Samsung Galaxy S5 vs HTC One M8 vs Sony Xperia Z2
With the official launch of the HTC One M8 yesterday (Tuesday, 25 March 2014), the scene is set for a showdown between the big guns in Android smartphones.
Though a South African launch window for the HTC One M8 is not yet available, Samsung has confirmed that the Galaxy S5 will be available locally from 11 April 2014, and the Sony Xperia X2 is set for a May launch.
South African mobile network operators (and/or their resellers) have opened pre-registrations for the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2, though no contract prices have been confirmed.
Pre-orders of the Galaxy S5 and Xperia Z2 are also available from some retailers, with Orange listing the devices for R9,910 (up from the R9,815 it previously asked).
The table below compares the specifications of the devices against one another, along with the LG G2 which is already available in South Africa:
| Specifications | HTC One M8 | Sony Xperia Z2 | Samsung Galaxy S5 | LG G2 |
| Dimensions | 146.36 x 70.6 x 9.35mm | 146.8 x 73.3 x 8.2mm | 142.0 x 72.5 x 8.1mm | 138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9mm |
| Weight | 160g | 163g | 145g | 143g |
| Operating system | Android 4.4 | Android 4.4 | Android 4.4 | Android 4.2 (upgradeable) |
| Display | 5″ 1080p (1080×1920) | 5.2″ 1080p (1080×1920) | 5.1″ 1080p (1080×1920) | 5.2″ 1080p (1080×1920) IPS |
| Rear camera | 4MP UltraPixel + 4MP Duo Camera | 20.7MP | 16MP | 13MP |
| Front camera | 5MP (wide angle) | 2.2MP | 2.1MP | 2.1MP |
| Storage, internal | 16GB / 32GB | 16GB | 16/32GB | 16GB / 32GB |
| Storage, expandable | microSD | microSD | microSD | No |
| RAM | 2GB | 3GB | 2GB | 2GB |
| Chip/processor | 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 | 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 (MSM8974AB) | 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 | 2.26GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 |
| Graphics | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 | Adreno 330 |
| Battery | 2,600mAh | 3,000mAh | 2,800mAh | 3,000mAh |
| Cellular data | HSPA+, LTE | HSPA+, LTE | HSPA+, LTE | HSPA+, LTE, CDMA |
| NFC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
More smartphone news
HTC One M8 officially unveiled
New, cheaper iPhone 5c confirmed for South Africa
Importers vs importing: one man’s quest for a Nexus 5 in South Africa
Samsung Galaxy S5 vs iPhone 5s vs Nokia Lumia 1020 vs BlackBerry Z30
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