Introduction

Do we have a good one for you today – the iconic Sony Xperia Z3 goes up against the new HTC One M9.  A battle of materials…glass and metal of the Xperia Z 3 goes up against the all-metal One M9.  Does the new HTC One M9 have what it takes to go up against the well-liked, but little seen, Xperia Z3?  Did HTC change enough of the look-a-like One M9 to allow it to win this comparison?

The Sony Xperia Z3 and HTC One M9 have a many common themes between them – for starters, they are very close in physical size with the Xperia Z3 having a two-tenths of an inch larger display.  The same company makes the processors, but both sport different models and both have 3GB of RAM and options for 32GB of internal storage and both have a microSD card slot for expansion up to 128GB.  They both use a Sony 20.7MP sensor for the main camera and they both have front-facing stereo speakers, each with their own sound technology.  They have the usual dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth (4.0 on Xperia Z3 and 4.1 on One M9), NFC, GPS, FM Stereo radio, a dedicated microphone for noise cancellation, quick charge, and a microUSB v2.0 port for charging and data transfer.

Please take a look at the detailed specifications comparison found below – expand it by clicking on the “View Full Comparison” at the bottom and you will get a real sense of how these two devices match up against one another.  After that, we will look at each individual device, talk about it, and weigh out some of the pros and cons in an effort to pick a winner for this comparison.

 Sony Xperia Z3

Except for the larger Sony bezels, the Xperia Z3 is a great looking device – with a glass top and bottom and held together by a rounded metal band, and it feels great in your hand.  Sony has always made a premium device, but has always had trouble getting it on a U.S. carrier, but this time around, it is an exclusive device on T-Mobile.

The Xperia Z3 comes with a 5.2-inch FHD IPS LCD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 424 pixels-per-inch (PPI) versus the 441 PPI on the FHD display on HTC One M9.  It uses the Snapdragon 801 quad-core processor clocked at 2.5GHz with 3GB of RAM.  This was the workhorse processor used in the Galaxy S5 and LG G3, but not as technically advanced as the 810 found in the One M9, which has better power management, Quick Charge 2.0 and a better GPU for graphics.  The Xperia Z3 only goes up to 32GB of internal storage just like the One M9 and the Xperia Z3 has a microSD card slot for expanding that 32GB by an additional 128GB just like the One M9.

The camera on the Xperia Z3 uses a Sony 20.7 (21) MP sensor and they both offer autofocus – the Xperia Z3 uses a single LED flash and the One M9 uses a dual-tone LED flash, but neither device has OIS.  It uses a 2MP front-facing camera (FFC) versus the One M9 that uses a larger 4MP FFC for social media selfies and video chatting.

As I mentioned earlier, both devices are about the same size.  The Xperia Z3 is fully IP65 and IP68 certified for being dust and waterproof.  The Xperia Z3 also has a built-in FM radio and front-facing stereo speakers much like the One M9.  If you are a PS4 gamer then you will also appreciate the fact the Xperia Z3 can be used for Remote Play. The Xperia Z3 is on T-Mobile for $630.

HTC One M9

The new HTC One M9 is certainly ‘kissing cousins’ with the very similar looks of the One M7 and One M8, but there are many subtle changes…you just have to look closely.  It retains its all-metal body, is well-built, beautiful to look at and a joy to hold.  HTC even redesigned the body slightly on the sides so now there is a small lip to help grip it better…slipping out of the hand was a problem with the One M7 and One M8.  The back is a sure give away, as the camera area looks more like the older M7 – gone is the duo camera.

It sports a 5-inch Full HD Super LCD3 display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and 441 PPI – the same display found on the One M8 and about the same as the 424 PPI on the Xperia Z3 (only because it has a 5.2-inch display).  The processor is a 64-bit octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 with four cores clocked at 1.5GHZ and four cores clocked at 2.0GHz – two generations ahead of the 32-bit Snapdragon 801 in the Xperia Z3.  It is packing 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, although it also has a microSD card for additional storage up to 128GB – again, just like the Xperia Z3.

HTC completely revamped the camera area and did a good job, but it still has no OIS.  The 4MP UltraPixel main camera is gone and replaced with a Sony 20.7MP sensor with autofocus, dual-tone LED flash…same as the Xperia Z3 except for a single LED flash.  HTC moved the 4MP UltraPixel camera to the front for great selfies and video chatting and should help it take better low-light pictures.  It uses a non-removable 2840mAh battery…slightly smaller than the 3100mAh non-removable battery in the Xperia Z3.  It also supports Quick Charge 2.0 thanks to the Qualcomm processor.

The HTC One M9 retains the dual front-facing stereo speakers with BoomSound (much like the Xperia Z3), includes the IR Blaster and comes in Gunmetal Gray, Amber Gold, Silver/Rose Gold and Gold/Pink.  It should be available in March running Android 5.0 Lollipop and pricing is around $690 off contract.

…And The Winner Is…

Summary

I had to go with the new HTC One M9, but it won only by a small margin…mostly because of 64-bit processor.  They both have the same FHD display and are even close to the same size.  They both sport 3GB of RAM, an option for 32GB of storage and room for expansion of that memory.  They both use the same 20.7MP sensor for the main camera and neither one has OIS.  They both have enhanced sound systems and they each have front-facing stereo speakers.  They both exude quality in design, materials and craftsmanship and using either device is a real pleasure – real premium devices.

With all of these similarities, we have to look at the main difference and that would be the processors.  The newer Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is a 64-bit processor that can take advantage of the new Android 5.0 Lollipop so you are ready for the future, other than that I would like to have seen a QHD display. Please hit us up on our Google+ Page and let us know which device you would pick as the winner…as always, we would love to hear from you.