HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: What’s the rumoured difference?

HTC launched its One M9 flagship at Mobile World Congress 2015, but the Taiwanese company chose not to use this year’s show to announce its successor. Instead, HTC unveiled a few mid-range handsets in Barcelona and left Samsung and LG to steal the headlines with their 2016 flagships.

It’s almost time for HTC to step back into the limelight though, with the debut of its next flagship set for 12 April. The new handset has been the subject of rumours for several months and it has various unofficial names from HTC One M10 and Perfume to HTC 10.

The rumours haven’t just surrounded the name though, they have also given us an idea on what kind of specs we might be able to expect, as well as what it could look like. How might HTC’s next flagship compare to Samsung’s Galaxy S7? Read on to find out, based on the rumours.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Design

The HTC 10 is rumoured to be coming with an all metal design, offering the same measurements as its predecessor at 144.6 x 69.7 x 9.6mm. Based on the leaked images, it looks as though the new device will sport the headphone jack at the top, USB Type-C at the bottom and a serrated standby button the side.

Rumour has it HTC will offer some degree of waterproofing for the new flagship and a fingerprint sensor appears to be on the front, flanked by capacitive buttons like the company’s One A9 mid-range device.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has a metal body with a glass rear and it measures 142.4 x 69.6 x 7.9mm, which would make it smaller and slimmer than the HTC 10 if its rumoured measurements are accurate.

The Galaxy S7 also places its fingerprint sensor on the front of the handset, it officially offers a waterproof rating of IP68 and it opts for Micro-USB over USB Type-C. The Galaxy S7 weighs 152g but whether this will be lighter or heavier than the HTC 10 is currently unclear.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Display

The HTC 10 has had mixed rumours when it comes to its display. Some have claimed it will be 5.1-inches, while others have said 5.2-inches. There have also been contradicting reports when it comes to the display technology, with some suggesting HTC will opt for AMOLED like the One A9 and others claiming the company will stick to Super LCD like its previous flagships.

The one thing the leaks do manage to agree on is the resolution, with Quad HD expected. If HTC opts for a 5.1-inch display, the HTC 10 would arrive with a pixel density of 577ppi, while a 5.2-inch display would put it with 565ppi.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 features a 5.1-inch Super AMOLED display, also with a Quad HD resolution for a pixel density of 577ppi. AMOLED displays tend to offer brighter and more vibrant colours than LCD, but they can also be a little unrealistic. The Galaxy 7 has a fabulous display but HTC has been known to offer excellent screens in the past too so chances are there won’t be much in it between these two handsets, no matter what size or technology the HTC 10 ends up offering.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Camera

Like its display, mixed reports have also been circulating regarding the HTC 10’s camera. There have been claims of a 23-megapixel rear sensor, as well as suggestions of a 12-megapixel rear snapper with an aperture of f/1.9. Rumours have suggested the 12-megapixel sensor could be the same as the Nexus 6P with 1.55µm pixels, alongside features including laser-assisted phase detection AF, optical image stabilisation and a dual tone flash.

Less has been said about the front-facing camera of the HTC 10. There was a report of a 5-megapixel sensor, but this would suggest HTC is walking away from the UltraPixel front-facing snapper that worked well on the One M9.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 has been praised for its camera capabilities so whatever the HTC 10 arrives with, it has some tough competition on its hands. The Galaxy S7 offers a 12-megapixel rear camera with 1.4µm pixels and an f/1.7 aperture. It comes with OIS, phase detection AF and an LED flash. The front camera is 5-megapixels and also features an f/1.7 aperture.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Hardware

The HTC 10 is claimed to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. As we mentioned previously, USB Type-C is expected based on the leaked images, which would mean faster charging and data transfer and microSD for expandable storage is also expected. The battery capacity has been touted at 3000mAh.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 comes in two models, one of which features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and the other has an octa-core Exynos chip under the hood. Both come with 4GB of RAM and the S7 comes in 32GB and 64GB storage options, both of which have microSD for storage expansion. The S7 also offers a 3000mAh battery capacity, like the HTC 10 is claimed to be coming with.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Software

The HTC 10 is expected to launch with Android Marshmallow with HTC’s Sense software over the top. The One A9 arrived with Marshmallow and a stripped down version of Sense, and the HTC 10 is expected to follow this pattern.

It is believed the new HTC flagship will come with Android Marshmallow and the best of Sense, which is being dubbed Sense 8.0_GP. It means users will get a close to raw Android experience, with a few additional extras.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 also comes with Android Marshmallow along with Samsung’s TouchWiz software over the top. If the rumours are true regarding the HTC 10, it is likely HTC’s new flagship will offer a more refined software experience with less duplication.

HTC 10 vs Samsung Galaxy S7: Conclusion

The Samsung Galaxy S7 is a brilliant device. It might not be as pretty as its dual-edge sibling but it is a cracking smartphone. Luckily for HTC, it looks as though its new flagship will do a good job at competition against it.

Based on the speculation, the HTC 10 looks like it will come with a great design, a display that is on par with the Galaxy S7 and hardware that is on par with the Galaxy S7. Whether HTC will be able to match the camera capabilities of the S7 with its new flagship have yet to be seen but the rumours certainly suggest it will be doing its best.

The claims suggest there won’t be much in it between these two devices based on the specs but claims is the key word here. This is all speculation at the moment. We will update this feature as the official specs are announced. For now, you can read our HTC 10 rumour round up piece for more information on HTC’s next flagship, or head to our Samsung Galaxy S7 review to read all about our thoughts on Samsung’s new flagship.