HTC One vs. Nokia Lumia 1020 – Which one is the better Smartphone?

Nokia and HTC were left behind a bit in recent years because of Samsung’s and Apple’s big success; this however did not stop the two companies to try to take back their place on the market. Nokia’s 1020 was designed to be not just a good smartphone but also a very good camera. HTC One is the successor of the One X, which despite getting positive feedback was not as successful as HTC wanted it to be.  The HTC One tries to improve on the One X with a brand new design, top-of-the-line hardware and unique features. Which one of the two will manage to impress the most? Let’s find out.

Design

The HTC One come with an aluminum unibody frame, giving it a solid, premium look when compared to the Nokia Lumia 1020’s one-piece polycarbonate body. The Nokia Lumia  1020 looks a bit blockier with its sharp edges compared to the HTC One’s more curvy and elegant design. The one feature that stands out when looking at the Nokia 1020’s body is its huge round camera on its back. The Nokia Lumia 1020 despite being made out of plastic feels solid and well made when handled.

In this category we can’t really decide who’s the definite winner, it all comes down to personal taste, but HTC may steal some points here with its elegant, brushed aluminum look.

Display & Camera

The Nokia 1020 sports a 4.5-inch AMOLED display with 1280 x 768 resolution and 334ppi density, which does not reach the level of the HTC One’s 4.7-inch Super LCD screen with 1080p resolution and 468ppi. When it comes to display quality the HTC One is a clear winner.

When we take a look at the camera however, things change in the favor of the Nokia 1020 with it’s impressive 41MP camera. This is where the Nokia Lumia really shines. Using Nokia’s own PureView Pro technology in combination with its large 1/1.5-inch, 41MP image sensor and Carl Zeiss optics the camera on the 1020 is capable of delivering  very high image quality and good low light performance. It also provides a clear 6x digital zoom at 720p and 4x at 1080p video recordings.

HTC equipped the One with a more modest 4.0-megapixel, 2.0 μm camera with UltraPixel technology that uses bigger pixel sizes than other image sensors. This new camera design should enhance low-light performance and overall image quality. Some users reported problems however, experiencing visual bugs like purple or red tint when the camera was used in low-light conditions. The company responded that it will provide an update to fix these issues.

Hardware & Software

In regards of hardware HTC has the edge. The HTC One uses a 1.7Ghz quad-core Krait 300 processor, that can be considered far superior to the Lumia 1020’s 1.5Ghz dual-core chip.  Both devices use 2GB of RAM, and 32/64GB internal storage with no microSD support.

The software on the two is completely different. HTC ships with Android 4.1.2 “Jelly Bean” and HTC’s own Sense 5.0 software, upgradable to Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Sense 5.5. The Nokia Lumia 1020 runs on Windows Phone 8, upgradable to WP8 Amber.

We can’t declare a clear winner in this category. Some users may side with the more popular Android OS of the HTC One others might prefer the simple tile design of the WP 8.

Battery

The HTC One is powered by a 2.300 mAh Li-Po non-removable battery.  The Nokia Lumia 1020 also comes with a non-removable battery with a capacity of only 2000mAh.The non-removable battery may cause big problems for users in case the battery fails. If this happens you can either send the device for repairs or replace it with a new one.

In this section the HTC One beats its competitor, offering a considerably bigger battery over the Nokia Lumia 1020.

Conclusion

If you are looking for an elegant Android smarphone with a premium design and high-end hardware the choice is obvious. The HTC One has everything on its side, excelling in everything when compared to the Nokia Lunia 1020, except the camera. Nokia clearly wins in that regard by offering a decent smartphone and excellent camera in one package. For those who prefer windows over android the Nokia Lumia 1020 is a clear winner. You can pick up a Nokia Lumia 1020 or an HTC One for around $600 carrier free, maybe even less depending on discount offers in your area.

Is the HTC One’s stylish design and superior hardware something you would choose to buy, or would you prefer the Nokia Lumia 1020 with its minimalistic looking WP 8 OS and killer camera? Let us know.