HTC One M8 vs Sony Xperia Z2 - Flagship Android smartphones for 2014

**Two Android smartphones going head to head are the HTC One M8 and the Sony Xperia Z2. **

Let’s take at two handsets which have locked horns in the battle of the flagship smartphones.

Both phones are unquestionable blockbusters, so why not take a quick moment to match them up in our HTC One M8 vs Sony Xperia Z2 review?

HTC One+ vs Xperia Z2: Design

Both phones look incredible if we are to trust the wealth of Xperia Z2 and HTC One+ (or HTC Two) rumours making the rounds on the web.

The Xperia Z2 is sticking to what it knows, simply slimming down compared to its predecessor, looking as smart and as stylish as ever.

It will feature the same scratch resistant glass both on the back and front of the phone, with the strong aluminium trim keeping its place around the edge of the handset.

The HTC One+ is running a similar track by the looks of it, again using a template from its last handset, the HTC One, to keep the design rather similar.

Thankfully, the premium metal casing isn’t budging from the HTC One, and the One+ will be looking and feeling as good as ever with an even bigger and more beautiful metal portion donning the back of the phone.

The One+ and Xperia Z2 will be upgrading in size though, with both handsets gaining an few inches to allow for a bigger front display.

The Xperia Z2 is offering brains to go with its beauty as well, boasting the same water resistance that we have seen with the Xperia Z1 and Z1 Compact, allowing you to take all the underwater pictures you want.

The HTC One+ might not be waterproof, but one key feature that it hasn’t watered down is its dual front facing speakers we saw with the original HTC One, with the system making a second appearance in the latest version of the handset.

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Under the hood: which is the best Android smartphone of 2014?

Behind the glitz and glamour we see on the outside of the devices, we’re expecting even more flash under the hood of each smartphone.

Both are upgrading heavily compared to their older counterparts and we’re expecting to be blown away by both when we get our hands on them.

The HTC One+ will be sporting a 5” 1080p display when it reveals itself, pushing up from the 4.7” effort we saw on the original HTC One.

But The Xperia Z2 is pushing boundaries even further, and will allegedly feature a 5.2” 2560×1440 display, slightly bigger and sharper than the HTC One+ and light years ahead of the original Z1.

Heading past the display, we will see a super-fast Snapdragon 805 processor find its way into the HTC One+, making for a much more responsive experience.

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The Z2 is also using a similar chipset, but downgrading slightly with a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor which is still an extremely quick piece of kit, just marginally weaker than the 805 in the HTC.

The HTC One+ is sticking with the same 2GB RAM that its predecessor used though, compared to the outstanding 3GB RAM expected to make its way into the Xperia Z2. This difference may not look like much of a gap, but in terms of general handset speed it will really separate both pieces of kit.

Both the HTC and Sony will run the same Android 4.4 KitKat operating system, each with their own take on the user interface.

The Z2 will feature all of Sony’s infamous multimedia apps, whereas the HTC flagship will undoubtedly sport HTC’s BlinkFeed and Zoe.

Sony Xperia Z2 camera vs HTC One+ camera

For some time now, smartphone cameras have had the potential to break a deal when it comes to upgrading your device, and in this case neither the HTC One+ or the Xperia Z2 will disappoint on this front.

The Xperia Z2 does stand out though with its 20.7 megapixel PureView snapper, which hasn’t seen any changes from the Xperia Z1. The Xperia Z2 is widely rumoured to feature 4K Ultra HD video recording, which will undoubtedly beat the One+ in the resolution department.

The HTC has seen an upgrade however, pushing up from the 4 megapixel camera we saw on the HTC One to an 8 megapixel effort which offers even better quality. Don’t let megapixels put you off though; the HTC One+ promises to sport an UltraPixel snapper, which lets in up to 300% more light than other 13MP smartphones.

In fact, the HTC may even feature two separate cameras on the back of the handset, one for regular use and another for low-light situations which also acts as a fingerprint scanner, a feature that could prove a big selling point.

The Verdict

Both phones we know will be top quality, and will move units without a doubt, making a winner hard to choose.

In terms of sheer power, you would have to side with the Xperia Z2 with its bigger RAM, but we prefer the general design of the HTC. But which do you prefer?