About To Leave iPhone & iOS for M8 & Android...need some fast advice!

[TLD1]

Ok...I know posting this on Android Central is bound to get me lots of Android fanboy replies, but please...if you can, be objective.

I've been an iPhone user since the first Gen dropped back in 2008 or so. I've been back and forth with BlackBerry, and tried Android breifly with the HTC One-X...but always ran back to the fluid simplicity and funtionality of the iPhone and iOS. The problem is, iOS has changed very little in all these years...only gotten faster with processor speeds and the like, but still the same. I'm a bit bored with iOS...or maybe I'm just getting an attack of mobile ADD/ADHD.

Here's my question. I have a chance to trade my mint-condition 32gb iPhone 5 + an additional $150 to a local guy for his mint condition HTC One M8...and it sounds like a great deal. Has anyone here gone to Android, particularly with the M8 after years of being a devout iPhone user or even an Apple fanboy? Please...if this is you, please tell me why you made the switch, how easy or difficult the switch was...and what are the pros and cons. Would you recommend the switch to Android with the M8...yes or no, and why or why not.

I need some real help here so I don't make a mistake. Thanks!

 

[sniffs]

I used to be an iPhone guy.. loved the devices, couldn't wait for new updates, was biting at the heals at iOS updates. I'd leave work early SIMPLY to go home on my wifi to download updates.

The closest thing to "perfection" that you're used to on iOS is the M8 in my opinion. The design is beautiful, Sense 6 is elegant and the device is all around extremely smooth like what you're used to on iOS.

The hurdles are getting your content from your iPhone to the M8. If you've got purchased iTunes content that should sync if you install the HTC Sync software on your computer. Games that dont sync to the cloud won't carry over to the Android version unfortunately. Most of the popular games will sync your cloud data and then you can just sign into the app/game on your M8 and viola, stuff's there. Some wont though..

With the M8 you have a bigger screen, dual front facing speakers, bigger battery, faster CPU/GPU, SD card support and all around a better device.

 

[TLD1]

I used to be an iPhone guy.. loved the devices, couldn't wait for new updates, was biting at the heals at iOS updates. I'd leave work early SIMPLY to go home on my wifi to download updates.

The closest thing to "perfection" that you're used to on iOS is the M8 in my opinion. The design is beautiful, Sense 6 is elegant and the device is all around extremely smooth like what you're used to on iOS.

The hurdles are getting your content from your iPhone to the M8. If you've got purchased iTunes content that should sync if you install the HTC Sync software on your computer. Games that dont sync to the cloud won't carry over to the Android version unfortunately. Most of the popular games will sync your cloud data and then you can just sign into the app/game on your M8 and viola, stuff's there. Some wont though..

With the M8 you have a bigger screen, dual front facing speakers, bigger battery, faster CPU/GPU, SD card support and all around a better device.

Thanks. Please tell me this...because I have some real hearing loss in my right ear. How loud is the earpiece speaker in the M8? The iPhone 5 is usable to me...but isn't loud really.

 

[sniffs]

Thanks. Please tell me this...because I have some real hearing loss in my right ear. How loud is the earpiece speaker in the M8? The iPhone 5 is usable to me...but isn't loud really.

The speakers on the M8 way better than the iPhones and they are aimed right at your face instead of aimed downwards towards your palm..The 2 front facing speakers are called "Boom Sound" and produce very loud clear sounds.

 

[MDMcAtee]

Ok...I know posting this on Android Central is bound to get me lots of Android fanboy replies, but please...if you can, be objective.

I've been an iPhone user since the first Gen dropped back in 2008 or so. I've been back and forth with BlackBerry, and tried Android breifly with the HTC One-X...but always ran back to the fluid simplicity and funtionality of the iPhone and iOS. The problem is, iOS has changed very little in all these years...only gotten faster with processor speeds and the like, but still the same. I'm a bit bored with iOS...or maybe I'm just getting an attack of mobile ADD/ADHD.

Here's my question. I have a chance to trade my mint-condition 32gb iPhone 5 + an additional $150 to a local guy for his mint condition HTC One M8...and it sounds like a great deal. Has anyone here gone to Android, particularly with the M8 after years of being a devout iPhone user or even an Apple fanboy? Please...if this is you, please tell me why you made the switch, how easy or difficult the switch was...and what are the pros and cons. Would you recommend the switch to Android with the M8...yes or no, and why or why not.

I need some real help here so I don't make a mistake. Thanks!

You might want to check on the value of your iPhone before giving up that amount of cash... The iPhone retains a lot of value and if yours is in great shape you shouldn't have to put $150 with it. Unless of course you have to get out of it for 1 reason or another.

I love my M8 so don't get me wrong, but that just seems a little bit high to me.

BTW, the speakers blow the iPhone out of the water.

Posted via Android Central App from my HTC M8

 

[lyriciss]

I used to be a BlackBerry and iPhone user as well.
no Android fanboy response when i tell you this...the HTC One M8 is literally the best phone i've owned to date.
the speakers are the best out on ANY phone out right now.
Sense 6 runs smoother and is more productive than iOS7, in my opinion.
BlinkFeed is heaven if you check current news (sports, tech, national/world, etc.) and social media often.
the capability to add up to 128GB of storage through SD cards is also a major plus for me. I have a 32GB model with a 64GB SD card added. storage is NEVER a problem.
also, I love the fact that music sharing isn't restricted like it was on iOS. i make music, and being able to do something as simple as attaching a song to an email or downloading it from one helps me handle business more than having to wait to get to my laptop to do it.
also, the ability to do fun things like run emulators and ROMs straight out of the box on the Android OS is great for me. I used to have to jailbreak my iPhone to be able to do that (which became more of a headache than not after Apple started patching against jailbreaks).

 

[TLD1]

The speakers on the M8 way better than the iPhones and they are aimed right at your face instead of aimed downwards towards your palm..The 2 front facing speakers are called "Boom Sound" and produce very loud clear sounds.

Actually I was asking more about the volume of incoming calls through the earpiece speaker itself. Seems more and more phones are setting the available volume control really low...probably to avoid injury litigation, but that makes it hard for me to hear the voices on the other end, especially in noisy environments (ie: outdoors, car dealership showrooms (where I work), or at any amusement park or show). If the earpiece volume is really low on the M8, I'm afraid it won't be a usable device for me.

 

[MDMcAtee]

Actually I was asking more about the volume of incoming calls through the earpiece speaker itself. Seems more and more phones are setting the available volume control really low...probably to avoid injury litigation, but that makes it hard for me to hear the voices on the other end, especially in noisy environments (ie: outdoors, car dealership showrooms (where I work), or at any amusement park or show). If the earpiece volume is really low on the M8, I'm afraid it won't be a usable device for me.

It's loud, and you can set it up through the settings to how ever you want to. It's louder than any phone I have ever used including the iPhones or the Galaxy's.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[specialsk]

Make sure you get the HTC stock earbuds in this trade. They are perfectly paired with this device.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

 

[MDMcAtee]

Make sure you get the HTC stock earbuds in this trade. They are perfectly paired with this device.

Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk

Ohhh forgot about that one. Your spot on

Posted via Android Central App from my HTC M8

 

[TLD1]

Well...trade didn't happen. The dude sold the phone out from under me. Bummer, but life goes on!

Guess I'll put ad ad in the marketplace. If anybody knows anybody who'd do a straight up trade...shoot me a PM please.

And...thanks for the replies. I'll be back.

 

[RockyMtnRedRaider]

Maybe this setting helps? I haven't used it myself.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[law2010]

Ok...I know posting this on Android Central is bound to get me lots of Android fanboy replies, but please...if you can, be objective.

I've been an iPhone user since the first Gen dropped back in 2008 or so. I've been back and forth with BlackBerry, and tried Android breifly with the HTC One-X...but always ran back to the fluid simplicity and funtionality of the iPhone and iOS. The problem is, iOS has changed very little in all these years...only gotten faster with processor speeds and the like, but still the same. I'm a bit bored with iOS...or maybe I'm just getting an attack of mobile ADD/ADHD.

Here's my question. I have a chance to trade my mint-condition 32gb iPhone 5 + an additional $150 to a local guy for his mint condition HTC One M8...and it sounds like a great deal. Has anyone here gone to Android, particularly with the M8 after years of being a devout iPhone user or even an Apple fanboy? Please...if this is you, please tell me why you made the switch, how easy or difficult the switch was...and what are the pros and cons. Would you recommend the switch to Android with the M8...yes or no, and why or why not.

I need some real help here so I don't make a mistake. Thanks!

First and foremost, the HTC One M8 is an amazing phone. I do not believe you will be disappointed when switching from an iPhone. Now, as far as advice, I will give you the following:

Depending on how you use your iPhone, it will be a very large change switching to the HTC One M8. For example, the iPhone has incredible integration among your MacBook Pro and iPad. With iOS 8 coming out, you are going to see even tighter integration than ever before. If you have the trifecta of devices already, you may not want to switch because you are going to lose some of that tight integration.

If you are a huge fan of iMessage and all of your friends use iPhones, you are probably going to miss how awesome and flawless iMessage is. I was a former iPhone 4 user and I absolutely loved iMessage. I currently use Google Hangouts now and also love it. However, because few people actually use Google Hangouts (the people I interact with), the benefits of Google Hangouts are negligible because it basically just becomes your standard SMS texting app instead of iMessage competitor.

The other hesitation I would have in switching to the M8 is that the iPhone 6 is right around the corner. Along with the iPhone 6, iOS 8 is coming, too. This is important because iOS 8 is becoming a more open system like Android (third party keyboards, interactive widgets), which means the general complaints about how boring Apple's iOS can be will change in the next few months. Further, the iPhone 6 will likely have a larger screen to allow it to compete with Android phones that have already been using higher resolution, larger sized, and generally better screens for years.

If I were you, I would wait for the iPhone 6 and then pull the trigger.

Now that I have gotten all of that out of the way, I will point out that my HTC One M8, in my personal opinion, mops the floor with the iPhone 5S. My phone is highly customizable, has soft keys as opposed to that bloody home button, and has the benefit of extremely tight Google services integration. I often will begin working on motions and other documents for court at my desk and then grab my M8 and head to court for other matters, and I will finish typing up easier parts of motions on Google Docs directly from my M8. My Google Now widget is absolutely killer. It keeps me up-to-date on traffic for my drives, my flight schedules, my sports scores, shows I like, movies, and interesting things going on around me. I can also type on it much faster thanks to SwiftKey with the Pulse Green skin-- it has learned all the odd effed up things I like to say frequently. Half the time I am typing, it will know the next 5 words I plan to type, so I do not even have to type them.

My HTC One M8 is an absolutely brilliant phone. It does everything that I need it to and it looks and feels premium. I love having clients sit across from me in my office as I type down things they say on my aluminum MacBook Pro and I have my gorgeous aluminum HTC One M8 sitting on the right side of my MacBook Pro and my iPad sitting off to the left. It is a very professional looking phone.

The speakers on my M8 are second to none and I love being able to watch YouTube videos without headphones and still get a full experience on the high resolution screen.

I highly recommend the HTC One M8, but depending on how you use your iPhone, it may or may not be the phone for you.

Good luck!

 

[TLD1]

First and foremost, the HTC One M8 is an amazing phone. I do not believe you will be disappointed when switching from an iPhone. Now, as far as advice, I will give you the following:

Depending on how you use your iPhone, it will be a very large change switching to the HTC One M8. For example, the iPhone has incredible integration among your MacBook Pro and iPad. With iOS 8 coming out, you are going to see even tighter integration than ever before. If you have the trifecta of devices already, you may not want to switch because you are going to lose some of that tight integration.

If you are a huge fan of iMessage and all of your friends use iPhones, you are probably going to miss how awesome and flawless iMessage is. I was a former iPhone 4 user and I absolutely loved iMessage. I currently use Google Hangouts now and also love it. However, because few people actually use Google Hangouts (the people I interact with), the benefits of Google Hangouts are negligible because it basically just becomes your standard SMS texting app instead of iMessage competitor.

The other hesitation I would have in switching to the M8 is that the iPhone 6 is right around the corner. Along with the iPhone 6, iOS 8 is coming, too. This is important because iOS 8 is becoming a more open system like Android (third party keyboards, interactive widgets), which means the general complaints about how boring Apple's iOS can be will change in the next few months. Further, the iPhone 6 will likely have a larger screen to allow it to compete with Android phones that have already been using higher resolution, larger sized, and generally better screens for years.

If I were you, I would wait for the iPhone 6 and then pull the trigger.

Now that I have gotten all of that out of the way, I will point out that my HTC One M8, in my personal opinion, mops the floor with the iPhone 5S. My phone is highly customizable, has soft keys as opposed to that bloody home button, and has the benefit of extremely tight Google services integration. I often will begin working on motions and other documents for court at my desk and then grab my M8 and head to court for other matters, and I will finish typing up easier parts of motions on Google Docs directly from my M8. My Google Now widget is absolutely killer. It keeps me up-to-date on traffic for my drives, my flight schedules, my sports scores, shows I like, movies, and interesting things going on around me. I can also type on it much faster thanks to SwiftKey with the Pulse Green skin-- it has learned all the odd effed up things I like to say frequently. Half the time I am typing, it will know the next 5 words I plan to type, so I do not even have to type them.

My HTC One M8 is an absolutely brilliant phone. It does everything that I need it to and it looks and feels premium. I love having clients sit across from me in my office as I type down things they say on my aluminum MacBook Pro and I have my gorgeous aluminum HTC One M8 sitting on the right side of my MacBook Pro and my iPad sitting off to the left. It is a very professional looking phone.

The speakers on my M8 are second to none and I love being able to watch YouTube videos without headphones and still get a full experience on the high resolution screen.

I highly recommend the HTC One M8, but depending on how you use your iPhone, it may or may not be the phone for you.

Good luck!

Thanks for the advice & review. I'll never use the M8 for things you do as (I'm guessing) an attorney...in fact I pretty much use a smartphone as a mobile communication device more than anything. I watch the occasional video, but don't have time to play games. The main reason I'm looking at the M8 is just to play with something different that is arguably as good as the iOS7...and with a larger screen for multimedia when I want it. I'll simply never be a "power user".

I'm actually set to buy another M8 (and keep my iPhone for a safety net) tonight at a ridiculously low price. The screen is cracked slightly, but the seller has agreed to send it back to HTC under the "HTC Advantage" program to get the screen replaced. But, until it's mailed, I'll have a chance to play with the OS for a short time just to get a feel for it. I'm pretty excited...but if I don't warm to it, at least I can sell it here on Marketplace or (ugh!) eBay as well and get my money back.

 

[law2010]

Thanks for the advice & review. I'll never use the M8 for things you do as (I'm guessing) an attorney...in fact I pretty much use a smartphone as a mobile communication device more than anything. I watch the occasional video, but don't have time to play games. The main reason I'm looking at the M8 is just to play with something different that is arguably as good as the iOS7...and with a larger screen for multimedia when I want it. I'll simply never be a "power user".

I'm actually set to buy another M8 (and keep my iPhone for a safety net) tonight at a ridiculously low price. The screen is cracked slightly, but the seller has agreed to send it back to HTC under the "HTC Advantage" program to get the screen replaced. But, until it's mailed, I'll have a chance to play with the OS for a short time just to get a feel for it. I'm pretty excited...but if I don't warm to it, at least I can sell it here on Marketplace or (ugh!) eBay as well and get my money back.

I wish you the best of luck. Using one with a cracked screen would make me cry. It takes one heck of a hit to crack the glass on this phone. Mine has dropped from my pocket to concrete twice and the worst I got was a slight scuffing on the back of the phone. Luckily, I insure my phone, so if it dies when I drop it without a case a few more times, it will not cost me an arm and a leg to replace it.

Yeah, I am an attorney and I spend a lot of time on my M8 actually doing work through Google Docs and Sheets. However, I also spend a ton of time using Chrome to find absurd effed up pictures to text to my buddies.

As far as media consumption, this phone is a powerhouse. The YouTube app now allows 1080p videos. The high quality video and audio is amazing, especially in light of how mobile media consumption was 10 years ago.

When you get the phone, make sure you come back to Android Central for tips on how to set it up really well. Some people become overwhelmed when they put too many widgets and stuff on the home screens. Moderation is best for making your phone fun and functional.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[j_awn]

I've made the leap for Android from iPhone only a few weeks ago, having been an avid iOS hacker/developer to the M8, and I haven't looked back since. It took a few days to get used to it, but after those several days, I could basically emulate everything that I had on my iPhone to my M8. Larger screen, slightly longer battery life, and more flexible than iOS without having to risk going into a bootloop for every attempt to try to tweak something (particularly on my own) and test them. It does what iOS does but better, with everything on stock.

Honestly, I still use my iPhone as a media and gaming device, but I'd much rather use the M8 (only after tweaking it by freezing the Verizon bloatware garbage and S-OFFing of course) for just about everything.

 

[TLD1]

Well, it'll be a bit before I get my M8 back. It will be shipped it to HTC to make a screen replacement claim on the HTC Advantage program...so I'll have a brand new screen on the device when I get it. That works for me.

I'll lurk here for the next couple weeks and then be asking a lot of preliminary set up questions as law2010 suggested. I'll really appreciate some patience since I'm not near the tech-friendly guy like most here are. Thanks in advance.

 

[law2010]

Well, it'll be a bit before I get my M8 back. It will be shipped it to HTC to make a screen replacement claim on the HTC Advantage program...so I'll have a brand new screen on the device when I get it. That works for me.

I'll lurk here for the next couple weeks and then be asking a lot of preliminary set up questions as law2010 suggested. I'll really appreciate some patience since I'm not near the tech-friendly guy like most here are. Thanks in advance.

Awesome! I hope it comes back all nice and shiny. As with any dropped phone, let us know if there are things on your phone that concern you and everyone will tell you if it is consistent with the standard operating procedures for the phone or possibly the result of the phone having been damaged during the drop.

Posted via Android Central App