Vs
Tony Crammond
08:22, Aug 28 2013
Will Apple's upcoming iPhone 5C have what it takes to overtake HTC's One?
Apple’s iPhone 5C is expected to be unveiled on Sept. 10 and it feels like the whole world has been waiting to see exactly what Apple will pack into its first mid-range smartphone. As we get closer to iDay though, we’re beginning to get a picture of what the device will offer, and we thought we would take that rumor and hyperbole and stack it up against HTC’s One, which has been hailed as the best Android device on the planet right now.
Display
The HTC One is no slouch in the display stakes, offering a 4.7-inch, Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen running at 1080 x 1920, with a pixel density of 469PPI. The device’s screen has a Gorilla Glass 2 coating too, so it stands up to knocks and scrapes that little bit easier.
The iPhone 5C is expected to offer a 4-inch, LED-backlit IPS LCD Retina Display, not unlike that of the iPhone 5, leading us to believe that we can probably anticipate a resolution of around 640 x 1136 and a pixel density of 326PPI.
Winner – HTC One
Software
HTC has a long-running relationship with Google and its Android operating system, and the One comes boxed with version 4.1.2 of the software, known as Jelly Bean, although it is immediately upgradeable to the newer version, 4.2.2, over the air. The whole thing is overlaid by HTC’s custom user interface, Sense UI, which gives you extra widgets, custom apps and plenty of visual upgrades, making Android look like a million bucks.
The iPhone 5C will run on the newest iteration of Apple’s popular mobile platform, iOS 7. The updated OS offers improved multi-tasking, a very Android-like control center and improved camera functionality, among other things – making it the best iOS to date (if you can get over the stark new visual aspects).
Winner – Draw
Form
HTC One - 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 mm – 143g
Apple iPhone 5C - ? x ? x ? - ?g
The iPhone 5C will launch in a handful of colors and be hewn from plastic, making it the first iPhone to eschew luxury metal and glass construction. That said, early indications are that the device will be just as attractive and its super tough, plastic rear shell apparently boasts a Mohs score of 8, putting it on par with steel, so don’t go expecting your keys or the odd drop to scuff the device up.
The HTC One is an aluminium unibody, meaning that it’s been CNC’ed from a single block of the alloy, making the device feel very sturdy in the hand and look tremendous. HTC has tried to thin the device down as far as possible too, so it doesn’t feel like a lead weight in your hand (or pocket).
Winner – HTC One
Power
The iPhone 5C is expected to be powered by a tweaked version of the same A6 processor that was onboard the iPhone 5, consisting of a 1.4GHz dual-core CPU and a PowerVR triple-core GPU. It’s also anticipated to offer 1GB RAM and come with the usual 16, 32 and 64GB storage options, though there has been some tentative talk of a 128GB model being offered too.
The HTC One offers a Qualcomm APQ8064T Snapdragon 600 chipset, consisting of a quad-core 1.7 GHz Krait 300 CPU and an Adreno 320 GPU. It’s got 2GB RAM too, and comes with your choice of 32 or 64GB of storage.
Winner – HTC One
Camera
The HTC One has become (in)famous for its Ultrapixel technology, which professes to offer higher quality still images, courtesy of a stack of lower-quality sensors, rather than one high-end offering. In real life the results have been mixed, but the device is certainly capable and its low light shooting is noteworthy, capturing larger pixels and more light, 44 percent more than the iPhone 5, to be precise.
It also has the largest aperture of any smartphone, which means that pictures are clearer and more detailed. The device has a whole bunch of other bells and whistles too, in the form of simultaneous HD video and image recording, geo-tagging, face and smile detection, optical image stabilization, as well as full 1080P video and stereo sound capture.
The iPhone 5C, in what seems to have become a running theme, is expected to offer the same 8-megapixel camera as the iPhone 5, with the inclusion of an LED flash, HDR, touch focus, autofocus and 1080P movie capture. We don’t have any idea what the secondary camera will offer, if indeed there is one, but the primary sensor is expected to offer a sapphire coating for scratch resistance and, knowing Apple, there will be a few surprise treats in there, too.
Winner – HTC One
And the winner is...
HTC One
In a near-whitewash, the HTC One has proved itself to be the device to beat. Of course, the iPhone 5C will sell like hot-cakes as soon as it goes on sale, there’s no doubt about that, but the HTC One is a device which should not be ignored. Yes, it’s pricey, but as the old saying goes, you get what you pay for.
Apple
HTC
Apple iPhone 5C
Ios 7
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HTC One