The LG G3 vs HTC One M8 - Help me decide!

ShAdoWSKy

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Hey guys, I've been trying to decide between the M8 and the G3 as my next phone for the past month now and this is slowly, but surely becoming one of the hardest decisions I ever had to made (a little exaggerated, but not at the same time). I absolutely love the experience of the M8 with its long battery life, seamless unibody design, and unobtrusive, fast Sense 6 skin. I equally absolutely hate the camera because, even though I know megapixels aren't everything, I use my phone camera every single day and can't stand sub-par photo quality. Yes I mainly use it for social media, but these pictures are also my memories and experiences so I want them to be top quality when I view them on any device (computer, phone, tablet, etc.). As for the G3, I love the camera, how it fits in the hand, and screen size/thin bezels (don't really care about QHD, just the 5.5"). But I also equally hate the UI mainly because it seems pretty far away from a stock Google experience and it just feels sluggish which reminds me a lot of TouchWiz in certain aspects (I hate TW, with a passion). I also heard about an overheating problem with the G3 which worries me because I watch a lot of videos and run some big applications on my phone more often than not.

So I wanted to ask you guys: Why did you choose the M8? Was it a clear decision for you? And if any of you have switched over from the G3, why?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this! I just need some peace of mind and decide already because it's driving me a little crazy.
 

ShAdoWSKy

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Why the G3?

Hey guys, I've been trying to decide between the M8 and the G3 as my next phone for the past month now and this is slowly, but surely becoming one of the hardest decisions I ever had to made (a little exaggerated, but not at the same time). I absolutely love the experience of the M8 with its long battery life, seamless unibody design, and unobtrusive, fast Sense 6 skin. I equally absolutely hate the camera because, even though I know megapixels aren't everything, I use my phone camera every single day and can't stand sub-par photo quality. Yes I mainly use it for social media, but these pictures are also my memories and experiences so I want them to be top quality when I view them on any device (computer, phone, tablet, etc.). As for the G3, I love the camera, how it fits in the hand, and screen size/thin bezels (don't really care about QHD, just the 5.5"). But I also equally hate the UI mainly because it seems pretty far away from a stock Google experience and it just feels sluggish which reminds me a lot of TouchWiz in certain aspects (I hate TW, with a passion). I also heard about an overheating problem with the G3 which worries me because I watch a lot of videos and run some big applications on my phone more often than not.

So I wanted to ask you guys: Why did you choose the G3? Was it a clear decision for you? And if any of you have switched over from the M8, why?
Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this! I just need some peace of mind and decide already because it's driving me a little crazy.
(I posted a similar post on the M8 forums so I can get some "equal" insight)
 

ShAdoWSKy

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I also don't see a sluggish ui I've only had it for a few hours tho

Sent from my VS985 4G using Tapatalk

I guess the sluggish-ness I'm talking about is compared to the M8. Every review and video I've seen of the two, the M8 just seems a lot more snappier as well as faster than the G3. Thank you for the input though!
 

bwilliamspc

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I also have the HTC one old one with beats I did not care for it it worked fine I just don't like HTC ui if you wanna have any quality of pics don't go with the HTC pics sent everything tho lgg3 also has a removable batterywhich I like

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TheMarcus

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The UI honestly isn't that far from the stock experience. The lock screen, I would argue, is better. The launcher can (and will by most) be changed. The settings menu differs mostly in that you can choose a tab view rather than a list view which, again is my opinion, is better since you can find different settings quicker.

As for overheating, I sometimes notice it's warm, but never while I'm using it. I don't feel the warmth until it's in my pocket. I never had any issues with it overheating and shutting down. I use autobrightness. I don't really watch videos often, but I will literally be on my phone nonstop if I can.

I considered the M8 briefly (photos aren't important to me). I couldn't seriously consider it, though, considering that it's about the same size as the G3, but with a smaller screen. There really wasn't anything about the M8 that stuck out to me. Sure, front speakers are cool, but I'm more often using earbuds than I am outputting volume through the phone (and the G3 is plenty loud enough for me, especially coming from the Nexus 5).

Battery isn't bad. It's consistently better than my Nexus 5, but not as good as I'd hope. It's removable, though, so I'm just waiting for Zero Lemon to release larger sized replaceable batteries.

Ultimately, I think I chose this phone because the design really won me over. It looks awesome and it feels better despite being such a large phone. I was on the fence with this or waiting for the Moto X+1, but my girlfriend got it first and I was convinced once I held it in my hand for the first time.

From what I hear, M8 is a very safe bet, too.

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Duncan1982

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Very easy decision for me as the Camera and Nano sim card were the two things that I don't like about the M8.

The Screen on the G3 is great of course as you have probably noticed its a touchy subject lol but I enjoy it and it has amazing clarity.

The design & build of the G3 is the incredible part fitting this gorgeous display into such a great form factor is one that you will be impressed with. Which leads nicely to the.....

Camera and its user interface is simple yet very effective with the laser autofocus that just gets the job done. I also have the Z2 and whilst I do think the Camera on that is better all round, the G3 is a very capable shooter.

The Ui is nicely designed and I am aware of your dislike for Touchwiz and I share this. So I can only say that you won't find the Ui on the G3 anywhere near as ugly or intrusive as TW.

Overall though they are both great devices and deciding between the two might like myself come down to just one or two points.

The G3 has that removable battery and I average between 4 1/2 to 5hrs of screen on time.

Good luck and enjoy whatever one you choose to opt for :)

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aldo82

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Re: Why the M8?

I had a nexus 5 and I changed to a G3. 5 days later I was the proud owner of a HTC one m8 having returned the G3. And I love it.

All of your concerns about the G3 are pretty much exactly what I found. I also found the signal strength extremely poor and exchanged or for this reason. The second one was no better so I didn't want to keep it for this reason but even if it had been perfect in that sense, the UI just wasnt. The phone was slower in use and more laggy than my nexus 5. Direct comparison next to my nexus showed the nexus faster on nearly all cases. I am sure with a few software updates LG will improve this but that can't be guaranteed. I just hated to see it struggle knowing how poorly coded the software must be to slow it down on such hardware. Compared to my nexus I couldn't help feeling it was a downgrade and I'd made a mistake.

I didn't find the screen all that either, it was dull and muted compared to my nexus. I did experience the getting hot problem in use but this might've been related to it having such poor signal so it had to boost its amplifiers

When I changed to the m8 I was blown away by the experience. HTC have done a great job adding to android and I actually prefer sense 6 to stock now which I never ever thought I would say. Yes the camera is disappointing in bright conditions but as long as it's not too bright I find it more than capable

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Mooncatt

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Re: Why the M8?

I steered clear of the G3 because the rest of the hardware didn't stand up to the power the screen needs (I game a lot). That wasn't the only reason, but was a big one even if you don't take clarity of the screens into account.

As for your camera concerns, I think the only real ones are light washout and if you need good zooming. I've found the washout is only a problem if there's a bright source behind the subject, like a window or bright light. As long as it's not in the frame, it's usually not a problem. If you don't plan to zoom or crop, then you've nothing to worry about from what you said. You can apparently print 8X10's at good quality with this phone, so that's a pretty decent viewing size. I don't print anything myself, that's just what I've been reading here and other places discussing prints at that resolution.

Obviously we all want the best we can get, but that usually isn't possible. Most every phone has at least one drawback, and you have to decide if said drawback will really affect your enjoyment. Like with the camera, think about your actual picture use. If you're on the fence between phones, you should consider wether or not the extra high pixel counts would really add to your picture enjoyment. Like for myself, it doesn't. I don't print, and only really view them on phone or computer. The only reason I'd want the extra MP's is so I could zoom, and that's only because phones don't have built in optical zoom lenses. If/when those become reality, then 10-20 MP resolutions become even less of a need. As is, I don't zoom very often, so that doesn't rank high on my actual use list. Plus the duo effects are cool and are a decent trade off in my opinion. That kind of thinking helps put things into better perspective than a simple pro/con comparison.
 

doggy2965

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I guess the sluggish-ness I'm talking about is compared to the M8. Every review and video I've seen of the two, the M8 just seems a lot more snappier as well as faster than the G3. Thank you for the input though!

Once bloat is disabled the g3 is faster than the m8 the m8 is smoother because HTC has sense set up that way. If you want the G3 to be smoother just load on Nova launcher and use the smoother setting. I like the camera better in the G3 plus the bigger screen with the same size phone was a huge plus to me.

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the tall guy

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Re: Why the M8?

It really is brilliant for consumers to have this predicament - it really shows how much Android has grown over the past few years. Just like you I studied the M8 and G3 forums, reviews etc as I couldn't make my mind up, I also threw the Z2 into the mix to make my life even more difficult.

I chose the M8 - overall it has the better package, sure the Z2 and G3's camera are better, but so far I honestly can say I've not experienced any issues with the M8 camera, all my photo's are uploaded to Google and I regularly view these on my Chromebook and TV. I too, like you, love taking photos, I have several nephew's and nieces and the M8 is the best for rapid auto focus and shutter speed, plus the built in u focus software is amazing. I don't need to worry about selecting a specific camera setting, all the M8 photos can be edited at a later date which is amazing.

I chose the M8 over the G3 because of the premium build, I like my phone to feel solid in the hand and it gives me a felling of justification for spending so much on it :) Sense 6 is 10/10 its fast, zippy, smooth etc. The speakers are amazing, battery life is amazing. All in all it has the full package. The camera on paper lets the phone down compared to other flagships, but in real life its amazing, no issues what so ever.
 

jrewillis

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I've had my G3 for a couple of days now and I can honestly say it's an amazing phone. The camera is good as is the screen and the battery life is better than I expected.

I considered the GS5 and the m8 and they just didn't seem to tick all the boxes for me.

Android has certainly come on since I used it at GB 2.x

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Duncan1982

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I've had my G3 for a couple of days now and I can honestly say it's an amazing phone. The camera is good as is the screen and the battery life is better than I expected.

I considered the GS5 and the m8 and they just didn't seem to tick all the boxes for me.

Android has certainly come on since I used it at GB 2.x

Posted via the Android Central App

Glad your enjoying your G3 and latest android experience :)

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ngc457

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I chose the G3 because of the removable battery. A non-removable battery is a deal breaker. A battery degrades in time and not being able to replace it is inexcusable. The camera of the G3 is also far mega huge better.
 

megagene

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Re: Why the M8?

I am in almost the exact same predicament as the OP. I am itching to upgrade any day now and I am so torn between the One M8, the S5, and the G3. I have kind of ruled out the G3 because there have just been too many reports of the phone overheating on the forums to make me comfortable in choosing that phone. I know a lot of people bash Samsung/Touchwiz, but I honestly have no problem with them. I am coming from an S3 that I have used for the past two years and it has been the best phone I have owned in my life. The ONLY thing holding me back from the M8 is the camera. I love everything else about it. I had almost made up my mind last night and truth be told, if stores had been open at that hour I would probably have an M8 in my hands right now. But then this morning I saw some photos that my friend took with his S5, and I was like, "Dayumm!... Just.. Damn!" I am by no means a serious photographer, but I still want my pictures to look great. I know M8 photos don't hold up well to cropping or zooming, but I don't know to what extent. Like if I did the standard amount of cropping and zooming required to make a full rectangular photo into a square for Instagram, would that be enough to compromise the resolution of the pic and make it all pixellated? As you can see, I'm as torn as the OP over this phone.
 

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