Camera shootout: Galaxy S6 Edge, HTC One M9, iPhone 6 Plus and Xperia Z3
With so many major flagship devices on the market, it can be difficult to tell which handset boasts the best camera of them all. Big players like Samsung, HTC, Apple and Sony tend to pique the interest of many users, so let’s take a look at how each camera performs against one another.
Brought to us by Flickr user Matthew Miller, the photos attached below pit the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge, the HTC One M9, the Apple iPhone 6 Plus and the Sony Xperia Z3 against each other. We’ll have a few camera shootouts of our own coming to you soon, but for now, let’s take a look at the images below. (Order of photos from top to bottom: Galaxy S6 Edge, One M9, iPhone 6 Plus, Xperia Z3)
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Before we get into specific situations, we should get some specifications out of the way. The Galaxy S6 Edge has a 16MP sensor with OIS and an f/1.9 aperture. Samsung decided to ditch its ISOCELL technology it used on the Galaxy S5 in favor of a more conventional sensor. The HTC One M9 has a 20.7MP with no optical image stabilization and an f.2.2 aperture. While HTC decided to move its UltraPixel tech to the front this time around, the lack of OIS and poor low light performance leaves a lot to be desired. Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus has an 8MP sensor, 18mm squared sensor shooting at a 4:3 aspect ratio and an f/2.2 aperture with image stabilization. The iPhone 6 Plus’ camera is known to be one of the best on the market, but perhaps it’s finally feeling the heat from the competition. Finally, the Xperia Z3’s camera has a 20.7MP sensor with an f/2.0 aperture and no optical image stabilization. In our full review, we praised the camera for its powerful camera, though the software-based image stabilization tech just doesn’t compare to true OIS.
Take a look at the images of the gum-covered wall above. It’s easy to spot that the S6 Edge and iPhone 6 Plus cameras pull out ahead, offering up more true to life colors, while the One M9 and Z3 photos are more washed out. The One M9’s shot is particularly bad in this situation, struggling to capture the correct amount of light.
The flowerpot images are some of the more low light shots in the gallery, and the differences are less stark than the first photo set. The Galaxy S6 Edge and Xperia Z3 offer the brightest shots, but the Z3 struggles with contrast a bit more than the rest. The HTC One M9 has the darkest shot out of the bunch, but the most well-lit areas are spot on in terms of saturation.
As for the last photo set, the four flagship cameras are tested out in a fish market with very low light. The S6 Edge’s photo looks to be much warmer than the others, really bringing out the details in areas with little light. The iPhone 6 Plus also brings out a good amount of detail in these areas while the One M9 and Z3 suffer in low light performance.
These camera samples go to show that megapixels don’t mean everything. Samsung and Apple’s cameras both have the lowest megapixel count, and generally speaking, both performed the best in all of these situations. We will of course have some more camera shootouts for you in the future, but for now, hopefully these sample images help you decide which camera is your favorite. There are quite a few more images posted on Matthew Miller’s Flickr account, so I’d urge you to check those out for some more clarification.
So what did you think? Which camera came out on top?
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Yawn: HTC One M9 Plus press images leak out showing more of the same
By now, the HTC One M9 Plus may as well be official. We’ve seen all manner of leaked photos and rumoured specifications and by now we’re just waiting for the April 8th to roll by so they won’t be leaks and rumours anymore. One of HTC‘s worst kept secrets since the HTC One M8, HTC One […]
The post Yawn: HTC One M9 Plus press images leak out showing more of the same appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
HTC One M9 teardown shows that a cracked screen may be tough to replace
The HTC One M9 is definitely one of the most well-designed smartphones of this year, so wouldn’t it be great if we could see what exactly goes in to making a phone like this? The folks at iFixit recently tore a One M9 to shreds, revealing tons of adhesives and a glued down motherboard.
Much like the One M8, the One M9 didn’t require any heating whatsoever to remove the back panel. But once they began digging in a bit more, they noticed that HTC actually glued the motherboard down, allowing the battery and motherboard to be sandwiched together. Why is this a bad idea? Toying with lithium-ion batteries is very dangerous. If you need to replace a piece that’s generally common to swap out such as the motherboard, you could run into some problems when trying to pry it out. The battery is also glued down, making it extra difficult to replace it, too.
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We’ve all been there – you’re outside of your one-year warranty and you drop your phone right on the screen. If you find the right person to replace it, the repairs can be relatively cheap and easy. But unfortunately for the One M9 it may be a little more difficult to replace than you might think. The display assembly is tough to replace without tunneling though the entire device, so even a cracked screen – one of the most common repairs – can be difficult to achieve. Hopefully you won’t have to take matters into your own hands thanks HTC’s Uh-Oh protection plan.
Learn more about the HTC One M9
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Since the One M9 and One M8 are very similar in build quality, it’s no surprise that iFixit scored the One M9 a 2 out of 10 (10 is the easiest to repair). For more images and details on the teardown, be sure to head to the source link below.
The HTC One (M9) gets the teardown treatment
The folks over at iFixit have finally managed to get their hands on an HTC One (M9), and have taken it apart to show us just how difficult it is to fix and rebuild. The handset can be taken dismantled in 17 relatively easy steps, but due to an abundance of small parts and the intense use of adhesive it would be somewhat tedious to repair at home, therefore, only scoring a mere 2/10 in its repairability rating.
Hit the break to see a few key images from the teardown.
Source: iFixit
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Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge is just as bendable as the iPhone 6 Plus and will crack under pressure
Do you remember the #Bendgate drama that unfurled last year as a result of iPhone owners bending their new handsets when placing them in the front trouser pockets? As an Android user it was worthy of a good laugh or two wasn’t it? Well, maybe it’s time to stop giggling quite as much now as one of our own has been shown to be just as bendable as the iPhone 6 Plus. I’m talking about none other than Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge.
That’s right, Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge has been put through its paces by SquareTrade, the guys who provide protection plans for all sort of electronic devices. In the test, SquareTrade put the Galaxy S6 Edge, iPhone 6 Plus and the HTC One M9(review) up against a hydraulic press. The HTC one M9 came out the best, bearing up under a 120 pound load before bending. The Galaxy S6 Edge managed to withstand 110 pounds of force before bending, the same amount as the iPhone 6 Plus. However, because of its dual edges, the S6 Edge’s glass broke straight away while the other two handsets managed a higher load before cracking up. You can watch the inhumanity of the test in the video below.
The takeaway from all of this is that no matter which handset you buy, you should still be careful with them. Putting them in undue danger will likely result in the handset becoming tragically damaged. It should go without saying, whether you own a Galaxy S6 Edge or not, you should not be performing bend or drop tests on your device at home.
Click here to view the embedded video.
Source: SquareTrade
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Galaxy S6 Edge is just as bendable as the iPhone 6 Plus and will crack under pressure
Video: S6 Edge bends at same load as iPhone 6 Plus, One M9 is slightly stronger
The iPhone 6 #bendgate ruckus has left a persistent mark on the mobile ecosystem: the advent of the “bend test.” Done manually or with well-calibrated testing rigs, bend tests are now de rigueur for any hot new device, and these days it doesn’t get any hotter than the Galaxy S6 Edge.
The folks at phone insurance company SquareTrade took it upon themselves to check just how well the seemingly fragile Galaxy S6 Edge holds under pressure. For good measure, SquareTrade also tested the original #bendgate victim and the other high-profile Android flagship of the moment, the One M9.
Watch now
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To… break it down for you, the Galaxy S6 Edge and iPhone 6 Plus both suffered permanent deformations at 110 pounds of force, while the HTC One M9 did a little better, bearing a 120 pound load. However, because of its curved construction, the glass on the Galaxy S6 Edge broke right away, while the glass on the two other devices broke at a higher load. That shouldn’t be a surprise: the dual-curve of the sheet of Gorilla Glass 4 covering the S6 Edge induces stress points that simply don’t exist on a flat pane.
The moral of the story is just one: treat your devices with attention, regardless of the brand or model. Sure, the Galaxy S6 Edge may withstand some pretty intense full frontal shocks, but let’s face it, that thin profile and eye-catching curved screen come at a price. And, please, don’t try to bend test your device at home.
Bending or not, we absolutely loved the Edge, with the device scoring a 9 out of 10 score in our Galaxy S6 Edge review, the same as Galaxy S6.
64GB HTC One M9 arrives to Taiwan, but what about the rest of the world?
While Samsung gives us three different storage configurations for the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, the HTC One M9 is shipping with only one storage option, though it does have the advantage of a microSD slot. However, for those in HTC’s home country of Taiwan, a larger 64GB option has now arrived, retailing for NT$23,900 or $767.42. That’s a premium of about $67 over Taiwan’s 32GB model.
Aside from double the storage, the 64GB One M9 is otherwise the same as the 32GB model we’re seeing internationally. The One M9 64GB option will be offered both in HTC’s stores and through Chunghwa Telecom outlets in Taiwan. But what about the rest of the world? Focus Taiwan says HTC has absolutely no plans to introduce the model to other markets.
While it’s true that combining the 32GB model with a 128GB microSD card still gives One M9 users considerably more usable space than Galaxy S6 users will have, this still feels like a missed opportunity. MicroSD expansion is great, but it’s also not as fast, and we’re sure there are quite a few soon-to-be HTC One M9 users that would consider paying $50 – $75 more for double the internal storage. At the very least, HTC could throw us a bone and release an unlocked/dev version with 64GB storage.
What do you think, should HTC consider releasing additional storage variants of the One M9 internationally, or is having a microSD slot more than enough?
HTC launches the One M8s in Europe
As leaks continue to pour in about different variants of HTC’s latest flagship device – the One M9, the Taiwanese manufacturer has announced a cheaper version of its old bestseller, the One M8. Dubbed as the One M8s, the new handset has the same metal chassis as its older sibling but packs a better battery (2,840 mAh) and a slightly stripped down chipset.
It features the same 5-inch FHD display and BoomSound speakers on the front. In the imagining department, the One M8s sports a 13-megapixel rear camera with f/2.0 aperture in comparison to the 4-Ultrapixel camera of the original M8 that has the similar aperture. Now whether ultrapixels provide better images than megapixels is still under debate, with many considering the term ‘ultrapixel’ a marketing gimmick by HTC. As for the selfie camera, the new device has the same 5-megapixel sensor with f/2.8 aperture, which means slightly poor images than the HTC One M8’s front camera with f/2.0 aperture in low light conditions.
As far as the hardware in concerned, the device packs a 64-bit octa-core Snapdragon 615 processor based on Cortex-A53 cores. At a higher clock speed, they should be able to support 1080p video recording from front as well as back camera in addition to fast performance and lag free experience. The CPU is coupled with 2GB of RAM, 16 GB and Adreno 405 GPU.
Connectivity options include LTE Cat 4, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, USB 2.0, NFC.and Bluetooth 4.1 (against Bluetooth 4.0 of the One M8). Also, it runs Android 5.0 Lollipop out-of-the-box.
HTC is launching the One M8s in the UK for £380 ($564), which is not a lot less than the One M8. The new M8 model will be made available in other European nations soon but the date hasn’t been revealed yet. Considering the slight differences in pricing and specifications, which phone would you choose – the One M8 or the One M8s or the new HTC One M9?
The post HTC launches the One M8s in Europe appeared first on AndroidGuys.
New invites tease more of the HTC One M9 Plus, including its physical home button
On April 8th, it’s been made pretty obvious that HTC is going to announce a new device, the HTC One M9 Plus. We’ve seen plenty of this device already through leaks, but HTC has decided we haven’t seen enough yet and has put even more explicit hints on some invites spotted in China, one of which […]
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HTC One M8s to launch in Europe with Snapdragon 615 CPU and 13MP rear camera
The HTC One M9 was officially released on March 1st, and you could be forgiven for thinking that the M8 would be eased into retirement. HTC has taken a bite out of someone else’s apple though and decided to refresh a few components and sell it as the HTC One M8s in Europe.
The most notable change in specification involves the processor, and here HTC have swapped over from the Snapdragon 801 to the 64-bit Snapdragon 615 Octa-core processor. The very same CPU you can find powering the Desire 820.
The battery has received a jolt in capacity to 2,840mAh, putting it on an equal footing as the M9. The camera has also seen some changes, moving from the much-maligned 4MP UltraPixel sensor to the more conventional 13MP, although it still includes the secondary camera that enables HTC’s Duo Camera effect. Size-wise the HTC One M8s is 0.2mm thicker than the outgoing M8.
The HTC One M8s is still constructed out of metal, with the signature BoomSound speakers present as you would expect. The handset will be available in the same silver, gold and gun-metal grey flavours as the M8 before it. The HTC One M8s will be priced at £379 ($560) in the UK and will be available in Europe although a launch date has not yet been released. What do you think of the M8s? Is it all becoming a little confusing?
Source: AndroidCentral
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