HTC One max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs LG G2

The HTC One Max is now a reality, and though product unveilings are usually a joyous occasion for the companies behind them and consumers both, it falls down on the latter to roll up their sleeves and start weighing the product's relative pros and cons. And though the general user experience is arguably only partially reliant on specs, they do remain an important reading that we go through every time a new flagship device enters the market.

Today, we're comparing three of the hottest flagships currently (and soon, in the case of the HTC One Max) available. Unlike the software side of things, where the trio features a wildly different value propositions, down under in the world of hardware, things are simpler and far less subjective. This, for example, means that we can easily call HTC on using a somewhat cheaper, slightly outdated chipset with the One Max – the Snapdragon 600 (Adreno 320), whereas the competition in the form of the Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and the LG G2 has already moved to Snapdragon 800 with Adreno 330 graphics. On the other hand, at 5.9-inches, the HTC One Max has the largest screen real estate of the group, and this one should prove to live long enough to see more than a day of heavy usage, thanks to the large 3300mAh battery that HTC has snugged inside the One Max. While we're still at the topic of displays, it's probably also worth mentioning that the three contenders have all opted for a somewhat different display tech, each with its respective cons and pros – Super-LCD 3 for the One Max, Super AMOLED for the Note 3 and an LG IPS LCD panel for the G2. In our experience, Super-LCD 3 panels are a tad superior to some IPS LCDs (S-LCD3 is also an IPS panel) and also have a hand over AMOLEDs (though that gap has been significantly reduced with the Note 3).

Another rather more substantial win for the HTC One Max is its dedicated fingerprint sensor, not a first for Android or the world of smartphones as a whole, but definitely the first in a truly modern smartphone. Whether the said sensor delivers, however, remains to be seen (or tested).

With those in mind, and taking into account the extensive specs break-down we've provided for you below, do you think the HTC One Max will manage to sway consumers off rival propositions?

HTC One max vs Samsung Galaxy Note 3 vs LG G2

HTC One max

Samsung Galaxy Note 3

LG G2

DESIGN
OS	Android (4.3) Sense 5.5 UI	Android (4.3)	Android (4.2.2)
Dimensions	6.48 x 3.25 x 0.41 inches (164.5 x 82.5 x 10.29 mm)	5.95 x 3.12 x 0.33 inches (151.2 x 79.2 x 8.3 mm)	5.45 x 2.79 x 0.35 inches (138.5 x 70.9 x 8.9 mm)
Weight	7.65 oz (217 g) the average is 4.5 oz (129 g)	5.93 oz (168 g) the average is 4.5 oz (129 g)	5.04 oz (143 g) the average is 4.5 oz (129 g)
Body material	Aluminium
Design features	Fingerprint sensor	S Pen

DISPLAY
Physical size	6.0 inches	5.7 inches	5.2 inches
Resolution	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels	1080 x 1920 pixels
Pixel density	367 ppi	386 ppi	423 ppi
Technology	S-LCD 3	Super AMOLED	IPS LCD
Colors	16 777 216	16 777 216	16 777 216
Peak brightness			450 cd/m2 (nit)

BATTERY
Talk time		25.00 hours the average is 12 h (743 min)
Stand-by time		22.0 days (528 hours) the average is 21 days (500 h)
Talk time (3G)	25.00 hours the average is 12 h (697 min)	21.00 hours the average is 12 h (697 min)
Stand-by time (3G)	24.4 days (585 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h)	17.5 days (420 hours) the average is 19 days (463 h)
Stand-by time (4G)		380.0 days (9120 hours) the average is 50 days (1196 h)
Music playback		84.00 hours
Video playback		13.00 hours
Capacity	3300 mAh	3200 mAh	3000 mAh
Type	Li - Ion	Li - Ion	Li - Polymer
Not user replaceable	Yes		Yes

HARDWARE
System chip	Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 APQ8064T	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974	Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 MSM8974
Processor	Quad core, 1700 MHz, Krait 300	Quad core, 2300 MHz, Krait 400	Quad core, 2260 MHz, Krait 400
Graphics processor	Adreno 320	Adreno 330	Adreno 330
System memory	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 533 MHz) / LPDDR2	3072 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3	2048 MB RAM (Dual-channel, 800 MHz) / LPDDR3
Built-in storage	32 GB	32 GB	32 GB
Storage expansion	microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC	microSD, microSDHC

CAMERA
Camera	4 megapixels	13 megapixels	13 megapixels
Flash	LED	LED	LED
Aperture size	F2.0	F2.2
Focal length (35mm equivalent)	28mm
Camera sensor size	1/3"
Camcorder	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (60 fps)	3840x2160 (4K) (30 fps), 1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps), 1280x720 (720p HD) (120 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (60 fps)
Features	Continuous autofocus, High Dynamic Range mode (HDR)	Digital image stabilization, Continuous autofocus	Optical image stabilization
Front-facing camera	2.1 megapixels	2 megapixels	2.1 megapixels
Video capture	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)	1920x1080 (1080p HD) (30 fps)

TECHNOLOGY
CDMA	800, 1900 MHz		800, 1900 MHz
GSM	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz	850, 900, 1800, 1900 MHz
UMTS	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz	850, 900, 1900, 2100 MHz
FDD LTE	700 (band 13), 800 (band 18), 850 (band 5), 900 (band 8), 1800 (band 3), 1900 (band 2), 2100 (band 1), 2600 (band 7) MHz	700 (band 17), 800 (band 18), 850 (band 5), 900 (band 8), 1700/2100 (band 4), 1800 (band 3), 1900 (band 2) MHz	850 (band 5), 900 (band 8), 1800 (band 3), 2100 (band 1), 2600 (band 7) MHz
Data	LTE, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EV-DO Rev.A	LTE Cat4 Downlink 150 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS	LTE-A, LTE Cat3 Downlink 100 Mbit/s, LTE Cat3/4 Uplink 50 Mbit/s, HSDPA+ (4G) 42.2 Mbit/s, HSUPA 5.76 Mbit/s, UMTS, EDGE, GPRS, EV-DO Rev.A