14 DAY TRIAL // MWC 2015 is one of the year’s biggest consumer electronic fairs where tech manufacturers all around the globe gather up to showcase their newest products.
But Samsung and HTC will probably end up stealing most of the spotlight this year, because both tech giants will take center stage in Barcelona and roll out their newest flagship devices, the Galaxy S6 and One M9, respectively.
Most of the specs of the new phones have leaked online, and even if the models haven’t been made official yet, we can still make a preliminary comparison between the two devices.
So, in case you’re not exactly sure which phone will rock the most, we’re taking the opportunity to highlight each model’s best feats (and worst).
Design
HTC is rumored to maintain last year’s design on the One M9, albeit bringing a few tweaks into the picture.
For starters, the company has removed the large aluminum and black bar bezels around the screen and the new flagship will have an edge-to-edge glass display, with both front-facing Boomsound speakers getting a makeover.
Meaning that they will be made more compact and moved to the top and bottom edge. HTC changed the position of the power button to the right side, below the volume rocker, and replaced the latter with two dedicated volume buttons.
The most recent hearsay also states that the HTC One M9 will feature the familiar aluminum design and will go on sale in silver, black and gold options.
A bunch of sleek concepts showcasing the device have already popped up online, leaving us very impressed, albeit the iPhone 6-vibe is undeniable.
As for Samsung, the latest information will finally have us believe that the Korean tech giant has been listening to customers’ pleads and decided against using plastic on the Galaxy S6. The most recent teaser image posted by Sammy itself basically all but confirms that the Galaxy S6 will be made of metal.
Images leaked from third-party case makers showed us that the Galaxy S6 would bear an uncanny resemblance to the iPhone 6, which is an aspect some customers might end up appreciating (or not). The Galaxy S6 is also expected to have a 6.1 mm frame, just like Apple’s latest success.
Display
The majority of info we have related to the HTC One M9 indicates that the handset will arrive with a 5-inch display (the same as the One M8) with 1080 x 1920 pixel resolution.
This aspect might prove disappointing to fans who were hoping for a 2560 x 1440 resolution, just like the Galaxy S6 will don. But luckily, the HTC One M9 Plus might cater to the needs of those craving 2K displays in their lives.
As for the Galaxy S6, the handset will sport a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display with the above-mentioned QHD standard plastered on top.
Performance
Initially, both the Galaxy S6 and One M9 were expected to take advantage of Qualcomm’s new high-end platform, the Snapdragon 810.
Since then, overheating issues related to the architecture surfaced, so Samsung had to decide to go against using the chip inside the Galaxy S6 and opted for its home-grown Exynos 7420 chip instead. Even after Qualcomm claimed that the overheating issues were fixed, Samsung stuck to its decision of pushing its own platform instead.
Both pieces of silicone showed up in benchmarks and we set up a comparison between their performance, in an earlier piece. The results show that the two chips will perform in a similar fashion but are yet to see platforms handle themselves in real life.
Both flagships will arrive with 3GB of RAM on board, but the Galaxy S6 Edge variation might surprise us with offering 4GB of RAM instead.
Cameras
The current consensus online is that the HTC One M9 will don a 20.7MP camera on the rear, while a 4MP Ultrapixel camera will go live on the back, although some voices have indicated that the selfie-centric camera will turn out to be of a 12MP variety instead.
As for Samsung, the most recent info points towards the fact that the flagship will make use of a 16MP shooter (although we heard the 20MP scenario too) made by Sony with IMX240 sensor (the same as with the Galaxy Note 4). Up in front we will probably see a 5MP camera.
Battery
Samsung is reportedly going to bundle a 2600mAh battery (200mAh less than the Galaxy S5) inside the Galaxy S6.
If Samsung does utilize a smaller battery for its Galaxy S6, it means that the company is putting a lot of faith in the efficiency of its Exynos platform. On top of that, the flagship should be featuring software tweaks that will help deliver a more solid battery life. Wireless charging is also another aspect to be taken into the overall equation.
As for the HTC One M9, the handset is supposed to have a 2880mAh or 3000mAh battery on the inside, and given the FHD display, the device’s life cycle should be sufficient.
Software
Both models are expected to launch with Android 5.0 Lollipop out of the box, but the One M9 will take advantage of its own Sense UI 7.0 interface plastered on top, while the Galaxy S6 will don a new and redesigned TouchWiz.
We don’t know much about Sense UI 7.0, but the new TouchWiz has been designed to be less cluttered.
Samsung is also swiping out its own proprietary apps and is putting Microsoft productivity applications in their place.
Other specs
Samsung has decided to implement a touch-based finger authentication sensor on the Galaxy S6, leaving out the less efficient swipe-based one. The One M9, by contrast, doesn’t have one, but maybe the One M9 Plus will.
Samsung will also put a bunch of UV sensors and a heart-rate monitor inside the Galaxy S6. As for the One M9, we don’t have information related to this aspect.
