Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini (Duos) vs. HTC Desire 816 (Dual Sim) – Specifications, Features and Price Showdown

File Photo Of Employee Of Samsung Electronics Walking Past The Company Main Office In Seoul — An employee of Samsung Electronics walks past the company main office in Seoul in this April 6, 2010 file photo. REUTERS

The HTC Desire 816 was released in May, whereas the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini has recently been released in August. However, the Samsung handset is released only in selected regions at this point. Readers who are interested in the latest Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini or the HTC Desire 816 should check out this specifications, features and price comparison.

Display, Exterior and Size

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini features a 4.5-inch Super AMOLED display with 720 x 1,280 pixels screen resolution, while the Desire 816 features a whopping LG G3-like 5.5-inch Super LCD2 display, with the same resolution as the Samsung device. In addition, the pixel densities of Galaxy S5 Mini and Desire 816 stand at 326 ppi and 267 ppi respectively.

Similar to the predecessor Galaxy S4 Mini, the Galaxy S5 Mini feature the same perforated (dotted) plastic back. Furthermore, the handset features a glossy but fake metal band covering the corners of the handsets. In many ways, the phone looks similar to the Galaxy S5. Meanwhile, the HTC Desire 816 comes with a glossy polycarbonate plastic exterior unlike the metallic look of the high-end HTC One M8. Nevertheless, the matte effect surrounding the corners of the phone provides a solid, likeable look to the handset, according to Trusted Reviews.

The thickness and the weight of the HTC Desire 816 are 0.31-inch and 165 g respectively. Whereas the Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is 0.36-inch thick and weighs 120 g.

Hardware, Software and Memory

The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is powered by a quad-core (Exynos 3) Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.4 GHz. The Desire 816, on the other hand, is powered by a quad-core (Qualcomm Snapdragon 400) Cortex-A7 processor clocked at 1.6 GHz. Also, both the handsets house the same 1.5 GB of RAM.

The HTC device runs on Android v4.4.2 KitKat OS along with HTC's Sense 6.0 UI, whereas the Samsung device runs on the same Android version along with Samsung's TouchWiz UI. In addition, the Desire 816 comes equipped with 8 GB of internal storage, whereas the Galaxy S5 Mini comes with 16 GB of memory space. Both the devices support microSD card for expansion. However, the expansion limits of the Desire 816 and the Galaxy S5 Mini stand at 128 GB and 64 GB respectively.

Camera and Battery

The HTC Desire 816 houses a solid 13 MP rear-facing camera unit with LED flash and a surprisingly good 5 MP shooter in the front. The Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini, meanwhile, houses a relatively inferior 8 MP primary camera with LED flash and a 2.1 MP shooter as the secondary unit. Furthermore, the HTC device comes equipped with a phenomenal Li-Ion 2600 mAh non-removable battery unit, whereas the Samsung device comes with a Li-Ion 2100 mAh user-replaceable battery unit.

Misc

1. The Galaxy S5 Mini features water and dust proof exterior. Hence the device is IP67 certified. However, the HTC Desire 816 doesn't.

2. Also, the Galaxy S5 Mini houses a fingerprint sensor and a heart rate monitor, whereas the HTC device doesn't.

3. The Galaxy S5 Mini also supports Ultra Power Saving Mode similar to the Galaxy S5, while the HTC handset doesn't.

4. Several variants of both the handsets come with dual-sim support.

5. While the Desire 816 supports nano-sim, the Galaxy S5 Mini supports micro-sim.

Price

The HTC Desire 816 can be purchased for AU$399.95 in Australia, whereas the compact Samsung Galaxy S5 Mini is priced exorbitantly at £389.95 in the UK. However, the release date and the price details pertaining to Australia and other regions are not available at this point.