iPhone 5 vs. HTC 8X: Spec Shootout

By Anu Passary | Sep 23, 2012 09:29 AM EDT

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Two new high-end smartphones, the iPhone 5 and the HTC 8X, have been unveiled within a week of each other. While the Apple smartphone was amongst the hotly-anticipated devices of the year and has met with an overwhelming response, it remains to be seen if HTC's lWP8-powered handset can make inroads into the highly-competitive smartphone market.

The HTC 8X is the Taiwan-based company's flagship phone for the Microsoft OS, but it is anybody's guess how the device will eventually fare. Here's a look at how the iPhone 5 and its challenger the HTC 8X measure up against each other.

Display
The HTC 8X sports a bigger 4.3-inch HD touch screen with 1280x720 pixels resolution, compared to iPhone 5's 4-inch Retina display with 1136 x 640 resolution. The HTC 8X also scores over the iPhone 5 with its higher pixel density of 341 ppi vis-a-vis the Apple offering's 326 ppi.

Weight and Measurements
At 130g, the HTC 8X is heavier than the iPhone 5, which weighs 112g. The HTC 8X is also slightly thicker than the iPhone 5, 0.39 inches versus 0.30 inches. Additionally, the Apple offering measures 4.87 x 2.31 inches, compared to the HTC smartphone's larger 5.2 x 2.6 inches dimensions.

Processor and Operating System
The iPhone 5 has an upgraded A6 SoC processor, which Apple indicates will increase the smartphone's CPU performance. The new A6 chip is two times faster than the A5 processor found on the iPhone 4S. The iPhone 5 comes with the latest iOS 6, which Apple claims has over 200 improvements including Passbook and Maps (Apple's replacement for Google Maps). A 1.5 GHz dual-core Snapdragon S4 Processor powers the HTC 8X and the smartphone runs Microsoft's the latest Windows Phone 8 OS and also has the "Live Tiles" user interface.

Camera
Both smartphones offer an 8-megapixel rear-facing camera with autofocus and LED flash. However, Apple's iSight camera has a sapphire crystal lens and incudes a Panorama mode and Face Detection software. However, the HTC smartphone has a 2.1-megapixel front-facing camera, compared to the iPhone 5's 1.2-megapixel front-facing FaceTime camera.

Storage
Both smartphones have 1GB of RAM. However, the iPhone 5 will be available in 16/32/64GB variants, compared to the HTC 8X's 16GB option. Neither smartphone comes with an expandable memory option via a microSD card slot.

Battery and Connectivity
iPhone 5 has a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery; however, the size of the battery is not known. The talk time supported is 8 hours on a 3G network. The HTC 8X has and 1800mAh battery. Both smartphones support Bluetooth and Wi-Fi; however, the iPhone 5 has Bluetooth 4.0 compared to HTC's Bluetooth 2.1. Additionally, the HTC 8X packs in NFC capabilities unlike iPhone 5.

Availability, Pricing, and Colors
The iPhone 5 will hit the shelves on Sept. 21 in the UK and U.S. The HTC 8X is expected to be rolled out in November. The iPhone 5 and HTC 8X are at par when it comes to pricing. The 16GB versions of both phones are priced at $199 on contract. The iPhone 5 is available in only black and white, compared to HTC's California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red, and Limelight Yellow options.