Nexus 4 Owners Impressions of the HTC One?

[BodegaBay]

I was curious if any of you have tried the HTC One extensively or even switched to it? I, myself, have been using the AT&T version for the past week and still have minor reservations.

I love the aesthetics and hardware build of the One: it's solid, tall, has a gorgeous display, impressive sounding speakers, and fast camera.

And as much as they've improved the Sense UI, I still feel some awkwardness to it. When I switched back to the N4, the stock Android experience is so much more fluid and not at all disjointed.

 

[anon(847090)]

I prefer N4 over HTC one but I prefer HTC One over GS4.
I used One at ATT store it only bloated with ATT apps but less bloat from HTC.
I didnt like few things like dragging an app to home screen is mess

 

[planoman]

I looked st the HTC one and think it is very nice looking device! I guessing am too used to touch wiz because I did not like the UI.

Have not seen the S4 but I might wait till the 32gb or the rugged version comes out before I consider it.

Sent from my Nexus 4

 

[CoMoNexus]

The device and its specs look great. My previous phone was the original EVO, which was great, but I went with the N4 partly because HTC and other Android vendors typically abandon their devices after just one OS update. Getting stuck with vendor- and operator-installed crapware also was a major negative.

 

[Pollster]

I've heard that using Nova Launcher can make the One seem like stock. Can anyone who's actually tried that comment? I'm addicted to stock android, but wouldn't mind having more device choices when I want to upgrade this fall/winter

 

[Rizy7]

Really nice phone.. Build quality looks really good, great sounds and fast processor.

I dont like the power button placement (I have small hands) and I would prefer a high megapixel camera if I was to get it.

I guess other people would complain about not having a micro sd card slot or a removable battery but its a really solid phone tbh

 

[chubb]

Pro's
Overall design
Dual speakers on front

Con's
That UI ugh
HTC's update record
Not being able to get a developer unlocked 64 gig edition
Last 2 are NOT deal breakers, but don't help.

I like the phone, just not near enough to get rid of the N4

 

[Fairclough]

Looks like a beautiful phone - will be keen to have a play on it when my mate moves from his iphone to the one when it arrives.
I won't be getting one as I am not made of money * reaches for my kidney*

 

[chestont]

Just went into a Sprint store and got to handle one for a while. I just gotta say wow, it's a beautiful piece of hardware. I would seriously consider an unlocked one if I could spare the funds. I'm not a big fan of the software, but as long as it can run Google Now and Nova Launcher, I could probably live with it. Boomsound is amazing, I almost dropped it when it was booting up because it startled me. I love my Nexus 4, but I gotta say that the HTC One is the only device I would consider switching to at the moment.

 

[ring o fire]

I really want to taken a look at it. I'm sure its awesome and possibly a step up from the galaxy line.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Android Central Forums

 

[CoMoNexus]

Just went into a Sprint store and got to handle one for a while.

Did you happen to notice how many apps HTC and Sprint installed? Verizon and some other carriers have said publicly that they understand that customers are tired of preloaded apps that can't be uninstalled (without rooting) and will reduce that practice. It would be interesting to know whether vendors and carriers are following through.

 

[chestont]

Did you happen to notice how many apps HTC and Sprint installed? Verizon and some other carriers have said publicly that they understand that customers are tired of preloaded apps that can't be uninstalled (without rooting) and will reduce that practice. It would be interesting to know whether vendors and carriers are following through.

I actually didn't, sorry. I should have had the presence of mind to check that out but I didn't. I did not think that the phone had an inordinate amount of preloaded software while I was playing around with it. Of course, I might have just been so enamored with chamfered edges that I wouldn't have noticed if the phone had been preloaded with iOS.

 

[karmamule]

I did decide to switch from my nexus 4 to the HTC One. I thought it was a very slim chance I would, but it is a damn gorgeous phone. A tough decision, ultimately more personal preferences than anything else. A quick overview of my main pros & cons for the HTC One:

Pros:

• Physically the nexus is a great phone, but I preferred the look/feel of the HTC One. It really feels terrific in my hand.
• Screen: Once again, the nexus has an excellent screen, but the HTC One screen is OMFG beautiful. Colors are vivid without being amoled strong (that's a good thing from my POV), it's very bright, and the resolution really is stunning.
• Sound: The speakers are truly excellent, not only besting any cell phone I've ever heard, but almost any TABLET. Listening to headphones is noticeably better too (at least IMO). Beats audio seems to have been refined a bit: at least to my ears it's no longer just jacking up the volume & bass, but has a more balanced approach.
• Call quality: A touch crisper/clearer
• BlinkFeed: Much to my amazement, I actually like it! Not perfect, but I keep coming back to it and using it, and am actually leaving it as my home screen. (Probably the biggest unexpected 'pro' for me!)
• Camera: Significantly better if you don't mind the lower resolution. It really is fantastic in low-light environments, and I like zoe and burst shooting mode and other features much better than the n4 camera.
• The TV app that takes advantage of the fact the power button doubles as an IR blaster is a nice convenience. It controls my Samsung TV, TiVo, and A/V receiver well. I'd love it to be a more fully featured remote control emulator, but it does the basics nicely.
• My nexus had almost zero slowdown, the HTC One is even faster. (Even with Sense 5!) Some live wallpapers would make a noticeable dent in my nexus' performance, but not with the One.
• 32 gb storage.

Cons:

• HTC Sense is much less of a 'con' than it used to be, IMO. Having said that, I'd still prefer stock android. As others have mentioned, dragging/dropping apps/widgets is a little more clunky, and the button layout of the One, while tolerable, is a minus.
• No wireless charging. Just when I'm getting used to it too....
• Slower updates: Of course this is the most obvious con. I'm back at the whim of HTC and t-mobile for when I actually will get the latest OS updates (if ever.) This is the toughest pill to swallow.
• I miss the two finger dragdown for quick settings, and the quick swipe up for Google Now is better than the long button press on the One.

The nexus is a great phone. I'm going to hold onto mine a couple weeks more just to be sure there are no bad surprises with the One. I won't hesitate to recommend the nexus 4 as probably the best bang for your buck in the cell phone world at this time, but if you can afford the extra money I think you do get your money's worth with the HTC One, and barring last minute surprises this will be my main driver.

 

[shahid99]

yes i checked the phone out its awesome phone but again with all those front tile ..not the fan of it, i know you can turn that off too but stiill whats the point of having android than if your front screen doesnt look like u want to ..dont wanna install other parties stuff...but it got great design and great sound ..but i think nexus has better design back and front both sides are shiny ..just not my type but i would consider it if i had no option ...S4 well i think it just upgrade of S3, spece wise nothing major wouldnt be buying that ..infact i will wait for next nexus hope lg makes it again with great design ...

oh yeah one more thing ,i love blue theme of battery ,netwrok bar and wifi and all that used green one alot lol

or maybe next motrola phone big fan of motorola too lets just wait and see

 

[jgreeson25]

I picked up the HTC One last week and it truly is awesome. I do miss wireless charging and the more professional looking UI font/experience of stock android, but the HTC One's in-hand feel is second to none. Also the gallery and camera experience is a lot of fun and not just a gimmick. The highlight videos and all of the other bells and whistles were a lot of fun last weekend. They actually add value to the smartphone experience, unlike some things like photosphere - it was cool in theory, but I never found a way to easily implement it into my life. The funky camera tricks and editing features that HTC stuffed into the One really come natural. I did hold on to my Nexus 4 to see what comes out of Google in the next month. If nothing mind blowing is released in a future iteration of JB or release of KLP, then the nexus 4 might be getting retired.

 

[omniusovermind]

Nice looking phone but I hate what they did with the button layout. Might be a non issue for most of you, but how I navigate the UI on my phones is HUGE for me. Will wait for the Nexus 5 this fall, or possibly the X Phone.

 

[TheLibertarian]

In theory, I prefer the One to the S4. That said, the buttons on the One I used didn't seem to be all that responsive, or required me to press in a very specific manner. Quite annoying.

Between all of them, I honestly prefer the Nexus. Sure, I'd enjoy either of their cameras more than mine currently, and I'm a huge fan of HTC displays. But I much prefer on-screen buttons, and that's probably the number one reason. Seems small, but the physical button on the S4 is absurd, and as previously stated, the capacitive buttons on the One aren't responsive.

 

[ottscay]

I love the build quality of the One to the S4, and even think it's nicer than the N4 (though not by as much as you'd think), but I wouldn't give up my N4 for either - the GS4 is just too cheaply built and filled with crapware (sorry, the Samsung "experience"), and the One has dumb issues with its buttons. And frankly, I won't ever buy another phone off of contract, and the One simply isn't worth twice the cost of the N4.

That said, your mileage may vary, so check them all out before making a decision.

 

[mr.rickeyk]

I also stopped by and played with the One at a local store and for a moment was quite envies. It's beautiful, sexy and fast. But I felt the exact same way about my N4 just a couple months ago; and still feel that way.

It's so easy to get sucked in with the small bump in specs, new features & design that, at least for me, it is easy to become envies of that new phone that I want to plunk down more money to get the latest & greatest.

But this time it was a little easier to walk away because the N4 is my first Nexus device and I'm pretty sure come May, we'll probably see a bump up to at least 4.3 if not 5 (Key lime Pie). And if we don't get KLP in May, then chances are good come fall we could see it with a new Nexus device.

I doubt that any of the new devices just released are going to see any of the new upgrades for months after the initial release. And honestly this is why I picked up the N4; The new devices will have better specs, but our N4s will have Key Lime Pie first. And that made it easy for me to get over my lust for that sexy device.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2

 

[swebb]

Only held one at the store. I like the construction, the feel in the hand, and the display. I wish HTC would make the N5 since their construction and aesthetics are the best. Don't see it happening though.

No matter how beautiful and well made a phone is I don't ever see myself going back to a carrier phone. The lack of bloatware and the speed of updates trumps anything else. And if Google keeps the price reasonable, say sub $500, there is no reason to go to a subsidized phone on a contract.

PS, forgot to add that I hate everything they did to the buttons.