iPhone 5 vs. HTC One

The HTC One is headed to carriers in March with a crisp 1080P HD display and a new Ultrapixel camera. When the HTC One, formerly known as the HTC M7, lands on AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint it will go up against the iPhone 5.

We are taking a look at the just announced HTC One and the iPhone 5 to see how HTC’s flagship smartphone compares to one of the industry leaders.

The HTC One offers a new all metal design and a camera that could deliver better low light performance than the iPhone 5, as well as A new HTC Sense 5 skin on top of Android. The iPhone 5 is almost 6 months old, but it can still compete with new phones like the HTC One.

The HTC One vs. iPhone 5.

HTC hopes the HTC One can relaunch the brand, which has taken a backseat to Samsung and Apple thanks to the Galaxy S3 and upcoming Galaxy S4 smartphones, and Apple’s continued dominance with the iPhone 5. The HTC One boasts an impressive set of features, which could help the device compete with the iPhone 5, but the company must also win back shoppers burned by slow updates on past phones like the HTC ThunderBolt.

We’ll now take a look at how the HTC One and Sense 5 stacks up agains the iPhone 5 and iOS 6.

Release Date

The iPhone 5 arrived in September of 2012, and is available on many carriers in the U.S. and abroad. The HTC One release date is pegged for March 2013.

Rumors point to a March 22nd release date on U.S. carriers. T-Mobile offers an HTC One sign up page, but doesn’t include a firm release date or additional information for the HTC One.

The HTC One features a new design with mostly metal materials.

This short wait for the HTC One puts the iPhone 5 at a slight advantage, as shoppers can walk in and buy the iPhone 5 today, with no wait at most retailers.

The HTC One release date in March is tough for HTC as the phone will launch into a crowded market. In addition to the iPhone 5, the HTC One will meet the BlackBerry Z10 at a March launch and it looks like shoppers won’t be able to buy the HTC One until after the rumored Samsung Galaxy S4 launch. The HTC One may have a head start with an earlier U.S. Release date, but it will be competing with interest in the Galaxy S4, one of the most anticipated smartphones of 2013.

Design

The iPhone 5 and the HTC One looks slightly similar from the front thanks to the HTC One’s chamfered edges, but both phones offer a unique overall look and lust-worthy materials.

The HTC One features a full metal design that the company claims will not impact antenna reception. The “ZeroGap” construction allows polycarbonate materials to meld with the anodized aluminum back with lines running the back of the phone, around the camer and around the edges for added strength. The HTC One is well built with a very solid feel. Gorilla Glass 2 covers the 4.7-inch 1080P HD display.

HTC includes front facing stereo speakers on the HTC One with a dedicated amplifier and Beats Audio. The front facing speakers will give the HTC One an edge over the iPhone 5, which shoots sound out the side. The HTC One includes an IR port to control TVs, a metal volume rocker and a power button. The standard Android buttons are on screen, not physical.

The HTC One is thicker than the iPhone 5, measuring 9.3mm at the thickest point compared to the iPhone 5 at 7.6mm, but the edges of the HTC One narrow to almost 4.3mm thick. The HTC One is heavier than the iPhone 5 at 143 grams vs. the iPhone 5 at 112 grams.

The HTC One is thicker than the iPhone 5.

The iPhone 5′s industrial design is well known with a solid construction made of metal, aluminum and glass. The back of the iPhone 5 features a anodized aluminum center and glass on the top and bottom to allow for better reception. The iPhone 5 is taller than earlier versions thanks to the 4-inch Retina Display, but it remains shorter and narrower than the HTC One.

The iPhone 5 features a power button, volume buttons and a switch to silence the iPhone. The iPhone also includes a dedicated hardware home button.

Display

The HTC One features a 4.7-inch display, with a 1080 P HD resolution, which is larger and higher than the 4-inch 1136 x 640 resolution of the iPhone 5.

The HTC One features a 1080P HD display.

The iPhone 5′s 1136 x 640 resolution is not HD, but thanks to the smaller size it delivers 326 pixels-per-inch which translates itnto crisp images and a very good overall display.

The HTC One boasts an impressive 468 pixels-per-inch which looked fantastic during our hands on. In fact it might be better than the iPhone 5 with accurate looking colors and impossible to see pixels.

Both phones offer a wide screen 16:9 ratio that is suited for watching HD movies and TV, though media junkies will be drawn to the larger HD display on the HTC One.

Camera

HTC made a big deal about the HTC One Ultrapixel camera, claiming that it can capture 300% moe light than a standard smartphone camera for better looking photos and better low light performance. HTC says that the larger pixels can capture more light than 8MP cameras like the iPhone 5 uses.

The HTC One Ultrapixel camera pairs with the HTC ImageChip which delivers continuous autofucus and HDR. The camera boasts a f2.0 Aperture, which HTC says lets in 44% more light than the iPhone 5′s camera. The camera also sports Optical Image Stabilization to reduce blur in photos and shaky video footage. The HTC one can also capture 1080P HD video footage and features a 2MP frotn facing wide angle camera.

HTC has yet to release any HTC One sample photos at full resolution, but the image below shows what HTC claims is a low light photo take with the HTC One and the iPhone 5 in a bar with no flas

The iPhone 5 features an 8MP camera with image stabilization and an f/2.4 aperture. The iPhone 5′s camera performs well in most situations, though low light environments are troublesome. The iPhone 5 offers fast photo captures, 40% faster than the iPhone 4S according to Apple, and a a panorama mode.

The iPhone 5 also features a front facing FaceTime HD camera for photos and video. The HTC One’s wide angle front facing camera allows users to capture more of a group shot with the HTC One, similar to this wide angle vs. iPhone 5 comparison.

It’s tough to pick a winner in the camera department as we are waiting for real world sample photos from the HTC One.

Specs

Users who want to compare specs can do so below, and as with many iPhone vs. Android comparisons, the HTC One looks more appealing than the iPhone on paper.

iPhone 5 specs:

• 4-inch Retina Display with 1136 x 640 Resolution
• Apple A6 Processor
• 16GB/32GB/64GB models (No microSD Card Slot)
• 8MP rear camera/HD Front-Facing Camera
• 1440mAh Battery (Non-Removable)
• 1GB of RAM

HTC One specs:

• 4.7-inch Full HD Display with 468 PPI
• 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor
• 32GB/64GB models (No microSD Card Slot
• 4 Ultrapixel Rear Facing Camera / Wide angle 2MP front facing camera
• 2300 mAh Battery (Non-Removable)
• 2GB RAM
• NFC
• Bluetooth 4.0
• IR

In addition to the larger screen size, it is worth noting the inclusion of NFC and an IR port on the HTC One. NFC makes mobile payments possible and the IR port turns the HTC One into a remote control for most HDTVs and other devices.

Neither phone offers expandable storage with a Micro SD card or the ability to replace the battery. The HTC One is available in 32Gb and 64GB sizes, while the iPhone 5 is offered in a 16GB size as well.

Software

The HTC One runs the Android 4.1.2 with HTC Sense 5, a new version of HTC’s love it or hate it Android skin. HTC Sense 5 includes a new widget called HTC BlinkFeed which is a live home screen. BlinkFeed puts news and social feeds on the home screen as shown in the video below.

Also new in HTC Sense 5 is HTC Zoe, a live photo gallery that includes a 3 second video. Users can use this function to take 20 photos and a 3 second video at the push of a button. Also included is Peel remote control software that pairs to the IR port to allow users to control their home theater and HDTV.

The video below shows our favorite Android Jelly Bean features, which should be a part of the HTC one, even with HTC Sense 5.Because of the HTC Sense skin, Android updates typically take some time, so users may be in for a long wait to see any new Android 5.0 features. Android 5.0 is rumored for a May reveal.

The iPhone 5 runs iOS 6.1, which is Apple’s latest version of iOS. iOS 6 arrived in late 2012 with features like Passbook, Apple Maps, Do Not Disturb, Facebook integration and much more.

The iPhone 5 will see many speedy updates to iOS based on Apple’s previous performance, including a fast update to the next version of iOS. We expect that iOS 7 will be announced this summer at WWDC 2013, and that it could arrive soon after. Unlike Android updates, iPhone updates roll out to all current iPhones at the same time.

Carriers

The iPhone 5 is available on Verizon, AT&T and Sprint as well as a number of smaller and pre-paid carriers like Straight Talk in the U.S. iPhone 5 owners can also use the device on T-Mobile, but it can not be purchased from T-Mobile.

The HTC One will arrive on Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile in March, and supports LTE on all of these carriers. The HTC One will also arrive on Cincinnati Bell and on carriers across the globe. So far there are no announcements for a Verizon HTC One, which may not arrive given the recent Droid DNA launch and the lack of the HTC One X on Verizon.

Pricing

The iPhone 5 retails for $199 on a two year contract, with additional $100 increments for each jump in storage, all the way up to $399. Shoppers can also pick up an iPhone 5 off contract for $649 to $849.

HTC refused to announce the HTC One price and carriers are still mum, but odds are the HTC One will cost $199 on contract for the 32GB model and $299 for the 64GB HTC One. No word on off-contract HTC One pricing.