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

Hadron · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
I guess HTC has different status bar icons for the M8. The carriers must have a say in the icons.

Certainly with the M7 some US carriers changed some of the icons, so I'd not be surprised if the same was true of the M8.

sean76 · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
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!

What? The camera on the S5 destroys the M8, the average consumer in a mall would pick the S5 almost every time, not sometimes, but pretty much every time! We are the minority in here, we really care about over lays and UI's, the average consumer does not! If the M8 had the S5's camera it would more come down to if the consumer wanted a light feeling phone like the S5 or a more industrial & heavier metal feeling phone like the M8.

mikedt · Apr 5, 2014

Hey guys let's cool it down a bit ok, no personal attacks please. It's only a smartphone we're talking about here ok.

Slug · Apr 5, 2014

More posts deleted.

El Pres asked nicely yesterday, now it's my turn not-so-nicely... keep it civil, avoid mud-slinging, or you'll be watching from the sidelines for a day or two.

sean76 · Apr 5, 2014

Slug said:
More posts deleted.

El Pres asked nicely yesterday, now it's my turn not-so-nicely... keep it civil, avoid mud-slinging, or you'll be watching from the sidelines for a day or two.

Agreed

toomuchgame441 · Apr 5, 2014

sean76 said:
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.

Can't knock your hands on at all... very honest. Although I have't played with the video myself I think HTC missed the mark on not including OIS for especially the video play back. Every video online I've seen has a very shaky effect to it which is unfortunate. I dont take a lot of videos on my phone anyway for this to really matter. But on the flip side, some camera updates may hopefully allow for smoother play back in the future.

I will still eventually cop the M8 in a while anyway.

Tlicious1020 · Apr 5, 2014

Is this a bad photo in the daylight without any OIS anyone? Only if Sprint had the silver version to match the truck.

sikclown · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
Is this a bad photo in the daylight without any OIS anyone? Only if Sprint had the silver version to match the truck.

Honestly in my opinion, that is not a great photo. The reflection from the grill washes everything out which is a weakness of our camera allowing more light in; there are ways to combat that. Looks like it was taken through a window. It isn't blurry though so lack of OIS isn't an issue here.

SolApathy · Apr 5, 2014

I just wanted to add that I updated the first post on the thread. I have copied it here for easy reference. This thread was started as a friendly discussion and I would like it to stay that way, especially for newer members looking at our forums for the first time:

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....Remember fighting on the internet is just silly

-Sol

Tlicious1020 · Apr 5, 2014

sikclown said:
Honestly in my opinion, that is not a great photo. The reflection from the grill washes everything out which is a weakness of our camera allowing more light in; there are ways to combat that. Looks like it was taken through a window. It isn't blurry though so lack of OIS isn't an issue here.

A cameras purpose is to take a photo as seen through the eyes of the photographer. That reflection you are witnessing is what I saw as I looked at my truck. Its not washing out the photo. The purpose of chrome on a vehicle is to look shiny and create reflection. That's what the camera captured.

sikclown · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
A cameras purpose is to take a photo as seen through the eyes of the photographer. That reflection you are witnessing is what I saw as I looked at my truck. Its not washing out the photo. The purpose of chrome on a vehicle is to look shiny and create reflection. That's what the camera captured.

Just stating my opinion, which you asked the forum for. We will have to agree to disagree here. As I stated, In my opinion the photo appears washed out. I understand the purpose of chrome but the reflection is causing adverse effects to the picture, in my opinion. If you like it, that is all that matters.

Tlicious1020 · Apr 5, 2014

sikclown said:
Just stating my opinion, which you asked the forum for. We will have to agree to disagree here. As I stated, In my opinion the photo appears washed out. I understand the purpose of chrome but the reflection is causing adverse effects to the picture, in my opinion. If you like it, that is all that matters.

I sent that photo to 4 pilots. All with stupendous vision because it's required for what we do. I can't say whether Joe off the street or in a forum is color blind, lacks depth perception, or does not have 20/20 vision. In the Air Force you have to pass those tests with flying colors or you can't be an imagery analyst looking at classified photos or a pilot. None of the guys said the picture is washed out and nobody asked me what camera did I use.

You can say it was the camera from your opinion. How do you know I didn't take the shot that way on purpose? A camera is only as good as the person taking the photo and opinions are highly subjective. No amount of technology can change user implementation or error.

mikedt · Apr 5, 2014

sikclown said:
Honestly in my opinion, that is not a great photo. The reflection from the grill washes everything out which is a weakness of our camera allowing more light in; there are ways to combat that. Looks like it was taken through a window. It isn't blurry though so lack of OIS isn't an issue here.

It's blooming, the sun reflecting on the chrome appears as round blobs rather than sharp. www.dpreview.com/glossary/digital-imaging/blooming
Some cameras are more prone to it than others. Think the lens was somewhat smeary in that photo as well, which it a bit unavoidable with a phone camera sometimes. Unless you clean the lens every time you take a picture.

Tlicious1020 · Apr 5, 2014

mikedt said:
It's blooming, the sun reflecting on the chrome appears as round blobs. Glossary: Blooming: Digital Photography Review
Some cameras are more prone to it than others. Think the lens was somewhat smeary in that photo as well, which it a bit unavoidable with a phone camera sometimes. Unless you clean the lens every time you take a picture.

Ha ha...there is a fingerprint on the lens! LOL, I just checked the lens after reading your post. I'll be sure to check that next time. It's unavoidable with this phone. Thanks! So that was definitely user error.

sikclown · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
I sent that photo to 4 pilots. All with stupendous vision because it's required for what we do. I can't say whether Joe off the street or in a forum is color blind, lacks depth perception, or does not have 20/20 vision. In the Air Force you have to pass those tests with flying colors or you can't be an imagery analyst looking at classified photos or a pilot. None of the guys said the picture is washed out and nobody asked me what camera did I use.

You can say it was the camera from your opinion. How do you know I didn't take the shot that way on purpose? A camera is only as good as the person taking the photo and opinions are highly subjective. No amount of technology can change user implementation or error.

A camera is only as good as the photographer is absolutely true. I agree with that. But sometimes things happen with light and reflection that ruin a shot. This is very subjective indeed, and I keep stating that it is my opinion. The picture just doesn't do it for me. I am not saying you are a terrible photographer, that I have a better eye, that the camera is bad, etc. I personally wouldn't keep that shot, that is just my opinion. Now if you will excuse me I am going to bounce around town and take some pictures..... If I could just find my glasses

sikclown · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
Ha ha...there is a fingerprint on the lens! LOL, I just checked the lens after reading your post. I'll be sure to check that next time. It's unavoidable with this phone. Thanks! So that was definitely user error.

Huh. Maybe that is what was giving my brain the impression that it was taken behind a window?

KOLIO · Apr 5, 2014

sikclown said:
Now if you will excuse me I am going to bounce around town and take some pictures..... If I could just find my glasses

Ya sure you didn't lose 'em "bouncin' around town" ........

sean76 · Apr 5, 2014

sikclown said:
Just stating my opinion, which you asked the forum for. We will have to agree to disagree here. As I stated, In my opinion the photo appears washed out. I understand the purpose of chrome but the reflection is causing adverse effects to the picture, in my opinion. If you like it, that is all that matters.

My take is this, and maybe some will agree.

The M8 at best takes decent pics, not fantastic, not absolutely terrible, but decent. In the perfect situation will a picture come out good? Sure it will, I stated many times within this Forum that sometimes its more important who's taking the picture, rather then what's taking the picture, but that only applies to certain situations.

Now in my situation, which was stated here in this Thread. I almost bought the M8, 4MP ultrapixel camera and all, I took some pics and even though they were OK IMO, I was going to buy it, however when I turned the Video camera on and tried taking a video clip the whole idea fell apart. The lack of OIS is just so apparent that its almost impossible to take a good unshakable video. Some arguing that its not needed maybe don't use their video or camera alot, but I do. And if not for the lack of OIS (which I have on the M7, and N5) I would have dug in.

jamjr74 · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
Is this a bad photo in the daylight without any OIS anyone? Only if Sprint had the silver version to match the truck.

Looks like a nice pic to me.

mikedt · Apr 5, 2014

Tlicious1020 said:
Ha ha...there is a fingerprint on the lens! LOL, I just checked the lens after reading your post. I'll be sure to check that next time. It's unavoidable with this phone. Thanks! So that was definitely user error.

It's a difficult subject to photograph well, there's bright sunlight reflecting off shiny surfaces causing the blooming. A very high contrast ratio. A possible solution would have been to reduce the exposure by one or two stops when taking the photo, which would probably make the rest look dark and underexposed, but that could be fixed with post editing. The automatic exposure takes a centre weighted average for the whole scene, and for small areas with bright reflections the camera's sensor is basically overloaded.

So I think yeh it is user error, as well as the limitations of a phone or point'n'shoot camera.

mikedt · Apr 5, 2014

This page which is in Spanish shows the M8's camera compared to the iPhone 5S.
La c

sean76 · Apr 6, 2014

mikedt said:
This page which is in Spanish shows the M8's camera compared to the iPhone 5S.
La cámara del One M8 es buena... y a veces no - CNET en Español

M8

5S

This is a sunlight scene with lots of bright sky and dark shadow, and so very high contrast. With the HTC the sky is completely overexposed and shows blooming around the trees. Whereas with the iPhone, anything in shadow is much darker and underexposed but can still make out the details of the brickwork and foliage, there's no blooming and sky is blue with clouds.

BTW I don't have an M8, but I'm getting a new phone in the next couple of months and I do like taking pictures. So this why I'm interested to see how the various cameras compare. But I'm not buying an iPhone though...LOL.

I have a 5S and sometimes actually reach for my nexus 5 when taking certain pics. However the iPhone 5S does take some pretty good pics, it's only real Achilles heel is close up pics, the phone just has some issues focusing when subjects are very close.

As for the pic above that's pretty much the issue with that ultra pixel camera letting all that light in I guess. I wonder if a software update can help, or if its strictly a hardware issue?

mikedt · Apr 6, 2014

sean76 said:
I have a 5S and sometimes actually reach for my nexus 5 when taking certain pics. However the iPhone 5S does take some pretty good pics, it's only real Achilles heel is close up pics, the phone just has some issues focusing when subjects are very close.

As for the pic above that's pretty much the issue with that ultra pixel camera letting all that light in I guess. I wonder if a software update can help, or if its strictly a hardware issue?

I assume they're taken using the HTC camera app on default settings. It could be software. Maybe a different camera app would give better results. Or just manually reducing the exposure by a couple of stops in this type of situation. The iPhone gained some notoriety for giving some images a purple cast, but that's something that can happen with many cameras with sunlight or other bright light shining directly into the lens, and why many pros use a lens hood.

The Nexus 5 is the phone I'm most likely to get in June, really because the price is right and I think is a good deal, and no one else around here has one. It's less than half the price of the M8 unsubsidised. And I don't really want any Chinese phones, see enough of them everyday....LOL

Granite1 · Apr 6, 2014

More posts deleted / edited, it's getting tiresome.

Any more goading, retaliation or overt sarcasm directed at other members will not be tolerated. If this continues we will lock the thread.

Demache · Apr 6, 2014

jamjr74 said:
Looks like a nice pic to me.

Its not a bad pic. When I saw the weird refraction coming off the truck chrome and the overall haziness, I knew instantly it was because there was something on the lens. Trust me, my mother takes so many of these pictures that have fingerprints on the lens, it makes my Galaxy Nexus camera look impressive next to her iPhone 4S.

On topic though, I'm definitely considering a M8 over an LG G2 now. The sample photos I've seen don't look all the bad. Plus, I've been known to really bend the limits of cell phone cameras. On top of that, I have a DSLR (or an 8 MP Olympus P&S from 2008 that still takes a damn fine photo) if I'm really determined on quality.

Plus, an SD card slot would be fantastic, and I've heard rave things about the external speakers and DAC/amplifier (one of my biggest uses of my phones is as an MP3 player).

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

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