The Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One are going to be the top contenders for this year in the Android world, but who out of these two flagships will make it to the very top?

Build Quality

Both HTC and Samsung have worked hard on creating a design for both of their flagship handsets and both have taken different approaches. Whilst the Galaxy S4 has a lightweight plastic body, the One has a heavier sturdy metal build.

Obviously what you choose comes down to preference, and there are many that would go for the plastic design over the metal one. However, over all the HTC One has a much more premium build over the Galaxy S4, and the plastic body is undeserving of the high price that Samsung ask for the phone. The HTC One looks nicer, and the extra weight has been balanced well to fit comfortably in the hand. 

As always, HTC has worked hard on producing a quality build and it’s something that stands out. The Galaxy S4 on the other hand is dull and repeats heavily off of the same shape and size of the last year.

The S4 has gone for a bigger screen, but the size difference is incomparable, especially when the lesser size of the HTC One helps lead to the gorgeous screen quality.

In terms of screen display, the Galaxy S4 has gone the route of Samsung’s own technology with the Super AMOLED, whilst the One goes with the Super LCD 3. Which of the two is better? It’s hard to say, but the Galaxy S4 has mastered high contrast colors and a decent brightness, whilst the HTC One is also a lot more visible in broad daylight.

User Interface

Android is such a versatile system that writing a review on a handset can come down to just the OS and the overlay, and it would still be a large review, and with manufacturers working hard on their own software features, it’s no longer just about what version of Android each version is equipped with out of the box.

Although it is important to note the the Galaxy S4 comes with 4.2.2, whilst the One comes with a very slightly downgraded 4.1.2. Both are Jellybean, and the difference between the two versions is minimal.

Although the HTC One’s software looks nice, it still lacks the functionality that the Galaxy S4 includes, such as software features like Multi-window that allow the use of multiple apps at once, and Smart Stay that can track your eye movement to help you with onscreen actions. The Galaxy S4 definitely wins in the software front, but if it is anything like the TouchWiz on the GS3, the phone is so jam-packed with features that you’ll most likely end up scrolling through dozens of menus to find software enhancements that you may or may not ever use.

Camera

Both phones have great cameras, and it’s hard to say what one is the best to go for unless you have a specific reason to purchase a smartphone with a good camera. But if you’re like the rest of us and want a smartphone that can take a quick snap here and there, you’ll have to weigh out the options and make a difficult decision.

On the software side the HTC One has Zoe mode that can take snippets of video of each shot, giving you an interesting multimedia experience attached to each of your photos, whilst the GS4 has tons of features to help fetch you the best shot in a social situation, such as Drama Shot, Story Album, and Sound and Shot.

When it comes to the actual cameras, the Galaxy S4 manages to give a finer detail whilst having a very low noise level, however, the Galaxy S4 falls short when it comes to night time and low light shots, and the HTC One does well in most conditions, but the GS4 still comes out on top.

Summary

Like many decisions in life, the choice between these two smartphones will come down to preference. The GS4 has a very solid software experience, whilst HTC offers a nice UI and homescreen functionality. The GS4 beats the HTC in terms of hardware and camera performance, but the build quality of the One is far superior to the plastic Galaxy S4.

Making a decision is a hard one, and the only way to tell who should come out on top is by watching the sales of the handsets over the next year. Only then will we tell who the smartphone 2013 crown should go to.

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