HTC has now released its HTC One (M8) smartphone in the US as well as the UK, so that means it is time to break out the old comparison chart and start picking out the difference between HTC's latest and greatest device compared to Apple's iPhone 5S.

Comparing an Android smartphone and an iOS smartphone is always tough. But with Google and Apple as the two biggest names in tech it would be a crime to ignore the head-to-head.

So, does the HTC's bigger display make it technically better? Does the iPhone 5S's megapixel-packed front shooter make it a little more powerful? Does either phone offer enough juice in terms of battery life and processing oomph? There's only one way to find out...

Display

The HTC One (M8) features a 5-inch display with a 1920 x 1080-pixel resolution and 441ppi. The iPhone 5S features only a 4-inch Retina display with a 1136 x 640-pixel resolution and 326ppi. Although both displays are crystal clear and provide extraordinary levels of brightness and sharpness, the HTC One (M8) wins this round.

Simply put: The HTC One M8 boasts the larger screen and beefier display specs.

Processor

The HTC One (M8) features a 2.3GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 chipset. It also has 2GB of RAM. The iPhone 5S features Apple's own A7 chip with a 64-bit architecture. If only looking at the hardware specs, it's hard to tell which phone is the fastest.

The iPhone 5S should technically have the better processor - but often things aren't that simple. The main problem is that both processors use dramatically different architectures. Also, Apple doesn't expose its frequency speeds or such things. So, you'll have to wait until Pocket-lint has both phones side by side.

This round is therefore a draw, for now.

Connectivity

The HTC One (M8) features support for Wi-Fi, NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE and nano SIM. The iPhone 5S features support for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, 4G LTE and nano SIM.

Without getting into a full on debate, it's safe to say there are pros and cons to NFC. Many Android devotees hate that the iPhone doesn't support near-field communication technology. But Apple fanboys will just say that it is unnecessary - because the iPhone 5S has iBeacon and Bluetooth 4.0. We therefore have to wait and see which connectivity option will stand the test of time. And that means this round is another tie, albeit one with caveats.

Storage

The HTC One (M8) features 16GB of on-board storage, a microSD card slot capable of up to 128GB and 65GB of free Google Drive space. The iPhone 5S features 16, 32 or 64GB of on-board storage and 5GB of free Apple iCloud space.

Although the iPhone 5S has more options in terms of on-board storage, the HTC One (M8) wins this round because it offers the ability to expand storage via microSD. It also offers much more free cloud storage space than the iPhone 5S. And everyone knows the cloud is the future.

Battery

The HTC One (M8) features a 2,600mAh battery that is supposedly 40 per cent more efficient than the first HTC One, which could last up to two days with core business use, it is claimed. The HTC One (M8) also features Qualcomm Fast Charge, meaning it can reach 80 per cent charge in just an hour via the charger cable that comes in the box.

The iPhone 5S features a built-in rechargeable lithium-ion battery that allegedly supplies up to 10 hours of talk-time on 3G, up to 10 hours of Internet use on 4G LTE, and video playback up to 10 hours. It charges via a USB or wall adapter cable that comes in the box, and it takes way more than an hour to get a full charge.

We'd have to test HTC's claims before we confirm that the HTC One (M8) actually beats the iPhone 5S in terms of battery life. But, on paper, it sure does look good. This round is therefore a draw, for now.

Camera

The HTC One (M8) features the same 4.1-UltraPixel sensor (f2.0 aperture) found in the original HTC One, though HTC said that the new Qualcomm image chip processes better images in all lighting conditions. It also has a Duo Camera lens for depth perception only and 5-megapixel (f2.0 aperture) front-facing camera.

The iPhone 5S features an 8-megapixel (f2.2 aperture) rear-facing iSight camera with a Sapphire crystal lens cover. It also features a front shooter that captures 1.2MP photos with 1280 x 960-pixel resolution.

We'd have to compare both phones out in the field when the HTC One (M8) is available for a proper test. It'll be interesting to examine the HTC One (M8)'s Duo Camera functionality, as well as its video-recording capability. The iPhone has a 1080p maximum limit.

Stay tuned. Again, this round is another tie for the moment.

OS

The HTC One (M8) features Android 4.4.2 KitKat and Sense 6.0. The iPhone 5S features Apple's iOS 7.

This is another tricky round that doesn't have a clear-cut winner. Both phones boast the latest versions of either the Android or iOS operating systems, though the HTC One (M8) also has HTC's Sense overlay. If you dislike anything other than pure Android, the HTC One (M8) is probably not for you. The iPhone clearly not.

But we still can't say the HTC One (M8) loses to the iPhone 5S, because we all know there Android devotees and iOS devotees. This isn't an operating system comparison; this is a smartphone comparison. And right now - for this round - they are tied.

Build

The HTC One (M8) features a machined aluminium rear that now wraps around the sides and thinner walls. There will be three colours available at launch: gunmetal grey, arctic silver and amber gold. The iPhone 5S is a similarly solid device with an aluminium back and sides that feel classy, and it's available in the colours space gray, gold and silver.

This round is yet again another tie. Both phones are aluminium and solid, and both phones have different colour options. They are also both gorgeous.

Conclusion

The HTC One (M8) technically beats the iPhone 5S because it has a larger, beefier display and more storage options. The jury is out however as to whether two winning rounds makes the HTC One (M8) the best smartphone to buy. And then of course there's the age-old battle between iOS 7 and Android. But that's a whole other story.

To be honest, the HTC One (M8) and iPhone 5S are chalk and cheese. That's because they are both powerful and sleek devices with plentiful feature sets and numerous technological advances. Your money would be well-spent on either device.

READ: HTC One (M8) review