If you want a smartphone with a premium metallic build, then Apple and HTC are the two companies to look at. And now that Apple is getting into the large-screen phone game, the iPhone and HTC One are more direct rivals than ever before. Join Gizmag, as we compare the features and specs of the iPhone 6 and HTC One (M8).
Size
The One M8 is about 6 percent longer and 6 percent wider than the iPhone 6.
If you fancy thin devices, then the iPhone 6 is the way to go. At a ridiculous 6.9 mm (0.27-in) thick, it's 27 percent thinner than the One M8.
Weight
The iPhone 6 is also very light for its size, and weighs in at 19 percent lighter than the One M8.
Build
The One M8 is bigger and heavier, but it certainly isn't sacrificing anything in build quality. Both phones have smooth aluminum unibody designs – and stand at the head of the premium smartphone class.
Colors
The iPhone 6 has the same three color options that we saw with the iPhone 5s. The One M8 gives you four hues to choose from – with the Gun Metal version standing as the flagship color.
Display (size)
The One M8 gives you 13 percent more screen area than the iPhone does.
Just keep in mind that some of that size difference is cancelled out by the One's onscreen navigation bar, which sits at the bottom of its screen. The exception is in apps that use Android's Immersive Mode, where those keys will temporarily fade away – letting you use the full 5-in display.
If you want an iPhone with an even bigger screen, then you can look into the iPhone 6 Plus phablet.
Display (resolution)
The iPhone 6 isn't, however, any sharper than the iPhones from the last four years. Its 326 PPI density sits in a range that I'd describe as sharp enough for most people, but falling short of the dazzling level of crispness in 1080p (and, even more so, Quad HD) screens.
Fingerprint sensor
HTC took a stab at fingerprint sensors in last year's One Max, and it didn't go so well. The company (wisely?) laid off of that strategy with the One M8.
NFC
The iPhones 6 and 6 Plus are the first Apple phones with NFC chips. But it looks like they won't be useable for anything but this next category ...
NFC payments
iTunes transformed the music industry and the App Store basically created the mobile application industry. Can the company do the same with payments?
Apple Pay is hardly the first NFC-based tap-and-pay system. Google Wallet and Softcard (formerly Isis) have been playing this game – with little success – for several years. But Apple's popularity and leverage with retailers could potentially make it the first that takes off.
Motion Launch
The One M8 has a series of sensor-based features known as Motion Launch. Double-tap the phone's sleeping display to turn it on. Swipe on the display to jump straight to the home screen. Or simply hold down the volume button (while in landscape) to fire up the camera.
Battery
We don't yet know how big the iPhone 6's battery is yet, but Apple is advertising longer uptimes than we saw in the iPhone 5s.
Extreme Power Saving Mode
Taking a cue from Samsung, HTC threw in a feature called Extreme Power Saving Mode. It severely limits your available apps and processes to keep you on the grid when your One is almost out of juice.
Infrared
Like many recent Android flagships, the One M8 has a built-in IR blaster, which lets you use your phone as a TV remote control.
Camera (megapixels)
Neither phone's camera has a mind-blowing pixel count, but that doesn't necessarily mean much on its own.
Camera (pixel size)
Larger pixels can help with shooting in low-lit conditions. While the One M8 has larger (2-micron) pixels, the iPhone's are also larger than what you'll find in most smartphones.
Camera (aperture)
The One M8's rear camera also has a wider aperture, but both phones are in pretty good shape here.
OIS
Just to avoid any confusion, the iPhone 6 doesn't have any Optical Image Stabilization. Its big brother, the iPhone 6 Plus, does.
Depth sensor
The One has a second rear camera, devoted to sensing depth. This opens the door to HTC's UFocus effect, which uses some algorithms to simulate the bokeh (blurred background) look you'd get from a DSLR.
Dual LED flash
Both phones have flashes that use two LEDs, which can help to light your subject a bit more evenly (and perhaps with a bit more color).
We can look at all the camera specs we want, but just remember that nothing compares to hands-on testing of a phone's camera. You can hit up our One M8 review for our impressions of its shooter. Stay tuned for our full iPhone 6 review.
Front-facing speakers
I doubt speaker quality is high on your list of important smartphone features, but, for what it's worth, the front-facing "BoomSound" speakers in the One M8 are the best in the business.
One-handed mode
Neither of these phones have enormous phablet screens, but they are still fairly big. Apple deals with this by adding a one-handed mode. Just double-tap the home button, and watch as the screen slides down to the bottom, where you can easily reach it with one finger.
Though Samsung and LG both have solutions to the one-handed dilemma on their large-screen Android phones, HTC doesn't.
Storage
As far as internal storage goes, the iPhone has the advantage once you move past the base (16 GB) tier.
MicroSD card
The One M8, though, helps you to augment its internal storage with a microSD card slot.
Processor
Apple's custom SoCs typically far outperform any assessment you'd take away from their cores and clock speeds alone, so we wouldn't worry too much about these specs.
The One M8 runs the Snapdragon 801, which is no longer Qualcomm's latest and greatest, but still make for a zippy phone.
RAM
The One M8 doubles the iPhone's 1 GB of RAM.
Smartwatches
If you want to get a jump on the (supposed) wearable revolution, then both phones will have some companion watches. The iPhone will be compatible with the upcoming Apple Watch (due in early 2015), while the One M8 is a great fit for Android Wear watches like the Moto 360.
There are plenty of other watches that are compatible with both phones (more so for the One), but these are your best options.
Software
The iPhone 6 runs the new iOS 8, which brings HealthKit, HomeKit and third-party keyboards to Apple's mobile operating system. The One M8 runs Android 4.4 KitKat, with a dose of HTC's Sense UI sitting on top.
Release date
The iPhone 6 launches this Friday, while the One M8 has been in customers' hands since March.
Starting price (full retail)
We're looking at the same off-contract MSRP (in US dollars) for both phones. If you keep an eye out, though, you might be able to find a deal on the six-month-old One M8.
Starting price (on-contract)
If you live in the US, then pricing is more likely to look like this, subsidized with a two-year blood oath. There the One typically rings up for the same US$200 as the iPhone 6.
Stay tuned for much more from Gizmag on the new iPhones, and, if you're leaning in the One's direction, then feel free to hit up our full review.