The proliferation of smartphones after 2007 reversed the seemingly inexorable trend of mobile phones towards smaller and smaller form factors. The average size and current sweet spot seems to be around 4-5 inches tall. However, there are phones that cater to those who desire something more substantial. These include the HTC One Max and the appropriately named Samsung Galaxy Mega 6.3.
Both phones share the Android platform, though each company presents a skinned version of the software to its respective customers: HTC uses a light skin dubbed Sense, whilst Samsung’s TouchWiz interface is a heavily modified version of Android. They also share larger than average dimensions; the HTC One Max possesses a 5.9 inch screen whilst the Galaxy Mega measures 6.3 inches.
HTC does not compromise on the internal power of its device in the same way Samsung does. Most of which makes the HTC One a premium device is found on the HTC One Max: the resolution is a Full HD 1920X1080, which at 5.9 inches which measures at 373 pixels per inch, whereas the Galaxy Mega has a 1280X720 HD resolution, which gives the viewer 233 pixels per inch to play with. The CPU’s of both devices are not as impressive as the current generation of processors, though they are by no means slouches. The HTC One Max is powered by the Snapdragon 600, a quad-core chip clocked at 1.7 GHz. The Galaxy Mega is powered by the rather pedestrian (in comparison) dual core Snapdragon 400 which also clocks in at 1.7 GHz. The One Max also has more RAM with 2 GB compared to the 1.5 GB inside the Galaxy Mega. The HTC One Max has a 3300 mAh battery compared to 3200 mAh for the Galaxy Mega, although in the latter the battery has fewer pixels and chip cores to power so may last slightly longer than its larger counterpart.
Samsung phones are not noted for their remarkable design and the Galaxy Mega maintains this tradition with its plastic casing and faux metal rim. The HTC One Max does not share the uni-body aluminium shell of its normal sized brother but its design is far more impressive than the Galaxy Mega. The advantage of both designs is that the plastic allows each phone to utilise a micro SD card slot, with each allowing up to 64 GB of extra storage.
In the metric of mega-pixels, the Galaxy Mega 6.3 has the superior camera with an 8mp lens that can also record 1080p high definition video at 30 frames per second (fps). The HTC One has a 4mp shooter than also records full HD footage at 30fps. Professional photographers will tell you that the megapixel count is not everything with regards to image quality and there are many important variables but those who take pictures with their smartphones are not professional photographers who need a full blown DSLR with all the bells and whistles. In general a higher megapixel count will produce a sharper and more defined image.
The One Max is a more powerful and impressive phone compared to the Galaxy Mega. The Mega compromises on processor power, resolution, RAM and design compared to the One Max and although both are impressive smartphones capable of everything we need them for; the One Max remains the better choice for the consumer.