Dueling Androids
Since Google revealed its newest Android operating system rendition, Marshmallow, two Android-based phones have been revealed that use the new software.
Google in September revealed its 5.2-inch Nexus 5X smartphone, a plastic-bodied phone for $379 manufactured by LG with an impressive hardware base on the inside. Meanwhile, HTC on Tuesday pulled the trigger on its new One A9 smartphone, a 5-inch phone with a high-end metallic body priced at $400.
Both smartphones run Marshmallow, which contains several new features for Android users, including support for fingerprint scanners for phones and support for Google’s mobile payment system, Android Pay. Following is a head-to-head comparison of HTC’s One A9 and Google’s Nexus 5X.
Body And Display: Nexus 5X Is Thicker But Lighter
When it comes to body frame and screen design, the Nexus 5X has a bigger, lighter body, but also a cheaper, plastic frame base compared with the One A9’s high-end metal body.
The One A9’s all-metal design is one of its hotter features, as the phone’s metallic frame gives it a high-end, elegant finish.
While the two smartphones’ displays have the same 1,920-by-1,080 resolution, the One A9’s 5-inch AMOLED display is a bit smaller than the Nexus 5X’s 5.2-inch LCD screen. Meanwhile, the Nexus 5X is thicker at 7.9 mm thick, compared with the One A9’s 7.26 mm, but Google’s new smartphone weighs just 136 grams, compared with HTC’s One A9 slightly heavier 143 grams.
Processor: Nexus 5X Packs More Snapdragon Performance
Both the One A9 and Google Nexus 5X run on Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, but these are two different models in terms of core count, performance and cache.
The One A9 contains a Snapdragon 617, an octa -core CPU that clocks up to 1.5 GHz and touts an Adreno 405 GPU. On paper, the processor, targeted at mid range phones, packs less performance and is slightly slower than the Nexus 5X’s chip, with four cores going at 1.5 GHz and the other four at 1.2 GHz. However, the One A9’s chip has more options in terms of memory, with either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM.
Meanwhile, the Google Nexus 5X has a slightly faster quad-core Snapdragon 808 CPU, which clocks up to 2 GHz, coupled with an Adreno 418 GPU.
RAM And Storage: One A9 Has More Memory, Storage Options
Both phones contain similar options for storage and memory. The HTC One A9 comes with either 2 GB or 3 GB of RAM, and has models with either 16 GB or 32 GB of storage. Meanwhile, Google’s Nexus 5X comes with only one option for memory, 2 GB, and storage options of 16 GB or 32 GB.
HTC’s One A9 also comes with a Micro SD option of up to 2 TB, which the Google Nexus 5X lacks. This gives the One A9 a big advantage in terms of storage potential.
Marshmallow Mash
Both smartphones run on Google’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow, the successor to its Lollipop operating system. This new mobile OS contains several enhanced features, such as fingerprint scanners for phones and support for Android Pay, Google’s mobile payment system.
In addition, the new mobile OS also simplifies app permissions so that users can choose to deny or accept individual permissions, and has improvements to Google Now that expand its functionality significantly.
The One A9 contains HTC Sense, a software suite that modifies aspects of the Android user experience and adds features like an altered home screen as well as additional widgets.
