Any former HTC M8 Users?

[metallifan33]

Hi All,
I currently own an M8 and love the phone. The only thing is I need a better camera (the camera on the M8 is unacceptably bad). I didn't mind it earlier on but I've since had a baby and find myself taking more pictures since. What I love about the M8 is the smoothness of the UI. I used to have Samsung phone before (s3, s4, s5) and was always bothered by the lag (especially a few months down the road). I religiously factory reset my phones and install the apps from scratch every now and then. I'm come to like the HTC software (although I do run Nova).
I got the LG G4 last month because of the good reviews but the software was pretty horrible compared to the HTC. Too many missed taps finally got to me and I returned the phone. I thought I'd be able to live with the missed taps/swipes but after a few times of a missed letter while typing a password, I returned the phone.
Now I'm considering making my first jump into an AOSP phone (I've never cared for manufacturer features... especially not samsung. HTC is not so bad, but I never use any HTC stuff). I hate carrier bloatware. So I thought the N6 may be a good try (although the camera is average, it's still light years from the M8). My only question is, have any of you owned an HTC M8 and then switched to the Nexus 6? How smooth is the software compared with the M8? (I'm talking about screen responsiveness when typing, swiping, and the time it takes for the home page to be displayed after tapping on the home icon).
Is the N6 better, about the same, or slower?
Thanks!

 

[danielson2047]

Never used an m8 (heck I haven't used an htc phone since the tbolt) but I can tell you that the n6 is buttery smooth. I run nova, and there's no delay when pressing the home or recents button. The recents button is a good measure of lag imo. When I played with a G4 when deciding what to get, there was noticeable lag on it when pressing recents. I've noticed no lag whatsoever on the n6. Absolutely in love with it.

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[anon(9072051)]

About all I miss of my old M8 today is double tap to wake and Blinkfeed--I was switching between the stock launcher and Nova just so I could check Blinkfeed when I was bored at work--although, as I recall, double tap to wake became kind of hit or miss on my M8 after Lollipop.

I was actually happy with everything about the M8 except its display, especially the fact that I couldn't use it outside. Whether it was because of the quality of my eyesight or some quality of the screen. I simply couldn't make out anything on the screen well enough to operate the phone in sunlight (or even on some hazy overcast days).

I jumped to the Nexus 6 from the M8 on T-Mobile about 2 months ago, and between the display's AMOLED pop and its substantially greater size, I have no problem doing anything on the N6 even in bright sunlight. Yes, the display gets washed out in sunlight, but not so much that I can't distinguish app icons, skim web pages or read texts and newsfeeds. Conversely, about all I could reliably read on my M8's display in sunlight was the clock taking up the top third of my home screen.

5.1.1 on the Nexus 6 is exceptionally smooth and responsive, easily as good or better than Sense 7. Of course, the N6 has no built-in themer, and there are probably a few apps you'll want to add to duplicate some of the options (like tap2wake and the ability to block a caller directly from your Phone app) that Sense provides. Nevertheless, the N6 user experience is certainly not a step down from Sense 7. The only thing like lag that I've seen on the phone involves the Recent Apps button: occasionally cards hang for a second at the edge of the screen instead of zipping off instantly when you swipe to close them. I no longer recall if the same thing happened on my M8 (mostly because I don't think I ever used that button on the M8), but I've seen others refer to that as a well-known Android hiccup. Apart from that, the screen responds instantly to most every poke, tap or swipe. Tapping Home gets you to your home screen in maybe a couple of milliseconds. The phone's fast.

Long story short: I'm plenty happy with m' Nexus 6. (And I think its camera's better than average, even if the S6 and G4's punk it.)

 

[danielson2047]

About all I miss of my old M8 today is double tap to wake

You can get this feature if rooted

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[gtg465x]

Can't speak about the Nexus 6, but I sidegraded from an M8 to a Nexus 5 last year and found the Nexus 5 to be just as smooth if not smoother. Heck, even my development Nexus 4 at work running 5.1.1 is SHOCKINGLY smooth... Like smoother than the GS6 and G4 in some areas lol. Stock Android is good.

 

[kct1975]

I love my Nexus 6.

Back in May, my HTC M8 completely croaked. I had contacted HTC and shipped it to them for repair. At the same time, a friend at work recommend to me that I switch to the Nexus 6, and he let me play around with his phone. I completely fell in love with the screen size, and the screen resolution. Also, I noticed that the front facing stereo speakers on the Nexus 6 were just as good as the front facing speakers on the HTC M8.

Then I was notified by UPS that they lost my HTC M8 in their shipment system.

So I made the to go ahead and get the Nexus 6.

Having now used my new Nexus 6 for over a month, I am very happy with it. While the HTC M8 is a really good phone. The Nexus 6 is a better phone IMHO. As others have said, the screen resolution actually seems to be better than the HTC M8. Also, as mentioned, I can actually see the screen in sunlight, even with my polarized sunglasses.

As for speed and responsiveness, the Nexus 6 is hands-down, much faster and more responsive. Not to say that the HTC M8 was really slow, but everything runs a lot quicker on the Nexus 6, and the response is buttery smooth.

So if you are debating whether to get the Nexus 6, I would Highly Recommend It!

 

[joelvin]

I was a former M8 user, I switched to the Nexus 6 when I was eligible for an "edge up" on VZW. A great choice. I too experienced the recent apps hang up but that is no longer with the Nexus! The only thing I wish they had was a "close all apps" button.

My intent when walking into the store was to get the M9 but when I put the M8 next to it they felt the same...

 

[Jaggrey]

I switched to a Nexus 6 from the HTC One M8 and I really liked it. I noticed that there's a lot that HTC builds into the OS that stock Android doesn't have, so there's a minimal amount of work involved in getting apps to replace that. The smoothness was great, and tho I never had many issues the phone got better with each update.

I was always able to get good photos from the camera for the most part, but it wasn't the fastest. For that reason I recently switched to the G4, since I also have a newborn and have been taking a ton of pictures. I enjoy the camera more but the swipes being weird on this phone is annoying. That combined with group texting not being reliable and I'm starting to be tempted to switch back to the Nexus. If you end up getting it I'd be interested in your experience with the camera and your newborn... Too many precious moments!

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[metallifan33]

I switched to a Nexus 6 from the HTC One M8 and I really liked it. I noticed that there's a lot that HTC builds into the OS that stock Android doesn't have, so there's a minimal amount of work involved in getting apps to replace that. The smoothness was great, and tho I never had many issues the phone got better with each update.

I was always able to get good photos from the camera for the most part, but it wasn't the fastest. For that reason I recently switched to the G4, since I also have a newborn and have been taking a ton of pictures. I enjoy the camera more but the swipes being weird on this phone is annoying. That combined with group texting not being reliable and I'm starting to be tempted to switch back to the Nexus. If you end up getting it I'd be interested in your experience with the camera and your newborn... Too many precious moments!

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Congrats on the newborn! Yeah, it does change some of my requirements in a phone. I've always prioritized software performance over phone cameras. Now however I'm thinking a few down the road, will I remember the software on my phone or the pictures of my child? This seems like a no brainer. I've been having trouble deciding. Yesterday I read an article saying the that the Nexus 6 is now available at a discount in England. I suppose it will be discounted here soon too. I think I'll go back to the G4 for now and bite the bullet on the software/lag. A couple of months down the road, I think I'll pick up an AOSP N6 at a discount (hopefully). One thing about the g4 I do love is the screen size. It's perfect for me (so when I have to tap something multiple times, at least I'll be comfortable doing it

 

[danielson2047]

I too experienced the recent apps hang up but that is no longer with the Nexus! The only thing I wish they had was a "close all apps" button.

I have a clear all button I also swapped the back and recents buttons to make the reach easier.

 

[Jaggrey]

Congrats on the newborn! Yeah, it does change some of my requirements in a phone. I've always prioritized software performance over phone cameras. Now however I'm thinking a few down the road, will I remember the software on my phone or the pictures of my child? This seems like a no brainer. I've been having trouble deciding. Yesterday I read an article saying the that the Nexus 6 is now available at a discount in England. I suppose it will be discounted here soon too. I think I'll go back to the G4 for now and bite the bullet on the software/lag. A couple of months down the road, I think I'll pick up an AOSP N6 at a discount (hopefully). One thing about the g4 I do love is the screen size. It's perfect for me (so when I have to tap something multiple times, at least I'll be comfortable doing it

Yea that's a good point. I'm really hoping they fix the issues via a software update or a new batch of phones or something. There's so much I like about the phone but the couple annoying things are.... Annoying.

And thanks! Congrats to you as well! Definitely a whole new world and I agree it definitely changes perspective on what to prioritize with the phones.

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[CHILLYWILL_95831]

Hi All,
I currently own an M8 and love the phone. The only thing is I need a better camera (the camera on the M8 is unacceptably bad). I didn't mind it earlier on but I've since had a baby and find myself taking more pictures since. What I love about the M8 is the smoothness of the UI. I used to have Samsung phone before (s3, s4, s5) and was always bothered by the lag (especially a few months down the road). I religiously factory reset my phones and install the apps from scratch every now and then. I'm come to like the HTC software (although I do run Nova).
I got the LG G4 last month because of the good reviews but the software was pretty horrible compared to the HTC. Too many missed taps finally got to me and I returned the phone. I thought I'd be able to live with the missed taps/swipes but after a few times of a missed letter while typing a password, I returned the phone.
Now I'm considering making my first jump into an AOSP phone (I've never cared for manufacturer features... especially not samsung. HTC is not so bad, but I never use any HTC stuff). I hate carrier bloatware. So I thought the N6 may be a good try (although the camera is average, it's still light years from the M8). My only question is, have any of you owned an HTC M8 and then switched to the Nexus 6? How smooth is the software compared with the M8? (I'm talking about screen responsiveness when typing, swiping, and the time it takes for the home page to be displayed after tapping on the home icon).
Is the N6 better, about the same, or slower?
Thanks!

I've had the M7 and M8 and loved them both for BlinkFeed and the camera software. But, the actual camera was garbage. When I go back and look at all of those pink tinted and purple tinted pics of my family and friends, I get a little pissed off. Both of those phones were returned to HTC for repair to camera hardware. I had the same problems that most were having, purple tint on the M7 and arbitrary scratches on the rear lens of the M8. That's when I decided that HTC would not automatically get my again.

So, I went and picked up the Nexus 6. First let me say that the camera on the Nexus 6 is a total sleeper. You won't believe how good it is until you try it, especially since the last update. The camera software is not as pretty or as complete as HTC, but I doubt that you can depict a single manual mode with the HTC camera that would be better than auto mode with the Nexus. Then, if you decide to use the HDR mode on the Nexus, it's truly awesome, especially in low light. In fact, I prefer HDR over flash in low light. I miss BlinkFeed! BlinkFeed has no peers, so if you give up HTC you give up BlinkFeed. The commercial HTC made when it was depicting the two guys looking at their phones and one guy was digging up a pile of dirt to get his news content while the other guy was just sliding through his BlinkFeed...That's really true..Lol! I oftentimes feel that way when I'm using the Google now launcher.

However, the stock Android experience is every bit as good as sense. In fact, it's better because there are some things that work flawlessly with stock Android. Bluetooth connections are steady and rarely disconnect. I constantly had Bluetooth issues with the M8. Had to keep turning it off and on. I won't speak on the screen size as it's obvious. And, the Nexus front facing speakers get louder than the M8, but they distort a little bit and they don't have the fidelity of Boomsound. That being said, the Nexus gets the midrange right and that makes the step down from Boomsound bearable!

In conclusion, the Nexus 6 blows the M8 away in the camera department. There's no comparing the two really. I'd call the front facing speakers a wash based on loudness and midrange vs less distortion and fidelity. BlinkFeed is a win! Stock Android is a win!

So, what makes me so happy with the Nexus that I'd never go back to HTC!? Timely updates with no bloat is, hands down, the best thing about the Nexus. When Android M comes available, I'll have it as soon as it's released if I want to flash the APK or I could wait a couple of weeks to get it from my carrier. Either way, I'll be using the new stuff months ahead of everyone else not nexus!

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