HTC One M9 vs iPhone 6 War Starts with a Selfie

At the HTC One M9 announcement, HTC couldn’t help but slam the iPhone in the middle of the show to call out what it calls the “other front camera” in a comparison that shows a major edge to the HTC One M9 for users who love selfies and rely on video conferencing to get through the day.

The upgraded front camera on the HTC One M9 lets users take, “fabulous selfies in even the most challenging low light situations.”, according to Drew Bamford, Creative Labs VP at HTC.

In the HTC One M9 video the company avoids calling the device an iPhone 6 and obscures the home button and other identifying marks, but it is clearly a HTC One M9 vs iPhone 6 comparison.

The new HTC One M9 features a Ultrapixel front-facing camera that HTC shows letting in much more light for better looking photo and more detail when zoomed in. Of course a demo like this on stage will favor the HTC One M9 that it is designed to promote, but it is interesting to see how HTC thinks the HTC One M9 beats the iPhone 6.

Here’s a closer look at the slam HTC delivered on stage right after confirming larger pixels and a f/2.0 aperture with a ultra-wide angle lens. This setup allows 300% more light, according to HTC, but it’s not clear if this is a direct comparison to the iPhone 6 or to another smartphone. The list below outlines the HTC One M9 vs iPhone 6 camera comparison.

https://youtu.be/BWhM_oHr558?t=46m9s

• iPhone 6 front-facing camera – 1.2Mp, f/2.2 aperture, 720P video recording
• HTC One M9 front-facing camera – 4MP, larger ultra pixels, f/2.0 aperture with a ultra-wide angle lens

Bamford boasts the HTC One M9 is, “without a doubt this is the best mobile imaging on the market for your selfies and video calls on the go.” Here’s a look at the comparison that HTC showed on stage.

In the image above you can see HTC’s representation of the iPhone 6 take a group selfie in low light that turns out dark, without a lot of detail. In the next moment the HTC One M9 appears in the hands of an enthusiastic man who takes a selfie that is much brighter and looks better than the first photo. See the images above and below, but keep in mind this is a promotional segment of the HTC One M9 announcement so it will undoubtedly make HTC look good. The best comparison will be in the wild after the HTC One M9 release.

After taking the two photos HTC shows what it looks like to zoom in on the selfie, highlighting a cat. In the iPhone 6 version there is not much to see with the cat fairly dark and obscured in shadows and low light. The HTC One M9 version shows the cat in more detail complete with colors and whiskers.

It’s still too early to tell if this HTC One M9 vs iPhone 6 camera slam will hold up in the real world. Photos and videos on stage, especially in a prepared video are not often a great example of what a regular user can do with the device once it is out in the wild.

The HTC One M9 release is mid-March in the U.S. and the iPhone 6 is already on store shelves. HTC targeted Apple in the event with this dig and by releasing a HTC Grip fitness band that works with the iPhone and includes GPS, which the Apple Watch Sport is lacking. Surprisingly there was no mention of Samsung on stage. Samsung will announce the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge later today. You can watch the Galaxy S6 live stream to see what Samsung will offer.