Galaxy S6 vs HTC One M9: What We Know Right Now

In 2015 two of the most highly anticipated and sought after Android smartphones will be Samsung’s new Galaxy S6, and of course the upcoming HTC One M9. Both devices have been rumored for months, and as the new year moves forward more and more details continue to appear. Here we take a look, based on rumors, at how these two flagship smartphones stack up against each other.

Last year the Samsung Galaxy S5 was announced at the end of February and released in April for those in the United States, and the HTC One M8 arrived on March 27th for some and eventually in April for most carriers stateside. And while we don’t know exactly what each company has planned for its devices in 2015, below we’ll rundown how they differ, what each could offer, and detail some of the specs and rumors we’ve heard thus far.

Read: HTC One M9 vs HTC One M8: What We Know So Far

The Samsung Galaxy S6 rumors have been arriving at an emerging rate lately, but so far they’re nothing but rumors. That being said, the HTC One M9 has already leaked in the flesh if the latest photos are real, and HTC themselves have already confirmed when they’ll debut the new HTC One M9. These will be two important releases in 2015, so lets take a look.

In 2014, the HTC One M8 was rumored for months and leaked countless times before being revealed, so there was no surprises when it was released at the end of March. We heard HTC had plans to keep the new HTC One M9 under wraps, but that isn’t working out so well. The same can’t be said about the Galaxy S6, as Samsung does an excellent job keeping its releases a complete secret.

We’ve already seen leaks of the specs as well as some potential confirmations of those, images surfaced yesterday, and Bloomberg has already heard a few small details about the One M9 and are sharing them with the public. We have most of the details already, but a few reports are claiming different things. The Galaxy S6 though, is still a mystery even if we do have a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Display

First up is the display, since that is an extremely important aspect of both these devices and something all buyers look at. As for the HTC One M9, we’re hearing it could come with a larger 5.5-inch Quad-HD display to battle the competition, but today’s latest leak suggests they’ll stick to a simple 5-inch 1080p HD display. This will help keep the device size down, and deliver good battery life.

Samsung will be doing something similar, according to reports, and stick with the same 5.1-inch display but deliver a much improved 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD Super AMOLED display with a 577ppi density. Meaning if HTC stays at the 1080p technology from last year, Samsung will have a clear edge in this category.

Of course these are all only rumors for now, but with strong evidence based on photos of the HTC One M9, it looks like they’ll keep the screen at 5-inches and we’ll have to wait until March 1st to find out all the details.

The Galaxy S5 won many awards for the display last year, and Samsung will look to continue that by delivering one of the best Quad-HD displays on the market inside the new Galaxy S6. In the end we’ll have to wait for more rumors or the actual announcements, but it appears that Samsung may be taking the lead again this year.

Design

In 2015 the Samsung Galaxy S6 will reportedly finally receive a major design overhaul that many buyers have been asking for. That being a brushed aluminum design similar to the Galaxy Note 4, and possibly other changes. Some love the aluminum of the HTC One M8, while others argue the lightweight and durable plastics used by Samsung are the best route. Everyone has a different preference, but things will be different this year.

The HTC One M9 will reportedly look nearly exactly like last years release. Featuring the same aluminum design in the same main three color options, be slightly thicker for a bigger battery and better camera, but for the most part remain the same.

As for the Galaxy S6 though, everything is up in the air. We’ve heard of an all aluminum design, metal sides only similar to the Galaxy Note 4, and even a glass back with a new design to the dedicated home button for an improved fingerprint scanner. It’s all hard to gauge this early on, but soon enough more photos and details will come to light. For now though, expect both phones to look rather similar to last year, but with minor improvements and adjustments. The Galaxy S6 will have more changes though, that’s almost a guarantee.

Specs

Again, everything here is based on rumors and hearsay, so we’re taking everything with a grain of salt. That being said, many of these leaks and details come from rather reliable and accurate sources. Things are subject to chance, but below are the raw hard numbers and spec sheets based on what we’ve heard thus far. It could all be deadly accurate, or things could change by the time these phones arrive. Take them as you will, and we’ll know for sure soon enough.

Galaxy S6 Specs (Rumored)

• 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display with a 577ppi density
• 64-bit eight-core CPU (Maybe Snapdragon 810, or Samsung’s own Exynos Chipset)
• 20MP camera sensor with OIS, 5MP front-facing camera
• 32GB/64GB/128GB storage
• Wireless charging w/ 2550 Mah battery
• Samsung Pay
• Metal/Glass design

HTC One M9 Specs (Rumored)

• 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 Quad-HD screen (Could be 5-inch 1080p)
• 2.3 GHz 8-core Snapdragon 810 processor (64-bit)
• 3GB of RAM
• 32GB of internal storage and a micro-SD slot for expansion
• 20 MP rear facing camera and 4 Ultrapixel front shooter
• Android 5.0.1 Lollipop and HTC Sense UI 7.0
• Dual HTC Boomsound Speakers with Dolby 5.1 Audio Technology
• 2,880 or 3,000 mAh battery
• more

The HTC One M9 rumors have shed a lot more light on its release than that of Samsung, but that’s to be expected. Two of the biggest things to take away here are whether or not HTC will increase the screen size and resolution, and if the rumors of metal and glass for the Galaxy S6 are accurate.

Another problem could be the rumored 2,550 mAh battery on the Galaxy S6. This would be a huge step backwards, and something we doubt is an accurate leak. The Galaxy S5 had a 2,800 mAh battery, and if anything the new Galaxy S6 will pack a bigger batter, not a smaller one. Lastly, one rumor claims Samsung will no longer offer a removable back and replaceable battery, and the Galaxy S6 won’t have a micro-SD slot either. That’s doubtful, given they’ve offered this for years, including on the latest Galaxy Note 4.

Sadly nothing is confirmed until each manufacturer announces it themselves, so take most of this with a large grain of salt. However, the HTC One M9 seems like a lock in terms of specs, all but the display. Either way these will potentially be two of the best smartphones available in 2015.

Release Date

This is where things get interesting. Each of these two manufacturers are trying to beat each other, and everyone else to market. Last year HTC struck first by announcing and releasing the HTC One M8 on March 27th, but most US carriers didn’t get it until April. That said, we knew about the Galaxy S5 before HTC made those announcements because the Galaxy S5 was announced in February at an event in NYC, but didn’t get released for US buyers until April.

In 2015, we’re hearing both the Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 will be revealed in March in an attempt to beat the others. HTC has already sent out invitations for a March 1st launch date, but we’re not sure if that will be the release date too. It makes sense given they did it the same day last year, so we’ll have to wait and see.

As for the Samsung Galaxy S6, we’ve heard they’ll also use the first week of March at the annual Mobile World Congress event to showcase the Galaxy S6. However, the past two years Samsung’s made major announcements at their own private events to steal the limelight, rather than at an event with hundreds of other products.

If this year is anything like last year the Galaxy S6 will be revealed in late February, ahead of the HTC One M9, and they’ll both be released around the same timeframe.

Sadly we don’t have an exact date, but it’s looking more and more likely the HTC One M9 will be available on March 1st, which could be well ahead of the Galaxy S6. Of course both of these phones should launch on all five major carriers in the United States, as well as many regional options at a later date. We’ll update the moment more information becomes available.

Camera

While we briefly mentioned this above, another thing many buyers consider when purchasing a smartphone is in regards to the camera. The HTC One M9 will finally be able to compete, after failing last year with the One M8 and its Duo Camera. The HTC One M9 will have a 20.7 megapixel rear camera, and a 4 Ultrapixel front shooter for selfies.

Samsung’s Galaxy S6 is rumored to have a similar offering delivering a 20 megapixel camera with optical image stabilization around back, and a 5 MP camera on the front side. HTC’s recent moves to focus on the camera should be a good thing for buyers, and these could be two of the most capable smartphone cameras in 2015.

Final Thoughts

In closing, we’re not really sure what to expect here. It looks and sounds like HTC is fine with delivering a very similar but slightly improved experience in 2015 with the HTC One M9, while we’re hearing Samsung is taking major steps to shake up the Galaxy S lineup to offer something new, unique and different to buyers.

One thing is clear though, and that is that both of these smartphones will be among the best options in 2015, and will be here within the next 2-3 months, if not sooner. The wait for your next flagship Android 5.0 smartphone isn’t very long, so stay tuned and we’ll be sure to update with more details as they become available.

Are you sold on the rumors for either of these devices. Drop a comment below with what you’re expecting, and which flagship smartphone you’re most excited about.