Key Specs
Display and Processor
The HTC One M9 sports a 5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080p full HD resolution, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 5.1-inch display with a 2560 x 1440p 2K resolution. Both are protected by Corning Gorilla 4. In simple terms, Samsung should trump HTC when it comes to the display, especially since the HTC One M9 sports the same display as HTC One M8, while Samsung has actually equipped the Samsung Galaxy S6 with a more advanced display. Samsung has done well with 2K displays, which the Note 4 and Note Edge sported, so definitely Samsung has an edge here. As far as the internals are concerned, the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with an octa core Exynos 7420 chipset with 64 bit processor. It is based on the latest 14 nm process that makes it more powerful. The company claims superior performance due to this technology. Also, there is 3 GB of RAM to render excellent multi-tasking performance. The HTC One M9 on the other hand, comes with a 64-Bit octa core Snapdragon 810 SoC. The Snapdragon 810 has four cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four at 1.5 GHz. The 810 might help you get more juice out of your smartphone since it can easily switch between the four fast and four slow cores, depending on how much power your device needs at the moment. The RAM capacity, just like the Samsung Galaxy S6 is 3 GB on board. It is difficult to call this one, so we would say that Samsung Galaxy S6 pips the HTC One M9 in terms of display. We cannot really come out with a verdict when it comes to the processor until our full review of both handsets, although the Samsung Galaxy S6 seems better on paper. The thing is that sometimes in recent times, the Exynos processor has given hard competition to the Snapdragon. For example, on Note 4, the Exynos version was better optimized.
Camera and Internal Storage
The Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with a 16 MP rear camera advanced camera system with OIS, IR white balance, F1.9 lens, fast tracking auto focus and other features. The HTC One M9 sports a 20.7-megapixel rear cam. Despite more megapixels, the HTC One M9 does not have OIS, so we are inclined to give the verdict in the favour of the S6. As far as the internals storage is concerned, the HTC One M9 comes in a 32 GB version, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes in 32 GB/ 64 GB and 128 GB versions. The front cam on the HTC One M9 is a 4-megapixel one, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 3.7-megapixel one. The HTC One M9 can capture 1080p videos at 30 fps from the front cam, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 can capture 1440p videos. The HTC One M9 sports expandable MicroSD storage up to 128 GB, but the Samsung Galaxy S6 lacks a MicroSD slot.
Battery and other features
The Samsung Galaxy S6 sports a 2550 mAh battery, while the HTC One M9 sports a 2840 mAh battery. The HTC One M9 comes with Android 5.0 Lollipop OS and Sense 7.0 UI, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 comes with Android Lollipop 5.0.2 and TouchWiz UI. Sense 7.0 makes your device more customizable with downloadable themes and icons that can be created based on your wallpaper. A Smart Launcher widget lets you easily launch your apps and new effects for the camera are things to look out for. The TouchWiz UI on the Samsun Galaxy S6 is a simple UI, having less bloatware than the usual Samsung deal. While the HTC One M9 sports a bigger battery, Samsung has actually delivered the goodies in the Samsung Galaxy Alpha. Also Samsung Galaxy S6 has an edge since it supports both rapid charging and Wireless charging. Other goodies on the Samsung Galaxy S6 are a Fingerprint Sensor and Mastercard and Visa certified Samsung Pay. We have no such goodies on the HTC One M9. Both devices are 4G compatible.
Conclusion
The HTC One M9 is an incremental upgrade to the HTC One M8, while the Samsung Galaxy S6 is actually a major upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S5. While the Samsung Galaxy S6 has learnt from the painful experience with the S5, the HTC one M8 was a marginally successful handset and the HTC One M9 has to build on that. Both seem exciting devices, although Samsung does have the leverage of a better brand value and a newer, better frame. What it will boil down to, in terms of actual performance will be the camera and that will be the major determinant of the better contender between the two.
