Five days with the M9

[petvas72]

I have been using my M9 since Monday and slowly but surely the cool factor of a new shiny gadget is wearing off, so I wanted to post my second impressions about the device.
I will concentrate on the main features:

• Display: I prefer it to the M8 display. The colors are more natural. Having said that, I would prefer if HTC created an even better display.
• Design: I would say, it's a little better than the M8. The device feels very premium and sturdy.
• BoomSound: I like to believe that the M9 has much better sound than the M8. Sound coming out of the speakers has depth and a fantastic clarity.
• Battery life: This is one of the disappointments. i can get up to four hours screen on and I would like to have at least an hour more.I think that Lolipop 5.1 will improve things considerable. Let's wait and see.
• Camera: Disappointing in auto mode, great with the settings of the XDA forums. I am really happy with it.
• Sense 7: The theming ability is great and I love it.
• Heat: I can easily manage to go up to 47 celcius..
• Speed: Everything is snappy and have no complaints so far

I was initially a bit disappointed, but now I am really happy with it. I learn to love the M9 day by day. HTC might not sell that many, but the M9 stays the best phone out there. Best design, best speakers, and a very good camera if you are prepared to change the camera settings.

 

[Alex_NJ]

Thanks for your contribution, it is these reviews that are worth more than any of the professional reviews.

I am now using my M8 I decided to buy, and I can now see why you wanted the M9 to be good. The M8 is fantastic and it is only expected that the M9 will be better. And I will believe it will improve with firmware and ROMs

 

[NEXUS_HTC_PS]

I, too, have been on my M9 for five days and I have to agree with all your points. The sound is noticeably better. More depth. Better in my car stereo and on my home theater system! The feel in hand is better than the M8. The camera, I have had to mess with but I figured out my settings. Like I said before, HTC makes the perfect phone for me!!!

From my fingers to you on the M8, M9 or the Chromebook!

 

[NEXUS_HTC_PS]

I, too, have been on my M9 for five days and I have to agree with all your points. The sound is noticeably better. More depth. Better in my car stereo and on my home theater system! The feel in hand is better than the M8. The camera, I have had to mess with but I figured out my settings. Like I said before, HTC makes the perfect phone for me!!!

From my fingers to you on the M8, M9 or the Chromebook!

From my fingers to you on the M8, M9 or the Chromebook!

 

[That70sGAdawg]

Great observations, and yes these reviews are unbiased (as opposed to the media reviews), and it's clear- Samsung may blow away the competition with their ad budget- but HTC can still build a great phone.
I'm part German myself - enjoy your M9 in the Motherland..

 

[bigrey81]

Thanks for your contribution, it is these reviews that are worth more than any of the professional reviews.

I am now using my M8 I decided to buy, and I can now see why you wanted the M9 to be good. The M8 is fantastic and it is only expected that the M9 will be better. And I will believe it will improve with firmware and ROMs

I have the M8 and now the M9 it is great especially after changing the camera settings

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Bob Dem]

I have been using my M9 since Monday and slowly but surely the cool factor of a new shiny gadget is wearing off, so I wanted to post my second impressions about the device.
I will concentrate on the main features:

• Display: I prefer it to the M8 display. The colors are more natural. Having said that, I would prefer if HTC created an even better display.
• Design: I would say, it's a little better than the M8. The device feels very premium and sturdy.
• BoomSound: I like to believe that the M9 has much better sound than the M8. Sound coming out of the speakers has depth and a fantastic clarity.
• Battery life: This is one of the disappointments. i can get up to four hours screen on and I would like to have at least an hour more.I think that Lolipop 5.1 will improve things considerable. Let's wait and see.
• Camera: Disappointing in auto mode, great with the settings of the XDA forums. I am really happy with it.
• Sense 7: The theming ability is great and I love it.
• Heat: I can easily manage to go up to 47 celcius..
• Speed: Everything is snappy and have no complaints so far

I was initially a bit disappointed, but now I am really happy with it. I learn to love the M9 day by day. HTC might not sell that many, but the M9 stays the best phone out there. Best design, best speakers, and a very good camera if you are prepared to change the camera settings.

HI. Thanks for the update. I have the one x+ and I'm looking at upgrading to the m9. I'm a little worried about the heating issue. Can you expand your thoughts on this subject?

 

[petvas72]

When using the device doing typical stuff the device doesn't get hot. Even playing games will not immediately cause heating issues. What I noticed is when streaming videos the device gets hot. Yesterday I was watching the Android Central podcast and was also charging my M9. The device got unpleasant hot. 48 degrees Celsius. That was really too much.
Most of the times when the device gets hot, it's between 40-43 degrees Celsius. It's hot but not unbearable. To be honest I have gotten used to it.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[msm0511]

When using the device doing typical stuff the device doesn't get hot. Even playing games will not immediately cause heating issues. What I noticed is when streaming videos the device gets hot. Yesterday I was watching the Android Central podcast and was also charging my M9. The device got unpleasant hot. 48 degrees Celsius. That was really too much.
Most of the times when the device gets hot, it's between 40-43 degrees Celsius. It's hot but not unbearable. To be honest I have gotten used to it.

Posted via the Android Central App

My M8 did the same as well. If I used it for anything with constant screen-on time while charging would get it really warm. I don't know the actual temperature though. My iPhone 6 actually does the same too. For some reason when I charge using my laptop over a wall outlet, the warming is worse.

 

[msm0511]

I, too, have been on my M9 for five days and I have to agree with all your points. The sound is noticeably better. More depth. Better in my car stereo and on my home theater system! The feel in hand is better than the M8. The camera, I have had to mess with but I figured out my settings. Like I said before, HTC makes the perfect phone for me!!!

From my fingers to you on the M8, M9 or the Chromebook!

Do you have any general camera settings you can share?

 

[Gruff35]

When using the device doing typical stuff the device doesn't get hot. Even playing games will not immediately cause heating issues. What I noticed is when streaming videos the device gets hot. Yesterday I was watching the Android Central podcast and was also charging my M9. The device got unpleasant hot. 48 degrees Celsius. That was really too much.
Most of the times when the device gets hot, it's between 40-43 degrees Celsius. It's hot but not unbearable. To be honest I have gotten used to it.

Posted via the Android Central App

What happens when it's hot outside and your aluminum phone is close to your body? Your body generating heat in addition to your phone aluminum phone.

 

[petvas72]

Do you have any general camera settings you can share?

The camera settings mentioned in the XDA thread:

• MaxISO 200
• 10:7 Medium size (16Mpixels)
• contrast +0,5
• saturation +0,5
• sharpness -1 or -1,5

 

[petvas72]

What happens when it's hot outside and your aluminum phone is close to your body? Your body generating heat in addition to your phone aluminum phone.

Nothing

 

[msm0511]

The camera settings mentioned in the XDA thread:

• MaxISO 200
• 10:7 Medium size (16Mpixels)
• contrast +0,5
• saturation +0,5
• sharpness -1 or -1,5

I was waiting to read that thread until I have my phone in hand to test em out. Thanks for posting them here though!

 

[ABOSWORTH007]

The camera settings mentioned in the XDA thread:

• MaxISO 200
• 10:7 Medium size (16Mpixels)
• contrast +0,5
• saturation +0,5
• sharpness -1 or -1,5

Thanks for the tip. I'm likely going to pick an M9 up next week when it is available at my local AT&T store.

 

[petvas72]

An update to battery life. Today I used the device a lot but no video or audio. Just web and various apps. I don't know if using an app to adjust brightness played a role in these good results.
You can see the results below:

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[neo905]

An update to battery life. Today I used the device a lot but no video or audio. Just web and various apps. I don't know if using an app to adjust brightness played a role in these good results.
You can see the results below:

Posted via the Android Central App

Did you end up using Lux? If so, it does make an screen on time difference.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Bob Dem]

Great. Thanks for your insight. I guess most phones will run hot in certain situations. I think I'm going to go with the m9. I do love HTC sense.

 

[petvas72]

Did you end up using Lux? If so, it does make an screen on time difference.

Posted via the Android Central App

No, I went with Yet Another Auto Brightness
It is really simple and works great.

 

[neo905]

No, I went with Yet Another Auto Brightness
It is really simple and works great.

Still not as good as the M8. But maybe after 5.1 it will be.

Posted via the Android Central App