It’s kind of been a running joke around the G Style office that I’ve been working on a Samsung vs HTC article for months. I finished it several times, rewrote it and every time I just felt I didn’t quite hit it on the head.
So with the rumblings in the tech world since MWC of the upcoming Galaxy S 4 and the rumored release this week of the HTC One I’d be amiss not to touch on the subject.
Slightly Biased
I don’t think its a secret that I’ve been pro HTC since before I even began writing here at G Style. I’ve personally purchased and carried almost every HTC phone launched on Sprint since the HTC Mogul. The HTC reign in my life was only interrupted by the Samsung Instinct aka the iPhone Killer. At that point I have ever only carried an iPhone and I wasn’t concerned about it’s looming homicide I was just excited to get my hands on all the things Samsung promised me:
Visual Voicemail *gasp*
3.1″ Display *clutch my pearls*
2.0 MP Camera *OMFG*
Additional Battery *SOLD*
Yes, this was 2008 but at that point Samsung could do no wrong until I encountered my first iPhone and for the life of me I didn’t realize just how bad the resolution was until I actually compared them with my own two eyes. I still reason to date that Samsung offering an additional battery with its own carrying case was the most ingenious idea ever… but, I digress.
HTC Evo Changes The Game
Fast Forward to 2010 when the HTC “Supersonic” hit the streets. I gave up my Palm addiction and dived face first into the HTC Evo 4G craze. Despite my friends disappointment with its predecessors HTC Hero, HTC HD2 etc I just knew HTC had a hit and I, as usual, was right.
At the time the Evo’s large 4.3 inch display, multi-touch screen and having every kind of sensor you could think of at the time – was a game changer. The display actually went black when you brought the phone to your face to make a call – that made my heart sing. The way HTC balanced hardware and software was like heaven. The specs were something even the most tech challenged person could rattle off with confidence. I actually felt like I was experiencing the FIRST smartphone and that started my unhealthy addiction to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Processors, HTC had raised my standards for what I would spend my money on when it came to consumer electronics.
All You Have in this World is Your Name
From that point on everyone I knew purchased every phone made available under the HTC Evo line sight unseen. No one cared to read a review, see pre release pictures or even ask others what they thought about it. They simply went to the Sprint store on launch day to purchase the upgraded version regardless if they were due for an upgrade or not even more surprising to me was that a lot of people were happy simply sticking with their original 4G model. I was one of the people who happily shelled out an insane amount of money and purchased two HTC Evo 3D’s (full review here). The free 3D copy of the movie Green Hornet didn’t hurt.
Samsung vs the Upgrade
Here at G Style we’ve admittedly become very friendly with the Samsung PR team. So much so that I think each staffer has a Samsung device (except our Editor In Chief lol). It kind of made it hard to even think about any other device or even want to use my personal upgrade for any other device. So after reading all the rave reviews from our staffers and the personal conversations we’ve had about the Galaxy series I decided to make the leap and make the Samsung Galaxy S3 my personal primary phone. I didn’t even blink at a HTC device – not only because of the fact that it seemed none of the announced HTC One series phones made it to my personal carrier, but I was honestly content with my Galaxy S3. Then the HTC Evo 4G LTE hit shelves. I read reviews and asked friends but it seemed no one was interested in the upgraded version to the classic Evo, all everyone seemed to know was Samsung S III(check out our full review here)
In my personal quest to truly determine which phone was better HTC was gracious enough to satisfy my curiosity and send me a HTC Evo 4G LTE to review and compare. At this point I owned the S3 and loved my phone dearly but the HTC Sense is hands down a hard habit to break. Everything about the Evo was a better phone. The way it felt in my hand (4.7″). The display resolution 1280×720, usability and the camera. The rear camera had a backside illumination 8 mp autofocus with LED Flash. You can read our full review of the HTC Evo 4G LTE here.
Which is Better?
Well, I think I made it pretty clear that in my opinion HTC makes better quality phones and even if no one wants to give them the credit they deserve they consistently change the game and raise the standards of which we as consumers come to expect and even demand in a phone. Unfortunately, the smartphone industry has become like the music industry. The best talent doesn’t always win. It comes down to marketing, word of mouth and well marketing. No longer can you run to the store just because *insert name here* released a new phone. We live in a show me age. Samsung has been great at showing us and it’s proven that it’s been to their advantage. As long as HTC chooses not to SHOW anyone as great as the HTC One seems it may not surpass the Samsung Galaxy S4 as far as public opinion or sales go. Although I may personally want to own the HTC One I already know that I will be more familiar with the S4 which means my entire household will then purchase (all Sprint users) the S4 and the people in my office will then go out and buy the S4. I’ve come to appreciate my position as the Gadget Pied Piper of Central Florida and let’s face it one can’t promote what one has never used.
