HTC M8 User reviews - Thoughts on your device? Battery usage/life? -Issues/comments

[Dazo5]

Surprised you are only getting 11 hours - I'm constantly getting about 24 between charges.

You must have some process or processes that are caning your battery!

Think I found the culprit.

 

[SolApathy]

Ingress is very demanding, it is constantly using GPS and data I removed it from my M7 a while back after I noticed it was adversely affecting my battery life.

 

[Tlicious1020]

OK, I'm 4 days into this phone and I do not regret it coming from the powerhouse that was the EVO 4G. Yes the EVO is a 4 year old phone and it still did what I needed it to do but age and abuse forced me to upgrade. I'll break down the features that are important to me and I will address the camera since that is what everyone is hung up on. Keep in mind I am coming from an old phone.

1. Speed. When I upgraded my Hero to the EVO I noticed an increase in processor power and speed, going from the EVO to the One M8 is an even bigger jump from that. I haven't been able to bog it down and it plays CPU intensive games with ease, I don't have to wait for anything with this phone.
2. Display. It looks damn good, pictures look great on screen and blinkfeed is new to me but so far I like seeing all the news stories that interest me on one screen. It's fluff but it is fluff that I don't mind and find at least some value in. Viewing angles are great but I miss the kickstand.
3. Calling. I thought the sound was a bit low, even when cranked up all the way. I use my phone in noisy environments often for work. Given the rave reviews of the Boom Sound speakers I expected to be taking calls in noisy environments at half volume instead of cranked up all the way.
4. Music. I was impressed that the stock media player was able to play my entire iTunes library without being converted. It downloaded album art and everything, the visualizer had lyrics for some of the songs in my library which I didn't expect. It even translated some Japanese artists songs to English. I really like the headphones that shipped with the phone, they block out all outside sounds and give a good full sound experience. The Boom Sound speakers filled our work laboratory with sound and I had to turn them down to have a conversation with co-workers.
5. Sprint 4G LTE. At this time I have only used it in my home area but I did notice a speed increase when browsing the web. I can't tell if this is due to the LTE network or just the increased processor speed.
6. Sleep Screen Gestures. This seems to work pretty well some of the time. In my pocket it doesn't activate the phone but out of my pocket it seems to work well some of the time. If the phone has been asleep for a few minutes or longer I need to double tap the screen once before it accepts the next sleep gesture.
7. Camera. Keep in mind I am coming from an EVO here, but damn this thing takes some great low-light pictures. I took a picture of my yard in the pitch black (no moon) and while the quality was what you woudl expect of a low light picture it was the best I had ever seen in those conditions. If I want a good picture I will still use a dedicated camera but for a phone I was impressed. The built in faux photoshop is fun to play with and the camera takes pictures very quickly. If you are just sharing your camera pictures online this is fine.
8. Build. It feels good in my hand, a bit big but much thinner than my friends phones, including iPhone. One thing I miss coming from an EVO is the kickstand. I wasn't sure if I would like the headphone jack being on the same side of the phone as the charging port but it is fine.

One thing I noticed is this phone interferes with my non-shielded cubicle stereo system more than the EVO did. I imagine that is due to the LTE. Four days into this phone I am happy and I might regret getting my wife the S5 instead of another M8 since she likes taking pictures and editing them right on her phone before facebooking them.

You don't need to double tap if it's been asleep for awhile. Tap once, then gesture. Especially if it's laying on a soft surface. I want money for discovering this tip HTC. I'm tired of propping you guys up...LOL

 

[jamjr74]

So torn on grabbing an m8 or staying with my Nexus 5.

 

[Granite1]

So torn on grabbing an m8 or staying with my Nexus 5.

Give it a try, if it doesn't work out, take it back within 14 days.

This is what I'm doing.

 

[jamjr74]

Give it a try, if it doesn't work out, take it back within 14 days.

This is what I'm doing.

Might do that. Have t-mobile so it comes out on the 11th.

 

[kylecummins]

So torn on grabbing an m8 or staying with my Nexus 5.

I'm in the same boat - my m8 just got delivered (I'm at work). Going to play with it for a few days before deciding to sell my nexus 5 or return the m8.

 

[jamjr74]

I'm in the same boat - my m8 just got delivered (I'm at work). Going to play with it for a few days before deciding to sell my nexus 5 or return the m8.

Keep us posted!

 

[Tlicious1020]

Once you go M8, you never go back.

 

[sean76]

So torn on grabbing an m8 or staying with my Nexus 5.

I was right about to do it the other day while I was on the phone with an at&t rep and instead just took a trip down to VZW nice and early and had the phone to myself for a Good half hour.

Honestly the phone is ridiculous, its made so well, better then my M7. And it feels better in my hands then the M7 because of that curve on the back. This is HTC's best phone ever, IMO it may be the best Android phone ever made...That's how good it is. The Software is super snappy, just as snappy as the nexus 5 if not a little quicker, as hard as that may be to believe. And I really like this version of sense, that's coming from someone who loves stock Android. And when you talk about Boomsound, there is no competition from any phone on the planet that sounds better then the M8

I like it enough that I would buy the carrier version before the Google play edition, that's how snappy and nice I think HTC made its UI this time around.

But I just couldn't pull the trigger, being a nexus 5 owner I admit to not having the best camera within a phone these days. However the screen is very good IMO, and like I said, I love stock Android, and I like the lightweight build quality and weight distribution on the nexus 5, however I would give those things up for the M8! But not a lesser camera, the camera and video on the nexus 5 is just plain better then what's on the M8. Still pictures are better no matter which way you shake it & video recording isn't even a battle, the nexus 5 is head and shoulders above the M8 in that dept.

I'll get along fine with my nexus 5 for now, I actually love it in every dept for the exception of the battery life. So if HTC puts out another device this year and its of the M8's pedigree with a superior camera when compared to the M8, I'm all in! Until then I'm a nexus Stock Soldier.

 

[SolApathy]

Just got mine, been playing around with it for about 30 minutes.. First impressions are as follows:

-Love the feel of the phone, I was concerned it might cross my threshold of being too big, but I found that the phone actually feels better in my hand. I am sure I will be using the ability to double tap the phone to turn it on. I am looking forward to the ability to swipe the phone off as well.

-The design is stunning, the wrap around metal frame is really nice. My only question is how well the back holds up to normal wear and tear compared to my M7 which held up well for a year. I am happy they decided to go with a dark grey antenna track, the white one on the M7 was hard to keep clean.

-Screen is great, I cannot tell the difference between the PPI of my M7 and the M8. Color clarity is amazing. The screen is bright and crisp and very responsive.

-Played around a little with the camera, I plan on taking some pictures tomorrow and posting them in the camera thread.



...That is all for now, the phone was at 12% when I got it and I need to charge it up a bit before I put it through all it's paces.



-Quick update Love the fact it tells you when you are blocking the duo camera... I can see where people would accidentally cover the lens while taking a picture!

 

[jasonspeed]

Comparing it to the OG Evo is pretty funny though, that's like 5 generations of phones ago

That was a monster when it was released, one of the best phones I've ever owned.

Yeah well, it was my current phone so it was all I had as a frame of reference besides the wife's S2. I'll come back and compare it to the S5 she is getting after it is delivered but I may be a bit biased.

Experience has taught me that when you buy new tech go big or go home unless you want a device to complain about after the newness wears off. Same for computers, buy a gaming computer and you can get a long life out of it as a regular computer when it gets too old to play the latest games.

 

[jamjr74]

I was right about to do it the other day while I was on the phone with an at&t rep and instead just took a trip down to VZW nice and early and had the phone to myself for a Good half hour.

Honestly the phone is ridiculous, its made so well, better then my M7. And it feels better in my hands then the M7 because of that curve on the back. This is HTC's best phone ever, IMO it may be the best Android phone ever made...That's how good it is. The Software is super snappy, just as snappy as the nexus 5 if not a little quicker, as hard as that may be to believe. And I really like this version of sense, that's coming from someone who loves stock Android. And when you talk about Boomsound, there is no competition from any phone on the planet that sounds better then the M8

I like it enough that I would buy the carrier version before the Google play edition, that's how snappy and nice I think HTC made its UI this time around.

But I just couldn't pull the trigger, being a nexus 5 owner I admit to not having the best camera within a phone these days. However the screen is very good IMO, and like I said, I love stock Android, and I like the lightweight build quality and weight distribution on the nexus 5, however I would give those things up for the M8! But not a lesser camera, the camera and video on the nexus 5 is just plain better then what's on the M8. Still pictures are better no matter which way you shake it & video recording isn't even a battle, the nexus 5 is head and shoulders above the M8 in that dept.

I'll get along fine with my nexus 5 for now, I actually love it in every dept for the exception of the battery life. So if HTC puts out another device this year and its of the M8's pedigree with a superior camera when compared to the M8, I'm all in! Until then I'm a nexus Stock Soldier.

Yeah I'm gonna have to play with one in store to get a feel before I do anything.

 

[teddyearp]

Subscribed. Perhaps may come here from the Samsung SCH-I515 Gnex toro.

My take. I briefly owned a HTC phone before the Motorola A855 (OG Droid) was released. Tried it from the Motorola A4500. Cannot remember the model name/number. It was a very nice phone with excellent reception.

And that is what is missing in this thread. Well not really. Most of the posts in this thread are complaints.

But I have read a couple of good posts about reception (correct me if I'm wrong) which is one of the main things that everyone complained about with the Gnex.

Battery life, good. Thank you.

Big fat bezel. Explained. I remember how folks complained about the 'chin' on the Moto A855.

On screen nav buttons. Cool! Gives the ROM devs something to play with, customized nav bar!

Sdcard. Cool!

Not quite last and def not least. Camera complaints. Sorry folks. It's a phone. If you want to take good pictures, use your real camera. Do not expect the phone to take place of that.

GPS. Yes. Not mentioned in this thread, but the specs look like it will grab a GPS with a quickness. And it may be so since no one has griped about it here.

Last but not least.

Wait for it.

Wait.

HTCDev seems to have this phone listed as having an unlockable bootloader. Leads me to believe that one doesn't have to spend the extra $$ to buy a developer edition. That is the one thing I will ALWAYS insist upon for myself. Keeps the dev possibilities going. Will keep looking at those.

 

[jasonspeed]

And that is what is missing in this thread. Well not really. Most of the posts in this thread are complaints.

But I have read a couple of good posts about reception (correct me if I'm wrong) which is one of the main things that everyone complained about with the Gnex.

Sdcard. Cool!

GPS. Yes. Not mentioned in this thread, but the specs look like it will grab a GPS with a quickness. And it may be so since no one has griped about it here.

Last but not least.

Wait for it.

Wait.

HTCDev seems to have this phone listed as having an unlockable bootloader. Leads me to believe that one doesn't have to spend the extra $$ to buy a developer edition. That is the one thing I will ALWAYS insist upon for myself. Keeps the dev possibilities going. Will keep looking at those.

GPS - I only used it once the other day with google navigation to get to a customers plant, it was damn quick almost instant. I opened up C:Geo and it could see 26 sats and the accuracy was +- 9.8 ft.

Reception - I work in a building that contains HF shielding in the walls which kills reception for phones if you sit in the middle of the office, I am able to stream music all day with no signal interruptions or losses. My only gripe with this phone is the audio when I am on a call, I get pops and it is quiet but the calls are clear.

I can't wait for the goodies from Devs and Roots.

 

[sean76]

Subscribed. Perhaps may come here from the Samsung SCH-I515 Gnex toro.

My take. I briefly owned a HTC phone before the Motorola A855 (OG Droid) was released. Tried it from the Motorola A4500. Cannot remember the model name/number. It was a very nice phone with excellent reception.

And that is what is missing in this thread. Well not really. Most of the posts in this thread are complaints.

But I have read a couple of good posts about reception (correct me if I'm wrong) which is one of the main things that everyone complained about with the Gnex.

Battery life, good. Thank you.

Big fat bezel. Explained. I remember how folks complained about the 'chin' on the Moto A855.

On screen nav buttons. Cool! Gives the ROM devs something to play with, customized nav bar!

Sdcard. Cool!

Not quite last and def not least. Camera complaints. Sorry folks. It's a phone. If you want to take good pictures, use your real camera. Do not expect the phone to take place of that.

GPS. Yes. Not mentioned in this thread, but the specs look like it will grab a GPS with a quickness. And it may be so since no one has griped about it here.

Last but not least.

Wait for it.

Wait.

HTCDev seems to have this phone listed as having an unlockable bootloader. Leads me to believe that one doesn't have to spend the extra $$ to buy a developer edition. That is the one thing I will ALWAYS insist upon for myself. Keeps the dev possibilities going. Will keep looking at those.

This makes me crazy? Why the need to say go buy a camera? If it wasn't important then why are so many manufacturers like (Samsung, Sony, LG), paying such close attention to camera optics?

This has nothing to do with using a pro camera, its different strokes for different folks, and maybe your cool with carrying around a camera,,but I don't need a zillion megapixel camera to make me happy, if the HTC M8 had a camera that takes as good as pics as the Nexus 5 or even further like the GS5 this phone would have zero flaws IMO, and the same would probably go for all the BIG Reviewers out there saying the camera is a big flaw on the M8, nobody would have a thing to say, including me because I would forked over my $700 already and been enjoying Zoe...lol

 

[mikedt]

Not quite last and def not least. Camera complaints. Sorry folks. It's a phone. If you want to take good pictures, use your real camera. Do not expect the phone to take place of that.

Actually it's a $700-800 smartphone. How does the camera in this expensive smartphone compare to other expensive smartphones like say Samsung S5, Apple iPhone 5S, or the Nokia Lumias? From what I've read, the iPhone and Lumia cameras are very well regarded.

Personally, I like taking pictures, but I don't wish to carry a large heavy SLR around with me.

 

[Tlicious1020]

Nobody wants to carry a phone around that feels like a polaroid camera. I think that would have been the deal breaker for us all if they put in an 8MP camera and the phone feels heavy in the hand. Not to mention, I would never own a Samsung. They weigh down Android which causes the OS to lag. People who are cell nerds don't jump on band wagons. HTC needs to have reps stand in stores or the mall and compare the M8 to the S5. Case closed!

 

[Tlicious1020]

Notes:

Takes a nice firm tap then gesture to wake the phone up if it's leaning towards you. I think gesturing is suited for the phone kind of leaning away from you.

I noticed a difference on my M7 & M8 when power saver mode was enabled. Most notable in messaging. Well, I would have lots of messages in a texting thread, probably two weeks worth. If I enable deleting those messages with a 200 limit, I will not experience a slow down in the keyboard or loading of the actual message thread with power saver enabled. Without power saver enabled the phone can load larger threads much quicker.

 

[swerver32]

Here's my battery info for the day. Not heavy use by any stretch, but not light either. I'm coming up on 18 hours and still cruising. Have had this phone since launch day and this is representative of how it's been every day, of course depending on usage. Oh and I've made absolutely no effort to conserve battery - gps/wifi/bluetooth/everything is on, all the time. Screen timeout isn't even set low.

 

[Tlicious1020]

I guess HTC has different status bar icons for the M8. The carriers must have a say in the icons. From looking at the picture above our icons are different. Especially the 3G and 4G icons. I love the spinning 3G/4G icons!

 

[doc1964]

Hi Folks. I got my M8 a week ago after what seemed like an eternity trying to decide what I wanted to upgrade to when moving from my Galaxy S3. I can honestly say I loved my S3 and think that since then there are going to be very few hardware changes that can be made to a phone to improve on it.

The S4 just looked the same and major disappointment so to does the S5. I wanted my new phone to feel like a new phone and to be honest, finger print scanners and heart monitors were more of a turn off to me. I found that even with the S3 I was turning loads of things off to preserve battery life so these other gimmicks just bore me.

I also thought of the Sony Z2 but once I seen the M8 in the flesh it easily won me over. It just oozes quality. Reviews amaze me when they talk about phones being 10 grams heavier than another, I love the reassuring feel of holding a more substantial phone over something too light. I bought out 4 months of my existing contract to get the M8 on the EE network that gives double speed 4G and I get 20gb data including tethering.

First time with an HTC and Sense but with android in the background it is so easy to change manufacturer and feel at home. The phone screen is perfect, you can read as many tech specs as you want about pixel density, get a life. Look at the screen and unless you have it under a microscope those pixels will look the same to you on any new smart phone. The same with the camera, you can find so many informed articles that will tell you that the number of megapixels is not what determines quality. You can buy a cheap foreign made camera with 20 mega pixels and a decent made 4 meg camera can better it. The numbers in a lot of cases are pure marketing to lure in the gullible.

My own findings with the camera are that it is perfect for me. Any pictures I have taken are perfectly adequate and look great when viewed on my 50 inch Panasonic plasma, It is a phone camera, until they start sticking full sized quality lenses on them they will never compare with a dedicated camera. The 3D depth effect is pretty cool and yes it is a gimmick, great for showing to your mates once or,,, well maybe just once but the selective blurring is probably more useful.
The speakers on it are fantastic and what is so simple about it, is they are on the front, facing you. Its a bit of a no brainer, with the S3 your speaker is on the back so as soon as you set the phone down or dock it you muffle the sound.

The double tap to open is useful, however I installed an app called Lock screen to allow a single tap to lock the screen rather than using double tap to lock. I was going to work out how much time and energy the saving on that single tap would save me over the life time of the phone but then thought nahhh.

I didn't like the messenger app as I send texts to groups of friends for nights out and when I went to select group, it included everyone every time, it did not open and show who was in the group to allow me to select who should receive the text. Easily sorted by installing hand cent.

Car app built in is really good, giving a set of large icons on screen to easily do what you need when driving. The speak to dial function works great and the sound quality from the phone when making a call driving is even better than the hands free kit I have in the car.

Battery life is excellent, I have been hammering the phone, tethering with it also and easily get a day and a half out of it. It also seems to charge better than my S3 in the car as I can run navigation and cameralert for speed cameras on it whilst driving and it does not drain the battery and in fact manages to charge it at same time.

I have ordered a clear case for it as I want the good looks to be seen, don't like the dot cases think they look a bit toy like and ugly.

I installed boat browser for tablets on it as this is set for larger screens and has an on screen button to allow full screen toggle which makes everything a lot easier to use. It has a lot of other great features and is my favourite browser.

The inbuilt fitbit app is pretty useless in the UK as they do not have a database of UK foods despite it being promised to be near completion for almost two years, I suppose as a step counter it is interesting for a day or two but is now disabled on mine.

TV remote function is great and I easily set it up to control my TV, Tivo and AV receiver, it will never replace my Harmony one unless someone comes up with an app that allows it to have programmed functions e.g. switch on tv, set to HDMI 1, switch on Tivo, Switch on AV receiver, set AV to TV etc.

If you were buying your first smart phone then you could buy the M8, the S5, the Z2 or the G2 and you would be buying an exceptional phone. If upgrading then it is down to what you like or want in terms of differences over your previous phone.
I am delighted with the phone and will now judge it going forward on how HTC support it with upgrades etc.

 

[SolApathy]

Doc, thank you for the interesting post, but for all the work you did writing that, if you want people to read it you need to break it down into paragraphs and get some spaces going in there or very few people will read it.

 

[doc1964]

Cheers, see what you mean, I looked at it myself and got a sore head, hopefully that looks better. Was in a rush to finish it to head out. Thanks again.

 

[SolApathy]

Looks a lot easier to read with the paragraphs now