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How the iPhone 5S stacks up with the Galaxy S4 and HTC One

AJ Dellinger
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iphone 5s vs galaxy s4 htc one iphone5sbanner

Apple’s been having a hard time keeping its secrets under lock and key lately. Pretty much everything that we thought we knew about the iPhone 5S – at least everything that didn’t border on the absurd – came to be true. Maybe the leaks are what inspired Apple’s new fingerprint sensor feature in the iPhone 5S. Regardless of what we thought we knew, we know everything we could possibly want about the iPhone 5S after Apple’s unveiling of the device today. The iPhone 5S manages to differentiate itself from its iPhone brethren. Does it do the same against top phones from other manufacturers? We take a look with a spec showdown.

 

iPhone 5S 

iPhone5S

Galaxy S4 

GS4

HTC One 

HTCOne
Size 123.8 x 58.6 x 7.6 (mm) 136.6 x 69.8 x 7.9 (mm) 137.4 x 68.2 x 9.3 (mm)
Weight 112g 130g 143g
Screen 4.0-inch LCD 5.0-inch Super AMOLED 4.7-inch LCD
Resolution 1136×640 pixels 1080×1920 pixels 1080×1920 pixels
OS iOS 7 Android 4.2 with TouchWiz UI Android 4.1.2 with Sense UI 5
Storage 16/32/64GB 16/32/64GB 32/64GB
SD Card Slot No Yes No
Processor 64-bit A7 chip Quad-core Snapdragon 600 Quad-core Snapdragon 600 
RAM 1GB 2GB 2GB
Connectivity Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+ Wi-Fi, 4G LTE, HSPA+
Camera Front 1.2MP, Rear 8MP Front 1.9MP, Rear 13MP Front 2.1MP, Rear 4UP
Bluetooth Yes, version 4.0 Yes, version 4.0 Yes, version 4.0
Motion Processor M7 chip MPU-6050 MPU-3050
Fingerprint sensor Yes No No
Battery 10 hours talk, 250 hours standby  2600mAh 2300mAh
Charger Lightning connector Micro USB Micro USB
Marketplace  Apple App Store Google Play Store Google Play Store
Ave. Price $200+ $200+  $100+
Availability Sept. 20 on AT&T, Sprint, Verizon AT&T, Sprint, T-Mob, Verizon AT&T, T-Mob, Sprint
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The iPhone 5S offers a slightly different look on the outside than the iPhone 5 did, as it’s now available in three colors: Gold, silver, or “space gray,” which is apparently what Apple calls “black” now. But the real changes come inside the device. It has an all new A7 chip set that is promising nearly twice the performance speed of its predecessor. The A7 also gives the iPhone 64-bit architecture, something entirely new in the world of smartphones. It also has a new motion processor, an improved camera with f/2.2 aperture and “true tone” dual LED flash, and the previously mentioned fingerprint sensor.

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Numbers are always a little tough to compare with Apple produces simply because its devices seem to run smooth even though they’re usually behind on the spec sheet, but the A7 chip shoots the iPhone 5S into a whole new category. The Galaxy S4 and HTC One both have computing power and are speedy devices with quad-core processors and additional RAM, but we’ll be interested to see how the dual-core, 64-bit A7 clocks in in comparison to these powerful phones. It will also be interesting to see how iOS 7 manages to make up for some features that may appear lacking, such as NFC, which is present in both the Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Apple’s offering with the iPhone 5S looks like a phone that should be up to the fight when put up against other competitors. Some benchmarking of its new chipset will go a long way to tell us just how competitive it will be, but Apple has raised the bar on its previous smartphone offerings without raising the price. We suggest getting your hands on the iPhone 5S when it becomes available September 20 and see how you like its performance and the new operating system. If you’re debating between the latest from Apple, Samsung, and HTC, you probably won’t go wrong no matter the decision you make.

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AJ Dellinger
AJ Dellinger
Contributor
AJ Dellinger is a freelance reporter from Madison, Wisconsin with an affinity for all things tech. He has been published by…
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