Samsung Galaxy S6 vs HTC One M8: What We Know So Far

The Samsung Galaxy S6 will soon offer a new option for smartphone shoppers that many users should wait for and all signs point to a metal design that many HTC One fans love on the HTC One M7, M8 and the rumored HTC One M9. Our Samsung Galaxy S6 vs HTC One M8 comparison will help set expectations for users who are thinking of upgrading from the HTC One M8 to the Galaxy S6 or who are trying to decide which of these they should buy.

Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors are arriving faster than ever as we pull within two weeks of the Galaxy S6 announcement and the HTC One M8 is almost a year old, which means we know a lot about this device.

While we don’t know everything about the Samsung Galaxy S6 we have a very good idea of what to expect and thanks to the latest leaks we have a great Galaxy S6 concept that shows what it could look like.

Read: Galaxy S6 Concept Brings Rumors to Life

The Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 competed for the last year and on the same day that Samsung plans to announce the Galaxy S6 we expect to see HTC show off the HTC One M9. Many buyers will be looking at those two devices, but for users who are upgrading or comparing deals with the latest smartphones this is a look at what we know so far.

Although some rumors pointed to a 5.5-inch Galaxy S6 it now looks like the device will be closer in size to the HTC One M8 that includes a 5-inch display. The HTC One M8 stood out in the Android market with a metal design, but it looks like the Galaxy S6 will deliver that major upgrade this year.

We can’t know everything about the Galaxy S6, but thanks to several key leaks we have a good idea what Samsung will announce. Here is how the Galaxy S6 vs HTC One M8 comparison stacks up.

Samsung Galaxy S6 Release Date

The Samsung Galaxy S6 announcement is on March 1st in Barcelona, Spain. This is at the start of Mobile World Congress 2015. There will be a live stream of the event for users to watch from home.

We expect a fast Galaxy S6 release after the event and recent reports delivered two potential ranges for a Galaxy S6 release date.

Currently rumors point to vacation blackouts from March 22-30 and April 19-27 for Samsung Mobile employees. And the same dates are blacked out for Samsung retail employees in a memo that tells workers, “Exciting things are just around the corner!”

There is a very good chance that the U.S. Galaxy S6 release date will take place during one of these time periods and that we will see Galaxy S6 pre-orders before the release.

The HTC One M8 release arrived in early 2014, right after the announcement.

Design

The HTC One M8 refined the metal design from the first HTC One to deliver a phone that felt better in the hand and it came with HTC Advantage that covered one cracked screen replacement within six months at no additional cost.

Read: HTC One M8 Review

Leaks show a Samsung Galaxy S6 design that uses a metal frame and possibly a glass back like you can see in our Galaxy S6 renders. The video below shows off what the Galaxy S6 design might look like.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 dimensions in our concept are 143.30 x 70.81 x 6.91 mm, which are in line with rumors. The exact measurements may change. This is similar to the HTC One M8 dimensions of 146.4 x 70.6 x 9.4 mm, but a little shorter overall.

We expect to see a new home button that delivers a fingerprint reader that users can press a finger on to unlock the phone, similar to how Touch ID works. The HTC One M8 does not include a fingerprint reader.

HTC includes a Micro SD card on the One M8 and we expect to see Samsung continue to offer this. There is no user-replaceable battery on the HTC One M8 and we could see Samsung follow this trend as part of the upgraded design.

Display

The Samsung Galaxy S6 display will likely deliver an upgraded 2K resolution with a 5.1-inch screen. The HTC One M8 offers a 5-inch 1080P display. This means the Galaxy S6 will deliver a 2,560 x 1,440 resolution with 575 pixels per inch compared to a 1,920 x 1,080 resolution with 441 pixels per inch on the HTC One M8.  The Galaxy S6 display rumors come from multiple leaks including some on Samsung’s own website.

Samsung already demonstrated that they can make a great looking, power friendly 2K display with the Galaxy Note 4, so it isn’t that much of a shock to see this upgrade. If the Galaxy S6 display is anything like the one in the Note 4, which received a lot of praise, you can expect an amazing way to use the phone.

A 1080P display like on the HTC One M8 isn’t bad, it’s a pretty common resolution still, but the higher resolution screens can show more detail in photos and videos.

All signs also point to two Galaxy S6 models, including one with a curved edge that could be the Galaxy S6 Edge. Expect a higher price, and possible a slower release for this model. Read our Galaxy Note Edge impressions for a look at what the curved screen can do on a Samsung phone.

Specs

You can’t judge a phone on specs alone, but when you look at the rumored Galaxy S6 specs next to ehe year-old HTC One m8 specs there are some clear upgrades.

• 64-bit Exynos 7 Processor
• Android 5.0 Lollipop with TouchWiz
• 5.1-inch Quad HD display – 2560 x 1440 – 575 pixels per inch
• 32GB storage in U.S. with support for 128GB micro SD cards
• 5MP front-facing camera
• 16MP or 20MP camera with Optical Image Stabilization
• 4G LTE
• 802.11ac WiFi
• IR port
• Touch fingerprint sensor
• NFC

 

The HTC One M8 lacks a fingerprint sensor and the camera did not live up to the hype. The front-facing speakers on the HTC One M8 deliver loud clear sound, that the competition has a hard time matching.

• 2.3 GHz Quad-core Snapdragon 801
• 5-inch 1920 x 1080p HD display
• 2GB RAM
• 32GB internal storage (Micro-SD expansion support)
• 4 Ultrapixel camera (new second Duo Camera) and 5MP front, dual flash
• Android 5.0.1 Lollipop with Sense Available or Coming Soon
• Front facing speakers
• infrared port for remote
• NFC
• 2,600 mAh battery

We expect a 16-20MP camera on the Samsung Galaxy S6 with Optical image stabilization. This should deliver better photos in low light. On the front, expect a 5MP sensor with support for a wide-angle selfie feature. Expect similar options to the Galaxy Note 4 camera app, shown below.

The HTC One M8 features two rear-facing cameras that use larger pixels and great photo editing software that let you blur the background, create a video of your recent photos and videos and perform other tasks, but the photos aren’t as sharp as we would like.

Software

The HTC One M8 runs Android 5.0.1 on several carriers and an update is on the way for many others. The Samsung Galaxy S6 will arrive with Android 5.0 Lollipop, possibly Android 5.0.1 or Android 5.0.2.

The video below shows the HTC Sense 6 software on the HTC One M8 including BlinkFeed and other HTC tweaks that change the look of Android slightly and adds features.

We don’t know what the Galaxy S6 software will look like, but the rumors indicate Samsung will tone down the TouchWiz changes and the added apps that normally come with a Samsung device. We saw this trend from the Galaxy S5 to the Galaxy Note 4 and expect greater slimming of bloat for the Galaxy S6.

Carriers & Price

You can buy the HTC One M8 on all major U.S. carriers including Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and US Cellular. The HTC One M8 is also available on pre-paid networks like Net10, GoPhone, and other smaller regional carriers. On a two year contract at a carrier store you can expect to pay $99 to $199 when you sign a new two-year contract. You can also buy the HTC One M8 on Amazon for $99 on most carriers. There are also $0 down options if you want to pay for the price of the phone ove the course of a year or longer without a service contract.

You can expect the U.S. Galaxy S6 carriers to include as AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular. DOn’t count on pre-paid options right away or regional carriers. We are waiting for pricing information, but you can count on $199 to $249 on contract and an off contract price from $650 to $680. This would equal out to a $25 to $30 a month payment with many of the $0 down options.