iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs One M8 head-to-head review

Apple, Samsung and HTC flagships pitted against one another in a smartphone battle

The battle between Apple and Samsung for control of the top-end smartphone market has been a yearly occurrence since the Korean firm released its first real iPhone challenger, the Galaxy S2, in 2011.

This remains true in 2014 when recent tech headlines have been dominated with all manner of comparisons between the Apple iPhone 6 and the Samsung Galaxy S5.

However, it's important for tech fans to remember that 2014 has seen a number of smartphones hit the market which, while not getting as much marketing time as the iPhone 6 and Galaxy S5, are just as impressive.

One of the biggest and most interesting of these is the HTC One M8. Unveiled in March, the HTC One M8 remains one of the best Android smartphones currently available and features a number of top notch components and software features.

Design and build
When it comes to design, the Galaxy S5 is for us the clear loser of the three for a variety of reasons.

First and foremost is its slightly cheap feeling metallic sides and polycarbonate back, which simply doesn't feel as high quality as the iPhone 6's and One M8's metal frames.

This isn't helped by the Galaxy S5's flat sides and back which, when compared with the iPhone 6's and One M8's slightly curved edges, make the 142x73x8.1mm, 145g handset the least comfortable to hold of the three.

Additionally, while being IP certified, meaning it is water resistant, we found the Galaxy S5 is the least drop and scratch resistant of the three. Be warned: the Galaxy S5's metallic sides will chip after even a moderate drop.

Picking between the iPhone 6 and One M8 is slightly trickier as both have great designs.

The iPhone 6 should be more comfortable in the hand as it is significantly smaller and lighter than the One M8, measuring 138x67x6.9mm and weighing 129g. By comparison the One M8 measures 146x71x9.4mm and weighs 160g.

However, holding the two we found that, despite its increased weight, the One M8 feels slightly more ergonomic. This is largely due to its curved back, which fits into the contours of your hand.

We also found that the One M8's premium brushed metal finish not only feels more luxurious than the iPhone's aluminium matte finish chassis, but is significantly more drop resistant and proved capable of surviving falls that would dent the iPhone 6.

Winner: The One M8

Next: Display and operating system.

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs One M8 head-to-head review

Apple, Samsung and HTC flagships pitted against one another in a smartphone battle

Display
Screen quality is a competitive area in the smartphone market, each vendor putting increasingly advanced display technology into their handsets. This remains true on the iPhone 6, Galaxy S5 and One M8, which all feature displays that have their own strengths and weaknesses.

When it comes to screen brightness the iPhone 6's 4.7in 1334x750 pixels 326ppi Retina HD display is the clear winner and easily outshines the One M8 and Galaxy S5. However, the iPhone 6 also features the lowest pixel per inch density of the three.

While most buyers won't initially notice a difference, we found with prolonged use the One M8's 5in, 1080x1920, 441ppi, Super LCD3 capacitive touchscreen and Galaxy S5's 5.1in, 1920x1080, 432ppi, Super Amoled touchscreen are noticeably sharper than the iPhone 6's.

This, combined with the One M8's and Galaxy S5's increased size, makes it more pleasant to do key things such as reading or editing documents on the Android handsets.

Moving on to colour balance and contrast levels we found that the One M8 and iPhone 6 are evenly matched and display realistic, vibrant colours.

Below them the Galaxy S5's screen, while very good, does have a tendency to oversaturate colours, although some users may actually see this as a positive.

Winner: Tie

Operating system
The HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5 are powered by heavily customised versions of Google Android 4.4 Kitkat, while the iPhone 6 runs Apple's latest iOS 8.1 operating system.

From a productivity standpoint both mobile operating systems are fairly evenly matched. For example, where the iPhone comes bundled with free versions of Apple's Pages for documents, Numbers for spreadsheets and Keynote for presentations apps, the Android handsets offer equivalent Google Drive, Now, Calendar and Gmail services.

However, it's important to note that the iPhone 6 is slightly more future proof from a software perspective than the Galaxy S5 and iPhone 6.

Apple has always been better at pushing software updates than competing Android handset makers thanks to its closed management strategy.

The strategy blocks developers using or tweaking iOS code, meaning that devices running iOS that meet update system requirements can be upgraded very quickly. By comparison Google lets device manufacturers alter Android's code to add custom software and services.

This delays how quickly handsets running customised versions of Android can receive Android updates as makers must tweak the custom code to work with Google's.

With Android 5.0 Lollipop on the horizon, this loses the Galaxy S5 and One M8 the round - although with HTC having pledged to upgrade the One M8 to Android 5.0 within 90 days of the update's release this may soon change.

Winner: The iPhone 6

Next: Security, performance and camera.

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs One M8 head-to-head review

Apple, Samsung and HTC flagships pitted against one another in a smartphone battle

Security
Recent reports about cyber criminal and government spook activities mean that most of us are more concerned than ever about mobile security. This is particularly true for Android which is currently listed by the majority of security firms as the most targeted mobile operating system.

Because of this we're a little disappointed that HTC didn't add any real security upgrades to the One M8, which relies on Android's inbuilt optional encryption and screen lock technologies.

By comparison Samsung has loaded the Galaxy S5 with an impressive array of security features. Chief of these are the phone's custom fingerprint scanner and Knox security service.

The scanner is stored in the Galaxy S5's physical home button and works the same way as the iPhone 6's Touch ID sensor, letting users set the handset to unlock or approve certain actions, such as NFC payments, only after its holder has proved their identity.

Knox is a sandboxing service that lets IT managers create a separate password-protected, encrypted and manageable work area on the phone.

While these are great, for us they still aren't enough to rob the security round from the iPhone 6 which, thanks to Apple's closed management policy for iOS, has yet to suffer a single recorded malware outbreak on non-jailbroken devices.

Winner: The iPhone 6

Performance
The iPhone 6 uses a custom 64-bit A8 processor while the Galaxy S5 and One M8 feature quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chips.

Featuring a 64-bit processor and running using iOS, which has lower system requirements than Android, the iPhone 6 should on paper be quicker than its Android competitors.

However, we struggled to pick a clear winner on performance. The iPhone 6, Galaxy S5 and One M8 all proved capable of dealing with demanding processes, such as 3D gaming, hassle free.

Applications and web pages opened in milliseconds on all three, and in general we didn't notice any performance issues with the iPhone 6, One M8 or Galaxy S5.

Winner: Tie

Camera
While HTC keeps making a big deal about the One M8's 4.1MP UltraPixel rear camera, comparing it with the Galaxy S5's 16MP and iPhone 6's 8MP cameras we found it was the clear loser when it comes to photo quality.

Taken on the iPhone 6

UltraPixel is a custom technology created by HTC designed to improve quality by creating larger pixels that can capture 300 percent more light than a regular camera. UltraPixel also lets the camera shoot photos, apply filters and share images faster.

Taken on the Galaxy S5

While the speed tests ring true, the fact is the low megapixel count means images taken on the One M8 are not as crisp as those taken on the Galaxy S5 or iPhone 6.

Next: Camera continued, battery, storage, price and conclusion.

iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 vs One M8 head-to-head review

Apple, Samsung and HTC flagships pitted against one another in a smartphone battle

Picking between the Galaxy S5 and the iPhone 6, we found the Samsung handset's 16MP sensor is superior. Comparing the shots taken on the Samsung handset with Apple's photos taken on the Galaxy S5 we found the Samsung images were sharper and featured better contrast levels.

Taken on the One M8

Pitting the three handsets' front-facing cameras against one another we found the iPhone 6's 1.2MP, Galaxy S5's 2MP and HTC One M8's 5MP front sensors were all more than good enough for video calling. While some may point out that the One M8's 5MP front camera makes it better for selfies, we honestly can't see this being a big selling point for business buyers.

Winner: The Galaxy S5

Battery
Battery life is a problem on most smartphones and, despite work from hardware firms, most still struggle to make it more than one to two days from one charge. This remains true on the iPhone 6, Galaxy S5 and One M8, which are all unable to survive more than two full days from one charge.

However, powered by a 1,810mAh battery the iPhone 6 was the worst of the three and generally lasts one to one and half days before dying.

The Galaxy S5's 2,800mAh battery and One M8's Li-Po 2,600mAh battery performed slightly better and generally lasted one and a half to two days.

The Galaxy S5 and One M8's lead is also aided by their respective built-in battery-saving technologies which let owners squeeze as much as 10 extra hours' life once the phone's battery reaches 10 percent - although it does this by turning off all non-essential features and severely impeding performance.

Winner: Tie between the Galaxy S5 and One M8

Storage
The iPhone 6 is currently available with 16GB, 64GB or 128GB of storage, putting it above the Galaxy S5 which is available with 16GB or 32GB and the One M8 which is available in the UK with 16GB.

However, it's worth noting that the iPhone 6 is the only one of the three not to feature a microSD card slot. The slot means that the One M8 and Galaxy S5 can have a further 128GB added in storage.

This means the One M8 can theoretically feature a maximum of 144GB, while the Galaxy S5 can boast a huge 160GB.

Winner: The Galaxy S5

Price
Apple products always carry a premium price tag which is why we were surprised to find the iPhone 6 the cheapest option of the three at £540 for the basic 16GB model. The One M8 16GB version costs £550 while the 16GB Galaxy S5 will set you back a premium £580.

Winner: The iPhone 6

Overall winner: The iPhone 6
While the Galaxy S5 and iPhone both won three rounds - although one of the Samsung handsets was technically a tie with the One M8 - for us at V3 the Apple handset is the overall winner.

Even though the Galaxy S5 can theoretically feature more storage, has a longer battery life and better camera, the iPhone 6 countermands this for enterprise customers by offering improved security and better assurance that it will be able to receive future software updates.

While the One M8 won only two rounds, including the battery round where it tied with the Galaxy S5, by offering an unmatched premium design, stellar display and great performance it remains a solid choice for any buyer looking for a more consumer oriented handset.