Face Off: HTC One M8 vs. Samsung Galaxy S5 vs. Sony Xperia Z2

For the original German article, see here.
After the big three manufacturers introduced an update of their high-end smartphones within a very short time, and we already reviewed all three devices, it is now time for a comparison: Which device wins the crown for the best high-end Android smartphone?
Is it HTC with the One M8? Excellent speakers, an ergonomically shaped metal case and interesting camera features sound promising. But Sony also offers a successful update with the Xperia Z2. They managed to improve many details compared to the predecessor Xperia Z1 and included front facing speakers as well. The current leader in this category, however, comes from Korea: The Samsung Galaxy S4. Samsung obviously wants to keep this top spot: The Galaxy S5 is supposed to convince us with many new features, an even better display and improved battery runtimes.
We are going to determine a winner in every category that gets two points. The second place gets one point and the third place gets nothing. It will be interesting...
Case
The first impression is often the deciding one. Similar to cars, the chassis design is an important factor when you buy a smartphone. The manufacturers try to beat the rivals with high-quality materials and special designs, especially with their high-end devices.
If you pick up the HTC One M8, it is immediately noticeable that it feels very good in the hand. The curved back can really improve the haptics. HTC uses the high-quality material, metal, and the three available colors also appear metallic. The case is very sturdy and leaves a compact and durable impression. However, weighing 160 grams (~5.6 oz), it is also significantly heavier than the Galaxy S5 and it has the thickest case of the three smartphones measuring 9.35 millimeters (~0.37 inches).
Similar to every other smartphone from the Galaxy-series, the Galaxy S5 does not use metal but polycarbonate for the case. The result is a very light smartphone weighing 145 grams (~5.1 oz). The appearance is classier than the predecessor thanks to the slightly roughened back cover, and Samsung also managed to design a sturdy case that provides good grip.
Sony uses a combination of mineral glass and metal, which looks classier than Samsung's plastic case at first. However, the choice also reveals some drawbacks: The back is slippery and the smartphone even slid off the table once during our review. The Xperia Z2 is also susceptible to fingerprints, and Sony should improve the stability as well.
The cases of the Xperia Z2 and Galaxy S5 are waterproof and dust resistant, at least when you seal the ports for the USB cable, the SIM card and so on with the provided covers. The Xperia Z2 can stay quite a long time in fresh water and can be used to record underwater videos or take pictures.
Samsung is the only device with a removable back cover and a replaceable battery. The HTC One M8 was also criticized for its internal layout: It complicates a repair. The Xperia Z2 has a simpler internal layout, but cannot be opened without the corresponding tools, either.
The clear winner in this category: The HTC One M8. Even though it is not waterproof and dust resistant, it offers the best materials, a high quality and very sturdy chassis and provides the best haptics. Second is the Galaxy S5, Sony's case is made of first-class materials, but it is not always very convenient in practice.
Connectivity
Besides the design, the connectivity is obviously important as well: Samsung rushes ahead with fingerprint sensor, heart rate monitor, USB 3.0 port, Infrared sensor and three (!) satellite networks to locate your smartphone. HTC is more humble: Only the Infrared sensor to control a TV is available. Sony cannot keep up with the number of sensors and ports, either.
All three smartphones are similar in terms of storage: Our review units have 16 GB, and around 12 GB can be used for your data. Samsung and HTC also offer 32 GB versions. All three smartphones now support micro SD cards as well.
Sony leads the pack with 3,072 MB memory; Samsung Galaxy S5 and HTC One M8 have 2,048 MB each. There will hardly be any differences in standard situations, but Sony's Xperia Z2 has an advantage when numerous apps run in the background.
The objective winner in this category is obviously the Samsung Galaxy S5; the list of features is very long. However, it is another question if you actually need them. Sony and HTC share the second place.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
3 | 3 | 1 |
Software
HTC Sense, Android TouchWiz or Sony's software: Which one is better? That is pretty much a matter of taste. All three are based on Android 4.4; Sony is now up to date as well. All three offer very fast and smooth handling.
Among other things, HTC uses BlinkFeed, the connection between news reader and social media client. The design is nice and has some new features: It can now learn and, for instance, show suitable restaurants nearby. Samsung and Sony also provide solutions that look similarly nice, but the features cannot quite keep up.
Sony's Xperia Z2 is certainly the best choice for real purists: It is closest to the stock Android interface. HTC tried to improve the navigation through Sense 6 with color codes. Many features are now realized with apps, which makes it easier to update them. However, one of these apps, "Zoe", was not yet finished at the launch of the HTC One M8, so that users cannot use this advertised feature.
Samsung still uses its TouchWiz interface, but the manufacturer actually managed to improve the clarity and explain the numerous features this time. The possibility to run several apps next to each other on the screen also works very well. Similar to the ports there are countless possibilities, and you still find new features after weeks of use.
Sony equips its unnamed user interface with some good looking and handy apps, like the improved picture and movie apps. The manufacturer also includes only useful additions and small baubles like Xperia Designs, which changes the look of the operating system significantly.
HTC annoys us with backup information that appears when you install a new app and that cannot be deactivated. Samsung's Galaxy S5 is not much better with continuous reminders to cover the ports to ensure the waterproof status; the Sony Xperia Z2 shows them as well, but they can be deactivated.
Samsung wins in this category as well because TouchWiz is not so overloaded anymore and offers a huge variety of functions. Android purist on the other hand will favor the Sony. We do not like that some features of the HTC do not feel finished and that some advertised features were not ready at launch.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
5 | 3 | 2 |
Communication & GPS
The HTC One M8 supports four bands for GSM, UMTS and LTE each, and is therefore not as flexible as the Samsung Galaxy S5, which supports two LTE bands more. Sony's Xperia Z2 supports four GSM, five UMTS and ten LTE bands, and is therefore the best choice for globetrotters.
Additional wireless communication features of all three devices are Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and WLAN according to all standards including 802.11ac. HTC's One M8 is ahead in terms of WLAN performance.
Although the Galaxy S5 supports three satellite networks (GPS, Glonass, Beidou), the speed and the accuracy of the locations is on the same level as the HTC One M8. Sony's Xperia Z2 cannot keep up with the rivals: It cannot locate the position indoors and it takes a couple of seconds outdoors. Furthermore, the accuracy is not as good, either.
Determining a winner in this section is not easy. If you do not travel around the globe, the HTC One M8 offers the most stable wireless connections, closely followed by the Galaxy S5. Third is the Xperia Z2, which has issues with the GPS determining position.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
6 | 5 | 2 |
Voice Quality
All three devices offer very high voice quality and it is difficult to determine differences. Overall, Sony provides the best voice quality: The voice is clear, very easy to understand, and the Voice Optimization improves the voice quality even further.
HTC benefits from the great speakers and offers the best hands-free feature. Still, the voice quality during normal calls is not as brilliant compared to the Sony smartphone. Samsung falls slightly behind, although the differences are not huge.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
6 | 6 | 4 |
Cameras & Multimedia
The Sony Xperia Z2 with its 20.7 MP camera would be the obvious winner if we would just count the megapixels. HTC only uses a 4 MP camera at the back, but you get larger pixels and a second camera that enables cool features. Samsung equips the Galaxy S5 with a 16 MP sensor.
However, the MP number does not necessarily say anything about the picture quality, especially since Sony's camera app does not even use the full resolution in the automatic mode. However, Sony also uses a comparatively large sensor with 1/2.3 inches, which is also used in many compact cameras. This means you can take very detailed pictures with very natural colors.
Samsung's camera takes second place in our opinion, because the low-light performance is not perfect. Pictures in good lighting conditions on the other hand, are very good. HTC is very good in the dark, but 4 megapixels are just not enough to keep up with the other cameras: The results are pictures with less detail. The additional effects of the HTC One M8 are nice, but some of them only work on the smartphone display and are available on the Sony and Samsung as well by now. This means the HTC camera only gets the third spot.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
7 | 6 | 6 |
Input Devices & Handling
The differences are also very small in terms of handling: All three touchscreens work very precisely and the whole display surface including the peripheral areas quickly reacts to inputs. The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a small advantage because of its physical home button: The whole 5.0-inch screen can be used for contents. Sony just increased the screen of the Xperia Z2 to 5.2 inches for its software buttons, so that the display can use roughly the same space. The HTC One M8 only has software buttons and a 5.0-inch screen, the result is slightly less space for contents.
Sony and Samsung can convince us with very simple keyboards; HTC's Sense Input is a bit overloaded and is not as customizable as its counterparts from Samsung and Sony. Sony even includes an assistant for the keyboard and many buttons can be displayed or hidden, so that everybody can adjust it to their personal preferences.
The Galaxy S5 can take the lead when it comes to enhanced input methods: There are dozens of settings to expand the handling with gestures, facial recognition or hovering over the display. Sony scores with facial recognition and a dedicated camera button.
All in all an easy win for Samsung because of the several input methods. Sony secures the second place thanks to the camera button and customizable keyboard. Although it is close, the HTC is last due to the limited possibilities.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
9 | 6 | 7 |
Display
One display stands out on first look: The Samsung Galaxy S5 subjectively convinces with vivid colors, deep blacks and excellent viewing angles. The Sony’s Xperia Z2 cannot keep up with this performance, the colors are vivid as well, but black colors have a clearly visible gray film. Samsung's smartphone also leads in regard to the blue cast, followed by the HTC One M8 and the Sony Xperia Z2 in the third spot.
The measurements do not change the good impression of the Galaxy S5 in this category: Black value of 0, which results in an infinite contrast. The brightness distribution is not even, but it is not visible even on larger color surfaces. Even though Sony uses its own display technology for the screen and the result is better than the Xperia Z1, it is not superior to the HTC One M8. HTC's smartphone has the most natural colors, but the screen is not as vivid as a result. HTC and Sony share the second place.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
11 | 7 | 8 |
Performance
All three smartphones use an SoC from Qualcomm's Snapdragon 801-series, which offer an increased efficiency and support faster storage compared to the 800-series. However, there are no big differences compared to the performance of Snapdragon 800 smartphones.
The biggest difference between the Galaxy S5, HTC One M8 and Sony Xperia Z2 is the processor clock: The Galaxy S5 has the highest clock with 2.45 GHz, followed by the Sony Xperia Z2 with 2.36 GHz and the HTC One M8 with 2.3 GHz
Unfortunately, the HTC One M8 is not really trustworthy when it comes to benchmark results: HTC decided to boost the benchmark performance of this generation as well, the HTC One M8 recognizes a benchmark and increases its performance parameters (for example the maximum temperature) compared to normal applications. This is also the reason for the ban of the HTC One M8's results in 3DMark.
Thanks to the significantly higher clock, the Galaxy S5 can take the lead when we look at the raw processor performance. Games, on the other hand, show that the Sony Xperia Z2 and Galaxy S5 are pretty much on one level, and the HTC One M8 falls behind because of the lower clocked GPU. The web browsing performance (HTML 5) shows an advantage for the HTC One M8 and Sony's Xperia Z2 has the fastest storage.
Although the differences are hardly noticeable in practice and all three smartphones are very fast, the measurements clearly show that the Samsung Galaxy S5 wins this category. Sony's Xperia Z2 is just beaten and shares the second place with the HTC One M8.
AnTuTu v4 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Geekbench 3 | |
32 Bit Single-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 | |
32 Bit Multi-Core Score (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Linpack Android / IOS | |
Single Thread (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 | |
Multi Thread (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
3DMark - 1280x720 offscreen Ice Storm Unlimited Score (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
GFXBench 3.0 - on screen Manhattan Onscreen OGL (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
GFXBench (DX / GLBenchmark) 2.7 - T-Rex Onscreen (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Basemark X 1.1 - High Quality (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Browsermark - --- (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Octane V2 - Total Score (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Peacekeeper - --- (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
AndroBench 3-5 | |
Sequential Read 256KB (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 | |
Sequential Write 256KB (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 | |
Random Read 4KB (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 | |
Random Write 4KB (sort by value) | |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | |
HTC One M8 | |
Sony Xperia Z2 |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
13 | 8 | 9 |
Emissions
Temperature
Sony definitely has to improve the temperature development of the Xperia Z2: The device gets much warmer than the other two rivals in this comparison. The maximum temperature of 41.1 °C (106 °F) in particular is too high. Samsung shows how it is done and stays much cooler with up to 37.7 °C (100 °F). With an average temperature of 29.9 °C (86 °F), the Sony Xperia Z2 is also warmer than the Samsung Galaxy S5 (26.6 °C; 80 °F) when idle. However, the HTC One M8 is the warmest device in this scenario with 30.8 °C (87.5 °F).
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S5 also wins this category: It is the coolest device in all scenarios. The other two smartphones do not reach critical temperatures, but they are noticeably warmer. HTC manages the second place with a minimal advantage, partly because the maximum temperature is lower compared to Sony's top smartphone.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
15 | 9 | 9 |
Speakers
HTC wants to offer speakers with excellent sound quality. This is also the case for the HTC One M8, even though the cooperation with Beats Audio was not continued. Moreover, it was a success – HTC's flagship easily wins this category with a rich sound, real stereo effect and front facing speakers.
Sony equipped the Xperia Z2 with front facing speakers as well, but they cannot be compared with the solution from HTC. Even the Samsung Galaxy S5 creates a better sound with its mono speaker at the back because the sound of the Xperia Z2 is hardly differentiated and overlaps at high volumes.
An easy win for the HTC, both Samsung and Sony follow in second place.

Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
16 | 11 | 10 |
Energy Management
Power Consumption
We have no idea how Samsung manages such a low idle consumption for the Galaxy S5. Sony's Xperia Z2, on average, uses more than three times the power when idle; the high consumption was already an issue of the predecessor Xperia Z1. The HTC One M8 also has a much higher average consumption when idle.
The results of the three devices are closer under load, and the Galaxy S5 even has the highest consumption under maximum load. However, the behavior with light workloads and when idle should be more important unless you only play games on the road. Samsung clearly has an advantage in these scenarios. Second is the HTC One M8 and in third, Sony's Xperia Z2 is almost an energy guzzler.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 | |
---|---|---|---|
Power Consumption | -49% | -89% | |
Idle Minimum * | 0.3 | 0.3 -0% | 0.7 -133% |
Idle Average * | 0.5 | 1.4 -180% | 1.6 -220% |
Idle Maximum * | 1.1 | 1.6 -45% | 2.2 -100% |
Load Average * | 3.1 | 3.9 -26% | 3.4 -10% |
Load Maximum * | 6.2 | 5.7 8% | 5.1 18% |
* ... smaller is better
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
18 | 12 | 10 |
Battery Runtime
The Sony Xperia Z2 does at least have the largest battery: 11.84 Wh vs. 10.78 Wh for the Samsung Galaxy S5 and 9.9 Wh for the HTC One M8. This helps the Xperia Z2 to secure the second place in this category: It even manages the runtimes of the Galaxy S5 during web browsing, but is easily beaten when idle. The runtimes of the HTC One M8 are still useful in practice, but they are shorter than the rivals due to the smaller battery.
All three devices have energy-saving modes, but the functionality is different: Sony only deactivates background services and push mails. HTC on the other hand activates a special menu with a very limited number of features that enable a couple of hours with an almost empty battery. The Samsung Galaxy S5 switches to a black and white mode if you want to and limits the features as well.
The excellent idle runtimes of the Samsung Galaxy S5 and the standby times of many days or even several weeks in our practical test are not managed by the two rivals. Sony can secure the second place thanks to the large battery, a comparatively high consumption in combination with the comparatively small battery result in the third place for the HTC One M8.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 | |
---|---|---|---|
Battery Runtime | -45% | -23% | |
Reader / Idle | 1695 | 863 -49% | 995 -41% |
WiFi | 613 | 453 -26% | 623 2% |
Load | 253 | 102 -60% | 178 -30% |
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 |
20 | 12 | 11 |
Verdict
In the end, we have a clear winner: The Samsung Galaxy S5 cannot be beaten in many categories and does not reveal many serious drawbacks, where the competitors could get some points. The great panel, the unbelievable number of input methods and the high performance in combination with the low power consumption result in a clear victory.
The HTC One M8 follows in second place. It loses some points because of the unfinished software, the cheating during benchmarks and the comparatively small battery. You do, however, get an excellent case, the best smartphone speakers on the market and a good connectivity in return.
Sony's Xperia Z2 is a close third within our comparison. Drawbacks like the high power consumption or the comparatively high temperatures are already familiar from the predecessor. Sony did improve the situation, but it is still not quite on the same level as the rivals. However, the Xperia Z2 offers the best camera, very nice and customizable software as well as excellent voice quality.
HTC and Sony still have a long road ahead of them: The Galaxy S5 sets standards in many areas. Still, Sony and HTC do not surrender and show Samsung that there is still room for improvement, for example in terms of camera, case or speakers. The prospects are exciting, but we have a winner for this year.
Samsung Galaxy S5 | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 | |
Positive |
+ Outstanding screen + Long-lasting battery + Very good and well explained software + Camera quality very good + Recording and playback quality of UHD videos + Resistant to water and dust + Supports many current transmission standards + USB 3.0 port + High quality GPS + High voice quality + Sturdy case + Battery can be swapped out + High performance + Doesn't get very hot + Low power consumption under low load + Ultra Power Savings Mode extends battery life + Charges quickly |
+ Great design + Very sturdy metal chassis + Ergonomic shape + Excellent speakers + High-resolution front camera + Very good signal quality + Clear voice quality + Very cool accessories + Good screen + High performance + Very precise touchscreen + Innovative Duo-camera |
+ Very nice design + High-quality materials + Waterproof and dust resistant + High performance reserves + Good battery runtimes + Useful additions for the OS + High-quality headset + Free movies and music + Navigation software +Very good camera + 4K video recording and playback + Completely smooth operation + Excellent voice quality |
Negative |
- Case is torsionally not completely rigid... - ... and complains with slight creaking when forces are applied - Pop-up warnings to close the covers properly get annoying - Compared to the predecessor, only some details have been improved - Not as easy to maintain - Fingerprint sensor not always easy to use - Somewhat lackluster random read and write performance |
- Camera with a low resolution - Picture effects really depend on the picture - Zoe app not yet finished - Overloaded keyboard - Bad maintainability - Non-removable battery - Cheating during benchmarks |
- All in all small changes compared to the predecessor - More potential in regard of gaming (PlayStation) - Stability of the case could be better - GPS not always reliable - High power consumption - Speakers just average - Interesting accessories - Comparatively high temperature development - SIM card slot hard to access |