Apple iPhone 5 v HTC Windows Phone 8X

Taiwanese manufacturer HTC has followed Samsung and Nokia by unveiling its first Windows 8 smartphones - the Windows Phone 8X and 8S. So far, three UK retailers - Clove, Expansys and Unlocked Mobiles - have announced pricing details.

Check out how the HTC Windows Phone 8X stacks up against Apple's iPhone 5

Display

The HTC 8X features a 4.3in Super-LCD2 capacitive touchscreen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 2. The resolution of the display is 720 x 1280 pixels with a pixel density of 342 pixels per inch (ppi). Like the One X, the 8X reportedly has optically laminated glass, allowing for brighter display when in direct sunlight, and better viewing angles.

The iPhone 5 has a 4in multi-touch high resolution Retina display with an oleophobic coating. The resolution is 640 x 1280 pixels but the pixel density is lower than the 8X's, at 326 ppi.

Dimensions

The HTC 8X measures 132.35 x 66.2 x10.12 mm and weighs 130g. The iPhone 5 has an anodised aluminium body with diamond-cut edges (123.88 x 58.6 x 7.6 mm) and weighs just 112g.

Operating System

The 8X will run Windows Phone 8, the iPhone 5 runs Apple's newly released iOS 6.

Processor

The 8X will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 dual-core processor with an Adreno 225 graphics unit. The processor runs at a clock speed of 1.5GHz and the handset has 1GB of RAM. AnandTech benchmarks suggest the S4 is a very handy chip.

The iPhone 5 is powered by an A6 chip (1GB of RAM) that AnandTech suggests could be a dual-core unit. In addition, AnandTech now reports the graphics unit could be a three core PowerVR SGX 543MP3 running at a speed of 266MHz.

Camera

The 8X has an eight megapixel rear-facing camera with standard technologies like auto-focus, LED flash, etc. The handset also has a front camera of 1.2 megapixels. Both units use a dedicated HTC ImageChip and can capture videos in 1080p.

Apple states the eight megapixel iSight camera in the iPhone 5 is a completely re-designed unit, with better optical performance. The company claims the unit is 25 percent smaller than the iPhone 4S's camera and features a sapphire crystal lens cover to provide clearer images. The camera can record video in 1080p at 30 frames per second (fps) with LED video light, video stabilisation and geo-tagging. The front camera is a Face Time unit of lower resolution than the one on the 8X. This camera can record HD video in 720p at 30 fps.

Connectivity

The HTC 8X will offer Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band and Bluetooth v2.1 with A2DP+EDR. The smartphone supports HSDPA and HSUPA data speeds. The iPhone 5 offers Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band Wi-Fi (2.6GHz and 5GHz), Bluetooth v4.0 with A2DP.

The iPhone 5 does not support Near Field Communication (NFC) but offers its own e-commerce solution in the form of Passbook, which is bundled with iOS 6. On the flip side, it does offer support for 4G networks, which the 8X does not.

Battery

The HTC 8X uses an 1800mAh battery but there is no official statement on its longevity. Conversely, while we do not know the battery capacity of the iPhone 5, the product page suggests the battery will offer eight hours' talk time and browsing on 3G networks, a similar time on LTE and 10 hours of browsing on Wi-Fi.

Storage

The HTC 8X comes in a single model - 16GB. The iPhone 5 will be available in the traditional 16/32/64GB variations but, unlike the 8X (and again in keeping with Apple tradition) does not support SD cards.