For the past few weeks we have been seeing quite a lot of reviews around HTC One (MS) & Samsung Galaxy S5.

On paper, the HTC One M8 stands out from its competitors (Samsung Galaxy S5 & iPhone 5S) with its spectacular features, scrupulous design, and interesting specifications.

Now is the time to compare HTC One (M8) with the market leaders Samsung (Galaxy S5) & Apple (iPhone 5S).

Display

Galaxy S5 handset comes with a 5.1 inches screen, (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution. However, HTC One (M8) is only slightly smaller with 5 inches, (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) resolution.

But the iPhone 5S is way smaller when compared to its rivals; iPhone 5S comes with a 4 inches, (1,136 x 640 pixels) high-resolution retina screen.

Users who are hell-bent on gigantic screen size should opt for either Samsung Galaxy S5 or HTC One M8.

Thickness & Weight

Users with the need for a slimmer handset should go straight to iPhone 5S. This handset is 0.3 inches thick. While Galaxy S5 has a thickness of 0.32 inches and HTC One M8 is the thickest of all with 0.37 inches.

The iPhone 5S is the winner again in the lightest phone category, weighing only 0.25 pounds. While, the Galaxy S5 weighs 0.32 pounds and the HTC One (M8) weighs slightly more than the Galaxy S5 with 0.35 pounds.

So the clear winner is Apple.

Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is powered by a 2.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor, while the HTC One (M8) is powered by a 2.3 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor. Samsung seems to have the upper hand here.

Apple uses its proprietary 1.3 GHz dual-core A7 chipset with M7 processor.

Software

The HTC One (M8) and the Galaxy S5 use Android 4.4 KitKat. The difference is in the interface; the HTC One (M8) uses HTC's Sense 6.0 UI, while the Galaxy S5 uses Samsung's TouchWiz UI.

But again, the iPhone 5S uses the latest software version from Apple, the iOS 7.0.

Battery

The HTC One M8 has a 2,600mAh battery (embedded), which should get you up to 20. The Samsung Galaxy S5 packs a sizable 2,800mAh battery (removable) and gives up to 21 hours.

However, the iPhone 5S has a 1,560mAh battery (embedded), which should get you up to 10 hours.

Camera

When it comes to MegaPixel war, the Samsung Galaxy S5 is the clear winner. The handset houses a 16 MP rear camera and a 2 MP front camera.

The iPhone 5S houses an 8 MP rear camera and a 1.2 MP front camera. Although Apple cannot win the MegaPixel war, their image enhancement mechanism with their software is commendable.

Although, there were rumors about HTC One M8 camera being inferior with the limited information, the HTC One (M8) seems to pack a different story.

The camera on the 'front' is a whopping 5 MP one, while the camera on the rear (uses 4 Ultrapixels) is a unique one. There are a total of 2 lenses (Duo Camera) in the rear camera, while the main lens is used to capture image, the other lens seizes the in-depth details.

Both the cameras work in tandem to let users capture detailed images with their photos. According to HTC, the Duo Camera lets the user to refocus the photo after it is shot.

On paper, Samsung Galaxy S5 has the advantage but HTC One M8 cannot be ignored. HTC is the pioneer in bringing Duo Camera to the fore.

Color

The Samsung Galaxy S5 comes in two colors - black & white; while copper & blue colors will see a limited release.

The iPhone 5S comes in three colors - space gray, silver & gold.

The HTC One (M8) comes in three colors - gray, silver and rose gold (operator dependent).

Price (Outright) & Availability

The Apple iPhone 5S is priced at around AU $829.95 (for a 16 GB variant) and AU $959.95 (for a 32 GB variant) in Australia.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 is priced at AU $929. The pre-orders can be availed from 27 March.

Samsung smartwatches /bands are also on sale; the Galaxy Gear 2 is priced at AU $369.95, while the Galaxy Gear Neo and Gear Fit are both priced at AU $249.

The HTC One M8 is priced at AU $899. It is available from 1 April.

Note: Various mobile carriers (Telstra, Optus, Vodafone & Virgin Mobile) will have their own plans, so visit their websites to customize your plan.