HTC One smartphone lures potential customers with UltraPixel camera and Beat Audio system apart from other features. Sony Xperia Z on the other hand is thin and comes with waterproof body. Both the phones are flagship devices of the manufacturers and below comparison is warranted to help you choose one while buying your next smartphone.
Design
Both the smartphones stand out from the crowd in terms of its design and build quality. HTC One is the best built and best designed phone and Sony Xperia Z is also not far behind in these aspects.
HTC One is wrapped with plastic and aluminium body and does not look or feel cheap or second rated phone. The device is light weight and slim.
Sony Xperia Z is slimmer than HTC One and by weight it is exactly the same. Xperia Z is taller with 5-inch screen and HTC One sports 4.7-inch screen. The Xperia Z has aesthetically pleasing aspect with its fully flat design and squared edges. Its large silver power button makes the device look great.
Screen
HTC One offers a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels but due to its shorter screen it offers higher pixel density of 469 ppi. Sony Xperia Z offers 441 ppi and same resolution. Resolution wise both the phones are incredibly sharp. Identifying individual pixels are not possible with naked eye. Browsing and text reading are of great experience on the two. The Xperia Z may seem too big because of its large screen but person without small hands may find it easy to use as it is with HTC One.
HTC One uses LCD3 screen where as the Xperia Z sports TFT panel and is powered by Mobile Bravia technology. This is one of the major differences between the two phones but it is hard to call which phone is step up to the other.
Interface
Both the smartphones run on Android 4.1.2 mobile operating system and are upgradeable to Android 4.2 in future. Usually it has been noticed due to manufacturers own UI skins several Android phones have poor interface but Samsung and HTC have changed the thought. HTC’s Sense 5 UI in HTC One phone has reduced lot of earlier versions clutter. The BlinkFeed in the UI offers FlipBoard-style pictorial newsfeed on the homescreen. It is amazing idea and looks great. Sony too has installed several widgets on its Xperia Z to make it compete strongly with other high-end phones.
Processor and memory
Sony Xperia Z is powered by Qualcomm quad-core Snapdragon S4 Pro processor at 1.5GHz and the HTC One comes with newest generation Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor clocked at 1.7GHz. Both have 2GB of RAM.
Internet and connectivity
Both phones are equipped with larger screens so using browsers in high-resolution display is great. There is no issue with panning, scrolling and zooming while surfing Internet. Sony Xperia Z comes with Google Chrome browser, which is not the fastest mobile browser. Also, the browser does not support Adobe Flash. HTC browser on the other hand has handy drop down menu and on/off key. It also runs site with Flash.
Both the smartphones support LTE networks, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, A-GPS, NFC and DLNA. HTC One phone also comes with an infrared beamer to help you control TVs and set-top boxes with it.
Camera
HTC One comes with 4-megapixel rear UltraPixel camera and Sony Xperia Z is mounted with 13-megapixel Exmor RS camera sensor at the rear side. The HTC One is equipped with 2 micron pixels technology so it offers almost the same image quality as any 8-megapixel or 13-megapixel camera offers.
Multimedia
Sony Xperia Z and HTC One both have usual grid format galleries with thumbnail previews of photos and videos.
Sony has used the Walkman branded music player with minimalistic interface. Its equalizers and sound modes are great. HTC One’s music player comes with just Beats Audio present.
Battery
Both the smartphones have equal capacity sealed batteries. The HTC One is fueled by 2300 mAh battery and Sony Xperia Z is powered by 2330 mAh battery.
Price and value
Both the mobile makers have not been able to offer their flagship smartphones this year at a price people would take notice. It is learned and rumored the devices will be made available at around £500 SIM-free.
HTC One vs Sony Xperia Z – Which is better ?
Sony Xperia Z may look a bit rough due to its edges compared to that of HTC One that is sleek but it may be easy to operate with one hand. The Xperia Z is also equipped with waterproof chassis and this will be one of the main reasons for careless owners to buy it.
HTC One wins over Xperia Z due to its great extra features such as IR blaster and superior video capture.
