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

[jasonspeed]

The wife and I just upgraded to the M8 and S5. I am coming from a 3+ year old EVO 4G and she is upgrading her S2. I'll have mine on Monday and hers will come whenever Sprint has them in stock. I was going to upgrade back in February when my EVO's volume button and camera quit working but the repair tech was able to bandage them up for me. I was about to get an S4 instead of going in for a repair until I learned about the new S5 and M8 coming out in a few months.

For the M8 the camera shortcoming aren't a big deal for me, the stupid long battery life, SD card slot, and processor speed are what sold me. The gimmicky camera will be fun to play with and OIS isn't a big deal since I'm pretty sure I don't have it now, however the shooting speed and slow-mo capability intrigues me.

The SIM card also intrigues me, can I take my CDMA Sprint phone to England and actually use it when we go next summer? I'll find out when the time comes.

After having my EVO for so long and it still being able to perform admirably after all these years makes me wonder if I will be able to achieve the same longevity with this phone, I certainly hope so. Granted I had to root the EVO a year ago to fall in love with the phone again but still, it is a good phone. The only thing that scares me is the non-replaceable battery, I had to replace my original EVO battery after 2 years I think. My memory is fuzzy because I bought a spare and labeled the batteries 1 and 2 and I can't remember which one was the original.

I'll post a review next week after I get some hands on time with the M8.

edit: I am also curious what speeds of SD card the M8 will support. This forum steered me onto a 16GB S6 card for my EVO and I am shopping for a new SD card for the new phone.

 

[sikclown]

The wife and I just upgraded to the M8 and S5. I am coming from a 3+ year old EVO 4G and she is upgrading her S2. I'll have mine on Monday and hers will come whenever Sprint has them in stock. I was going to upgrade back in February when my EVO's volume button and camera quit working but the repair tech was able to bandage them up for me. I was about to get an S4 instead of going in for a repair until I learned about the new S5 and M8 coming out in a few months.

For the M8 the camera shortcoming aren't a big deal for me, the stupid long battery life, SD card slot, and processor speed are what sold me. The gimmicky camera will be fun to play with and OIS isn't a big deal since I'm pretty sure I don't have it now, however the shooting speed and slow-mo capability intrigues me.

The SIM card also intrigues me, can I take my CDMA Sprint phone to England and actually use it when we go next summer? I'll find out when the time comes.

After having my EVO for so long and it still being able to perform admirably after all these years makes me wonder if I will be able to achieve the same longevity with this phone, I certainly hope so. Granted I had to root the EVO a year ago to fall in love with the phone again but still, it is a good phone. The only thing that scares me is the non-replaceable battery, I had to replace my original EVO battery after 2 years I think. My memory is fuzzy because I bought a spare and labeled the batteries 1 and 2 and I can't remember which one was the original.

I'll post a review next week after I get some hands on time with the M8.

edit: I am also curious what speeds of SD card the M8 will support. This forum steered me onto a 16GB S6 card for my EVO and I am shopping for a new SD card for the new phone.

You will be able to use your One in England with Sprint's international plan or with a UK Carrier's SIM card. In order to use a different SIM you would need to get Sprint to unlock your phone. The are kind of a pain in the rear about it but if you have the phone activated for 90 days on Sprint then they will do it. Earlier than 90 days, be prepared to fight. As far as the SD cards, I am using a 128gb SanDisk Class 10 card in my One M8 with no problems.

 

[chong67]

I saw this phone at Verizon store tonight.

It is certainly a better built phone. I like the new top and bottom.

If you comparing the 3 on screen button to last year HTC One, its the same size.

Its still the same resolution.

I am not upgrading and I am getting a Note 4 in Oct.

I want HTC to succeed!

 

[jasonspeed]

You will be able to use your One in England with Sprint's international plan or with a UK Carrier's SIM card. In order to use a different SIM you would need to get Sprint to unlock your phone. The are kind of a pain in the rear about it but if you have the phone activated for 90 days on Sprint then they will do it. Earlier than 90 days, be prepared to fight. As far as the SD cards, I am using a 128gb SanDisk Class 10 card in my One M8 with no problems.

Thanks for the clarification on the international aspect. In regards to SD cards (I need to research) I'm curious if the One M8 supports the UHS-1 class cards. I haven't found anything yet that states anything other than 128 GB card support.

 

[sikclown]

Thanks for the clarification on the international aspect. In regards to SD cards (I need to research) I'm curious if the One M8 supports the UHS-1 class cards. I haven't found anything yet that states anything other than 128 GB card support.

I apologize for not being more descriptive. The card I am using is a UHS-1 card.

Amazon.com: SanDisk Ultra 128 GB microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter (SDSDQUA-128G-G46A): Computers & Accessories

 

[jasonspeed]

I apologize for not being more descriptive. The card I am using is a UHS-1 card.

Amazon.com: SanDisk Ultra 128 GB microSDXC UHS-I Card with Adapter (SDSDQUA-128G-G46A): Computers & Accessories

Thanks again. That is one of the cards I am looking at but it is listed as a Class 10 (30 MB/s) while a UHC-1 version is listed at 80 MB/s. I found an article about the Galaxy Note 2 not supporting the UHC-1 but the S4 does. Since HTC skipped micro SD on the last One I am not certain if they support it on the new One.

edit: Sorry, I am comparing speeds for Ultra and Extreme Plus, not necessarily SC10 and UHC-1.

 

[sikclown]

Thanks again. That is one of the cards I am looking at but it is listed as a Class 10 (30 MB/s) while a UHC-1 version is listed at 80 MB/s. I found an article about the Galaxy Note 2 not supporting the UHC-1 but the S4 does. Since HTC skipped micro SD on the last One I am not certain if they support it on the new One.

edit: Sorry, I am comparing speeds for Ultra and Extreme Plus, not necessarily SC10 and UHC-1.

Ahh yes the Extreme version should work just fine. I didn't buy that one because they don't make it in 128gb to my knowledge.

 

[redenfield]

Well I did my diligence yesterday and visited VZW to give the M8 a real run through because honestly the look and feel of premium metal was beginning to take hold of this nexus 5 owners hands...And even though I knew going to to at&t would be a wasted trip I decided to shoot to VZW and if all was well was going to just order one from at&t and give the premium handset a whirl the next few months.

After a few minutes with the phone the tallness disappeared and it felt right at home in my hand, that cold metal feel for a phone is just awesome for those who don't use a case, really looks and feels like a super premium made device, I'd call it the Bentley of phones right now, truly feels awesome. And honestly sense looks and perform fantastic, no hiccups , no heavy overlay feeling, just very nice & simple with a twist of HTC mixed in. To me it just felt super snappy and on par with my nexus 5.

I knew going over there that that 4MP shooter was on board and just figured with all the enhancements on board and my desire to have Zoe on board and to be able to piece some awesome clips together for my business within seconds, that I'd be able to over look the shooter. And with still shots I honestly could after taking a bunch of pics and saying to myself this isn't so bad and maybe HTC did work some magic here?

All that went away when I tried to shoot a video. Let's just say that whatever auto focus hoopla is going on in that sensor is terrible pain and simple, mix a notion of no OIS on board and the outcome is not usable for me. Video came out really bad and took me pressing on the screen to focus a ton of times with just a minute long video, plus the video was jumpy and the sun peeking into the store just couldn't get phased out? All in all, it was just a bad video experience all together and seemed more like a sensor issue then anything else. They can work all their magic that they want over there at HTC, but the bottom line is that without (OIS) optical image stabilization your going to get a pretty crappy video clip. When compared to my nexus 5 the difference was just night and day, while the sound on the M8 was superb, the actual video was quite horrible and not at all worthy of being attached to a 2014 super phone...HTC you almost had me, the hardest of stock android fan in me almost made the leap.

Sounds to me as if there is something wrong with the display model you tested. I have shot several videos over the last few days and the quality is on par if not better than my G2 or S4.

 

[sean76]

Sounds to me as if there is something wrong with the display model you tested. I have shot several videos over the last few days and the quality is on par if not better than my G2 or S4.

I compared both floor models with my nexus 5 and both times my nexus 5 came out with perfect video, not so on the M8.

There is a ton of videos on YouTube talking about the focusing and the increase in jumpiness because of no OIS being on board.

Listen everything else was fine, yes the 4MP shooter on paper is not a good thing, but I found it to take pretty decent pics, not as terrible as some make it sound, and HTC does provide some magic because if you try the GPE of the M7 its terrible when compared to the actual HTC M7.

The sound was great on Video, but I just felt it was a downgrade from my nexus 5 as far as the video and camera to an extant! I can't justify that when spending $700 off contract...just not logical.

 

[NightAngel79]

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.

People will always have something to complain about

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 isn't the same camera, not even a little bit.

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.

The sensor is from a completely different manufacturer, so I would say it is pretty different

 

[wise_guy69]

I compared both floor models with my nexus 5 and both times my nexus 5 came out with perfect video, not so on the M8.

There is a ton of videos on YouTube talking about the focusing and the increase in jumpiness because of no OIS being on board.

Listen everything else was fine, yes the 4MP shooter on paper is not a good thing, but I found it to take pretty decent pics, not as terrible as some make it sound, and HTC does provide some magic because if you try the GPE of the M7 its terrible when compared to the actual HTC M7.

The sound was great on Video, but I just felt it was a downgrade from my nexus 5 as far as the video and camera to an extant! I can't justify that when spending $700 off contract...just not logical.

Sean - just curious; what carrier are you on? VZW has it for $599, ATT is $639 and Sprint is $649. I haven't seen a MSRP from T-Mobile. Where are you paying $700 off contract?

On a related note, I can't believe that the VZW has the lowest MSRP for the One M8. Usually they charge the most for everything if they can get away with it. Is their model any different from the other carriers?

 

[sean76]

Sean - just curious; what carrier are you on? VZW has it for $599, ATT is $639 and Sprint is $649. I haven't seen a MSRP from T-Mobile. Where are you paying $700 off contract?

On a related note, I can't believe that the VZW has the lowest MSRP for the One M8. Usually they charge the most for everything if they can get away with it. Is their model any different from the other carriers?

I would have been buying the at&t variant, and here in NYC with tax were talking about $700 beans. But I'm just going to keep trucking with my nexus 5 for the time being. I love the build and look of the M8, but spending that much for a phone that is a step down for something I use quite often (camera/video) just makes zero sense. Either way, I really dig sense and just about everything except the shooter. Next time around I guess.

 

[mikedt]

I would have been buying the at&t variant, and here in NYC with tax were talking about $700 beans. But I'm just going to keep trucking with my nexus 5 for the time being. I love the build and look of the M8, but spending that much for a phone that is a step down for something I use quite often (camera/video) just makes zero sense. Either way, I really dig sense and just about everything except the shooter. Next time around I guess.

Sure there's plenty of third party launchers that look and work similarly to Sense. Save yourself $700+ :thumbup:

I'm going for the N5 very soon, as I can't really justify spending equivalent of $700-$800 bucks on the M8, as carrier contract is not an option for me. The camera is something I use a lot of as well.

 

[Androidcurious]

Had the phone on Verizon since "opening day". I was a big fan of the M7, no way I was going to pass this one up. Currently using both an iPhone 5S and a Note 3.

So the phone is phenomenal! Seriously, best in class in virtually every way except, yeah, camera (I'll get to that.)

I'm not going to get into less bezel/too much bezel arguing. That's just preference, like screen size (as stated I own a Note 3...and an iPhone, so size ain't an issue for me one way or another). The feel of the phone is premium all the way. Only thing that comes close is the iPhone, and the One might feel even a bit more high end than that device (the weight contributes to that). However, I do not find it too heavy. if you've picked up any of the Nokia Lumia phones, those really do feel like bricks in the hand. Uncomfortable to use after a while. The One feels just right. I don't love that the power button is at the top of the phone, it's a little too long for that. The knock on feature makes that a little easier to swallow, but you can't use knock on to turn off the screen (weird). Also, the volume rocker on the right side - I wish they had swapped places with the micro sd card slot with it. I find my fingers naturally pressing against it often.

Display: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Don't waste time obsessing over this having the same amount of pixels as last year's 4.7" model, it looks as good as anything on the market, and better if you're not a huge fan of Amoled displays found on Sammy phones (I like both fine). Watching a movie on this thing is a pleasure, and the speakers of course enhance the experience.

Sense 6: I happen to love this skin. I think it's one of the few legit value adds to the Android skinning universe. It looks and performs flawlessly. Touchwiz can get laggy, this thing flies. It's amazing to think that HTC created an overlay for Android that actually comes across as understated. I've told people thinking of switching over from iPhone that this is probably the closest Android comes to looking iOS-ish.

Camera: Yeah...poop. Look, if you just take pics of your dogs and Facebook selfies, it's fine. Better than fine in most instances. However, if you use your phone as a replacement for a point and shooter, you're not going to love this camera. Video is NOT good in virtually any circumstances, I'm sad to report. As someone who basically does just use his phone's camera to take pics/vids of his dogs, and send his friends dopey pics with captions, it's perfectly fine. All others who need more, buyer beware.

Battery: FAN-EFFIN-TASTIC! Seriously. I run the hell out of my phone, and God help a new piece of kit that I get my hands on. This thing has taken my best and still been standing when I put it on the charger at around 11 at night (usually running at about 15%, give or take. I have my corp email on push, I FB, I text like crazy, I call people, I tweet, etc, etc. Anyone having any hesitation due to being unable to replace the battery, have no fear.

So all in all...it's just awesome. Period. You may prefer LG, you may prefer a Galaxy. All well and good. But anyone suggesting this phone is anything less than one of the best in class has either never used it or just wants their "home team" to "win" whatever dopey internet fight they're having.

 

[sean76]

Had the phone on Verizon since "opening day". I was a big fan of the M7, no way I was going to pass this one up. Currently using both an iPhone 5S and a Note 3.

So the phone is phenomenal! Seriously, best in class in virtually every way except, yeah, camera (I'll get to that.)

I'm not going to get into less bezel/too much bezel arguing. That's just preference, like screen size (as stated I own a Note 3...and an iPhone, so size ain't an issue for me one way or another). The feel of the phone is premium all the way. Only thing that comes close is the iPhone, and the One might feel even a bit more high end than that device (the weight contributes to that). However, I do not find it too heavy. if you've picked up any of the Nokia Lumia phones, those really do feel like bricks in the hand. Uncomfortable to use after a while. The One feels just right. I don't love that the power button is at the top of the phone, it's a little too long for that. The knock on feature makes that a little easier to swallow, but you can't use knock on to turn off the screen (weird). Also, the volume rocker on the right side - I wish they had swapped places with the micro sd card slot with it. I find my fingers naturally pressing against it often.

Display: Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous. Don't waste time obsessing over this having the same amount of pixels as last year's 4.7" model, it looks as good as anything on the market, and better if you're not a huge fan of Amoled displays found on Sammy phones (I like both fine). Watching a movie on this thing is a pleasure, and the speakers of course enhance the experience.

Sense 6: I happen to love this skin. I think it's one of the few legit value adds to the Android skinning universe. It looks and performs flawlessly. Touchwiz can get laggy, this thing flies. It's amazing to think that HTC created an overlay for Android that actually comes across as understated. I've told people thinking of switching over from iPhone that this is probably the closest Android comes to looking iOS-ish.

Camera: Yeah...poop. Look, if you just take pics of your dogs and Facebook selfies, it's fine. Better than fine in most instances. However, if you use your phone as a replacement for a point and shooter, you're not going to love this camera. Video is NOT good in virtually any circumstances, I'm sad to report. As someone who basically does just use his phone's camera to take pics/vids of his dogs, and send his friends dopey pics with captions, it's perfectly fine. All others who need more, buyer beware.

Battery: FAN-EFFIN-TASTIC! Seriously. I run the hell out of my phone, and God help a new piece of kit that I get my hands on. This thing has taken my best and still been standing when I put it on the charger at around 11 at night (usually running at about 15%, give or take. I have my corp email on push, I FB, I text like crazy, I call people, I tweet, etc, etc. Anyone having any hesitation due to being unable to replace the battery, have no fear.

So all in all...it's just awesome. Period. You may prefer LG, you may prefer a Galaxy. All well and good. But anyone suggesting this phone is anything less than one of the best in class has either never used it or just wants their "home team" to "win" whatever dopey internet fight they're having.

I agree, the phone is Outrageous in every single area except that camera! Oh well, maybe the M9 will give me what I need in a shooter.

 

[frijolez]

For anyone wondering about bluetooth:

Audio quality is about the same as the normal OG HTC One.

I run bluetooth audio on my highway car, a 2013 Dodge Dart, and the sound quality is pretty much identical. On some quieter songs with really quiet buildups or something like that, I would notice some popping during bluetooth, and with this new M8, I don't hear as much (very little is there though). That's also on like one song out of 200 I seem to notice.

I could connect it via the headphone jack directly to my car, but when bluetooth works great, why bother?

I'm getting use to the keyboard, for some reason is the spacebar slightly smaller when holding it vertically? I'm not sure, it could be just me fat fingering after being a heavy HTC One M7 user for so long, and the phone just feels a little to familiar in my hands.


Rocking a cheap rubber case off amazon that was $6 or something. Waiting on the dot view to be available from somewhere!

 

[Tlicious1020]

I have to chime in here. I told my bros with S4's to just hold one in the hand. EarlyMon, you need to try this phone. I thought I could never put my M7 down. Yes, my M7 receives no love now. It's my primary for navigation now. If you have small hands the gesturing will help you. If you are an internet and media lover, don't miss out.

 

[NightAngel79]

Posting from HTC team about camera , thought I'd share.

​The camera on the HTC One (M8) may seem like it's the same as the one from last year because it's still 4 UltraPixels, but that's like saying one car is the same as another because they both have 200 horsepower engines. The reality is always quite different.

The rear sensor retains the same pixel size of 2.0 um, the physical sensor is 1/3", 28mm lens, f/2.0 lensHTC ImageChip 2, which allows the phone to now do real-time HDR 1080p*video

The front-facing camera has been boosted to 5 megapixels, using an f/2.0 lens and a BSI sensor, an ultra-wide angle lens, and HDR images

The two rear-facing lenses mimic*the stereoscopic*vision capabilities of the human eye; two independent lenses allow it to detect*and calculate the relative distance of subjects in the image

Optical Image Stabilization technology is not compatible with the Duo Camera system, so a software-based Smart Stabilization system has been created

Faster focusing: it will lock on in 0.3 seconds, a dramatic improvement

UFocus allows you to leverage the depth information from the second sensor to re-focus your images after the fact and apply an artistic blur called "bokeh"

A new feature called Foregrounder allows you to emphasize the subject of a photo and apply various effects to the background

Seasons is a fun way to add motion and ambiance to your images

Dimension Plus is a new way to look at your photos, giving you a unique effect

We've created a twin LED Smart Flash system that will vastly improve the photos you take using a flash

When you pick up the phone as though you're going to take a picture in landscape mode, and press the volume button, the camera will launch

 

[SolApathy]

Great info on the added functions/modes for the camera.

 

[Tlicious1020]

I let a coworker check out my phone. He asked about the camera. I told him it's not the same camera but reviews have not given it rave reviews. I told him to take some shots and he was impressed. I was surprised he asked about the camera. I don't take lots of pictures.

 

[ne0lyfeism]

Biggest hangup for me right now is the size. Currently rocking a GN2 (left VZW and am currently using it with T-Mobile) and the biggest draw for me has been the screen real estate. Using sites like phone arena have given me a sense of the M8's size relative to my GN2, and it appears to be slightly more narrow when it comes to screen width.

I'm torn between sucking it up and pulling the trigger on this phone b/c the Note 3 isn't a significant upgrade for me, but I don't want to sacrifice screen real estate, haha! I was also really let down by the S5 - I'm tired of plastic (which I know is a completely subjective thing) and love the look and build of the M8.

So for me, I'm on the fence between the M8, the Oppo Find 7, and the Xperia Z2, with the Oppo Find 7 starting to really draw my attention, especially given the screen size and fantastic build quality.

For what it's worth, I rarely use the camera on my phone, so that wouldn't be the reason I skip out on the M8.

Decisions, decisions..

 

[wake69]

I have been on an iphone for the past 2 years and a droid mini for 6 mos, and boy am i glad to be back to this phone. It is a little big but the HTC One is an awesome phone! I have had it for a few days and am very satisfied so far. The phone battery lasts a train ride of games/videos work and the ride home without needing a charge so far. the only question/issue i have is what case to get?

 

[mikedt]

So for me, I'm on the fence between the M8, the Oppo Find 7, and the Xperia Z2, with the Oppo Find 7 starting to really draw my attention, especially given the screen size and fantastic build quality.

I've looked at a couple of Oppos, not seen the Find 7 yet though. Build quality is very nice, but what put me off somewhat is their ColorOS, which is a Chinese Android variant. Are they officially available outside of the PRC?

 

[blenky]

Had this beauty for a few days now. My main concern was battery life as I was coming from an S3 with a 3000 mAh extended battery. However all reviews were positive though so I took the plunge!

I must admit like many on here I

 

[SolApathy]

Great report on battery life! We just need a few more to get an accurate representation of the "norm" for battery life.