Thinking about buying the HTC One GPE...

[jkel777]

I'm back at it yet again... Lol.

I'm strongly considering purchasing the HTC One GPE. Currently, I own a N4 (running ParanoidAndroid) and an AT&T HTC One X (running CM 10.1 nightlies). I'd want to buy the One GPE because I constantly switch back and forth between the N4 (due to the complete buttery smoothness and higher-end specs) and my One X (due mainly to LTE; the experience on the HOX is close to the N4 because of CM 10.1, but it's just not as smooth as having it on the N4).

So, my thinking was "why not just get ONE (get it?!) device that's the best of both worlds? High end specs, stock Android, AND LTE. That way, I wouldn't have to switch between both. In order to pay for it, I'd most likely sell both my N4 and HOX, which could probably (hopefully) net me around $550, which would almost pay for the One GPE. That's why I'm strongly considering making the purchase.

However, I have a few concerns. I'm an extremely impulsive tech buyer (lol) and I know the Nexus 5 is probably right around the corner in October or November, which is just two months away. So my main concern is, "is it really worth it?" Of course, it would be awesome to experience stock Android on a wonderful device, but the N5 is coming out very soon... And I know I'll buy the N5. Therefore, I'd be able to sell the One GPE for about the retail price of the N5. Win-win! (I think...)

I know I'm posting this in the One forum, but which do you think is the better GPE device: the One or S4? I'm probably going with the One due to it being $50 less and the BoomSound speakers (which seem AWESOME).

Anyways, apologies for the long post! I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on this, and whether you guys think it's a good decision. I know that in the end, it's my decision, and ultimately my opinion is the only one that will make me buy it (if that makes sense), but let me know what you think!

Thanks!

 

[Google_Superuser]

I switched from N4 to S4 GPE. I really like the phone and I'm sure the One offers a similar level of quality.

That said I will not be buying the Nexus 5 or whatever it's called. I doubt the GPE will hold its value well given the fact that people are buying S4's on contract for much less and flashing the GPE rom. I don't think the one will be any different. I am planning to use this phone until it can't run what I want it to. I am still keeping my N4 as a backup phone but I think Nexus phones hold their value better.

My problem was that I switched to t mobile and the N4 just would not get a signal in my house. I tested with a friends S4 and it was much better. My choice was basically wait for the N5 and deal with months of next to no cell service at home for texts and data or spend more money get the S4 and have immediately better reception plus sd and removable battery. The choice for me was pretty obvious.

As for S4 or HTC One I prefer the S4 because I feel the sd and removable battery would make it more "future proof" allowing me to keep the phone past the point where the original battery grew tired or storage capacity became to limited. If I planned to turn around and sell when the N5 came out I might have considered the One more.

 

[jkel777]

I switched from N4 to S4 GPE. I really like the phone and I'm sure the One offers a similar level of quality.

That said I will not be buying the Nexus 5 or whatever it's called. I doubt the GPE will hold its value well given the fact that people are buying S4's on contract for much less and flashing the GPE rom. I don't think the one will be any different. I am planning to use this phone until it can't run what I want it to. I am still keeping my N4 as a backup phone but I think Nexus phones hold their value better.

My problem was that I switched to t mobile and the N4 just would not get a signal in my house. I tested with a friends S4 and it was much better. My choice was basically wait for the N5 and deal with months of next to no cell service at home for texts and data or spend more money get the S4 and have immediately better reception plus sd and removable battery. The choice for me was pretty obvious.

As for S4 or HTC One I prefer the S4 because I feel the sd and removable battery would make it more "future proof" allowing me to keep the phone past the point where the original battery grew tired or storage capacity became to limited. If I planned to turn around and sell when the N5 came out I might have considered the One more.

Thanks for your reply! Yeah, I know for sure that I'll end up turning around and selling it for the N5. All I would need to get out of it is approximately $400 anyway. For me, the removable battery and SD card slot are not that big of a deal to me, but I see your point. I'm just trying to figure out if it really is worth buying this phone for two short months... I do want to experience stock Android on these powerful devices, however.

 

[Google_Superuser]

I would just wait for the N5 then. I most likely would have if I hadn't had the compelling reason to get a phone sooner for better reception.

 

[jkel777]

I would just wait for the N5 then. I most likely would have if I hadn't had the compelling reason to get a phone sooner for better reception.

Alright, I may do that. I'm so impulsive though, so anything can happen... Haha. Thanks for the input!

Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 4

 

[benhmadison]

I would make the move to go ahead and get the ONE GPE. I've used the S4 with the GE rom and have the ONE GPE and they both run perfectly on the Google Edition software. I found the ONE GPE to be more useful to me due to amazing sound quality both out of the speakers as well as through headphones. I also preferred to have the 32gb internal storage that I can use for anything including games. Nothing wrong with expandable memory but I'd choose 32gb internal over 16 with expandable any day. I also was thinking about getting the N5 but then I realized that I may not have a need for it. Right now I have a full supported stock android device with amazing build quality, amazing speakers, and the most beautiful display of any smartphone to date. I don't anticipate that the N5 will be able to beat that.

Let us know what you decide!

 

[jkel777]

I would make the move to go ahead and get the ONE GPE. I've used the S4 with the GE rom and have the ONE GPE and they both run perfectly on the Google Edition software. I found the ONE GPE to be more useful to me due to amazing sound quality both out of the speakers as well as through headphones. I also preferred to have the 32gb internal storage that I can use for anything including games. Nothing wrong with expandable memory but I'd choose 32gb internal over 16 with expandable any day. I also was thinking about getting the N5 but then I realized that I may not have a need for it. Right now I have a full supported stock android device with amazing build quality, amazing speakers, and the most beautiful display of any smartphone to date. I don't anticipate that the N5 will be able to beat that.

Let us know what you decide!

Thanks for the reply! Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be getting it, because I KNOW I'll be buying the N5 lol. Plus, I did the math, and I'd be losing approximately $75 in depreciation, plus the extra $50 I'd have to spend out of pocket, assuming I can get $550 for both of my phones. I'm still sort of considering it, possibly if I can get $600 for both devices. But maybe you guys can really convince me to pull the trigger haha. But I see your point. For all we know, the N5 could just be an LTE enabled N4. Unlikely, but the HTC One GPE is definitely no slouch.

Sent from my One X using Tapatalk 4

 

[jkel777]

Sorry to bump, but I'm now very strongly considering buying the One GPE... Could happen tonight!

Just wanted to see if I could get some more thoughts on this. I know I'll be buying the N5 and selling the One GPE, like I said, so the issue is really if it's worth it or not. I'm leaning towards yes, because I won't be losing that much money in the end, and in my opinion, it'd be worth it to experience stock Android on the awesome HTC One.

Let me know what you think!

 

[benhmadison]

Pull the trigger

Sent from my Google Play Edition HTC ONE.

 

[jkel777]

Pull the trigger

Sent from my Google Play Edition HTC ONE.

Yup, I think I'm going to! Especially since I already flashed the factory stock image to my N4 and I'm about to do the same with my HOX

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

 

[daniel2744]

Have you bought about buying like a used HTC one and then converting it to a Google edition one?? Its not very hard and you might be able to save some money for that n5 lol

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jkel777]

Have you bought about buying like a used HTC one and then converting it to a Google edition one?? Its not very hard and you might be able to save some money for that n5 lol

Posted via Android Central App

Yeah, but I already bought it yesterday haha. But I was thinking about it. I have an AT&T HTC One X, and honestly, it was kind of a lot of work to get it to run any sort of custom ROM. Had to do S-OFF, spoof the CID, root it a different way than with Nexus devices, update the firmware... Kind of a pain, in my opinion lol. And I'm pretty sure all those procedures apply to the Sense version of the One. This way, with the GPE One, I can unlock the bootloader and root it just like a Nexus device.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

 

[daniel2744]

Yeah, but I already bought it yesterday haha. But I was thinking about it. I have an AT&T HTC One X, and honestly, it was kind of a lot of work to get it to run any sort of custom ROM. Had to do S-OFF, spoof the CID, root it a different way than with Nexus devices, update the firmware... Kind of a pain, in my opinion lol. And I'm pretty sure all those procedures apply to the Sense version of the One. This way, with the GPE One, I can unlock the bootloader and root it just like a Nexus device.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

Sounds to me like it was harder on the one X but its really easy I think on the one but that might be just me. The sweet thing for me is that I have the T-Mobile HTC One which I converted so I get all the T-Mobile radios which means HSPA+ and LTE. I have would think it's worth the work if you want an GPe device.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[dbdynsty25]

Yeah, but I already bought it yesterday haha. But I was thinking about it. I have an AT&T HTC One X, and honestly, it was kind of a lot of work to get it to run any sort of custom ROM. Had to do S-OFF, spoof the CID, root it a different way than with Nexus devices, update the firmware... Kind of a pain, in my opinion lol. And I'm pretty sure all those procedures apply to the Sense version of the One. This way, with the GPE One, I can unlock the bootloader and root it just like a Nexus device.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 4

So it's been a week+...how is it? LOL.

I pretty much had the same issues and thoughts as you when it came to getting the GPe...but I also realized that I still had an upgrade left on my multi-line account on At&t...so I bought mine w/ a contract for $99 (some crazy deal they were running) and got the free Beats Pill speaker (this was back in May so it clearly isn't still an active deal). Waited until 4.3 GPe was out to actually flash my phone because of the IR Blaster issues, but I'm definitely glad I did. I'm sure I'll be getting an N5 when it comes out, so that's not a big deal to me because the One, even in stock Sense At&t form will fetch more than the cost of the N5. People on eBay aren't exactly the most informed buyers. You'll be fine when it comes to selling the One and purchasing the N5...guaranteed.

 

[jkel777]

So it's been a week+...how is it? LOL.

I pretty much had the same issues and thoughts as you when it came to getting the GPe...but I also realized that I still had an upgrade left on my multi-line account on At&t...so I bought mine w/ a contract for $99 (some crazy deal they were running) and got the free Beats Pill speaker (this was back in May so it clearly isn't still an active deal). Waited until 4.3 GPe was out to actually flash my phone because of the IR Blaster issues, but I'm definitely glad I did. I'm sure I'll be getting an N5 when it comes out, so that's not a big deal to me because the One, even in stock Sense At&t form will fetch more than the cost of the N5. People on eBay aren't exactly the most informed buyers. You'll be fine when it comes to selling the One and purchasing the N5...guaranteed.

I love it! Haha. I got it on Monday and it has been a joy to use. Fantastic screen, good camera, excellent speakers, and of course LTE! All in a stock Android package lol.

Wow that's a crazy good deal! I would have done that, but my contract doesn't expire until June of next year (stupid AT&T for increasing the contract period to 2 years instead of 18 months... was going to be upgrade eligible in January...). After playing with this phone for a few days, I feel like the N5 really has to blow me away. I was pretty confident that I would be selling this phone for the N5, but now, I just don't know... the N5 has to be an amazing phone for me to switch now haha. If I have the funds, I may eventually buy the N5 and keep the One GPe though!

Yeah, it's really easy to sell electronics on eBay. I sold my N4 and HOX to pay for this phone in just 2 days. And yeah, I'm pretty sure I'll be able to get close to retail on eBay for this phone if I decide to sell it haha.

 

[dbdynsty25]

the N5 has to be an amazing phone for me to switch now haha. If I have the funds, I may eventually buy the N5 and keep the One GPe though!

Glad to hear you're digging it. I have two main complaints about the GPe, which are universal for all HTC One devices. I absolutely HATE the top power button and I wish it had a notification light that was worth a damn (like the S4). The first one cannot be fixed, but the second one has been alleviated by Dynamic Notifications (find it in the Play Store). It's the Active Notifications from the Motorola X...and it's been implemented pretty well. I haven't used it long enough to notice if there's an issue w/ battery life and turning on the screen for a few seconds each time the notification is displayed, but so far so good. So that has fixed one of the complaints...but damn that top power button!

If the N5 pairs the Snapdragon 800 w/ a 1080p display (LCD, not OLED) and 2gb of ram...and a side power button, I might have to jump. That's how much I hate the power button on the top. Haha.

 

[jkel777]

Glad to hear you're digging it. I have two main complaints about the GPe, which are universal for all HTC One devices. I absolutely HATE the top power button and I wish it had a notification light that was worth a damn (like the S4). The first one cannot be fixed, but the second one has been alleviated by Dynamic Notifications (find it in the Play Store). It's the Active Notifications from the Motorola X...and it's been implemented pretty well. I haven't used it long enough to notice if there's an issue w/ battery life and turning on the screen for a few seconds each time the notification is displayed, but so far so good. So that has fixed one of the complaints...but damn that top power button!

If the N5 pairs the Snapdragon 800 w/ a 1080p display (LCD, not OLED) and 2gb of ram...and a side power button, I might have to jump. That's how much I hate the power button on the top. Haha.

Ohhhhh man do I agree with you about that power button! It's SO hard to press since it's nearly flush. Plus, I have the Defender case, which makes it twice as hard to press with one hand. Which app gives you active notifications? I saw one in the Play Store but can't remember the name.

Same! That's the only way I'd make the jump. Other than that, this device may suffice. That rhymed lol.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[dbdynsty25]

Which app gives you active notifications?

Read my post again. LOL.

But since I'm in a good mood: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...greatbytes.activenotifications&token=ddKbP94c

 

[jkel777]

Read my post again. LOL.

But since I'm in a good mood: https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...greatbytes.activenotifications&token=1Ctoh-vt

Hahaha wow I'm tired today. Thanks man lol.

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