LG G3 or HTC One (M8)

[AndroidFanatic247]

Yes another one. Currently I have a Samsung Note 3 but am looking to switch because I hate TouchWiz's lag and heavy UI. Now my choices are narrowed to the LG G3 and the HTC One (M8). The most important things to me are UI responsiveness, and the camera (I have over 1,000 pictures in my phone). Here are the pros and cons I have for each device.

LG G3: Coming from the Note 3 I do like that the screen is 5.5 inches without being as huge as the Note 3. Also I do like that it comes with a 13 MP shooter, and the UI is not as cartoonish as it once was. I don't like the lag/delay that I have seen on reviews and first hand which has caused me to stay away from committing to it along with reports of overheating. The QHD screen isn't as important to me because the human eye can detect resolutions over 300-330 ppi (I can't remember the exact number).

HTC ONE (M8): I do love the responsive UI that Sense 6 and the minimalist look that it has. I also like the look and build quality of the device overall as it seems like such a premium device. I also love the speakers and the built in amplifier that the device has especially since I listen to my music going to and from class/work. I do not like the black bar that it has but I've read that is where the radios are, also the camera does seem like it will suffice as I only post to social media but I do like to zoom in and crop from time to time. I have heard that the camera is overexposed at least in auto mode in bright lighting and has a purplish tint which worries me. Lastly the 5 inch (basically 4.7 in) screen has me worried that it won't be large enough as I have large hands and have grown accustomed to my note 3.

So in the end I'm at a crossroads because the two most important things are better on two different devices. Also has anyone one from the Note 3 to the HTC One (M8) with big hands that can tell me how the transition was?

 

[darryjr]

I have the g3 and m8 and my personal preference is
the m8. I also have the g2 and m7, yeah, I have a problem, Lol. I bought the lg and HTC to replace one or the other versions. The g3 screen is nice size but a bit washed out for me, honestly I like the g2 screen better. There is also noticeable lag on the g3, which I haven't had at all with the m8. Camera obviously is better on the g3, but the m7 does a fine job for my needs . I do not print photos or enlarge and with that am satisfied w m8 camera. Build on n8 is perfect, speakers great, call quality is better, cleaner ui, no lag, and battery is phenomenal. All my personal preferences once again. I have big hands as well and the m8 isn't much of an adjustment. Depending on your carrier, if you buy one or the other, if not satisfied, bring back within your return period and try the other out.

 

[AndroidFanatic247]

I have the g3 and m8 and my personal preference is
the m8. I also have the g2 and m7, yeah, I have a problem, Lol. I bought the lg and HTC to replace one or the other versions. The g3 screen is nice size but a bit washed out for me, honestly I like the g2 screen better. There is also noticeable lag on the g3, which I haven't had at all with the m8. Camera obviously is better on the g3, but the m7 does a fine job for my needs . I do not print photos or enlarge and with that am satisfied w m8 camera. Build on n8 is perfect, speakers great, call quality is better, cleaner ui, no lag, and battery is phenomenal. All my personal preferences once again. I have big hands as well and the m8 isn't much of an adjustment. Depending on your carrier, if you buy one or the other, if not satisfied, bring back within your return period and try the other out.

Does your M8 show the purplish tint that has been reported around and how is the battery life on both the G3 and M8? Also one question I forgot to ask was, how is HTC with software updates, especially when compared to LG? That is very important to me as well.

 

[darryjr]

I have no tint whatsoever, my screen is perfect, photos taken are perfect. Battery life is different for all people, but on my m8 with moderate use, 2 email accounts pushing, couple hours talk time, 5-6 hour screen time I can go 20 hours on charge, same use on g3 and I have to charge,m8 for me , gets better battery life . Sense 6 is closest vanilla android you can get and runs flawless. As for updates, I have had the optimis g, g2, and g3. All slow to the updates. HTC has already committed to android L for the m8, and I'm on sprint and already have 4.4.3, they bare going to skip 4.4.4 and go directly to android L. Very quick to update. Its all up to your taste, coming from touch wiz lg ui will be familiar, still cartoonish in my eyes. But for me, sense is so much cleaner and smoother than all. Wife has s5 w lag, my g3 has lag, my m7 and m8 have rarely had a hiccup. Hope this helps, anymore questions I can help you with feel free to ask.

 

[AndroidFanatic247]

I have no tint whatsoever, my screen is perfect, photos taken are perfect. Battery life is different for all people, but on my m8 with moderate use, 2 email accounts pushing, couple hours talk time, 5-6 hour screen time I can go 20 hours on charge, same use on g3 and I have to charge,m8 for me , gets better battery life . Sense 6 is closest vanilla android you can get and runs flawless. As for updates, I have had the optimis g, g2, and g3. All slow to the updates. HTC has already committed to android L for the m8, and I'm on sprint and already have 4.4.3, they bare going to skip 4.4.4 and go directly to android L. Very quick to update. Its all up to your taste, coming from touch wiz lg ui will be familiar, still cartoonish in my eyes. But for me, sense is so much cleaner and smoother than all. Wife has s5 w lag, my g3 has lag, my m7 and m8 have rarely had a hiccup. Hope this helps, anymore questions I can help you with feel free to ask.

Thank you very much I believe I have made my decision and will go with the M8. Hopefully I don't have to go through the hassle of returning my phone due to a defect.

 

[darryjr]

Thank you very much I believe I have made my decision and will go with the M8. Hopefully I don't have to go through the hassle of returning my phone due to a defect.

Good luck and post back with thoughts on your purchase

 

[AndroidFanatic247]

Good luck and post back with thoughts on your purchase

Thank you, I definitely will.

 

[Cyrilmak]

Does your M8 show the purplish tint that has been reported around and how is the battery life on both the G3 and M8? Also one question I forgot to ask was, how is HTC with software updates, especially when compared to LG? That is very important to me as well.

No, HTC changed the brand of the camera hardware sensor on the M8. LG G2 and LG G3 are almost "un googled" and nearly uses LG applications for about everything. The G2 didn't even have most Google apps installed. From what I've hard the G3 is a bit better software wise. But I prefer Sense 6, Blinkfeed is simply the best cell phone feature I've every seen or used. This is coming from a guy that exclusively until 2 weeks ago when I got my M8 used only Nexus devices when I moved to Android. The M8 is a better phone, software wise then the Nexus 5 to me. It's much more refined, both hardware wise and software wise. Prior to Sense 6 I hated Sense. It's so minimized now that it doesn't harm the Android experience, and to me completes the experience.

Also I use extremely power hungry ear buds, Sony's XBA 4 which has 4 drivers inside and uses an insane amount of juice to even hear them at a low volume, but the M8's Boomsound and Amplifier makes them sing at very loud levels, I don't even need to carry my amp around. HeadFi forum rated the M8 better than any iPod, or Cellphone to date, and I can hear why. The M7 and M8 come with HTC's Advantage which will replace the screen within 6 months of ownership, and promises updates for no less than 2 years since release date. Also HTC now updates the majority of their apps, and even some system files with their Service packs and individual app updates, by passing carrier waiting. HTC has got some serious game right now. Another reason why I bought my M8. The 50 percent off any smart phone didn't even play a role in picking it!

 

[MDMcAtee]

FWIW

I just got my M8 this evening. It is replacing my Nokia lumina 1520 which is huge compared to this phone. I had a G Note II prior to the Lumina.

Yes it will take a little bit of time to get used to a smaller size screen there is no doubt about that, but as good as mine is it won't take too long to do it, and the experience for me even with my larger hands is pleasant. Being able to do most anything 1handed again is a welcome change. Not to mention the screen is gorgeous to read with. I thought I would never give up on all that screen size after having one as long as I have, but it well worth it IMHO.

Good luck with yours

Posted via Android Central App

 

[law2010]

Does your M8 show the purplish tint that has been reported around and how is the battery life on both the G3 and M8? Also one question I forgot to ask was, how is HTC with software updates, especially when compared to LG? That is very important to me as well.

What tint are you talking about? I have had my HTC One M8 since March (early Verizon release) and have never seen a purple tint or even a complaint about it from others.

I have dropped my M8 on concrete twice now from my pocket and the worst thing it got was a minor scuff on the back of the phone. Even after that abuse, it never got a purple tint to the screen.

When it came to video drain tests, there was a YouTube video that found the HTC One M8 beat the G3 by three hours. The G3 beat the S5 by 35 minutes. Despite the larger battery, the G3's screen eats it up and causes it to level out with other flagship phones.

The M8 is the better choice, but you can't go wrong with any of the flagship phones these days.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Smply_Rcklss]

What tint are you talking about? I have had my HTC One M8 since March (early Verizon release) and have never seen a purple tint or even a complaint about it from others.

I have dropped my M8 on concrete twice now from my pocket and the worst thing it got was a minor scuff on the back of the phone. Even after that abuse, it never got a purple tint to the screen.

When it came to video drain tests, there was a YouTube video that found the HTC One M8 beat the G3 by three hours. The G3 beat the S5 by 35 minutes. Despite the larger battery, the G3's screen eats it up and causes it to level out with other flagship phones.

The M8 is the better choice, but you can't go wrong with any of the flagship phones these days.

Posted via Android Central App

I think he's referring to the purple tint in the M7 camera that a lot of ppl suffered. My girlfriend & I ran a test to see who's battery life was better & I pulled off 5 hours of on screen time, while she managed to get about 3 1/2 on her G3.

Tapatalk'n On The M8

 

[AndroidFanatic247]

I think he's referring to the purple tint in the M7 camera that a lot of ppl suffered. My girlfriend & I ran a test to see who's battery life was better & I pulled off 5 hours of on screen time, while she managed to get about 3 1/2 on her G3.

Tapatalk'n On The M8

I've actually seen reports of a purple tint on the M8 as well.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[Smply_Rcklss]

Oh okay, I've never heard that one.

Tapatalk'n On The M8

 

[Relgoshan]

Thank you very much I believe I have made my decision and will go with the M8. Hopefully I don't have to go through the hassle of returning my phone due to a defect.

Yeah for your use it is probably fine. You can still crop 4mpix to 2mpix for sharing without much fuss, and photos use a lot less space. Battery is better and you can use saved profiles on the camera ESPECIALLY make a profile for bright sunlight.

No, HTC changed the brand of the camera hardware sensor on the M8. LG G2 and LG G3 are almost "un googled" and nearly uses LG applications for about everything. The G2 didn't even have most Google apps installed. From what I've hard the G3 is a bit better software wise. But I prefer Sense 6, Blinkfeed is simply the best cell phone feature I've every seen or used. This is coming from a guy that exclusively until 2 weeks ago when I got my M8 used only Nexus devices when I moved to Android. The M8 is a better phone, software wise then the Nexus 5 to me. It's much more refined, both hardware wise and software wise. Prior to Sense 6 I hated Sense. It's so minimized now that it doesn't harm the Android experience, and to me completes the experience.

Also I use extremely power hungry ear buds, Sony's XBA 4 which has 4 drivers inside and uses an insane amount of juice to even hear them at a low volume, but the M8's Boomsound and Amplifier makes them sing at very loud levels, I don't even need to carry my amp around. HeadFi forum rated the M8 better than any iPod, or Cellphone to date, and I can hear why. The M7 and M8 come with HTC's Advantage which will replace the screen within 6 months of ownership, and promises updates for no less than 2 years since release date. Also HTC now updates the majority of their apps, and even some system files with their Service packs and individual app updates, by passing carrier waiting. HTC has got some serious game right now. Another reason why I bought my M8. The 50 percent off any smart phone didn't even play a role in picking it!

I really despise components of stock Google experience, the G2 lacking a bunch of bad Google apps was a feature in my book. The G Flex and G Pro 2 had a more cleaned up UI than the G2, for some reason I like the G3 UI less and there is more bloat. I would actually pit the G2 against the M8 rather than G3 vs M8....G2 is free on contract if you're lucky. M8 UI, take it or leave it and THROW blinkfeed into a wall. At least it's a smooth UI and once you deal with HTC bizarro ergonomics it can even be enjoyable. The thing about headphones and speakers, my Flex has about a 1dbm difference so its jack is good...and I have read you usually do not need an external amp on my phone either. Why ever you would enable Boomsound is beyond me, it wrecks the whole point of premium headphones and a clean analog jack. Besides I have an EQ if the album is poorly leveled.

I've actually seen reports of a purple tint on the M8 as well.

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Screen color, the white balance is off a ways. Direct sunlight viewing on the M8 really coukd be better too. The camera tint had something to do with a low quality coating some people had to remove from their camera lens with toothpaste. A batch of the LG G2 had had the same issue a while ago.

 

[mannw1977]

I had the LG g2 before the HTC One m8. I love the HTC m8 speakers but also loved the LG camera. I would take the speakers over the camera any day. The camera isn't that bad for being a phone. I does what I need it to do. +1 for HTC M8

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Jaggrey]

Yeah for your use it is probably fine. You can still crop 4mpix to 2mpix for sharing without much fuss, and photos use a lot less space. Battery is better and you can use saved profiles on the camera ESPECIALLY make a profile for bright sunlight.

I recently discovered and really love the camera profiles. What are the suggested settings for bright sunlight?

 

[Relgoshan]

I recently discovered and really love the camera profiles. What are the suggested settings for bright sunlight?

I am not sure myself, but the most important is just dropping the exposure value to something sane so the sky stops blowing out. The rest, well if you want to use Sunlight color instead of auto white or fiddle with anything else just take a few pics and after a day you'll have a satisfying go-to profile. :3

 

[AndroidFanatic247]

Yeah for your use it is probably fine. You can still crop 4mpix to 2mpix for sharing without much fuss, and photos use a lot less space. Battery is better and you can use saved profiles on the camera ESPECIALLY make a profile for bright sunlight.



I really despise components of stock Google experience, the G2 lacking a bunch of bad Google apps was a feature in my book. The G Flex and G Pro 2 had a more cleaned up UI than the G2, for some reason I like the G3 UI less and there is more bloat. I would actually pit the G2 against the M8 rather than G3 vs M8....G2 is free on contract if you're lucky. M8 UI, take it or leave it and THROW blinkfeed into a wall. At least it's a smooth UI and once you deal with HTC bizarro ergonomics it can even be enjoyable. The thing about headphones and speakers, my Flex has about a 1dbm difference so its jack is good...and I have read you usually do not need an external amp on my phone either. Why ever you would enable Boomsound is beyond me, it wrecks the whole point of premium headphones and a clean analog jack. Besides I have an EQ if the album is poorly leveled.



Screen color, the white balance is off a ways. Direct sunlight viewing on the M8 really coukd be better too. The camera tint had something to do with a low quality coating some people had to remove from their camera lens with toothpaste. A batch of the LG G2 had had the same issue a while ago.

So future batches of the G2 didn't have these issues?

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

 

[Relgoshan]

So future batches of the G2 didn't have these issues?

Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk

Does not seem like it. And not all M8s have the issue either. Usually these are launch day problems caused by having many vendors working to build up stock. After sales smooth out and problem phones are dealt with, most models are reliable a few months later. Except Samsung phones experience a slow death by reliability-lowering updates ;(

 

[jbrady58]

Great post. I will be going from an iPhone 4s to either the g3 or M8. Having a hard time deciding. Still my main concern with the M8 is photo quality and call quality vs.the G3.