Gadgetory

it's the dawn of a new era in the battle for Android supremacy once again an aluminium obelisk from Taiwan faces off against a polycarbonate contraption from South Korea as HTC and Samsung once again prepare to slug it out we're here to see just what their respective flagships tell us about the way they'll do battle this year I'm Michael Fisher with PocketNow and this is HTC versus Samsung in 2014 the just released all-new HTC One competes directly with the Samsung Galaxy s5 we've already reviewed the all-new HTC One see the link in the description for that and we've also gone hands-on with the galaxy s5 on two continents our time with each gives us a pretty good idea of where these companies will be pinning their hopes and making their stands in the year ahead in some ways 2014 looks a lot like 2013 with the all-new one HTC builds on its legacy of outstanding craftsmanship boosting the aluminum to plastic ratio from 70 to 90% in the new model and giving the gun metal versions backplate a brushed hairline finish that wouldn't look out of place in a gourmet kitchen the wraparound metal and zero gap construction gives the new m8 an unmistakably luxurious feel in the hand that has yet to be exceeded by any other Android manufacturer that includes Samsung while the glass weave construction of the s5 offers a welcome reprieve from the hyper glazed days of old the stippled texturing only reinforces its roots in plastic and the device is familiar face and lightweight may put longtime Galaxy fans at ease but they also recall the worst of that lines cheap feeling which began with the galaxy s3 and continued in slightly improved form with the s4 but Samsung didn't become the world's largest smartphone maker by accident it did so by bringing a lot of compelling features to the table and one of those on the galaxy s5 looks to be its camera the new shooter comes with an advanced flash rapid and selective focus advanced HDR and Samsung's usual bevy of shooting modes all of it wrapped in Samsung's traditional easy-to-use viewfinder now HTC matches most of that point for point on the new one and it frozen the added bonus of a dedicated depth sensor for focus adjustment without multiple exposures plus it's got a keen new viewfinder of its own improved zoe's and the best gallery experience around so why does Samsung have the edge in this case resolution even if you're not a member of the spec obsessed the disparity in the Galaxy s5s 16 megapixel camera and the HTC One S 4 megapixel shooter is tough to ignore even if you consider HTC's far superior front facing camera but HTC comes back swinging with boom sound the company might have ditched Beats Audio but that doesn't mean it's given up on delivering a superb audio experience with the m8 on the contrary the new one features new speakers new amplifiers and larger chamber size than its predecessor resulting in a claimed 20% increase in volume over the original HTC One and the best audio experience we've ever heard on a smart phone meanwhile samsung's single speaker continues to loiter around back on the galaxy s5 no matter how loud it may be it's obvious that samsung's focus is not on audio instead it's on expanding into his own the company is relatively new to the active person's lifestyle in addition to the bevy of wearables the company announced a few weeks back Samsung also revealed that it had ported a capability from last year's Galaxy s4 active to its new halo device life proofing actually ip67 water and dust resistance something Sony's been doing for quite a while apparently Samsung wanted in on the praise from the press and what praise has come is well-earned again we have yet to review the galaxy s5 but we've been saying durable phones shouldn't have to be crappy phones for years and it's nice to see a company as large as Samsung agree sadly it doesn't seem as though HTC will jump on that bandwagon anytime soon the Joule like precision construction of the all-new one doesn't exactly lend itself to durability fortunately HTC is taking steps to address that in another way at least here in the United States not only has the company made a promise to offer timely Android and cents updates to its premium smartphones within 90 days of a major release it's also begun offering free or inexpensive cracked screen replacements to those whose phones have an unpleasant run-in with the ground all this is covered under a support program called HTC advantage and while Samsung has similar programs in some parts of the world it has nothing comparable here in the US as of yet there's one thing both companies will focus intently on in 2014 specs sure HTC opted not to supercharge its ultra pixel camera this time around but the m8 is still a powerhouse not only does it boast the new Snapdragon 801 processor it also brings a feature its predecessor took some heat for leaving out microSD expansion of course samsung has offered that on most of its smartphones for years and the Galaxy s5 is no exception also the s5 does take the additional step of incorporating a larger removable battery when coupled with its fingerprint scanner heart rate sensor and it's slightly faster Snapdragon 805 processor the s5 still edges out the HTC One but the gap is narrower now than it has been in the past few years whether the gap in sales numbers between these two fierce rivals will narrow as well is still anyone's guess it comes down to how well HTC is able to market the m8 and how successful Samsung will be at convincing people that the Galaxy S five brings enough new to the table whatever happens it's interesting to see these two massive companies tweaking their formulas to stay competitive Samsung by toning down the gimmicks somewhat HTC by sticking to its familiar formula and if rumors are to be believed boosting its marketing effort ultimately of course it all comes down to who buys more of what so help us predict the future leave a comment below telling us which of these products or companies you're throwing your money behind and which one you think will emerge victorious at the end of the year as I said in the narration folks our full review of the all-new HTC One is available right now the video review is here on YouTube and our written review is in the description down below click that first link to go to pocketnow.com read all the details you can get an HTC's new flagship also down there a like button and a comment section please use them as you see fit and follow us on social media so you don't miss future content from pocket now most importantly though thank you for watching this has been michael fisher with PocketNow and we'll see you on the next one