Two different approaches to making a great phone
Each time a
Nexus device is released,
it garners quite a bit of attention. And rightfully so, when Google
releases its own phone once a year it's a pretty big deal for Android
enthusiasts. Once the dust settles on all of the new device news, we
start to compare it to other top-notch devices that are at the top of
everyone's minds.
We kicked things off with a comparison that most were drawing before the Nexus 5 was even released —
the LG G2.
Next up, I'll be looking at the Nexus 5 side-by-side with one of the
most popular devices of the year, the HTC One. These are very different
devices, each with their own strengths — let's take a look at how they
compare.
Hardware
It's hard to disagree that
HTC set the bar higher than any other manufacturer
when it released the HTC One. The solid metal design is crafted with
extreme precision, and feels just about as good as it looks. On the
other end of the spectrum, the Nexus 5 is definitely a plastic phone.
While the white model we have here might be a bit more noticeably
plastic with its glossy edges, in either color you won't get the premium
feel of the HTC One.
The Nexus 5 fits a larger screen into a nearly identical footprint
There are slight differences in ergonomics as well, with the HTC
having large bezels to accommodate capacitive buttons and BoomSound
speakers, as well as a top-mounted power button that can be difficult to
reach. The Nexus 5 fits a larger screen into a nearly identical
footprint as the HTC One, and with side-mounted power and volume keys
can be a little easier to manage in the hand.
We're still convinced that something is magical about the screens HTC
sources for its devices. There's no better example of this than the
SLCD 3 panel used on the HTC One, and we find ourselves using it as a
benchmark for what all screens should look like. At 4.7-inches and 1080p
resolution it's insanely crisp, and even though the Nexus 5's 5-inch
1080p screen has drastically
improved over the Nexus 4,
it just isn't quite there yet — the One still looks a touch brighter to
our eyes, with more accurate colors. We're happy to say you won't be
disappointed by either screen.
The HTC One still takes the cake in terms of look and feel for a smartphone
While we can see the merits of both designs, if you're not put off by
the little extra weight of having a metal phone, we think the HTC One
still takes the cake in terms of design and feel. There's a level of
precision and quality shown on the One that you just don't find on the
Nexus 5. We still wish that HTC could have gone with a side-mounted
power button and something more traditional in terms of navigation
buttons, but it's hard to find any meaningful faults in the One's
design.
Specs
You're getting very comparable specs in either one of these phones
In terms of the spec sheets, these phones are pretty well matched up.
We've covered the fact that the screens and overall sizes are very
similar, but there really are few differences at play here. The HTC One
uses a Snapdragon 600 processor, while the later-released Nexus 5 has
the newer 800, but both are paired with 2GB of RAM and generous storage
options — although the One comes out on top by having a 64GB model
available in some areas.
You'll be getting 802.11ac Wifi in both cases, along with plenty of
sensors you expect and the same 2300mAh capacity Lithium-Polymer
battery. The camera specs may be the biggest breakdown in spec
differences, but we'll get to that in its own section below.
The HTC One may have
been released several months before the Nexus 5, but these are both completely capable devices from an internal specification standpoint.
Software
Being a Nexus device the Nexus 5 will always have the "advantage" of
being the next point release of Android ahead with KitKat, but HTC isn't
at all far behind now
having pushed Android 4.3 updates
to nearly all HTC Ones. Even with the new features in KitKat, there are
very few functional differences between what the Nexus 5 and HTC One
can accomplish.
Sense 5.5 is a very refined experience, but the Nexus 5 offers something new all together
HTC has put a ridiculous amount of time and effort into making Sense
5.5 feel like a consistent and snappy system, and the work has paid off.
Not only do you get headline features like a great camera interface and
gallery, but system-level features like better sound output and
scrolling. In the end it really has to come down to your own preference
here. If you're a fan of Sense you'll feel right at home on the HTC One
and enjoy many of the new features — and if you're looking to hop onto
the bleeding edge and like that "Stock" look, the Nexus 5 will greet you
with a great new launcher, refreshed design and perfect integration
with Google services.
While we're comparing the Nexus 5 to the original HTC One that runs
Sense 5.5, we'd be remiss in our comparison if we didn't mention that
you
can buy an HTC One Google Play edition
that runs nearly identical software to the Nexus 5. It's only a matter
of days before that model receives the update to Android 4.4 KitKat,
bringing in all of the same features that differentiate the Nexus 5.
Comparing cameras
The HTC One's camera may be faster, but the Nexus 5 can offer better pictures
HTC's move to a
large pixel "UltraPixel" 4MP camera
in the One may be one of the boldest moves in smartphone cameras in
recent memory. It tried to break the mold of "bigger is better" when it
comes to megapixel counts on phone cameras, and with OIS (Optical Image
Stabilization) and some clever post-processing it actually made a
compelling argument. The Nexus 5 goes a more traditional route with an
8MP shooter and a basic camera software suite, but keeps the OIS around
to help with steadying your shots.
In our head-to-head tests, we found the cameras to actually be very
comparable to one another. While they each excelled in different areas,
we found they also had an equal number of faults. The HTC One's camera
starts up, changes modes and captures pictures faster in any mode,
making the Nexus 5 just look sluggish in its time to the first shot.
Speed is important, but so is quality, and we found the Nexus 5 to
consistently offer better pictures in nearly all scenes.
Nexus 5 (left) and HTC One (right)
One of our biggest complaints about the HTC One is the over-processed
look it gives pictures, and while we know that comes out of necessity
with only having a 4MP camera it just comes off looking wrong to our
eyes. In both auto and HDR mode, the One took consistently brighter
pictures than the Nexus 5, but did so at the expense of adding lots of
processing and grain to pictures — often over-exposing them far more
than we'd like.
The Nexus 5 pictures looked more natural, with a better range of colors and accurate exposure
Although it took darker pictures when
compared side-by-side to the One,
we found the pictures coming out of the Nexus 5 to be more true to
life, leaving shadows where they should be and highlighting other parts
just the right amount. The difference is even more dramatic in HDR+
mode, which seems to gather a drastically better range of color than the
HTC One's HDR mode.
For all of the great results we've been seeing out of the Nexus 5, it
still comes up short in terms of speed and versatility. There are far
more adjustments, shooting modes and options on the HTC One that can
help overcome the limitations of a 4MP camera, and in the end the one
that's best really comes down to your needs. The Nexus 5 better suits us
because we're looking for
the best possible image quality rather than versatility, but that may not be the case for everyone.
The bottom line
In the end it's hard to argue against buying either one of these
phones today, even though one is a handful of months older than the
other. Across hardware, software, specs and camera quality, the Nexus 5
and HTC One are very comparable, each one edging out just slightly in
different categories.
If you want some of the best phone hardware (Android or otherwise)
out there today, you still can't go wrong with the HTC One. And with the
latest Android 4.3 and Sense 5.5 update,
and KitKat on the horizon
(and even closer if you choose a Google Play edition), you're getting
one of the best software experiences as well. The camera isn't on the
bleeding edge as it used to be, but you're still getting a capable
shooter with tons of software features to back it up.
In terms of pure value, the Nexus 5 comes out way ahead at $349
unlocked, or even at $399 if you want the bump in storage. It also
offers a refreshed and redesigned software
experience with fantastic Google service integration, as well as the best camera performance of any Nexus phone to date.
Between these two phones it's a toss-up on which one to get, and it
really comes down to which features suit you best. In either case,
you're going to be getting one of the best Android phones available
today.
Image Source: iPhone 6 concept by Nowhereelse.fr1For some reason, a concept design for Apple’s next-generation iPhone 6 that was created back in August by designer Nikola Cirkovic made the rounds once again on several tech blogs last week. That has apparently prompted several others to come forth with their various iPhone 6 concept designs, and what is undoubtedly one of the sleekest (and most unlikely) comes from French blogNowhereelse.fr and designer Martin Hajek. The design essentially looks like an iPad mini or iPad Air scaled down to iPhone size with a larger display that is borderless on its sides. It’s pretty awesome, albeit technically impossible at this point and extremely illogical considering it omits Apple’s Touch ID fingerprint scanner.
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