Samsung and HTC have managed to stay in the limelight, despite a plethora of flagship models slated for release this year.
Samsung Galaxy S6 and HTC One M9 are expected to be released soon, so all the media attention is only natural. The flagship makers have remained silent on the releases but leaked reports and rumours have enabled us to get an idea of what to expect in these upcoming phones. Based on the reports, here are the top features of both flagships compared side-by-side.
Processor
There is tough competition in the smartphone industry to choose the most advanced processor on board with the latest flagship. Qualcomm being the favorite SoC provider for almost all high-end phones, it is evident that both flagships from Samsung and HTC will sport a Snapdragon chip. In Qualcomm's series, the Snapdragon 810 is the latest chip and most likely to power the HTC One M9.
In case of Samsung Galaxy S6, there are conflicting reports that point towards an updated Snapdragon 810 chipset. That's the latest claim by Wall Street Journal, citing an anonymous source. It seems fitting, as there were reports of Samsung facing overheating issues with the Snapdragon 810 in the Galaxy S6 during early tests.
In terms of performance benchmark with Snapdragon 801 chipset, HTC and Samsung flagships will not differ vastly.
In other reports, Samsung has also been developing its own Exynos 7 octa-core chip with Cat 9 LTE. But nothing is official yet on which chipset will be used by the Korean tech giant.
Display
Display size makes up for a major part of the exterior design. In Samsung Galaxy S6, reports suggest a 5.2-inch or a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED display with Quad HD resolution while the HTC One M9 is expected to bag a 5-inch display with Full HD resolution or a 5.5-inch Quad HD display.
Design
Samsung is looking to woo its audience with a groundbreaking design for the Galaxy S6, as the company pins its hopes on it to revive dominance in the flagship race lost to Apple. The Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to feature a full aluminum unibody or at least a metal frame as seen in Galaxy Note 4.
As for HTC One M9, the company is not expected to deviate from its signature design. Reports suggest the HTC Hima will look almost identical to the current flagship One M8. There were recent leaked snapshots of One M9 that showed the upcoming flagship with an all-metal body with few modifications to the button placements. The power button has been moved from the top to the side of the device while the volume keys are split. The dual-speakers will be a part of the phone's design like other models.
Camera
There is going to be a close war in this category among smartphones. Samsung Galaxy S6 is expected to have a 16MP or 20-megapixel rear-facing camera with a 5-megapixel front snapper. If rumors are to be believed, HTC will ditch its UltraPixel sensor for the rear camera with a 20-megapixel shooter. Also, there is going to be an Ultra Pixel snapper in the front for taking selfies.
Other Specs
Besides a powerful processor, Samsung and HTC will make room for at least 3GB RAM with Android 5.0 Lollipop. The interface will be entirely different in both handsets, as the Galaxy S6 will sport an updated TouchWiz while HTC will feature Sense 7.0 UI for its new flagship.
Price and Release
Both Samsung and HTC are expected to launch their new flagships at the coveted Mobile World Congress in March. If things proceed as planned, the two flagships will be up for sale in spring.
In the US, these handsets will be sold for $199 with a two-year contract, which is the norm for renowned flagships. But in other regions, the flagships will settle for approximately $650.
