Customers look at HTC smartphones in a mobile phone shop in Taipei
Customers look at HTC smartphones in a mobile phone shop in Taipei in this July 30, 2013 file photo. Taiwanese smartphone vendor HTC Corp said on May 6, 2014 it projects revenue in April-June to almost match that of a year earlier thanks primarily to sales of new flagship One M8 beating those of its predecessor. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang

The brand new HTC Desire Eye (aka HTC's selfie phone) has recently been unveiled in a special event and the release date is pegged for November. The Samsung Galaxy S5, on the other hand, was released in April. Readers who are interested in purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S5 or the HTC Desire Eye should check out this comparison.

Display, Exterior And Size

The HTC Desire Eye features a 5.2-inch LCD display and 1,080 x 1,920 pixels resolution, whereas the Galaxy S5 comes with a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display but the resolution is same as the HTC handset. While the Samsung device comes with a pixel density of 432 ppi, the HTC handset logs 424 ppi.

When it comes to the exterior, the HTC Desire Eye features high quality plastic body when compared to the HTC One M8. Also, the handset comes with a physical camera shutter button. HTC has improved the front and rear camera units and in the process the unique Duo Camera seen in HTC One M8 is removed. Overall, the Desire Eye is a worthy flagship when compared to the One M8, opines ZDNet. Meanwhile, the Samsung device comes with a perforated/dotted rear panel design synonymous to high-end Samsung handsets. Nevertheless, the surface is matte-effect laden instead of the inexpensive shiny look seen in other Samsung smartphones, says CNet.

Speaking of size, the thickness and weight of the Desire Eye are 0.33-inch and 154 g respectively, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S5 is 0.32-inch thick and weighs 145 g. Therefore, the Samsung handset is both lighter and thinner than the Desire Eye.

Hardware, Software And Memory

Both the handsets are powered by the same quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 801) Krait 400 processor. However the processors of the Samsung and HTC handsets are clocked at 2.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz, respectively. In addition, both the handsets are backed by the same 2 GB of RAM.

Moreover, the Galaxy S5 runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with TouchWiz UI, while the Desire Eye runs on Android 4.4.2 KitKat OS with HTC Sense 6 UI. When it comes to memory, the Samsung handset provides 16 GB and 32 GB of in-built storage options, while the HTC handset settles for 16 GB. Expectedly, both the handsets support expandable storage up to 128 GB.

Camera And Battery

The Galaxy S5 sports a 16 MP primary camera unit with LED flash and a 2 MP secondary snapper. The HTC Desire Eye, on the other hand, houses a 13 MP rear-facing camera with dual-LED (dual tone) flash. In addition, the HTC handset features a killer 13 MP front-facing camera unit, staying true to the name selfie phone. The surprising feature, however, is the frontal flash. Meaning, there is a dual-LED (dual tone) flash for capturing impressive selfies as well.

Also HTC's front and back camera units can capture 1080p video. Interestingly, there is a Split Capture feature that can divide the captured image into 50:50 with the help of images shot from the front as well from the rear shooters. Plus, there is a Crop-Me-In option that can embed the HTC Desire Eye user's image into any other image, more like photo-shopping the image. Additional camera-centric apps include HTC Eye Experience and HTC Zoe, reports GSM Arena. And as far as the battery goes, the Galaxy S5 houses a good Li-Ion 2800 mAh unit, while the HTC handset settles for Li-Ion 2400 mAh battery unit.

Additional Features

1. HTC Desire Eye comes with a microphone located near the selfie camera unit. Seemingly, HTC has gone overboard with the microphones in the new handset. In addition to the frontal microphone there is one on the back and another one on the tail-end of the handset. Meaning, there is a total of three microphones for quality audio reception helped by noise cancellation, says GSM Arena.

2. The Galaxy S5 features the much-loved fingerprint scanner for unlocking the device and also for making mobile payments, while the Desire Eye doesn't. However, both the devices come with water- and dust-resistant exterior (IP67/IPX7 certified).

3. While the Samsung device supports micro-SIM, the HTC handset employs nano-SIM. Other than the standard connectivity options, both the devices support 4G LTE and NFC. In addition, the Samsung handset supports Infrared port, whereas the Desire Eye doesn't.

4. The Galaxy S5 comes equipped with wireless charging facility. On the other hand, the HTC Desire Eye features the famous HTC BoomSound speakers.

5. The unique HTC Zoe app provides collaborative video editing on the Desire Eye handset. In addition, Zoe can integrate with RE, the new stand-alone camera from HTC. In any case, global Android users have a reason to smile. HTC Zoe is not exclusive to HTC handsets. The company is planning to release Zoe to all Android users. Plus, Zoe's Apple iOS compatible version will be released later in 2014.

6. The unique HTC Eye Experience camera app is not exclusive to Desire Eye. Users of HTC One (M8), One (E8), One Mini, One (M7), One Mini 2, Desire 612, One Max, One Remix and Desire 816 will also receive the app shortly.

Price

The Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone is priced at AU$589.95 in Australia. Meanwhile, the HTC Desire EYE will be AT&T-exclusive upon release. According to the French website NWE, the HTC Desire Eye is priced at €529 in France that roughly translates to US$671 and AU$766.

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