I have used HTC and Samsung. Battery wise, I'd surely go with Samsung. It's a lifesaver. However there's something I've noticed for Samsung smartphones and tablets alike, since most of the gadgets I have are from them.
For example, I have a GS2 and a GS3 and a Galaxy Tab. At times, browsing really lags or freezes to the point you have to reactivate the internet or reboot the device. There is also the issue with "Insert Sim Card" which happens every now and then. Not really often but it's just a nuisance.
For HTC, the battery drains faster compared to Samsung.
What's really puzzling is that the web browsing experience for HTC is better.
I used a low end HTC phone, (HTC Explorer) and I use the same internet provider. I compared loading speeds with the GS2 and GS3 simultaneously and it appears the HTC Explorer outruns them. It's really frustrating at times considering these Samsung phones should've had faster response time. So you can just imagine the speed for HTC One X, right?
Also, the samsung phones' memory were not full and has just same apps with the HTC so that shouldn't be a problem.
Anyway if you can live with that, I'd tell you to go with Samsung. Why? I don't like the hardware and UI of HTC. The speakers quality is not that good when you put the volume to max. The sounds tend to break up sometimes. The UI is not friendly. I hate the home button placed at the left side. If you're in a game, you'll most likely be logged out by accident. It happens often.
For Samsung, the UI is faster. It's more user friendly. There are a lot of things I can tell you more about it's feature which I'm sure other users also agree on.
The battery life really makes a difference. You can't go wrong with this.
These are my personal experiences from both phones.