Facebook Pixel Code

Sony Xperia Z2 vs HTC One M8: Clash of Titans

Tech fraternity starts pitching Sony Xperia Z2 vs HTC One M8.

Sony India has released its flagship smartphone, Xperia Z2, on May 8, 2014 after achieving great success with its earlier releases – Xperia Z and Z1. With this launch Sony is all set to take its rival, HTC, head on in the top-end Android smartphone market in India. The Taiwanese tech giant has launched its premium flagship smartphone, HTC One (M8), just a month back. Naturally, the technology fraternity has already started pitching one against the other.

To help our users get a clear perspective of both the devices, we bring you a comparison of the features of HTC One M8 with Sony Xperia Z2:

Design and Look

When we talk about the design and look, HTC One M8 is more attractive than Sony Xperia Z2. The former is thinner (8.2mm over 9.4mm) and comes with comparatively more metal on body. The first thing that you will notice in HTC One M8 is the nicely burnished body, well-rounded corners, and a similarity to its celebrated predecessor ? HTC One ? in terms of appearance. However, in case of Z2, seamless blending of metal and glass is noteworthy. Most importantly, this device is dust and water resistant, in which HTC One M8 lacks. Though both the smartphones have little plastic and more glass or metal, when it comes to the result, in this category, HTC One M8 is the winner.

Display and Resolution

In Xperia Z as well as Z1, Sony had more or less neglected the display and image resolution on screen. In case of Xperia Z2, the company has taken extreme care to cover up with the display related flaws. This premium handset is packed with a full HD 5.2-inch screen having a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. Though HTC One M8 comes with equivalent specifications, its screen size at 5-inch is 0.2-inch smaller than that of Z2. Basically, for this reason the screen pixel density in HTC M8 is more than Xperia Z2 (441ppi over 424ppi). Where, on one hand, the Xperia model comes with notable display features such as excellent contrast, vivid colours and crisp text, HTC One M8, on the other hand, comes with excellent off-axis viewing angles, sharpness and vibrant colours, enabling high quality HD movie viewing. In this segment, let?s call it a tie between the two titans, as both are brilliant in their own terms.

Camera and Quality

Sony has a knack of manufacturing great camera smartphones and Z2 is perhaps its best creation. It is equipped with a 1/2.3-inch sized 20.7MP sensor, background defocus mode that takes two shots and then merges them (giving impression of a short depth of field), 120fps 720p video footage facility, SteadyShot feature that ensures image stabilization and Superior Auto mode for novices to take excellent images.

On the other side, HTC One M8 is packed with 4.1 ?UltraPixels? rear camera having features like depth sensor, 180? x 360? panorama view, 12 video effects, one-touch refocus and many more. The Ultrapixel camera is capable of capturing nearly 300% more light than a megapixel camera, thus enabling better clicks in low light. These features are alluring but will definitely fall short in front of Xperia Z2 camera. However, when it comes to front faced secondary camera, M8 is better equipped than Xperia Z2. While the former has 5MP camera, the latter has 2.2MP snapper, both having 1080p video capabilities. The selfie addicts will have more reasons to cheer with HTC M8 over Z2. So, the competition gets balanced here.

Operating System and User Interface

Sony Xperia Z2 as well as HTC One M8 comes with Android v.4.4 KitKat OS. However, they differ in terms of user interfaces. While the former has Xperia Themes on top of Android platform, the latter comes with the latest and unique UI, HTC Sense 6.0. Users will get advanced UI features with M8, such as improved BlinkFeed, social reader, double tapping to turn on the screen, and many more. Z2, on the other hand, is equipped with Smart Backlight feature that automatically turns off the screen when the user is not looking at the display. There is no doubt that HTC One M8 with HTC Sense 6.0 UI in hand, is a much better option than Xperia Z2 in terms of UI.

Processor, Internal Memory and Storage

Both the advanced smartphones are powered by Snapdragon 801 series processor but the speeds at which they are clocked vary. While HTC One (M8) comes with MSM8974AC chipset clocked at a speed of 2.5GHz, Sony Xperia Z2 draws energy from MSM8974AB chip clocked at a speed of 2.3GHz. Sony has tried to compensate the CPU speed with that of RAM capacity (3G RAM), which is more than the 2GB DDR3 RAM available in HTC One M8. Both the mobiles come with 16GB internal storage, where the storage capacity can be expanded up to 128GB externally.

Performance and Gaming

In Z2 as well as M8, quality of audio output (playback as well as stereo) is good, but it is slightly better in One M8. Xperia Z2 comes with an immersive mode that enables users to use the entire screen while playing games, watching videos or reading e-books. The on-screen keys retreat to the background in this mode.

Gaming experience is excellent in both the handsets, especially in Xperia Z2. Frame drop or phone freezing has not been witnessed, even while playing the resource consuming games, such as Dead Trigger 2 or Real Racing 3. No hiccups were noticed while playing Asphalt 8 at highest settings. Also, heating-up of both the devices while playing games or using heavily was not encountered during the test.

Connectivity

All the usual connectivity options, such as Bluetooth, NFC, Wi-Fi and 4G LTE are available in HTC One M8 as well as Sony Xperia Z2. One of the most important features in Xperia Z2 is the Location-based Wi-Fi feature that automatically turns on during Home Wi-Fi networks and remains turned off rest of the time. While 3G and 4G-LTE Internet connectivity options are available at both the handsets, 4G-LTE, in M8, is Category-4 enabled with 50Mbps speed, thus better than Xperia Z2. In connectivity section too, there is a tie between the two devices.

Battery

While Z2 comes with a battery capacity of 3,200mAh, the amperage value in M8 is 2,600mAh only. Though on-paper Z2 looks more promising than M8, during real life test, the battery performance is found to be more or less same in both the models.

Additional Features

Sony Xperia Z2 and HTC One M8 come with a wide array of additional features. Let?s check out what they are equipped with.

Xperia Z2 has a high-quality Aluminium chassis along with scratch-resistant and shatter-proof shield. Sony has packed this device with its exclusive audio technology ? xLoud. Gamers will be delighted to know that Z2 is compatible with PlayStation console. You will also get BIONZ image-processing engine as well as G Lens in Xperia Z2 camera. That?s not all! There?s more! STAMINA mode of the 3,200mAh battery enables the device to run for 740 hours in idle state. The handset is IP55/57 certified, thereby making it resistant to water as well as dust.

HTC One M8 comes with many additional features too. Extreme Power Saving Mode of battery enables the device to work for 14 days at stand-by mode (3G). 90% use of metal on body along with stunning curved design and look makes M8 really a premium device. BoomSound dual front-faced stereo speakers in M8 have in-built amplifiers along with Sense Voice.

Final Verdict

Looking at all the features, it?s tough to adjudge one device better than the other. Though Sony Xperia Z2 seems more promising when it comes to on-paper specifications, in real life testing, HTC One M8 seems to be slightly ahead of Xperia Z2. When it comes to display screen, attractiveness of design or overall usability and performance, M8 performed better than Z2. If you already own Xperia Z or Z1, you will find few reasons to buy another Xperia device that costs around Rs 50,000. While Sony Xperia Z2 was launched ?with an official price tag of Rs 49,990 and ?HTC One M8 Rs 51,000, these can be purchased online at lower prices.

Get live Share Market updates, Stock Market Quotes, and the latest India News and business news on Financial Express. Download the Financial Express App for the latest finance news.

First published on: 19-05-2014 at 13:50 IST
Market Data
Market Data
Today’s Most Popular Stories ×