The HTC Desire 820 released in November last year while the Samsung Galaxy A5 followed the next month. They are both grabbing their fair share of attention and some buyers will be trying to choose between them. With this in mind we have a Samsung Galaxy A5 vs. HTC Desire 820 specs shootout, so that you can see what they have to offer.

We’re focusing on the single SIM versions here but both are also available as dual SIM models. The Desire 820 is a mid-range smartphone while the Galaxy A5 has a more premium build than many Samsung handsets. There are certainly some specs similarities between them, but also some differences. We’ll highlight the key specs and more.

Processors
The Samsung Galaxy A5 has a 1.2GHz Snapdragon 410 quad-core processor and Adreno 306 graphics. The HTC Desire 820 has a Snapdragon 615 octa-core processor (4 cores at 1.7GHz and 4 at 1GHz) and Adreno 405 GPU.

Display
The Galaxy A5 is equipped with a 5-inch Super AMOLED display with resolution of 1280 x 720 and 294 ppi. The Desire 820 has a 5.5-inch LCD display with resolution of 1280 x 720 resulting in 267 ppi.

RAM and Storage
There’s 2GB of RAM and 16GB of internal storage for both. However, the Galaxy A5 storage is expandable via microSD to 64GB while the Desire 820 can be expanded to 128GB.

Camera set-up
The Galaxy A5 has a 13-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash, and 1080p video capture, as well as a 5-megapixel front-facing camera. The Desire 820 also has a 13-megapixel rear camera with autofocus, LED flash and 1080p video capture, but its front-facing snapper steps up to 8-megapixels.

Battery
The Galaxy A5 has a 2300 mAh battery while the Desire 820 has a 2600 mAh battery. Both are non-removable.

Connectivity
Both phones support 3G, 4G LTE, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n, dual-band and WiFi hotspot, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, GPS, and microUSB 2.0. The Desire 820 also has WiFi Direct, DLNA and USB Host.

Operating System
The Galaxy A5 released on Android 4.4.4 KitKat while the Desire 820 runs Android 4.4.2 KitKat skinned with HTC’s Sense 6 UI.

Dimensions and Weight
The Galaxy A5 measures 139.3mm x 69.7mm x 6.7mm and weighs 123g. The Desire 820 measures 157.7mm x 78.7mm x 7.7mm and weighs 155g.

Price
Pricing varies from region to region and also carriers and retailers, so it’s difficult to be too specific. As an example though when the Samsung Galaxy A5 went up for sale on Expansys US it was priced at $409.99. The HTC Desire 820 was listed at $359.99. Meanwhile the dual SIM versions are available in India from around Rs. 24,7500 for the Galaxy A5 or from around Rs. 21,500 for the Desire 820. Pricing may now be found lower at some retailers.

We’re not comparing the designs, build qualities or the many features of these two phones here, but price-wise although they are in a similar price sector the Galaxy A5 is the more expensive of the two. However, the Desire 820 has a faster octa-core processor, a larger display, a higher level of expandable storage, better front facing camera, and a higher capacity battery.

Alternatively the Galaxy A5 has a smaller form factor (because of its smaller screen size), and it’s both slimmer and lighter than the HTC phone. On specs alone though the Desire 820 has it, but other factors will also come into any purchasing decision between them. Are you more inclined to buy the Samsung Galaxy A5 with its metal build, or the cheaper HTC Desire 820?