Ever since Google rolled out the Nexus 5X smartphone with its latest Android Marshmallow operating system, the industry has been anxiously waiting for other brands to take on the might of Google. The wait finally came to an end with HTC revealing One A9, the device like Nexus 5X runs the same operating system and comes with other special features to beat its arch rival. To give you a better clarity, we have compared both the devices in depth to help you choose the better of the two devices.


Design and Display

To begin with, both the phones impress with their slim and sleek design. The One A9 marks its arrival in an all metal design and measures 7.2mm around the waistline with a weight of 143 grams. The smartphone sports a 5.0-inch AMOLED display with a full HD screen resolution and a sharp pixel density of 441ppi. The screen is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass which resists user marks and scratches.

The Nexus 5X appears in a plastic body which is guarded by metallic frame. The waistline is slightly thicker to its competitor but is lighter in weight. The Google product has a larger display while the screen resolution and Gorilla Glass screen protection remain the common features between both the devices. The major difference here is the presence of AMOLED display in HTC which is more enhanced in comparison to LCD display of Nexus 5X.

Configuration and OS

The HTC One A9 is powered by quad-core 1.5Ghz Cortex A53 and quad-core 1.2GHz, seated on Qualcomm MSM8952 Snapdragon 617 processors. Giving aegis to the processors are 2GB RAM and Adreno 405 graphics which combine to deliver a seamless performance while navigating between apps. Acting as the face of the device is the v6.0 Marshmallow which is the latest version of Android.

The Nexus 5 is driven by 1.8GHz dual-core and 1.44GHz quad-core processors seated on Qualcomm MSM8992 Snapdragon 808 Chipset which are ably supported by 2GB RAM and Adreno 418 graphics. To sum up, both are powerful devices and are compatible to support heavy games and deliver lag free experience, but Nexus 5X has slightly more powerful Snapdragon 808 processor. The operating system remains the same, but One A9 comes with HTC Sense which is a customised version of Android.

Camera and Battery

The HTC One A9 is stacked with a 13MP main camera in comparison to 12.3MP main camera in Nexus 5X; however One A9 is boosted with features like Optical Image Stabilization and Pro-Mode which gives you a better control in terms of flexibility. The HTC smartphone is equipped with a 4UP front camera while the Nexus 5X is stacked with a 5MP front camera. The Nexus 5X edges its archrival when it comes to video recording, the camcorder can record videos up to 2,160p in comparison to 1,080p in One A9.

Talking about the battery, the One A9 is fuelled by a 2,150mAh li-ion battery which claims to provide a talktime up to 16 hours on 3G. The Nexus 5X is backed by a 2,700mAh li-po battery which gives it an edge over its counterpart, though both the devices are provisioned to support fast charging.

Storage and Connectivity.

The One A9 has a clear edge, here, and this could be a decisive factor between the two devices. The smartphone has an internal memory of 16GB which can further be expanded up to a whopping 2TB via a microSD card slot. Talking about the Nexus 5X, the device does not come with an expandable memory slot, so the users have to satisfy themselves with 16GB of internal memory.

For networking and connectivity, both the devices make sure they cover all the standard and major connectivity features. Both the phones support NFC and 4G along with connectivity features like  Wireless 802.11, Bluetooth v4.1, GPS and USB among others.

Special Features

A special mention goes to the fingerprint sensor which enhances the security of your personal data. The fingerprint scanner appears at the front on HTC One A9 while the Nexus 5X has it at its rear. Since, both devices run Android Marshmallow, users would get the access to the mobile payment feature called Android Pay.

Verdict

 To conclude, both the devices are extremely powerful and boast of heavy specs and have the ingredients of flagship phones, but somehow neither of them can be called a flagship device. Both the devices delivers on performance and speed; however HTC One A9 edges out in terms of all metal body and design and also the expandable memory option. So, users who need phone with large storage capacity can pick the One A9 while the Nexus 5 X is expected to get all the updates to enjoy the best of Android and has a slightly larger screen.