Apple iPhone 6S Vs HTC One M9 Vs Samsung Galaxy S6: Which one to buy!

The iPhone 6S, Apple’s possibly best iPhone has been presented and it is said to be one of 2016’s benchmark smartphones so it is at the very least expected that other big companies will be thrown to the line to improve their design and performance characteristics  and ultimately get the lead.

So let’s take a look at some of the most interesting rivals of the iPhone 6S, which are the HTC One M9 and the Samsung Galaxy S6.

For the record, HTC has tried again in the past to take on Apple and according to the public opinion, now the company is closer than ever.

Display                                                                         

Starting with the resolution as it is the clearest trait to determine, the iPhone 6S goes to the third and last place, right after the HTC One M9, while the first place belongs undoubtedly to the Galaxy S6, with a resolution of 1440 x 2560 pixels, a larger screen than the other two contestants and yet a bigger pixel density.

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Camera

The main camera on the other hand, is in favour of the One M9 which packs a 20MP shooter while the Galaxy S6 has a 16MP and the iPhone 6S a 12MP one.

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But then again, switching to the front side, the secondary camera is pretty close to the iPhone 6S and the Galaxy S6 as both feature a 5MP camera, but for the more tech addicts, the front shooter is at its best with the Galaxy S6, as it offers a higher resolution of 1440p at 30fps against the iPhone’s 1080p at 30fps. The One M9 sits this one out with a 4MP front camera.

Performance

And right about here, we probably reach to the most interesting part of the technical features comparison; the processors. The A9 is supposed to be faster than the iPad Air 2’s A8X chip, which is a monster. It is clocked at 2GHz and according to Apple it is 70% faster than the A8.

So it should be extremely fascinating to compare that to the Galaxy’s Exynos 7420 Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2.1 GHz Cortex-A57, and One M9’s Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810 Quad-core 1.5 GHz Cortex-A53 & Quad-core 2 GHz Cortex-A57 processors.

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Though, it could get messy to compare all three of those at once, so let’s start with two at a time. Between the Exynos 7420 and the Qualcomm MSM8994 Snapdragon 810, AnTuTu Benchmark Scores show that the Snapdragon chip is relatively better than the Exynos one.

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In fact, Samsung’s Exynos 7420 outperformed the Snapdragon 810 at run time, RAM operations and 3D graphics (by a lot)- but the Snapdragon 810 chip got better results at the RAM speed, multitasking and CPU integer, thus managing to get a total score of 61,499 while the Exynos got 60,978.

So that leads us to the A9 and the Snapdragon 810. That is kind of easier since the Snapdragon 810 has integrated LTE, uses big LITTLE technology and supports 4K resolution, things that the Apple A9 does not. At the same time, the Exynos 7420 got a higher GeekBench result than the Apple A9 (5478 against 4577).

As a result, we rank the Apple A9 to the third place, right behind the Exynos 7420 who goes second. The HTC One M9 wins this round with the best processor among the three of those.

And last but not least, we have to mention that all of the three phones have 3GB of RAM – it is still a spread rumour for the iPhone 6S – and many variants on the internal memory with the iPhone having 16GB, 64GB and 128GB and the Galaxy S6 32GB, 64GB and 128GB of internal storage -the One M9 comes only with 32 GB capacity.

Design                                                                                                  

This part of the comparison is the most subjective one. The certain thing is – according to the majority of users – that the Galaxy S6 has a more premium design while the iPhone 6S, following the iPhone 6 steps, just got a bit more elegant. As for the One M9, it’s the most playful one among them and sticks to the latest trends of fashion.

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Furthermore, it is worth mentioning that the iPhone 6S is slightly thicker than its ancestors and is built from a new 7000-series aluminium alloy, while the Galaxy S6 has glass on its main body with aluminium accents. On the other hand, the One M9 is also made of –lesser quality – aluminium but is splash resistant and IP X3 certified. Tough call huh?

Software                                                                                             

Speaking of tough calls, here is a tougher one. How can one actually compare two things that are so different? Apple’s iOS 9 that the iPhone 6S is based on and the Android 5.1 that the One M9 and the Galaxy S6 run with, have no similarities for the most part. To put this into perspective, here’s how things are: the Android OS offers a lot more possibilities to the user, allowing even programmers to interfere with the software at any degree they wish.

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So in other words, one can do whatever comes in mind with an Android OS on one’s device, but at the same time, both Samsung’s TouchWiz UI and One M9’s HTC Sense UI 7.0 are pretty hard to get familiar with, so a new entrant to the smartphone world could have a really hard time learning how to navigate and use the phone at its maximum capabilities.

Apple’s iOS 9 on the other hand, is an impressive update of the iOS 8. A lot of new features have been added, but the truth is, that the user of an iPhone 6S has limited options when using the software but at least it is a lot easier to use.

You’d be surprised by the simplicity of the iOS 9 and the iPhone’s UI. You don’t need to be an expert to take full advantage of the phone’s capabilities. In addition, Apple’s OS is considered by a lot, more attractive and eye catching.

Other Features

Each smartphone has its own unique features and those three all have a lot more than average.

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The iPhone 6S for instance, has the new 3D Touch which is a guided version of the Force Touch, a feature that allows you to complete different tasks and activities based on the pressure you apply on the screen each time. There is also the display zoom for those who’d like to change the size of texts and icons and of course the new “hey Siri” feature that makes Siri on your iPhone a lot more personal, as she can now know what you need before you need it.

The HTC One M9 on the other hand, has an automatic simultaneous video and image recording feature and the famous Quick Charge 2.0 gimmick, thanks to which the owner can charge up to 60% of the phone’s battery in only 30 mins.

As for the Galaxy S6, it has an impressive built-in wireless charging feature, the S Voice commands and the famous Smart Stay.

Battery

The battery can be tricky to compare, as aside from the mAh, one needs to also check the performance of each phone.

For instance, the Galaxy S6 packs a non-removable Li-Ion 2550mAh battery whereas the iPhone 6S is equipped with a non-removable Li-Po 1715 mAh one. While it may seem that the iPhone would need a charge faster than the Galaxy S6, it is more likely that the Galaxy S6 will die out first due to its extended and battery consuming performance that requires a lot more energy than the iPhone.

That is duly to Apple implementing the new A9 chip, which besides the fact that it delivers incredible performance results, it also consumes less energy compared to last year’s A8 processor.

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Same goes for the HTC One M9 and its Li-Po 2840 mAh battery. What may help, is to combine the battery with some of the detailed features mentioned above, such as the Quick Charge 2.0 or Samsung’s Wireless charging, thus maintaining the battery’s health at good standing as well.

Price

The price for the iPhone 6S is not known yet, but come September 25th, we expect to see Apple’s new smartphone somewhere between $700 and $1000 while the Samsung Galaxy S6 can already be purchased at a price ranging from $600 to $800. The HTC One M9 is available for $649. Of course prices vary according to the edition you opt for.

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The Verdict

To sum it up, if you want a smartphone that combines spectacular performance capabilities and a more affordable price, then the HTC One M9 is your match. For those who want to go a step further and are willing to invest more, then you should consider the Samsung Galaxy S6.

And finally, if you’re the type who prefer simplicity and class, then look no further than the Apple iPhone 6S.

Senior reviews editor at Technology News Extra.

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