Help Torn between choices of my new phone...

[MRxAmazing]

I'm switching from Sprint to Verizon in the next couple of days or possibly even later this afternoon (3am roughly here). I've run into this surprisingly difficult situation of what phone to get, though. I'm honestly torn.

Here's the deal: I currently have an HTC One M8. I LOVE HTC. Been with them since the first Android phone came out on the market. Had the HTC G1, G2, some garbage replacement, then the One M8. They always seem to offer great hardware while maintaining strong durability. But after looking into some of the specs, I'm wondering if it's really worth it for me to buy the HTC 10. It has changed very little physically at a glance, and also the front-facing loud-speaker is gone (one of my favorite features). The processor seems to be weaker than some of the current competition as well.

So I've been researching a bit trying to find the right fit for me and I find I'm still coming up a bit short. Even using the phone finder tool on phonearena left me just as torn lol. So here's what I'm looking for:

1) I like having great audio and video quality. A great loud-speaker (if they even exist anymore).
2) Durability - I like screens that don't scratch/break easily
3) Strong hardware specs - I like playing games and multitasking and PREFER a Micro SD slot.
4) Good battery life - I use my phone quite a lot, so I need something that won't die in a few hours
5) Nice camera


I think I had narrowed my search down to the S7 Edge, HTC M10, LG G5 and MAYBE the Nexus 6P. But I'm open to any opinions. Please help ease my mind, Android world!

 

[The_Chief]

Have you considered the Moto X Pure? I love it and it's on sale:

http://androidforums.com/threads/de...-x-pure-edition-to-300-until-may-9th.1026241/

Also, the Note 6 is due to be revealed in July. It should be an absolute BEAST of a phone. Swappa is a great place to buy gently used phones in excellent condition: you could buy a temporary device to use until it comes out. Hope this helps.

 

[MRxAmazing]

Have you considered the Moto X Pure? I love it and it's on sale:

http://androidforums.com/threads/de...-x-pure-edition-to-300-until-may-9th.1026241/

Also, the Note 6 is due to be revealed in July. It should be an absolute BEAST of a phone. Swappa is a great place to buy gently used phones in excellent condition: you could buy a temporary device to use until it comes out. Hope this helps.

I will take a look at the Moto X Pure as I am really still stumped lol. As far as waiting goes, I need to switch from Sprint ASAP. I'm 1000% tired of paying them and I am leaving the state for a few weeks May 7. Then I'll be leaving for another couple weeks in the beginning of June. Thanks for the input though!

 

[chanchan05]

From what I see, you've been misinformed a bit.

1. HTC doesn't have a weaker processor. It uses the same processor as the US version of the the S7 and the G5. So it should be as powerful.
2. It still has dual speakers. 1 is at the bottom, similar to the placement of the one on the iPhone and S7, while the other sits inside the earpiece grill.
3. The HTC also uses the same gorilla glass 4 as Samsung and LG, hence should be the same in terms of scratch resist. There may be a question on the durability of Samsung since it's a glass on glass sandwich, whereas LG and HTC opted for metal bodies. Although if you're going to use a casing it would be s moo(t) point.
4. The HTC as I previously mentioned, already has the same hardware as its competitors. It also has a microsd slot.
5. Battery life of the S7 edge still outlasts the other flagships by a lot. Even if we consider the smaller S7, it still had better battery optimization than the HTC despite having thr same battery size, probably since it's reported to have a thermal spreader cooling system. No word on whether HTC has it, but if it does indeed run hotter than an S7, then it would explain thr decrease in battery life. In any case, S7's often last through the day. My S7 edge lasts 4am through 4pm with intensive use (lots of internet, chat, and games) with 30% left in the tank. Note that I have a pretty battery hungry setup as well. Since the S7 has a battery 20% bigger than the HTC, I'd think it would last 12 hours on me before I get the battery warnings.
6. The HTC apparently uses the same camera module as the Nexuses, so quality shouldn't be an issue.

All in all, as you are an HTC fan, I see no reason for you to go with another brand.

You could check out GSMArena's review of the device as well to better know the device
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_10-review-1434.php

 

[MRxAmazing]

From what I see, you've been misinformed a bit.

1. HTC doesn't have a weaker processor. It uses the same processor as the US version of the the S7 and the G5. So it should be as powerful.
2. It still has dual speakers. 1 is at the bottom, similar to the placement of the one on the iPhone and S7, while the other sits inside the earpiece grill.
3. The HTC also uses the same gorilla glass 4 as Samsung and LG, hence should be the same in terms of scratch resist. There may be a question on the durability of Samsung since it's a glass on glass sandwich, whereas LG and HTC opted for metal bodies. Although if you're going to use a casing it would be s moo(t) point.
4. The HTC as I previously mentioned, already has the same hardware as its competitors. It also has a microsd slot.
5. Battery life of the S7 edge still outlasts the other flagships by a lot. Even if we consider the smaller S7, it still had better battery optimization than the HTC despite having thr same battery size, probably since it's reported to have a thermal spreader cooling system. No word on whether HTC has it, but if it does indeed run hotter than an S7, then it would explain thr decrease in battery life. In any case, S7's often last through the day. My S7 edge lasts 4am through 4pm with intensive use (lots of internet, chat, and games) with 30% left in the tank. Note that I have a pretty battery hungry setup as well. Since the S7 has a battery 20% bigger than the HTC, I'd think it would last 12 hours on me before I get the battery warnings.
6. The HTC apparently uses the same camera module as the Nexuses, so quality shouldn't be an issue.

All in all, as you are an HTC fan, I see no reason for you to go with another brand.

You could check out GSMArena's review of the device as well to better know the device
http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_10-review-1434.php

Thanks for the information! Phone Arena is showing that the HTC 10 is using a Quad-core processor while S7E is using Octo-core. Also, Phone Arena says the HTC 10 is dust-proof, but the GSMArena says otherwise. That's where I'm getting confusion. I'm definitely about that better battery. I play Star Wars Galaxy of Heroes a lot and it rips through my M8 pretty fast and my phone gets quite warm. How is the S7 with that? Does it get hot?

As far as being an HTC fan... yes, I definitely am. But I'm trying to justify whether it's really "worth it" to upgrade from the M8 to the 10. I just haven't seen a lot to make me feel like "wow, that is different and innovative!" Know what I mean?

 

[MRxAmazing]

Here's the phone comparison via Phone Arena:

http://www.phonearena.com/phones/compare/Samsung-Galaxy-S7-edge,HTC-10/phones/9818,9582

 

[chanchan05]

The S7 is using a quad core SnapDragon 820 in the US, and an octacore Exynos in other countries. Performance is comparable on both chips, but the Exynos has better battery management.

On quick Google search, the HTC10 is IP53 certified, as opposed to IP68 of the S7. That means it's dust resistant enough to not cause problems with the working of the phone, but not as dust proof as the S7 is.

I have an S7 Edge with a 3600mah battery compared to the 3000mah on the S7 and HTC10. I play Hearthstone it's online and has nice graphics, so it probably uses a lot of battery. I play it using mobile data so that's even more of a drain. I get about maybe 9% usage per hour of playing. So I could potentially play 10hrs straight. However note that the Samsung has the Game Launcher app. This allows you to have a special power saving mode for games. Like lowering resolution during play and capping frame rate to 30fps. This lets you save battery in game. I don't need max power on playing these types of games anyway.

Edit: I forgot to mention. Just went in and played Hearthstone for 15min. The phone didn't warm up at all. This game used to heat up my Note 2 like crazy, enough to make it uncomfortable to use for calling (sticking it to your face) right after playing. Also used up just about between 2 and 3% of the battery.

 

[MRxAmazing]

The S7 is using a quad core SnapDragon 820 in the US, and an octacore Exynos in other countries. Performance is comparable on both chips, but the Exynos has better battery management.

On quick Google search, the HTC10 is IP53 certified, as opposed to IP68 of the S7. That means it's dust resistant enough to not cause problems with the working of the phone, but not as dust proof as the S7 is.

I have an S7 Edge with a 3600mah battery compared to the 3000mah on the S7 and HTC10. I play Hearthstone it's online and has nice graphics, so it probably uses a lot of battery. I play it using mobile data so that's even more of a drain. I get about maybe 9% usage per hour of playing. So I could potentially play 10hrs straight. However note that the Samsung has the Game Launcher app. This allows you to have a special power saving mode for games. Like lowering resolution during play and capping frame rate to 30fps. This lets you save battery in game. I don't need max power on playing these types of games anyway.

Edit: I forgot to mention. Just went in and played Hearthstone for 15min. The phone didn't warm up at all. This game used to heat up my Note 2 like crazy, enough to make it uncomfortable to use for calling (sticking it to your face) right after playing. Also used up just about between 2 and 3% of the battery.

Thank you for clarifying that for me. It's greatly appreciated. I think I will give the S7 Edge a try. I think it is time for a change. Now I just need to find a worthy case with a kickstand.

 

[MRxAmazing]

Side note: Just noticed the S7 Edge was $33/mo, not $28 and the HTC 10 is part of a promotion that would make it cost me $22.83/mo. Guess I'll be going HTC 10 lol.

 

[chanchan05]

Side note: Just noticed the S7 Edge was $33/mo, not $28 and the HTC 10 is part of a promotion that would make it cost me $22.83/mo. Guess I'll be going HTC 10 lol.

Yeah lol. The Edge is pretty pricey. It does have a bigger screen and bigger battery. The only reason I got mine is that it's part of the network loyalty program. I got mine for the same monthly as a regular S7. Lol.

 

[markadams98520]

So many reasonable, helpful comments here. What a pleasure!

 

[hiredgun]

Just wanted to chime in and say it's a GREAT problem to have, lol. Good luck and let us know what you decide on!