Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. HTC One (M8): Leather and steel

Leather and steel

GSMArena team, 17 April 2014.

Display

HTC made the jump to a 5" screen in this One generation (from 4.7"), while Samsung added only 0.1" to arrive at 5.1". The difference in screen real estate is a mere 4%, really too small to mention. What does make a big impact on usable screen surface area are the buttons.

Samsung Galaxy S5 Vs HTC One M8 Samsung Galaxy S5 Vs HTC One M8
5.1" Super AMOLED screen on the Galaxy S5 • 5" LCD on the HTC One (M8)

The on-screen buttons of the HTC One (M8) eat up a good portion of the screen, so the actual usable area on the Galaxy S5 is nearly 12% more. In fact, the previous HTC One and its 4.7" screen (but off-screen buttons) has only 5% less usable screen surface than its successor.

But enough talk about size, the screen technology of the two phones is quite different too. HTC uses Super LCD3, while Samsung uses its in-house Super AMOLED. Both have 1080p resolution and nearly the same pixel density - 441ppi and 432ppi - down to the small difference in the diagonal.

The few points of pixel density don't affect things as much as the matrix type. The LCD has three sub-pixels per pixel, while the current generation of Super AMOLED uses a diamond arrangement so sub-pixels are not grouped into standard pixels.

Still, the Super AMOLED matrix has fewer sub-pixels per inch, which drops its perceived sharpness. At those pixel densities, the differences to the human eye are negligible though.

What has a bigger impact on screen image quality is contrast, colors and viewing angles. HTC used some of the best LCDs in the business - it's bright, has a high contrast ratio and great viewing angles. The black levels are also quite good for such a bright LCD.

AMOLEDs have perfect contrast and viewing angles, great colors too. Their issue is calibration, but Samsung has finally gotten it perfect - the Galaxy S5 has several screen modes and the Cinema mode gives you the most accurate color rendering.

Brightness is another issue AMOLEDs commonly have, but the Galaxy S5 screen does not - it's not quite as bright as the One (M8) LCD, but the difference is pretty small and easily compensated by the lower reflectivity of Samsung's new panel.

Display test 50% brightness 100% brightness
Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio Black, cd/m2 White, cd/m2 Contrast ratio
Samsung Galaxy S5 0 274 0 529
Samsung Galaxy S4 0 201 0 404
HTC One (M8) 0.20 245 1219 0.46 577 1256
LG G2 0.10 149 1522 0.45 667 1495
HTC Butterfly S 0.15 165 1117 0.43 451 1044
Oppo Find 5 0.17 176 1123 0.51 565 1107
Apple iPhone 5 0.13 200 1490 0.48 640 1320

The reflectivity is, in fact, a very important consideration. Both phones use Gorilla Glass 3 for protection, but Samsung's screen reflects less light, making it a lot easier to read in direct sunlight. The HTC One (M8) reflects more and that takes its toll on sunlight legibility.

Sunlight contrast ratio

  • Nokia 808 PureView
    4.698
  • Apple iPhone 5
    3.997
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
    3.997
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
    3.549
  • Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
    3.419
  • Nokia Lumia 925
    3.402
  • Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
    3.352
  • Samsung Omnia W
    3.301
  • Samsung Galaxy S
    3.155
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 mini
    3.127
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
    3.118
  • Nokia N9
    3.069
  • Samsung Galaxy Note
    2.970
  • Sony Xperia Z1
    2.950
  • HTC One S
    2.901
  • BlackBerry Q10
    2.856
  • Samsung Galaxy S II
    2.832
  • Samsung Galaxy S II Plus
    2.801
  • BlackBerry Z30
    2.790
  • Huawei Ascend P1
    2.655
  • Sony Xperia ZR
    2.672
  • Nokia Lumia 900
    2.562
  • HTC One Max
    2.537
  • Nokia Lumia 720
    2.512
  • HTC One
    2.504
  • Sony Xperia Z
    2.462
  • Samsung Galaxy S III mini
    2.422
  • HTC One (M8)
    2.371
  • Motorola RAZR i
    2.366
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II
    2.307
  • Apple iPhone 4S
    2.269
  • HTC Desire 600 dual sim
    2.262
  • LG Nexus 5
    2.228
  • HTC One X
    2.158
  • Nokia N8
    2.144
  • Oppo Find 5
    2.088
  • BlackBerry Z10
    2.051
  • Apple iPhone 4
    2.016
  • HTC One mini
    2.003
  • LG G2
    1.976
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia ray
    1.955
  • Samsung Galaxy Camera
    1.938
  • LG G Pro 2
    1.922
  • HTC Butterfly
    1.873
  • Huawei Ascend P6
    1.865
  • Sony Xperia V
    1.792
  • Sony Xperia U
    1.758
  • Meizu MX3
    1.754
  • LG Optimus 4X HD
    1.691
  • HTC One V
    1.685
  • BlackBerry Q5
    1.682
  • LG Optimus Vu
    1.680
  • LG Optimus GJ
    1.666
  • HTC Desire V
    1.646
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
    1.622
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra
    1.578
  • Samsung Galaxy Core
    1.563
  • LG Optimus G Pro
    1.552
  • LG Optimus 3D
    1.542
  • Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
    1.542
  • Nokia Asha 302
    1.537
  • Sony Xperia M
    1.473
  • Nokia Lumia 610
    1.432
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
    1.393
  • Sony Xperia E1
    1.372
  • Gigabyte GSmart G1355
    1.361
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand
    1.321
  • HTC Desire C
    1.300
  • Nokia X
    1.291
  • Nokia Asha 501
    1.270
  • LG Optimus L7
    1.269
  • LG Optimus L9
    1.227
  • Meizu MX
    1.221
  • Sony Xperia E dual
    1.203
  • Samsung Galaxy Pocket
    1.180
  • Sony Xperia tipo
    1.166
  • Samsung Galaxy mini 2
    1.114

Samsung's screen also has a high-sensitivity mode that works with gloves and allows the phone to detect your finger hovering over the screen. That's used for the Air View gestures.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5. Better sunlight legibility is the biggest contributor for the win, but details like more surface area, perfect contrast and colors, the sensitivity start to pile up quick.

The HTC One (M8) certainly has a great display, let down in this head to head comparison mostly by its relatively higher reflectivity.

Battery life

The two competitors are very close in terms of battery capacity - 2,800mAh for the Galaxy S5 vs. 2,600mAh for the One (M8). That's a barely 8% advantage for the Samsung and indeed our endurance ratings are nearly equal, 72 hours and 71 hours.

Even though AMOLED and LCD are quite different in terms of power consumption, in the individual categories both phones perform nearly identically.

For 3G calls, the Samsung Galaxy S5 lasts an hour longer than the HTC One (M8). Still, with both devices toping 20 hours, it's enough that other uses (web browsing, videos, etc.) will drain the battery before calling does.

Talk time

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
    46:44h
  • Nokia Lumia 625
    30:58h
  • Nokia Lumia 1520
    28:34h
  • Sony Xperia Z1
    26:53h
  • Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
    25:45h
  • LG G Pro 2
    25:37h
  • LG G Flex
    25:19h
  • Huawei Ascend Mate
    25:12h
  • Alcatel Hero
    25:02h
  • Oppo N1
    25:01h
  • LG G2
    25:01h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
    24:52h
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra
    24:23h
  • Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
    22:42h
  • Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
    22:16h
  • HTC One Max
    22:13h
  • Nokia Lumia 1320
    22:13h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
    22:13h
  • Nokia Lumia 1020
    22:13h
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
    21:20h
  • Motorola RAZR MAXX
    21:18h
  • LG Optimus G Pro E985
    20:45h
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
    20:42h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
    20:24h
  • Motorola RAZR i XT890
    20:07h
  • HTC One (M8)
    20:01h
  • BlackBerry Q10
    20:00h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
    19:55h
  • Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
    19:54h
  • Sony Xperia SP
    19:49h
  • HTC Butterfly S
    19:14h
  • Oppo R819
    19:03h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
    18:12h
  • Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
    18:03h
  • Sony Xperia ZR
    17:48h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
    16:57h
  • HTC Desire 700 dual sim
    16:56h
  • Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
    16:41h
  • Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
    16:40h
  • LG Nexus 5
    16:40h
  • Sony Xperia Z
    16:03h
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
    15:32h
  • LG Optimus G E975
    15:30h
  • Sony Xperia ZL
    15:22h
  • Nokia Lumia 720
    15:17h
  • BlackBerry Q5
    14:31h
  • Pantech Discover
    14:17h
  • Huawei Ascend P6
    14:17h
  • Oppo Find 5
    14:17h
  • Nokia Lumia 620
    14:17h
  • LG Nexus 4 E960
    14:17h
  • Nokia Lumia Icon
    14:15h
  • Motorola Moto G
    13:41h
  • HTC One
    13:38h
  • Nokia Lumia 520
    13:33h
  • HTC One X+
    13:31h
  • Sony Xperia C
    13:29h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
    13:20h
  • Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
    13:10h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
    12:45h
  • LG Optimus GJ E975W
    12:39h
  • HTC First
    12:31h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR M
    12:31h
  • Sony Xperia M
    12:31h
  • Sony Xperia L
    12:30h
  • Huawei Ascend P1
    12:30h
  • Nokia Lumia 928
    12:27h
  • HTC Butterfly
    12:18h
  • Samsung Galaxy S III I747
    12:18h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note N7000
    12:14h
  • HTC One mini
    12:04h
  • HTC Desire 600 dual sim
    11:58h
  • Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
    11:58h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
    11:52h
  • HTC Desire 500
    11:31h
  • Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
    11:30h
  • HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
    11:25h
  • Asus PadFone 2
    11:20h
  • HTC DROID DNA
    11:07h
  • Samsung S8600 Wave 3
    11:07h
  • LG Optimus L9 P760
    11:07h
  • HTC One SV
    11:07h
  • HTC Windows Phone 8X
    11:07h
  • Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
    11:06h
  • HTC Desire X
    11:03h
  • Meizu MX3
    11:02h
  • Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
    11:01h
  • Apple iPhone 5s
    10:46h
  • Apple iPhone 5c
    10:18h
  • Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
    10:15h
  • Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
    10:03h
  • Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
    10:00h
  • Meizu MX 4-core
    10:00h
  • HTC One V
    10:00h
  • HTC One X
    9:57h
  • HTC One S
    9:42h
  • HTC One S C2
    9:42h
  • Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
    9:40h
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
    9:32h
  • HTC Sensation XL
    9:30h
  • Sony Xperia J
    9:14h
  • Nokia Lumia 810
    9:05h
  • Acer CloudMobile S500
    9:05h
  • Nokia Lumia 710
    9:05h
  • Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
    9:04h
  • HTC Vivid
    9:02h
  • Nokia Lumia 920
    8:56h
  • Nokia Lumia 610
    8:51h
  • HTC Rhyme
    8:48h
  • Apple iPhone 5
    8:42h
  • LG Optimus 3D Max P720
    8:42h
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
    8:41h
  • Meizu MX
    8:39h
  • Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
    8:35h
  • Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
    8:28h
  • Nokia Lumia 800
    8:25h
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250
    8:23h
  • Nokia Lumia 510
    8:22h
  • Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
    8:21h
  • BlackBerry Z10
    8:20h
  • Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
    8:20h
  • Sony Xperia T
    8:15h
  • HTC Rezound
    8:10h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note I717
    8:02h
  • LG Optimus Vu F100S
    7:57h
  • Apple iPhone 4s
    7:41h
  • LG Optimus 4X HD P880
    7:41h
  • Samsung Focus S I937
    7:25h
  • Nokia Lumia 900
    7:21h
  • Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
    7:14h
  • Samsung Rugby Smart I847
    7:09h
  • Nokia Lumia 820
    7:09h

The Galaxy S5 also outlasts the One (M8) in browsing, though only by half an hour. Note that at 50% brightness (the setting we use for the test), the Galaxy screen is actually a bit brighter than the One screen (274 nits vs. 245 nits). At equal brightness, the half hour of the Galaxy will extend a bit more.

Web browsing

  • Sony Xperia C
    12:45h
  • Nokia Lumia 1520
    12:40h
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
    12:37h
  • HTC Desire 700 dual sim
    12:30h
  • LG G2
    11:22h
  • HTC One Max
    11:20h
  • Sony Xperia ZR
    11:20h
  • HTC Butterfly S
    11:07h
  • Nokia Lumia 1320
    10:58h
  • BlackBerry Q5
    10:04h
  • HTC One
    9:58h
  • Apple iPhone 5s
    9:58h
  • Apple iPhone 5
    9:56h
  • Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
    9:54h
  • Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
    9:47h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
    9:43h
  • Alcatel Hero
    9:40h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
    9:37h
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
    9:36h
  • LG G Pro 2
    9:31h
  • LG G Flex
    9:31h
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
    9:16h
  • Motorola RAZR MAXX
    9:12h
  • HTC One (M8)
    9:06h
  • Oppo N1
    9:05h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
    9:05h
  • Apple iPhone 5c
    9:05h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
    9:04h
  • Motorola Moto G
    9:04h
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
    8:51h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
    8:48h
  • BlackBerry Q10
    8:42h
  • Asus PadFone 2
    8:20h
  • Nokia Lumia 810
    8:20h
  • Huawei Ascend Mate
    8:17h
  • Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
    8:17h
  • HTC One mini
    8:12h
  • Nokia Lumia 610
    8:01h
  • HTC One X+
    7:56h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
    7:43h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR M
    7:42h
  • Sony Xperia E dual
    7:42h
  • Samsung I8190 Galaxy S III mini
    7:38h
  • Nokia Lumia 720
    7:37h
  • Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
    7:35h
  • Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
    7:24h
  • Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
    7:23h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
    7:23h
  • HTC Radar
    7:17h
  • Nokia Lumia 520
    7:15h
  • LG Optimus GJ E975W
    7:11h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
    7:09h
  • Sony Xperia M
    7:09h
  • Meizu MX3
    7:09h
  • Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
    7:09h
  • Nokia Lumia 625
    7:07h
  • Motorola RAZR i XT890
    7:06h
  • Sony Xperia J
    7:06h
  • Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
    6:58h
  • Apple iPhone 4s
    6:56h
  • Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
    6:54h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
    6:54h
  • HTC One V
    6:49h
  • LG Optimus G Pro E985
    6:40h
  • Sony Xperia L
    6:40h
  • Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
    6:40h
  • HTC DROID DNA
    6:40h
  • Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
    6:40h
  • Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
    6:40h
  • BlackBerry Curve 9380
    6:40h
  • Sony Xperia E
    6:40h
  • HTC First
    6:39h
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
    6:38h
  • Sony Xperia Z
    6:37h
  • Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
    6:35h
  • HTC Desire 600 dual sim
    6:34h
  • HTC Desire 500
    6:31h
  • Huawei Ascend P6
    6:30h
  • Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
    6:27h
  • BlackBerry Z10
    6:27h
  • HTC Butterfly
    6:24h
  • Sony Xperia SP
    6:18h
  • Samsung Galaxy S III I747
    6:16h
  • HTC One SV
    6:15h
  • Samsung Focus S I937
    6:15h
  • Nokia Lumia 510
    6:13h
  • Sony Xperia ZL
    6:04h
  • Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500
    6:03h
  • Samsung P6200 Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus
    6:02h
  • Oppo R819
    6:01h
  • HTC Windows Phone 8X
    6:01h
  • Sony Xperia Z1
    5:59h
  • Sony Xperia ion LTE
    5:56h
  • Samsung Galaxy Fame S6810
    5:55h
  • Samsung Rugby Smart I847
    5:53h
  • Pantech Burst
    5:51h
  • Nokia Lumia 1020
    5:50h
  • HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
    5:48h
  • Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
    5:45h
  • Nokia Lumia 920
    5:40h
  • Nokia Lumia 928
    5:36h
  • Samsung S8600 Wave 3
    5:34h
  • Pantech Discover
    5:33h
  • Oppo Find 5
    5:33h
  • Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
    5:33h
  • Sony Xperia T
    5:33h
  • Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
    5:28h
  • Nokia Lumia 900
    5:25h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note I717
    5:24h
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra
    5:23h
  • Samsung Galaxy S Duos S7562
    5:23h
  • HTC Sensation XL
    5:20h
  • Meizu MX 4-core
    5:19h
  • Nokia Lumia Icon
    5:17h
  • HTC Desire X
    5:16h
  • HTC Rezound
    5:16h
  • Sony Xperia acro S
    5:16h
  • LG Optimus G E975
    5:15h
  • HTC Rhyme
    5:08h
  • Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
    5:07h
  • LG Optimus L9 P760
    5:02h
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
    4:50h
  • LG Optimus Vu F100S
    4:49h
  • LG Nexus 5
    4:46h
  • HTC Vivid
    4:46h
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos S6802
    4:45h
  • Meizu MX
    4:35h
  • LG Nexus 4 E960
    4:34h
  • Nokia N9
    4:33h
  • Acer CloudMobile S500
    4:32h
  • Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
    4:24h
  • Nokia Lumia 820
    4:24h

In the final round, both phones are virtually equal. Again, the brightness should be considered though here the two front-facing speakers of the HTC One (M8) are more important to the experience.

Video playback

  • LG G Flex
    19:57h
  • Motorola RAZR MAXX
    16:35h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX
    14:17h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3
    13:32h
  • Samsung I9190 Galaxy S4 mini
    13:12h
  • Nokia Lumia 1020
    13:12h
  • HTC One Max
    13:11h
  • Sony Xperia C
    12:53h
  • Samsung Galaxy Premier I9260
    12:51h
  • Nokia Lumia 1520
    12:31h
  • Samsung I9505 Galaxy S4
    12:30h
  • BlackBerry Q5
    12:28h
  • Huawei Ascend Mate
    12:18h
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab Pro 10.1 LTE
    12:10h
  • LG G2
    11:51h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note 3 Neo
    11:38h
  • Samsung P6800 Galaxy Tab 7.7
    11:37h
  • Samsung I9500 Galaxy S4
    11:29h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note II N7100
    11:27h
  • Oppo N1
    11:15h
  • BlackBerry Q10
    11:15h
  • HTC One (M8)
    11:14h
  • Samsung Galaxy S5
    11:05h
  • Apple iPhone 5s
    10:31h
  • Apple iPhone 5
    10:12h
  • HTC First
    10:03h
  • HTC One
    10:02h
  • Sony Xperia Z1 Compact
    10:01h
  • Samsung Galaxy Express I8730
    10:00h
  • Samsung I9105 Galaxy S II Plus
    10:00h
  • Nokia 808 PureView
    9:53h
  • Alcatel Hero
    9:49h
  • Sony Xperia M
    9:49h
  • Samsung I8530 Galaxy Beam
    9:42h
  • Samsung Rugby Smart I847
    9:34h
  • Samsung Galaxy S4 zoom
    9:30h
  • HTC One S
    9:28h
  • HTC One S C2
    9:28h
  • Samsung I9300 Galaxy S III
    9:27h
  • Apple iPhone 4s
    9:24h
  • Samsung Galaxy mini 2 S6500
    9:22h
  • Nokia Lumia 1320
    9:17h
  • HTC Butterfly S
    9:03h
  • Motorola DROID RAZR M
    9:00h
  • Sony Xperia E
    9:00h
  • Samsung Ativ Odyssey I930
    8:59h
  • Sony Xperia Z Ultra
    8:45h
  • BlackBerry Z10
    8:44h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand 2
    8:41h
  • LG Optimus G Pro E985
    8:40h
  • Nokia N9
    8:40h
  • Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3 I9200
    8:34h
  • HTC Butterfly
    8:28h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note N7000
    8:25h
  • LG Optimus GJ E975W
    8:15h
  • Samsung Galaxy S III I747
    8:14h
  • HTC One X+
    8:11h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand I9082
    8:11h
  • Motorola RAZR i XT890
    8:11h
  • Sony Xperia J
    8:11h
  • Samsung I9100 Galaxy S II
    8:00h
  • Samsung Focus S I937
    7:55h
  • Samsung S8600 Wave 3
    7:52h
  • HTC Desire 500
    7:50h
  • Samsung I8190 Galaxy S III mini
    7:46h
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia neo V
    7:45h
  • Apple iPhone 5c
    7:41h
  • Asus PadFone 2
    7:38h
  • Huawei Ascend P1
    7:38h
  • Nokia Lumia Icon
    7:34h
  • Samsung Galaxy S Blaze 4G T769
    7:33h
  • Sony Xperia ZR
    7:30h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core I8260
    7:30h
  • HTC DROID DNA
    7:30h
  • Samsung S7710 Galaxy Xcover 2
    7:30h
  • Samsung Galaxy Note I717
    7:30h
  • Sony Xperia SP
    7:27h
  • HTC One mini
    7:23h
  • Nokia Lumia 610
    7:23h
  • LG Optimus G E975
    7:16h
  • Samsung I9295 Galaxy S4 Active
    7:03h
  • Samsung Galaxy Grand Neo
    6:55h
  • Huawei Ascend P6
    6:55h
  • HTC One SV
    6:55h
  • Pantech Discover
    6:55h
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace 3
    6:54h
  • Nokia Lumia 928
    6:54h
  • HTC DROID Incredible 4G LTE
    6:51h
  • HTC Desire 600 dual sim
    6:49h
  • Nokia Lumia 720
    6:43h
  • Huawei MediaPad 7 Vogue
    6:40h
  • Motorola Moto G
    6:37h
  • Nokia Lumia 900
    6:37h
  • Meizu MX 4-core
    6:33h
  • Nokia Lumia 620
    6:32h
  • Nokia Lumia 625
    6:29h
  • Sony Xperia E dual
    6:27h
  • HTC Windows Phone 8X
    6:27h
  • HTC Desire 700 dual sim
    6:26h
  • Nokia Lumia 810
    6:26h
  • Samsung Galaxy Ace Duos S6802
    6:25h
  • Nokia Lumia 820
    6:25h
  • Nokia Lumia 510
    6:23h
  • LG Optimus Vu F100S
    6:23h
  • Samsung I9103 Galaxy R
    6:21h
  • Nokia Lumia 920
    6:19h
  • Sony Xperia Z1
    6:12h
  • HTC Sensation XL
    6:12h
  • LG Nexus 5
    6:06h
  • Samsung Galaxy Pocket S5300
    6:06h
  • Samsung i927 Captivate Glide
    6:04h
  • Sony Xperia ion LTE
    6:03h
  • Samsung Galaxy Nexus I9250
    6:02h
  • Motorola ATRIX HD MB886
    6:01h
  • Sony Xperia T
    6:01h
  • HTC Vivid
    6:00h
  • HTC Radar
    5:54h
  • Oppo R819
    5:54h
  • LG Optimus L9 P760
    5:53h
  • Nokia Lumia 800
    5:52h
  • Nokia Lumia 520
    5:50h
  • LG G Pro 2
    5:49h
  • BlackBerry Bold 9790
    5:47h
  • HTC One X
    5:45h
  • Sony Ericsson Xperia pro
    5:44h
  • Sony Xperia Z
    5:39h
  • Meizu MX3
    5:38h
  • Pantech Burst
    5:38h
  • HTC Desire X
    5:38h
  • Sony Xperia acro S
    5:38h
  • Samsung Galaxy Core LTE
    5:34h

With mostly equal performance on the individual test, it should come as no surprise that the overall ratings are almost on par. The Galaxy S5 is slightly less efficient in standby mode, which is what prevents it from scoring higher than it does.

Note that both flagships have power saving modes that are absolutely frugal – they disable big chunks of functionality, leaving only the basics. This allows you to squeeze several hours out of each remaining battery charge percentage point.

The Galaxy S5 even switches to a black and white screen mode, which is more efficient on an AMOLED. The HTC One (M8) doesn’t have this luxury since the backlight needs to be on regardless of color.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S5. This was very close indeed, the Galaxy S5 never really outlasted he HTC One (M8) by more than an hour. That's still more than nothing and the replaceable battery will be helpful for those who don't mind carrying a spare. In some regions the Galaxy S5 has wireless charging, in others a wireless charging back cover is an optional accessory.

To be fair, most people don't have a spare battery and very few use wireless charging. The battery life of the HTC One (M8) by itself is very good – almost as good as that of the Galaxy S5.

Reader comments

  • kk
  • 28 Dec 2019
  • CGH

bad battery

  • yogesh
  • 29 Nov 2016
  • 7wC

I want to what's the quality of main(secondary) camera of htc M8

  • Glokings
  • 09 Jan 2016
  • UDy

The phone is very good, how much is it