Re: Considering returning GS5 for the M8
I had the Samsung Charge, Fascinate, S2, S3 and S4. When Verizon and Samsung locked up the S4 tight I had already rooted and loki'ed my phone so I was alright. I assumed that the S5 would issue with it locked down tight. That is exactly what happened. I wasn't sure that I would like an HTC phone since I hadn't used one in quite a few years. I had them all the way back to the Blue Angel days but switched when I wanted to give Android a try.
I thought It might be a tough switch going from Samsung to HTC but after having the M8 for just over a week now I'm glad that I switched and won't be going back any time soon. The M8 has some quirks and the camera is only a small issue for me (YMMV), but if you go over to XDA and look at the forums for the S5 and the M8 you're going to see a lot more activity in the M8 sections. The S5 development areas are empty, nothing going on. The M8 areas are seeing new roms and a decent amount of activity.
As for me, I like to unlock and root my phones but I don't custom rom them anymore (too many issues). I just take my stock unlocked and rooted phone and add small tweaks here and there to make it a little more personal, freeze apps I don't use, and to run nandroid backups to save off phone in case of catastrophe. It works really well for me.
All week I was using the m8 and thinking about the possibility of going back to an S5. No longer doing that, I realize that I'm really happy with this phone, the way it looks, the way it handles and the way it works.