The original iPhone really shook up the phone market in 2007 and it was the start of Apple's
domination of the smartphone industry, but since then Android has become the most popular
operating system.
The M8 is HTC's second iteration of the HTC One which was one of the best smartphones
of 2013 but never panned out due to lack of marketing.
This second generation has been a hit thanks to its premium aluminum build and ultra powerful
internals.
The iPhone 6 is Apple’s response to the ever increasing sizes of smartphones, but
is it enough?
How does the new HTC one M8 stack up to Apple’s iPhone 6?
Let’s find out.
Physically, the HTC One is one of the best made phones on the market.
The aluminum construction and intense attention to detail makes it easily worth the price
tag.
That being said, the aluminum back is quite slippery so a case or skin might be a good
idea.
Apple on the other hand has kept the metal backing but this year it has smooth curves
going around the edges which makes it much slicker than last years iPhone 5S.
Aesthetically speaking I truly hate the antenna design.
Apple has outlined the top and bottom of the back of the device with these ugly looking
antennas and along with that there’s also the protruding camera which just doesn’t
blend well with the device.
For that reason I’ve been using the Rearth Ringke Fusion Case, it’s the best one I’ve
used so far and I’ll link my video review on screen.
The HTC One (M8) will cost you $99 for the 32GB variant on all four major US carriers
while the iPhone 6 will run you $199 for the base 16GB model.
Neither of these smartphones have removable batteries or have expandable storage so keep
that in mind before you buy the 16GB iPhone.
There are multiple variants of the HTC One (M8) but the three main color options available
for purchase are silver, grey, and gold while the iPhone 6 can be purchased in space grey,
silver, and gold.
I’ll be honest, I think HTC has definitely taken some design cues and color options from
Apple, but that’s not a bad thing.
Probably my favorite feature on the HTC One M8 is the front facing speakers.
While Boom Sound is nothing new, this iteration ups the volume by 25% without lowering the
audio quality.
For me, the iPhone 6’s speakers really are terrible.
They’re located directly next to the charging port which means it’s covered whenever you’re
playing a game or watching a video.
The iPhone 6’s display has now been bumped up to 4.7 inches and now has 750p resolution.
Now those of you that haven’t ever used or seen the iPhone 6 in person are going to
say how bad the picture quality is, but it’s actually really good.
It’s every bit as clear as the M8 or even Galaxy S5’s display.
I’m not sure what it is about Apple, but they always seem to get the display right.
The HTC One’s five inch display is also stunning.
The full 1080p resolution comes in at 440 pixels per inch.
Colors are vibrant, crisp, and not oversaturated, but if I had to choose one display I would
go with the iPhone 6’s.
The new HTC One runs 4.4.4 Kit Kat with its own custom skin overlayed.
Sense 6.0 brings some cool new features like Motion Launch which lets you choose gestures
to unlock your phone.
For example, double tapping will just unlock it, swiping down will go to the dialer app,
and etc.
Another pretty cool feature that I’ve enjoyed experimenting with is the FitBit app that
comes pre installed.
It has these so called “smart sensors” that allow the One to track steps exactly
the same way your FitBit does.
For those that don’t want to wear a fitness tracking device or always end up losing them,
it’s a really convenient feature.
Overall, Sense 6.0 is ultra fast experience and it adds some pretty useful features to
the table.
Now moving onto the iPhone 6, it runs the latest version of iOS, iOS 8.
One great thing about Apple is that because their operating system is more locked down
you’ll be guaranteed updates for at least the next several years which is something
that isn’t guaranteed with the M8.
As far as the new features on iOS 8 go there’s now widgets in the notification bar, the ability
to quickly respond to message in apps, Apple Pay allows you to now make payments directly
from your iPhone 6, and there’s also now talk to type technology.
All of these are great additions to the iOS operating system but if you’re currently
on Android you probably know these features have been around for a while.
That being said, the iPhone 6 is very quick and fluid, if you do decide to purchase the
iPhone 6 you won’t be disappointed with the software experience.
However one awesome feature that’s exclusive to the iPhone 6 is touch id.
It allows you to unlock your phone with your fingerprint and also make payments with applications
like Paypal and purchase items through the App store without using your password.
The M8 rocks a 2,600mAh battery.
While 2,600mAh might not sound like a lot, it easily powers through a full fourteen hours
of heavy usage and a good several hours of on screen time.
I’ve been using the M8 as my daily driver since the day it came out and I don’t think
it’s ever died on me.
HTC also has added a cool new power saving feature that you can turn on if you’re ever
in serious need of a battery boost.
The iPhone 6 on the other hand boasts a miniscule 1810 mAh battery that will last you through
a full day.
I’ve been putting it on the charger every night with about 10-15% left which isn’t
as good as the M8, but it should be good enough.
The final thing we're going to cover is the camera performance.
The M8 has a 4 megapixel camera while the iPhone 6 has an 8 megapixel camera.
Don’t let the 8 megapixels of the iPhone 6 fool you though because it’s without a
doubt the best shooter on the market.
The M8 on the other hand just doesn’t do that good of a job, it can take pictures that
are good enough to upload to instagram, but nothing more than that.
One video feature the iPhone 6 now has is slow motion video at 240 frames per second
which is pretty awesome.
I actually did a video sample showing my brother and dog jumping in the pool, I’ll have a
link in the description for anyone interested in checking it out.
The HTC One M8 is a great device, it features the new Sense 6.0, superb build quality, and
a great display.
The iPhone 6 offers a polished operating system, new updated screen size, and stellar camera.
For me, the M8 is a better choice because I prefer the Android operating system, but
which phone is best for you?
Well that choice has to be made for yourself.
If you enjoyed this video please do give it a thumbs up, subscribe for more content like
this, and I’ll see you all next time.