HTC One (M8): Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

So now that the phone has been out for a decent while and people have had the chance to play with it. I have a question, outside of what some would call "premium" hardware, is there anything that this phone does better than the competition? Is there anything this phone does software wise that makes it a "can't miss" device?

It seems like the only "big" feature they have is blinkfeed, which really isn't anything special,on top of the fact that anyone will be able to download it. So outside of hardware, is there anything that this phone has that stands out now that you have played with it? Or is it just a plain jane device in the software area?


Sent from my Apple iPad Air using Tapatalk

 

[B0WIE]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Well, I think hardware is a pretty big deal when you're addressing the title of the thread. But, as far as software goes, one reason I decided to go with it is that I really like Sense and the overall HTC flow. I use my phone for business and HTC phones just have smart layouts without the ugly, clunky Samsung interface or the lifeless Apple mess. I do like Motorola's design too but Sense and the 3-key layout helps me run my biz better when I'm not in the office.

Truthfully though, I think the sound and the brushed metal body are big wins over other makers and I am liking what I see from the camera better than the competition as well.

 

[Adiliyo]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

i'm personally really liking the speakers, the camera (yes, for my purposes, the camera works fine, and i love how fast it is) the general polish and cohesion of sense compared to touchwiz or lg's overlay is much much better imo. i really like the screen as well.

but in general all new phones (at least in this generation) are going to feel like marginal improvements over the last.

the battery for me has been killer too. i have friends who have the g2 and n5, and i wouldn't tell them to switch unless they want the speakers or the metal build. but for people one generation behind that, i think it's a worthy upgrade. (think s3, n4, etc)

 

[ErnstMach]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

It's better at looking sexy than any other phone on the market, except the iPhone and certain blackberries, but that is totally in the eye of the beholder lol.
Anyways, software-wise I think the can't - miss feature is Sense itself, I've only played with it for a little bit but it is clear that it's one of the most refined overlays I've ever seen, not busy and overdone like the offerings from LG and Samsung both of which I've had extensive interactions with.

They are only can't miss features however if you value those things in your phone (looking posh and the refined software experience). This is the case with any phone though IMO, phones are only can't miss devices if you yourself see it that way. Some may say that the heart-rate monitor on the s5 or the duo camera on the One are can't miss features, but I personally wouldn't feel that way. It is quite arbitrary.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[brad4560]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Yes, the sound is amazing!! even with the included ear buds. also i love the social features, the Facebook/contact linking, the blinkfeed, where you have a choice of feeds, i mean there's a lot of detail they did with sense.. the email app is also wonderful syncing exchange was a breeze

 

[madlaw1071]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

BoomSound and metal build. That's it. Everything else is either on par with other flagships or behind. IMO

 

[speedtrip]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Not Being a Samsung is a start

 

[Love Divine]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

"Outside of it's biggest advantage..."

You can't just discount it's biggest, clear-cut advantage lol.

The metal body and front facing speakers are a great combo. Combined with the polish and fluidity of Sense 5, it's a great overall package.

However, it's hard to "stand out" these days. The Snapdragon 800 brought with it great advances in power management, so all phones will be fast with great battery life. They're all going to have great screens (AMOLED has come a long way from the GSIII). All of them are going to have compelling software on some level. It seems as though this year Samsung has focused consolidating Touchwiz and polishing it up, which was much needed. The HR sensor can be done my most any phone and the finger print tech is inferior to Apple's (although the practicality of Samsung's remains to bee seen) but the water/dust proofing is nice, and it's got some nifty features here and there.

While the M8 has a build quality and design on its side, it does seem to lag behind in camera prowess from what I've seen so far. It really comes down to just choosing a phone with idiosyncrasies that suit your needs. Little differences in design and software are going to make all the difference (again, one much smaller than yesteryear).

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

"Outside of it's biggest advantage..."

You can't just discount it's biggest, clear-cut advantage lol.

The metal body and front facing speakers are a great combo. Combined with the polish and fluidity of Sense 5, it's a great overall package.

However, it's hard to "stand out" these days. The Snapdragon 800 brought with it great advances in power management, so all phones will be fast with great battery life. They're all going to have great screens (AMOLED has come a long way from the GSIII). All of them are going to have compelling software on some level. It seems as though this year Samsung has focused consolidating Touchwiz and polishing it up, which was much needed. The HR sensor can be done my most any phone and the finger print tech is inferior to Apple's (although the practicality of Samsung's remains to bee seen) but the water/dust proofing is nice, and it's got some nifty features here and there.

While the M8 has a build quality and design on its side, it does seem to lag behind in camera prowess from what I've seen so far. It really comes down to just choosing a phone with idiosyncrasies that suit your needs. Little differences in design and software are going to make all the difference (again, one much smaller than yesteryear).

If all a phone has to offer is hardware, IMO something's wrong, I don't care who the manufacturer is. Most of the posts here mainly focus on hardware things


Sent from my Apple iPad Air using Tapatalk

 

[freddyttt]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

For me Boom Sound seperates this phone from the rest. that along with it's metel body and it's look.
i love the size along with HTC sense. it does everything right(this time)compared to the M7.......

 

[Habiib]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Here is my list off the top of my head.. Some might be incorrect

Multimedia experience:
Zoe features (i.e., the always smile post capture feature)
Highlight reel features (and no, there isn't an implementation as robust and seamless)
Media player's lyric sync (karaoke) feature
Sense TV interface and features (real time TV broadcast updates)

Hardware features :
Wide-angle 5mp FF camera
BoomSound speakers (Sony Z2 is very close according to reviews)
Higher voltage amplifier for driving headphone output (this is for those who think BoomSound is useless because they use headphones)

Posted via Android Central App

 

[aokusman]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Do people really listen to music using a phones speaker?


Sent from my Galaxy S5 using tapatalk.

 

[Topgonzo]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Do people really listen to music using a phones speaker?


Sent from my Galaxy S5 using tapatalk.

Yes! I've used it while taking a shower and while lying in the seat beside me while driving to the store so i didn't have to connect blue tooth

Sent from my LG-LS995 using Xparent BlueTapatalk 2

 

[cgardnervt]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

It looks better than the rest IMO. Otherwise its lack luster if you plan to root and flash. I love HTC hardware personally. But in all honesty thats about it for me!

 

[Skyway]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Do people really listen to music using a phones speaker?


Sent from my Galaxy S5 using tapatalk.

You do if you have BoomSound speakers!

Posted via Android Central App

 

[James E1]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Do people really listen to music using a phones speaker?


Sent from my Galaxy S5 using tapatalk.

Yes. Use it when playing cards with me friends all the time.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Do people really listen to music using a phones speaker?


Sent from my Galaxy S5 using tapatalk.

Yea, I've never seen anyone do this in real life, lol. The only device I've ever used without my headphones is my tablet, and that's once on a blue moon, lol

 

[ErnstMach]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Yea, I've never seen anyone do this in real life, lol. The only device I've ever used without my headphones is my tablet, and that's once on a blue moon, lol

I do it on my tablet as well fairly often, but never on my phone

Posted via Android Central App

 

[James E1]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

So now that the phone has been out for a decent while and people have had the chance to play with it. I have a question, outside of what some would call "premium" hardware, is there anything that this phone does better than the competition? Is there anything this phone does software wise that makes it a "can't miss" device?

It seems like the only "big" feature they have is blinkfeed, which really isn't anything special,on top of the fact that anyone will be able to download it. So outside of hardware, is there anything that this phone has that stands out now that you have played with it? Or is it just a plain jane device in the software area?


Sent from my Apple iPad Air using Tapatalk

Are you trying to make a choice for your next phone? It seems to me that all you are trying to do is put the HTC One down. It is plan as day you don't like it and are not going to buy it. You ask other posters for opinion on the HTC One and when they give it to you, you discredit the info. But since you ask it all starts with hardware. From build quality to internals that include almost all metal case, 5" lcd 1080p screen ( not some cartoon looking screen ), dual front facing stereo speakers ( yes I use them all the time ), Qualcomm? Snapdragon™ 801, quad-core CPUs the latest ( nothing higher available yet ) and yes the camera because if they used a higher mp cam some of the features in the software like Zoe and highlights just would not be the same, plus I just don't need a higher mp cam and don't want to have to worry about storage for the larger picture size. I can print out nice 8x10 with this cam and will never need to print anything larger from a phone. As for the OS Sense is so smooth that I have never had any lag at all. I have played with other phones and not one that I have played with can I say that at some point did not have a little lag. HTC photo Gallery and camera software are very good. The stock music app is far better than anything I have found on any phone or in the play store. The email app is good. There is not much that I can say is bad about HTC's Sense software. I could go on but you have made up your mind that in some way this phone is not for you and I would be wasting my time. So good luck to finding a phone that suits your needs. Unlike you I am open minded to all phones but I do prefer the HTC One over all others at this point.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

Re: Is there anything that this phone does better than the competition?

Are you trying to make a choice for your next phone? It seems to me that all you are trying to do is put the HTC One down. It is plan as day you don't like it and are not going to buy it. You ask other posters for opinion on the HTC One and when they give it to you, you discredit the info. But since you ask it all starts with hardware. From build quality to internals that include almost all metal case, 5" lcd 1080p screen ( not some cartoon looking screen ), dual front facing stereo speakers ( yes I use them all the time ), Qualcomm? Snapdragon? 801, quad-core CPUs the latest ( nothing higher available yet ) and yes the camera because if they used a higher mp cam some of the features in the software like Zoe and highlights just would not be the same, plus I just don't need a higher mp cam and don't want to have to worry about storage for the larger picture size. I can print out nice 8x10 with this cam and will never need to print anything larger from a phone. As for the OS Sense is so smooth that I have never had any lag at all. I have played with other phones and not one that I have played with can I say that at some point did not have a little lag. HTC photo Gallery and camera software are very good. The stock music app is far better than anything I have found on any phone or in the play store. The email app is good. There is not much that I can say is bad about HTC's Sense software. I could go on but you have made up your mind that in some way this phone is not for you and I would be wasting my time. So good luck to finding a phone that suits your needs. Unlike you I am open minded to all phones but I do prefer the HTC One over all others at this point.

TLDR, all I asked was now that the phone is out and in use ,if there are any can't miss features or anything that stands out from the users standpoint. Pretty simple question IMO


Sent from my Apple iPad Air using Tapatalk