Why I switched back to S5 from HTC M8

[Netherscourge]

It came down to this for me:

1. You CAN'T replace a 4MP camera with an accessory.
2. You CAN replace a single mono-speaker with an accessory/dock.

Case closed. The M8's only selling point is the front-facing speakers, which are nice - but at what sacrifice? The poor camera and being stuck with on-screen home and navigation buttons.

S5 all the way.

 

[Skyway]

Do you have evidence this will be the future for sure or is that just an opinion? Google does have standards but sometimes they are lenient on their standards ... and with Samsung selling so many phones they may not twist their arm to have them change this ... Or they may ... Who knows? We are just guessing unless you have read something I haven't .


Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

Just my opinion, however I'm talking a cue from Google. They include them in their own phones, the Nexus line.

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[Skyway]

It came down to this for me:

1. You CAN'T replace a 4MP camera with an accessory.
2. You CAN replace a single mono-speaker with an accessory/dock.

Case closed. The M8's only selling point is the front-facing speakers, which are nice - but at what sacrifice? The poor camera and being stuck with on-screen home and navigation buttons.

S5 all the way.

Actually you can replace the 4mp camera with an accessory. I own one, it's called a Sony qx10.

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[Netherscourge]

Actually you can replace the 4mp camera with an accessory. I own one, it's called a Sony qx10.

Posted via Android Central App

Isn't the M8's dual-camera option restricted to it's own 4MP sensor though?

What you referred to, which appears to cost more than the phone itself on a 2-year-contract, looks like it just completely replaces the M8's rear camera(s).

 

[Skyway]

Isn't the M8's dual-camera option restricted to it's own 4MP sensor though?

What you referred to, which appears to cost more than the phone itself on a 2-year-contract, looks like it just completely replaces the M8's rear camera(s).

You didn't say anything about retaining the dual camera functionality. It was obvious with your post that you don't think 4mp is enough. Sony's got your back then

The qx10 costs as much as a good Bluetooth speaker, like a Bose or JBL.

Your original statement was that you can't replace the 4mp camera with an accessory, which is exactly what the qx10 does. But the thing is you can take it off and still use the duo camera, if need be. You get the best of both worlds with this setup. Maybe a bit cumbersome to carry it all the time, but it definitely fills the need for some people.

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[Mark_C]

I don't get the "the M8 speakers are awesome" stuff, who seriously plays music via the speakers ? I don't recall ever doing that. Everyone uses headphones and the S5 sounds pretty good through my sennheisers and is more than loud enough "voltage at the headphone jack" doesn't mean squat.

 

[qnet]

If you prefer the M8 take the S5 back and get the M8 then . If you just got it you should be well within your return period.

Sent from my T-Mobile Note 3 using AC Forums.

I actually have both phones, and switch between both. I'm a tech junkie and get a lot of the top phones every year. I also do reviews on Youtube. Last year I got both the M7 and S4. After a while I ended up really liking the S4 more, but never came on here to admit it. It was mainly because of the Google play edition, the way the cases fit, external SD, and it displayed the battery percentage.

This year HTC really did a good job IMO. I spent nearly $700.00 on both phones and the HTC One M8 is the one that feels worth that price. It has an external SD and displays the battery percentage now. I know I can download a app for the battery percentage, but I like it better already part of the system. I know that these things don't matter to some people, but, that's the stuff I like.

Having said that, the S5 is a great phone also. I like the colorful look of the Amoled screen, the way the phone feels in my hand, and the button placement. I also can't wait to try out the camera, although I'm very experienced with that.

Sooner or later, I'm probably going to end up rooting one or both phones and installing a custom rom on them anyway.

 

[freddyttt]

I don't get the "the M8 speakers are awesome" stuff, who seriously plays music via the speakers ? I don't recall ever doing that. Everyone uses headphones and the S5 sounds pretty good through my sennheisers and is more than loud enough "voltage at the headphone jack" doesn't mean squat.

I do all day at work. I do floors tile and so forth so music for me by my side is a must... not to mention playing games and watching youtube and navigation and talking through speaker while driving-. all this is a HUGE plus for me.....

 

[Ddust14]

I had the GS5 for about 24 hrs before I took it back to AT&T. The call quality and muffled sound was too much for me in the end. I don't care about the screen or camera enough to justify keeping it. It's a phone at the end of the day and those radios in Samsung phones are terrible.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[sel1965]

Delete post

 

[sel1965]

I had the GS5 for about 24 hrs before I took it back to AT&T. The call quality and muffled sound was too much for me in the end. I don't care about the screen or camera enough to justify keeping it. It's a phone at the end of the day and those radios in Samsung phones are terrible.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using AC Forums mobile app

Sadly I have to agree with you on this! That's just one of the reasons I have gone with the M8.

 

[NYClawstudent]

After testing out both phones for at least 3 days, the S5's internal radios are on par with the M8's. Also LTE coverage (via sprint) is almost identical on both phones. Sometimes the S5 will look for a signal slightly longer after I exit airplane mode on the train. However, so far I havn't seen a disparity between the 2 such that I would declare the S5 to have a terrible radio.

And since another poster brought up camera quality---the S5's camera wins hands down in almost all lighting conditions. I tested out the M8's camera at home at night--and the pics came out pretty sub par. On the other hand--shots on the S5 appear to be more lively and detailed---which is certainly attributable to the higher pixel count. I will say the M8 has a faster shutter speed and the camera app also loads faster.

Again---going with either phone is certainly the least of anyone's troubles. They are both high end, top shelf android devices. I just think that I can handle being locked in a 2 yr agreement with my S5 very comfortably--as opposed to the M8.

 

[jdizzle316]

Actually you can replace the 4mp camera with an accessory. I own one, it's called a Sony qx10.

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Great idea! how does it work with the HTC One? Do you have any pic samples that we could check out?

I first had the HTC One, but exchanged it out yesterday for an S5 (lifted screen). After having the HTC One for a week, and having to pay $35.00 for the restocking fee, i decided to give the S5 a try....try something new. Here are my unbiased thoughts:

The HTC One is absolutely a premium device. Sense was really smooth as it was quick. I'd say it might be one of the fastest phone I've used so far, with the fastest being the N5.
HTC made a great looking phone, the cosmetics of the phone are outstanding, and in my opinion its the best looking phone currently available. The phone was a little tall, but the length didn't hamper the way the phone felt in the hand, it was the material used in combination of the heft of the phone, making it a slippery phone to hold. Screen resolution is good, as well as the Boom Sound. I can't say that I've had a phone with better speakers. Having only a 4mp shooter was a heavy downfall. Yes, it can absolutely take good pics, but the pictures it produced weren't nearly as clear as other high end devices. I put a picture I took of my LG G2 on my computer as well as the same pic taken with the M8, "clearly" details lacked on the M8 and it wasn't nearly as crisp. "Ufocus" was actually great on the M8 and fun to play with, it was prolly one of the only pros of the camera other than shooting in low light.

Now for the S5. It's also an amazing phone...have we come to expect anything but great phones from higher-end Samsung devices? Battery is insane. I've been streaming radio all day so far with it, having only lost like 18% juice doing so. The phone feels great in hand, easy to hold, but being wider its harder to navigate to the left of the screen using the device 1 handed and being right handed. I have to agree with everyone in stating the screen is a beast. Camera is EXCEPTIONAL, I mean, hands down, the camera produces super clear images. Only downfall is the shutter time, which seems to take much longer than the M8, and thats with image stabilization off. I've even tried other camera apps, but the shutter is still slow. But here is where I think I might get flamed posting in the S5 forum. SAMSUNG NEEDS TO CHANGE THE APPEARANCE! Going back to the S2, Galaxy S devices haven't changed much at all. The look of the device as well as Touch-Wiz needs a big revamp. If I spend 600+ on a phone, I want it to be different. The S5 feels like its a Galaxy S4s, like they only made slight improvements similar to the way Apple does their incremental refining on their next edition. Yes, the same could be said for the M8, but they made the screen bigger, and that model has really only come to its 2nd generation whereas the "S's" have been simliar for years now.

Both phones are great, you can't go wrong with either. If you like the way Samsung has been in the past and want a great Camera on your phone, no doubt go with the S5. If you want something a bit more innovative and has more of a premium feel, give the M8 a shot, i can assure you that you will not be disappointed, that is, if you don't take pics much.

 

[ab304945]

I wish these threads would stop

Both the gs5 and m8 are great phones. The things everyone says what makes one better than the other, is all personal preferences.

For those who can't decide, go to the store and play with both of them. Don't let the Internet decide for you.

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[NYClawstudent]

I think these threads are informative. Personal preferences make a huge difference. But each phone has tangible pros and cons that really come down to your expected use. its also hard to fully test a phone out from a store dummy model for a few minutes. It really takes a few days with each phone to tell whether they are right for ya.

 

[Transcendence]

Unfortunately, too many people are biased towards one device and tend to give out false or over exaggerated information that suits their preference---like the S5 being slow or the M8 having an awful camera. Your best bet, if you want to research instead of trying them both firsthand, is to try and find a review site you feel comfortable with and read their reviews. You should really form your own opinion after some hands on with the devices, though.

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[reeneebob]

Verizon was the only carrier to be able to sell the phone in their retail stores until the global release on April 10th. All other carriers could only sell it online. The girl at your AT&T store is not going to have an accurate view of sales, when the majority of AT&T sales have been online. Just saying.

Seriously though, I'm glad both of you got the phones that you like the most. That's what all this is about, getting the product that YOU like the most, whether it's the s5 or some other phone. Congratulations and enjoy your amazing device!

Posted via Android Central App

True that, my store (Canadian carrier) hasn't sold a single S5 but sold out of our allotment of M8 on launch day.

M8 is selling well in my area (Eastern Ontario). The S5 is also selling, don't get me wrong, but the excitement isn't there like it is for the M8. We've had a lot of people asking to look at it...something we didn't have with the M7 and haven't seen for a Samsung since the Note.

 

[Greg C]

The M8 is quite a bit longer than the prior model.

 

[z33dev33l]

The One is just better in pretty much every regard

 

[z33dev33l]

I haven't been satisfied by a samsung device in a long time.