Here's our breakdown of how the HTC One M8 stacks up against the Sony Xperia Z3.

Pros and Cons of the HTC One M8:

The HTC One M8 has slightly higher pixel density compared to the Xperia Z3, which means a brighter display. That seems however to be the only advantage that it may have over the Sony device. But its slightly smaller dimension may do some good for those who want to hold the phone in their palm. Besides, the front facing camera - the selfie camera, has a decent 5MP lens, which is far better than the Z3's 2.2MP camera.

The M8 takes a beating from the Z3 in almost all departments. It is heavier, thicker, slightly smaller, and has 1GB lesser RAM. It has the same CPU as the Z3's but with a slightly lower clock speed.

Pros and Cons of the Sony Xperia Z3:

Sony has unveiled a powerful and feature-rich smartphone in the Xperia Z3. It has a slightly more powerful CPU and has more RAM. It is thinner and lighter than the M8, and features a 20.7MP primary camera which is almost unmatchable in the segment.

Probably, the only features that go against the Xperia Z3 are the front-facing camera and slightly lesser pixel density. Otherwise, it is a device that easily beats the One M8.

Specs:

The HTC One M8 has a 5-inch, Super LCD3 display with resolution of 1080x1920 pixels at 441ppi. The smartphone has unique dual 4-megapixel primary camera plus a 5-megapixel front facing camera. It runs on Android KitKat, upgradable to Lollipop, and has a powerful 2.3-GHz quad-core Krait 400 processor. The phone has 2GB RAM, 16GB and 32GB storage with 128GB expansion, and HTC Sense UI 6.0 over the Android OS.  It weighs 160g and measures 9.4mm in thickness.

The Sony Xperia Z3 has a 5.2-inch, IPS LCD display with 1080x1920 pixels @ 424ppi. Featuring a 20.7MP primary camera, the Xperia Z3 is a groundbreaking phone in its segment. It runs on a 2.5GHz quad-core Krait 400. It comes loaded with Android KitKat and can be upgraded to Lollipop. Other features include 3GB RAM, 16GB and 32GB internal storage, 128GB storage expansion slot, 14 hours of talktime, 7.3mm thickness and 152g weight.

Talking Points:

The HTC One M8 was released in March 2014 at a press conference. It was initially made available on Verizon Wireless through retail, and was followed by other carriers offering it online from April. The smartphone was launched in Amber Gold, Glacial Silver and Gunmetal Gray. The Gold color has been kept restricted to BestBuy.

Sony released Xperia Z3 at the IFA 2014 in September in Asian markets. It came to the US in October, offered exclusively on T-Mobile. The same month the Remote Play app was released, which allows users to enjoy Remote Play on PS4 consoles.

Prices:

The prices for HTC One M8 are currently available at the company's website.

Conclusion:

Both the One M8 and the Xperia Z3 are almost equally pitted against each other in terms of features. Sony's device may have some features like the 20.7MP camera lens and 3GB RAM that make it superior, but the M8 is still a worthy match. The HTC One M8 is at least $130 cheaper than Sony's uber phone.