The HTC One flagship smartphone has finally been revealed, after weeks of teaser pics and simultaneous launch events in London and New York.
But how does the aluminum unibody HTC One compare to the smartphone to beat, the iPhone 5?
Display
The One is bigger by far than the iPhone 5 -- 4.7 inches to the iPhone's 4 inches. But bigger isn't always better, as people with small hands will attest. However, the One's screen is also more detailed. It boasts a 1920x1080, 468ppi display. The iPhone can only muster an 1136x640 screen at 326 ppi. But the bigger size comes at a cost; the HTC Once weighs a full ounce more than the iPhone 5.
Processor
These are a bit harder to compare, as iPhones run Apple's proprietary chips. The A6 in the iPhone 5 is good. The 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon 600 in the HTC One is better than most other Android phones.
Storage
$199 and a contract gets you a 16 GB iPhone 5. The same price will net you a 32 GB HTC One. Both are available in models up to 64 GB. Neither has an SD slot.
Operating System
The iPhone runs iOS 6.1, just like every other Apple mobile device in the world. The One comes with a totally revamped version of Sense, HTC's own Android skin. Sense is considered by most to be prettier and easier to use than other Android skins, and HTC has gone out of its way to integrate social media into this version. Of course, an elegant interface at the expense of some customizability is Apple's thing, so Sense is up against stiff competition. If you like Android but are unimpressed with Samsung's TouchWiz, you'll probably like Sense.
Camera
The iPhone has a a typical 8 megapixel camera. It's good. HTC is trying something new with the One. The camera is only 4 megapixels, but HTC has branded them "UltraPixels." They're larger than typical photo sensors, so HTC says they capture 300 percent more light than normal smartphone cameras, allowing photos in low-light conditions that otherwise would yield a gray blur. While the resolution suffers a bit, HTC is betting it will still be good enough for web or mobile viewing.
For now, the HTC One looks like a worthwhile competitor to the iPhone 5. But Apple will surely wow with it's next iteration of its standard-bearer, due out later this year.