the One
The GS5's battery holds more juice
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The GS5's battery holds more juice
It's aluminum vs. ... dimpled pleather?
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It's aluminum vs. ... dimpled pleather?
The GS5's camera blows away the One on megapixels, but the 2013 One's camera is actually pretty damn good
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The GS5's camera blows away the One on megapixels, but the 2013 One's camera is actually pretty damn good
Color options for both phones
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Color options for both phones
Processors in each phone
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Processors in each phone
The Galaxy S5 is four percent longer and seven percent wider
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The Galaxy S5 is four percent longer and seven percent wider
The 2013 One gives you 85 percent as much screen real estate as the Galaxy S5
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The 2013 One gives you 85 percent as much screen real estate as the Galaxy S5
The Galaxy S5 has a fingerprint scanner on board
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The Galaxy S5 has a fingerprint scanner on board
The One's front-facing speakers produce some of the best sound we've heard from a smartphone
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The One's front-facing speakers produce some of the best sound we've heard from a smartphone
If you're wanting to pick up any of Samsung's new wearables, you'll need a Galaxy phone like the GS5 to play nicely with them
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If you're wanting to pick up any of Samsung's new wearables, you'll need a Galaxy phone like the GS5 to play nicely with them
The GS5 also has a heart rate sensor so you can check your pulse
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The GS5 also has a heart rate sensor so you can check your pulse
Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 2013 version of the HTC One
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Gizmag compares the features and specs of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 2013 version of the HTC One
Both phones have IR blasters, and can serve as TV remote controls
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Both phones have IR blasters, and can serve as TV remote controls
RAM is even, at 2 GB a pop
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RAM is even, at 2 GB a pop
The original One has been around for a year, and we'll be hearing all about its successor next week
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The original One has been around for a year, and we'll be hearing all about its successor next week
Both phones can record slow-motion video
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Both phones can record slow-motion video
Your carrier might not have pushed the KitKat update to the One yet
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Your carrier might not have pushed the KitKat update to the One yet
Storage options for both phones
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Storage options for both phones
Weights are very close
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Weights are very close
The One's Zoes turn every picture into a short video
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The One's Zoes turn every picture into a short video
View gallery - 21 images

The 2014 edition of the HTC One has to be one of the worst-kept secrets in the history of smartphones. But before HTC pulls back the curtain on its well-leaked new flagship next week, maybe you're wondering how last year's One stacks up to the Galaxy S5? Read on, as Gizmag compares the two phones' features and specs.

Size

The Galaxy S5 is four percent longer and seven percent wider
The Galaxy S5 is four percent longer and seven percent wider

The Galaxy S5 is the bigger phone, but not by too big a margin. It's about four percent longer and seven percent wider than the 2013 HTC One. The One is bigger in one aspect, though, as it's 15 percent thicker than the GS5.

Weight

Weights are very close
Weights are very close

The weight of both phones is pretty darn close, with the GS5 coming in at just one percent heavier than the One.

Build

It's aluminum vs. ... dimpled pleather?
It's aluminum vs. ... dimpled pleather?

It's aluminum vs. leather: how can you go wrong, right? Well, actually, the GS5 is made of pleather. Dimpled pleather, at that.

Colors

Color options for both phones
Color options for both phones

Four color options for the GS5, and five for the One ... though you probably won't find all of those options for the One on your local carrier.

Display

The 2013 One gives you 85 percent as much screen real estate as the Galaxy S5
The 2013 One gives you 85 percent as much screen real estate as the Galaxy S5

Both phones have sharp 1080p displays. And though some pre-announcement rumors had the GS5 launching with an insane 2K display, I don't think the 432 PPI screen that it actually has is any cause for concern.

The 2013 One gives you 85 percent as much screen real estate as the GS5. Both phones have navigation buttons below their screens, so none of that real estate gets used up by on-screen keys.

Heart rate sensor

The GS5 also has a heart rate sensor so you can check your pulse
The GS5 also has a heart rate sensor so you can check your pulse

You can check your pulse with the Galaxy S5. Its heart rate sensor sits just below its rear camera.

Fingerprint scanner

The Galaxy S5 has a fingerprint scanner on board
The Galaxy S5 has a fingerprint scanner on board

You can also unlock your Galaxy S5 with your fingerprint.

Storage

Storage options for both phones
Storage options for both phones

Last year's One gives you more internal storage, though the GS5 lets you complement its tighter amount with a microSD slot. If you live in China, though, you'll probably find a microSD slot in the One as well.

RAM

RAM is even, at 2 GB a pop
RAM is even, at 2 GB a pop

With the GS5, Samsung stuck with the same 2 GB of RAM from the Galaxy S4. That's also what you'll find in the OG One.

Processor

Processors in each phone
Processors in each phone

No surprise that Samsung's big 2014 flagship has a faster processor than HTC's 2013 flagship. Leaks are pointing to the 2014 One also packing a Snapdragon 801.

Just like with other recent Samsung phones, non-LTE regions will get a version of the GS5 with an octa-core Exynos processor inside.

Cameras

The GS5's camera blows away the One on megapixels, but the 2013 One's camera is actually pretty damn good
The GS5's camera blows away the One on megapixels, but the 2013 One's camera is actually pretty damn good

On paper, the 2013 One's camera looks terrible. In experience, though, its UltraPixel camera is actually pretty damn good – and one of the best arguments yet that megapixels are overrated when it comes to camera quality.

4K video recording

The Galaxy S5 records 4K video; no dice for the One
The Galaxy S5 records 4K video; no dice for the One

We're probably going to see this spec pop up in a lot of 2014 flagships. The GS5, like the Galaxy Note 3 and LG G Pro 2 before it, can record 4K video.

Zoes

The One's Zoes turn every picture into a short video
The One's Zoes turn every picture into a short video

Okay, so maybe it isn't fair to use an HTC marketing term as a "feature" in this comparison. Of course the GS5 won't have it. But the three-second video clips that the One's shooter takes with every tap of the shutter make for some cool gallery highlight reels.

Slow-motion video

Both phones can record slow-motion video
Both phones can record slow-motion video

Slow-mo is another camera feature we've been seeing a lot of lately, but last year's One was actually one of the first prominent phones with the functionality built-in.

Battery

The GS5's battery holds more juice
The GS5's battery holds more juice

The GS5 holds more juice, but we still don't know much about its actual uptimes. Stay tuned on that front.

Infrared

Both phones have IR blasters, and can serve as TV remote controls
Both phones have IR blasters, and can serve as TV remote controls

Both phones can stand in for your TV's (and cable box's) remote control in a pinch – courtesy of their IR blasters.

Front-facing speakers

The One's front-facing speakers produce some of the best sound we've heard from a smartphone
The One's front-facing speakers produce some of the best sound we've heard from a smartphone

The One's BoomSound speakers are some of the best in the business. A big part of that comes from the fact that they're actually facing you.

Samsung Gear compatibility

If you're wanting to pick up any of Samsung's new wearables, you'll need a Galaxy phone like the GS5 to play nicely with them
If you're wanting to pick up any of Samsung's new wearables, you'll need a Galaxy phone like the GS5 to play nicely with them

If you're chomping at the bit to snag the Gear 2, Gear 2 Neo, or Gear Fit, then the GS5 is compatible with all three. If you'd rather hold out for a full-fledged Google smartwatch, then both phones should play nicely with the Moto 360 and other Android Wear devices.

Software

Your carrier might not have pushed the KitKat update to the One yet
Your carrier might not have pushed the KitKat update to the One yet

Not every carrier has pushed the KitKat update for the One just yet, but HTC has a lot of those bases covered already. The GS5 launches with Google's latest. Of course both phones are wrapped in thick layers of custom UI: TouchWiz on the GS5 and Sense on the One.

Release

The original One has been around for a year, and we'll be hearing all about its successor next week
The original One has been around for a year, and we'll be hearing all about its successor next week

The original One launched just about a year ago, and we'll be flying to New York next week to see the official unveiling of its successor. The GS5 launches in many regions on April 11.

For more on the GS5, you can check out our comparisons of it to the Nexus 5, Moto X, Galaxy Note 3, and iPhone 5s.

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1 comment
1 comment
Gavin Roe
the samsungs could use a metal shell as they over heat