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

[SolApathy]

This thread is for personal reviews of members so others can get a real world feel for this new flagship device from HTC, including overall experience and battery life.

Please keep the thread on-topic and refrain from linking to professional reviews.

Pictures are always welcome!

-Please make sure to document your carrier!


I wanted to take a moment to address an issue and hopefully prevent further problems:

Please keep the opinions civil. This is only a phone, and while I know there are some strong feelings out there please temper your responses with civility. Everyone's opinion will be respected in this thread as long as it is not attacking another member, or using inappropriate language. Recently there have been multiple instances of unprofessional comments in this thread where the moderators had to step in. This should never be the case. After all, it is only a phone...

So before you hit that reply button, read over your post objectively to make sure you do not unintentionally attack another member.


-Sol

 

[EliC]

Good concept, poor execution.

Unfortunately the oversize bezel just makes the phone to big. Get rid of all the black bezel above and below the screen and decrease it on the sides (to less then 2mm) and it would be a great design.

So far the reviews of the camera aren't very good either...

 

[Phases]

Anyone running out today to get one? Or ordering? I'm excited to hear some real thoughts from real users. We're not in a position to run out and grab one but I certainly something for us to mull over, let's hear what you think about yours!

 

[El Presidente]

I don't get why people have such a problem with bezels

So far a few reviews have said the camera is lacking, the same was said with the One last year so it is a puzzling move.

Reviews have been pretty positive though so I can't imagine it's that bad a device. I certainly don't think I'd call it disappointing anyway.

 

[Shocky]

I don't get why people have such a problem with bezels

So far a few reviews have said the camera is lacking, the same was said with the One last year so it is a puzzling move.

Reviews have been pretty positive though so I can't imagine it's that bad a device. I certainly don't think I'd call it disappointing anyway.

One of the main complaints last year was the camera yet they include the SAME camera. What that tells me is that HTC don't learn anything from their mistakes and they don't listen to users.

It's either that or so many crooked reviewers gave them so much glowing praise that they felt nothing needed to be changed.

Good job review sites!! (not all!), you might have put the nail in the coffin for HTC.

 

[swerver32]

Picked up 2, for myself and my wife. Switched to verizon from virgin. With buy one get one promo, and $100 rebate per new line, I effectively got 2 $200 (up front) phones for $0. So I'm already very happy about that. I haven't been able to test the phone much yet but setup was very simple, everything synced from our google accounts effortlessly.

Call quality is good, camera has many interesting features. The re-focus one seems the most useful, the others are mostly gimmicks but they could turn out to be more useful with time. Takes pictures very fast.

I was last using an htc desire 601 which has sense 5, 6 is pretty similar so far, I'm sure they've smoothed things out here and there and added some features but otherwise it's very similar. This is my 4th htc in a row (wildfire s, evo v, desire 601) so I am a fan of sense, and this one is more of the same. If you already love/hate it, that probably won't change due to sense 6.

The htc rep at the store insisted that they will be pushing software updates for this phone frequently, without having to go thru verizon. Android updates will still have to go thru verizon.

Looking forward to seeing how the tv app with ir blaster works, looks interesting. Other features like the built in virus scanner, free cloud storage, free backup, etc. look handy.

The phone is of course incredibly good looking. We both got the dark gray one. The htc case with the holes all over it looks nice on the front, not so much on the back. It has some cool features but I don't think it's worth $50. I probably would have sprung for 2, in my excitement, if they had them, but they didn't. Will probably get one eventually for my wife, not sure if I want one. I've never used a case on a phone ever.

My biggest bump so far is my speed tests - in suburban Seattle area I'm getting low single digits download speeds on 4G. It's really cloudy/rainy today, not sure if that makes it worse. But I expected that to be a lot higher, at least double digits.

Double tap to wake is great, I always hate reaching for the power button. Also has a feature that when you get a call, you just pick it up and put it to your ear and it answers the call. Not sure if you need the special htc case for this or not. Some other similar features like if you hold the volume button down while you pick it up, it will open to the camera app. There were several of these types of things that seemed somewhat configurable, but I was in a hurry and didn't get a good look at it yet.

 

[davoid]

What that tells me is that HTC don't learn anything from their mistakes and they don't listen to users.

That's not strictly true, because they did listen to users and reintroduced the microSD slot, which I think is a fantastic move, :thumb: as that was the big reason I would not buy a One.

I get what you're saying and I agree that I would also prefer a better camera. But for me the biggest need would be for less bezel. That black strip below the display ruins the phone for me to an extent.

It's completely unnecessary and if anything wastes space by raising up the height of the icon dock by what looks like 1cm when compared side by side with the 2013 version, once the on-screen buttons have had their way with the bottom of the display. The consequence of removing the capacitative buttons from the bezel.

On-screen buttons would be OK if HTC ditched the huge bottom bezel which seems to be there for the sole purpose of housing the HTC logo.

Ultimately the phone is unnecessarily tall for my liking. I don't have very big hands so it pushes it that bit too far for me. It's a shame because they eliminated one of my obstacles to purchasing, by bringing back the microSD, but then went and created a new obstacle that didn't exist on the M7...

Good job review sites!! (not all!), you might have put the nail in the coffin for HTC.

I really hope you're wrong. Their phones are getting better.

I might consider a dual sim One (2013) which comes with microSD.

I do like the brushed aluminium on the back of the M8 though.

 

[MLSS]

I just laugh because I think people will find anything to complain about lol

 

[Shocky]

That's not strictly true, because they did listen to users and reintroduced the microSD slot, which I think is a fantastic move, :thumb: as that was the big reason I would not buy a One.

I get what you're saying and I agree that I would also prefer a better camera. But for me the biggest need would be for less bezel. That black strip below the display ruins the phone for me to an extent.

It's completely unnecessary and if anything wastes space by raising up the height of the icon dock by what looks like 1cm when compared side by side with the 2013 version, once the on-screen buttons have had their way with the bottom of the display. The consequence of removing the capacitative buttons from the bezel.

On-screen buttons would be OK if HTC ditched the huge bottom bezel which seems to be there for the sole purpose of housing the HTC logo.

Ultimately the phone is unnecessarily tall for my liking. I don't have very big hands so it pushes it that bit too far for me. It's a shame because they eliminated one of my obstacles to purchasing, by bringing back the microSD, but then went and created a new obstacle that didn't exist on the M7...

I agree, they did something right by bringing back the microsd card slot and I commend them for that, it's a little taller than i'd like but I could live with it.

Truth be told it's beautiful device, the HTC One M8 with Samsung's 16MP Camera and ISOCELL tech would be a near perfect smartphone.

Even if they just included a 13MP camera with OIS I probably would have bought one but they choose to add camera gimmicks. I'm in phone limbo right now, I want to upgrade but there's nothing available with all the features I want and waiting sucks.

I really hope you're wrong. Their phones are getting better.

I might consider a dual sim One (2013) which comes with microSD.

I do like the brushed aluminium on the back of the M8 though.

Me too, maybe next year they'll listen and do something about the camera. Allot of reviewers are still giving it high scores despite the cameras shortcomings though.

 

[davoid]

I just laugh because I think people will find anything to complain about lol

True lol.

But I also feel the same about the S5.

It seems like the new phones are getting too big for me.

The OP might have a point about it being a trend of disappointment with the new phones.

 

[sean76]

I think the phone looks Awesome (LOOK WISE)

I really like the Metal design with the gunmetal color and all, as far as that goes HTC nailed it. Sense to me is ok also, I really enjoy stock Android but can deal with the newer versions of sense if I had to do so, especially if the phone has great build quality.

But I simply cant understand why they would skimp so much on the camera? I do not need a 5mp front facing camera, and then a gimmicky 4 ultra pixel on the back? If Sammy can deliver an amazing camera experience with the GS5, which many reviews have said, then why cant HTC? Early reports are the camera is disappointing on the M8, which is a shame because I would have maybe gave it a try.

 

[davoid]

Truth be told it's beautiful device, the HTC One M8 with Samsung's 16MP Camera and ISOCELL tech would be a near perfect smartphone.

I've been thinking the same thing. Between the manufacturers they could make the ideal device.

Even if they just included a 13MP camera with OIS I probably would have bought one

What is the S5 lacking for you? OIS?

 

[Shocky]

What is the S5 lacking for you? OIS?

Well that's one thing, it's also a little on the large size and also has a number of features I would never use plus they're still going with the 16GB version which is a huge put off.

But then there is knox which is probably the single main reason I won't be buying another Samsung phone.

 

[iowabowtech]

Width is fine but I agree the height is excessive, for me anyway. I think the cam would be fine for my needs and I really like the brushed aluminum look. Very sharp aesthetically speaking.

I'll be holding off on this one but I see few cons and a lot of pros at this point. I always liked Sense though so I'm slightly biased to begin with.

 

[Yatezy]

The more i look at the sample pics the more i dislike them but i really like the after focus feature.

I rarely ever blow my pictures up any so chances are it will do me fine.

Wonder if there will be a way to make the after focus feature work on AOSP?

Edit: According to gsmarena it looks like it'll work on the GPE so thats a bonus

 

[cxs6957]

Meh, who really cares about the camera? I mean...I'm sure LOTS of people do (lol) but I don't take a lot of pictures. Maybe a couple per month, so it's just not a dealbreaker for me. But this one is GORGEOUS. I wanted the last HTC One, but it didn't have an SD-slot and a T-Mo sales rep told me they only had 16GB when I looked into it. I've had Samsung since the GS2 was released, but my first Android phone was the HTC EVO and I'm happy I can finally go back to HTC for a while. I was gonna get the GS5 but their decision to uglify the GS3 (AGAIN!) rather than do something cool really rubbed me the wrong way.

Personally out of all the phones announced so far for this year, this is the ONLY one that gives me a stiffy.

 

[EliC]

I don't get why people have such a problem with bezels

The overall size of the phone is to big for me. If the bezels where significantly smaller, the phone could have the 5" screen and a reasonable footprint.

The phone is even bigger then the S5, which has a slightly larger screen and is waterproof/dustproof - and ALSO TO BIG.

I don't hate bezels. I hate phones that are to big and wasted space - two things bezels do.

Camera quality reviews are all very poor so far.

 

[Matgtv]

Hello Everyone,
I am not sure if this is the right forum but it is meant to be a general discussion.
I have just seen that the HTC M8 has been officially released and saw the specs or features should i say.
How disapointing to put it mildly. I was expecting the firstphone to be on the market 64bit processor. Even the screen dpi is lower then the now older HTC ONE.
Battery power is less than the Samsung S5.
I saw this news/article on the Mail online website and even they feel disapointed, that will go down well with HTC marketing!
My contract ended this Febrary and was possibly going to go with HTC but i dont know now.
Anyway what about your thoughts android folks?

 

[El Presidente]

Hello Everyone,
I am not sure if this is the right forum but it is meant to be a general discussion.
I have just seen that the HTC M8 has been officially released and saw the specs or features should i say.
How disapointing to put it mildly. I was expecting the firstphone to be on the market 64bit processor. Even the screen dpi is lower then the now older HTC ONE.
Battery power is less than the Samsung S5.
I saw this news/article on the Mail online website and even they feel disapointed, that will go down well with HTC marketing!
My contract ended this Febrary and was possibly going to go with HTC but i dont know now.
Anyway what about your thoughts android folks?

Merged in with a similar topic from the M8 forum.

 

[davoid]

You know, an interpretation of the thread title could almost make this a viable thread for the Device/Carriers Comparisons forum.

That is, if the OP were to elaborate on the 'series' of 2014 phones he finds disappointing.

I for one am somewhat inclined to agree as I am also disappointed with the Galaxy S5.

But I'm not sure that two phones constitute a series.

 

[excav8ter]

I just stumbled on the M8 due to post I made in the S5 forum, where I mistakenly said I would not by an HTC due to its lack of SD card slot, apparently it DOES have an SD card slot, so I was interested. But if the camera is similar to the original HTC One, I'll take a pass. The camera sucks. My son had the One and complained about the camera right away. I used the One while my S4 got replaced, I was quite disappointed in the quality of the pictures it took. Glad I have my S4 back....can't wait wait to get the S5.

I do like the look of the new HTC One, but I would have the body all dented and scratched in a matter of a few weeks. Unless there is a good, durable case for it.

 

[hilmar2k]

Got mine yesterday. Coming from the DNA, I have a pretty good basis for testing. The DNA is an awesome phone (very underrated, IMO). My wife also has the One (original). That said, the M8 is even better. It is noticeably quicker and smoother, the build quality is excellent, and Sense 6 is very nice. Haven't tested out the camera much yet, but that isn't a huge thing for me anyway. The sound is incredible. Not only is it loud, it is very clear. Impressive.

So far I only have a few minor gripes. I am not in love with the on-screen buttons, but it's not the end of the world. I also don't like that you cant see the screen while wearing polarized sunglasses. That's annoying.

I'll continue testing, but so far this seems like a winner.

EDIT: My 4G speeds suck, too. Not sure if it coincidental, or an issue with the phone. We'll see. Hopefully if it's a phone issue they'll fix it quickly.

 

[JSanchez41]

Thanks for the information. Very helpful.

 

[hilmar2k]

It's not the same camera. It may be the same resolution, but it is definitely not the same.

As for the bezel, I initially thought I wouldn't like it, but the size is fine. It is only marginally bigger than the DNA, which has the same size screen. What if removing the bezel and making the phone smaller meant the battery capacity would decrease? That 2600MaH battery has to go somewhere.

 

[Shocky]

It's not the same camera. It may be the same resolution, but it is definitely not the same.

As for the bezel, I initially thought I wouldn't like it, but the size is fine. It is only marginally bigger than the DNA, which has the same size screen. What if removing the bezel and making the phone smaller meant the battery capacity would decrease? That 2600MaH battery has to go somewhere.

It is the same camera with some overdue fixes, from what I tell from samples available they fixed the unnatural colours, they're still not perfect but allot better than the M7, however it's still producing artifacts in some photos just like the camera in the M7.

They've had a year to fix this camera and make improvements, they fixed one of it's flaws and that's it, it's the same.

I'm not even going to bother talking about the second 2MP camera because it pointless, it's a gimmick.