I plan to get an HTC ONE. It is beautiful. That being said, there are several non-facts being tossed around this thread and others as if they were facts, and I would like to address them.
1. A camera's megapixel count means nothing? Wrong. Now, they don't by themselves dictate picture quality, this much is true. But implying they aren't a factor in an image is silly. Different people, depending upon their photography goals, will weight it as a desirable factor differently in their choice. They may weight other factors more importantly. But it does mean something and it does have value.
2. Removable batteries and /or SD cards are useless and the majority of people don't care? Wrong, and maybe, respectively. They aren't useless. Maybe they're useless to you, and that's fine, but they're usable to somebody else. Suggesting that iPhone sales proves most people don't care is a big leap. Maybe they just decided other features were more important to them.
3. An aluminum uni-body is automatically stronger than other designs? Maybe, maybe not. There are a huge number of factors that will determine the physical strength of a part. What alloy is that aluminum? How thick is it? If it's thin, what internal features such as ribbing, gussets, etc. have been designed in to provide strength/rigidity? Where are those features located? In the drop test video I watched (yes, I know it's lame and unscientific but that doesn't affect my point) I get the impression that on the HTC ONE the aluminum is nothing more than a thin veneer glued around the guts of the phone. Coke cans aren't very strong. Now I'm not saying the ONE is a coke can. The image on this page
Design overview of the HTC One in an interview with Scott Croyle VP of Design | HTC Source give the impression of strength at least. But that image also suggests the speaker grills are one piece with the rest of the chassis. It turns out they are just glued onto the black plastic guts and can pop off if the edge is hit right. And the ease with which it dents/buckles suggests that I at least would prefer it be a bit more robust. Also a tear-down article suggests the sides bend very easily with gentle prying. Now it may be fine; I'm only making the point that aluminum/uni-body doesn't automatically make for a strong, durable product. Totally depends on the engineering.
4. Removable batteries are impossible in an aluminum and/or uni-body form? Wrong. My car has an aluminum uni-body and the battery is replaceable. Okay that doesn't prove anything, but hear me out. I can imagine a few designs off the top of my head that would do it. The word uni-body doesn't by definition preclude doors or openings. Or the whole, entire uni-body shell could be removable if you want to stick with no seams. Or heck, the screen could hinge up out of the way! Sorry, just brainstorming here. Anyway, sure there might be design trade-offs, but saying it's flat impossible is wrong.
I might become an HTC fanboy, or at at least a ONE fanboy, soon. I'm not going to decide for sure until I hold it in my hand. If I do, I don't want some of you on my side if you can't defend your choice without logical, well thought out points. The S4 appears to be a great device. Now it's perfectly fine for you to dislike things about it, but bashing it without logic doesn't make you look smart.