Mobile Technology

HTC One mini vs. iPhone 5

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Gizmag compares the specs (and other features) of Apple's iPhone 5, and HTC's new mini-me version of the HTC One
The One mini has a higher-capacity battery
Both phones have premium finishes, and are made of aluminum
Despite having a lower pixel count, the One mini's rear camera might be the better choice
On paper, these processor's are neck-and-neck
The One mini is smaller than the standard One, but it's still a little bigger than the iPhone 5
Gizmag compares the specs (and other features) of Apple's iPhone 5, and HTC's new mini-me version of the HTC One
Both phones have 1 GB of RAM
The One mini is still waiting in the wings, while the iPhone will likely be upstaged by the iPhone 5S within the next few months
The One mini has HTC's excellent BoomSound front-facing speakers
The One mini is only available in one 16 GB model, which could be limiting for some buyers
The One mini, despite being a little bigger, isn't much heavier than the featherweight iPhone 5
Both phones support speedy LTE networks
The One mini's display is bigger and sharper
View gallery - 13 images

The HTC One is one of the most Apple-like Android phones ever made. Its unified design, high-quality build materials, and attention to detail harken back to some of Apple's finest products. So when HTC released a variant of the One that's closer in size to the iPhone 5, we wondered how the two would stack up. Read on, as we compare the specs (and other features) of the HTC One mini and iPhone 5.

Size

The One mini is smaller than the standard One, but it's still a little bigger than the iPhone 5

Even though it's "mini," HTC's new phone is still quite a bit larger than the iPhone 5. It's six percent taller, seven percent wider, and 22 percent thicker than the iPhone 5.

Weight

The One mini, despite being a little bigger, isn't much heavier than the featherweight iPhone 5

Considering it's the bigger phone, HTC did a great job of keeping the One mini in the iPhone's same general weight class. Its fighting weight is just nine percent heavier than the ultra-light iPhone 5.

Build

Both phones have premium finishes, and are made of aluminum

You won't likely find two finer smartphone designs in 2013. Adjectives like unified, elegant, and high-end would all describe these two. Much of that can be traced back to the seamless construction and aluminum build materials.

The One mini does have a band of plastic around its edge. The standard One had that too, but it was much thinner there.

Display

The One mini's display is bigger and sharper

The One mini has a bigger and sharper display. The iPhone 5 only gives you 87 percent as much screen area, and 79 percent as many pixels as the One mini does.

With that said, apart from your size preferences, there shouldn't be anything to worry about with either display.

Processor

On paper, these processor's are neck-and-neck

Just looking at CPUs on paper, it's hard to say who has the advantage. There are many factors other than cores and clock speed that determine actual performance, so we'll reserve judgment until we get these two side by side.

RAM

Both phones have 1 GB of RAM

Each handset's RAM rings in at 1 GB.

Storage

The One mini is only available in one 16 GB model, which could be limiting for some buyers

This could be a disadvantage for some potential One mini buyers. 16 GB is plenty of storage for many people, but if you're the kind of person who likes to hoard full HD movies, your entire music collection, and albums of photos, that ain't going to cut it.

Apple will let you pay more to upgrade the internal flash memory in the iPhone 5, up to 64 GB.

Wireless

Both phones support speedy LTE networks

No surprises here, as both phones have LTE radios. We're getting to the point now when nearly every mid- to high-end smartphone has LTE.

Battery

The One mini has a higher-capacity battery

On paper, the One mini has more capacity. But there are too many other factors that play into actual battery life to draw any conclusions from that. The iPhone 5 has solid battery life (an estimated eight hours for 3G/LTE internet), and so does the standard HTC One. Take that as you will.

Cameras

Despite having a lower pixel count, the One mini's rear camera might be the better choice

On paper, this looks like a win for the iPhone, but the One mini's "UltraPixel" camera could sneak away with this category. You can expect quality low-light photography and sharper pictures than you'd expect from its mere four megapixels. The secret: larger pixels.

Front-facing speakers

The One mini has HTC's excellent BoomSound front-facing speakers

This isn't a category we've ever focused on in these comparisons, but with the One mini, it makes sense. It has "BoomSound" speakers much like in its big brother. Not only are they facing the right direction, they're also loud and relatively bassy.

Release cycle

The One mini is still waiting in the wings, while the iPhone will likely be upstaged by the iPhone 5S within the next few months

If you're wrestling between these two, this might be the most important category to pay attention to. The One mini measures up pretty well with the iPhone 5, but remember we're talking about Apple's 2012 flagship phone. If rumors are true, then we'll be seeing an upgraded iPhone 5S within the next several months. If you can wait it out, you should get more bang for the same buck.

Wrap-up

If nothing else, you'll be hard-pressed to find two phones as absolutely stunning as these two. And though the One mini loses some of its big bro's higher-end specs, we suspect many customers will appreciate its smaller, easier-to-hold form factor. It could also see some nice budget pricing, though that will vary by carrier.But we can't stress enough that this might not be a great time to buy the iPhone 5. The HTC One mini hasn't even launched yet, so if it gets a sequel, it's still a long ways off. The iPhone 5, however, could potentially be pushed aside by the 5S before September is over.

To see how HTC's mini-phone compares to its larger namesake, check out our comparison of the HTC One mini and HTC One.

View gallery - 13 images
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1 comment
Silverbird
One of my main reasons for not getting an android phone is that most are too large. Even the iPhone 5 is pushing it. I like a phone that I can reach any button without having to switch to two hands. The HTC One Mini seems like one I would be interested in. I know there are other android phones out there that are 'small', but most do not have the quality.
I do find it interesting that the android market has now resorted to calling a phone that just 3 years ago would be average size as a "Mini" phone.