Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs HTC One: Hardware Specs, Price, Release Date, and Features Compared

With the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 slated for release dates across various carriers in the next few days, it would be a good idea to compare it against some of the other flagship Android phones, which have hit the market this year. One such flagship is the HTC One, which, despite costing the Huge Taiwanese Company a lot to manufacture (compared to how many ended up buying it), has arguably been a critically acclaimed high watermark for Android smartphones in 2013. Let's compare HTC's offering with the latest from Samsung.

Display

If you want a big display, the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has it. Samsung managed to increase the size of the Samsung Galaxy Note 2's 5.5-inch display, while actually making the new iteration lighter and slimmer than its predecessor. The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 has a 5.7-inch screen with 1080 x 1920p Full High Definition resolution, packing 386 pixels per inch on its large screen.

Compared to that, the HTC One can't compete on size. But not everyone wants a phablet in their pocket, and the HTC One brings the same 1080 x 1920p resolution to its 4.7-inch display, packing a ridiculous, eye-popping 469 pixels per inch in its smaller screen. So with the HTC One, you're getting much better resolution (though at some point higher-definition Full HD has to become undetectable to the human eye, right?), while with the Galaxy Note 3, you'll get more screen real estate. Your mileage may vary with either, depending on what you want from a phone.

Size

Again, the HTC One has dimensions of 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3mm while the Galaxy Note 3 is a much larger 151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3mm. Do you have big pockets? Then the Galaxy Note 3 is no big deal. Because of the HTC One's aluminum chassis, it actually weighs close to the Samsung Galaxy Note 3, with both weighing 143g and 168g, respectively.

Power (Processor and Battery) 

Here's where the HTC One shows its (slight) age. It comes with a quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600, clocked at 1.7GHz and assisted by 2GB of RAM. That's an awesomely fast processor, but it's not as powerful as the newer quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800, clocked at 2.3GHz with 3GB of RAM, which the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 carries (and it's the first mobile device to feature that much RAM). 

Still, unless you're a feature-heavy user that excessively multitasks as a standard operating procedure on your smartphone, the difference shouldn't be noticeable. (Of course, with the new, upgraded S Pen, you can excessively multitask all the time, if you want.)

 And of course, the Galaxy Note 3 is still more future-proof.

The battery on the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a healthy 3,200 mAh, which it needs because it runs such a large screen and intensive hardware specs. It's rated to get up to 21 hours of talk time and 420 hours of standby. The HTC One has a smaller, 2,300 mAh battery, but with a smaller screen, it can still squeak out 18 hours of talk time and 480 hours of standby, making the two close to equivalent for battery power.

Camera and Storage

Some models of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 are slated to come with a 4K video-recording capability. Don't get too excited in the U.S., though. Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor in the U.S. versions does not support it. Only the international model, with Samsung's Exynos processor, can shoot ultra-high definition video.

Still, both phones are capable of shooting 1080p video, while the Galaxy Note 3 has a technical advantage of shooting in 60 frames per second rather than 30fps, which is the HTC One's max.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes with a 13-megapixel camera with image stabilization mode, while the HTC One has a 4-megapixel "Ultrapixel" camera. The larger sensor in the HTC Ultrapixel will generally get you better low-light shots, while the Galaxy Note 3 still struggles with low-light photography, while providing a higher megapixel count for zoom-in shots.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 comes in 32GB and 64GB onboard memory, with a 16GB version available, but harder to find. However, no matter how big the internal storage of the Galaxy Note 3 is, it has a microSD card slot for up to 64GB more of media storage, which the HTC One lacks. The HTC One comes in either 32GB or 64GB sizes, and that's all the physical storage you get.

Availability and Price

After a long haul, the HTC One is available on all major networks in the U.S., including Verizon. Because it's been on the market for a few months, the HTC One can cost as little as $100 with a 2-year contract, though most places still have it priced closer to $200 with an agreement, especially if you're getting one of the snazzy new blue variants. Prices vary, but an unlocked HTC One costs around $600.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 3 is a brand-new phone, so it will cost a brand-new phone price. It's launching on Oct. 1 for AT&T, Oct. 2 for T-Mobile, Oct. 4 for Sprint and Oct. 10 for Verizon. Most Note 3's will cost around $300 - give or take - with a two year agreement, while T-Mobile's plan gives you the device for $200 up front and 24 monthly payments of $21. An unlocked Samsung Galaxy Note 3 will cost you $725.