Galaxy S4 vs HTC One

Google Play Edition [GPE] was just announced for two of the most popular smartphones on the market: the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

Google believes merging into the Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition and HTC One Google Play Edition will allow Android users to experience the operating system the way Google intended it: on industry leading hardware.

But why would Galaxy S4 and HTC One users necessarily want the Google Play Edition experience?

- GPE unburdens the OS of carrier apps and allows all of the customization you've grown accustom to in the two phones.
- Google Play comes with a more responsive interface than stock S4 and HTC One parts.
- Access to firmware-updated OS features like PhotoSphere 360-degree panorama picture taking.

In case you're not up to date with the two Android phones, let's refresh on the specs, features and design of both the Samsung Galaxy S4 and HTC One.

Specs:

The Galaxy S4 sports a 4.99 inch Full HD Super AMOLED screen, 2600mAh removable battery and 13-megapixel rear facing camera. The Galaxy S4 also features two different processor versions depending on the market. The U.S. and European versions of the S4 use the new Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor at 1.9GHz. Other regions can purchase an S4 with the Samsung Exynos Octa 5 processor.

The HTC One on the other hand is heavier and thicker with a smaller 4.7 inch HD screen and smaller 2300mAh non-removable battery. Though the HTC camera works well in low-light conditions, it only supports 4 megapixel resolution.

The Galaxy S4 runs on Android 4.2 Jelly Bean while the HTC One is still operating with Android 4.1. Both smartphones should receive an Android update after the Samsung event at IFA in September.