HTC M8 vs Samsung S5

[HnLA]

Any comments and comparisons from those familair with both are appreciated.I got the S5 a few days ago (verizon), coming from HTC Evo4G. I am not sure if it will work for me or I should go with M8. I use it mostly to read emails and use apps. I do not really listen to music, do that much texting. I doubt I would set up a thing like a TV remote or other such gizmo.

They say the camera is much better on S5. It is waterproof, but a hassle to deal with the little cover each time you charge.

I find the resident email on the S5 not so good. I have a few AOL and gmail accounts. It seems google does want to make things easy for non-gmail users. I have tried a few other email apps, but they all have issues. Not as good as the resident email on the M8. (Certainly not as good as iOS.)

Both have poor widgets. The HTC Evo came with so many and so many usefull ones. I had to download 5 or more for weather clock and picture frame, and still have not found any as good as those that came with the Evo.

The setting for notifications seems difficult with the S5. I am not sure if its Samsung or the apps fault. I am unable to turn off sound notifications for K-9 email. The buzzing is really loud, I keep turning it down, but still kind of loud.
Thanks (crossposting on both S5 and M8)

 

[HnLA]

Any comments and comparisons from those familair with both are appreciated.I got the S5 a few days ago (verizon), coming from HTC Evo4G. I am not sure if it will work for me or I should go with M8. I use it mostly to read emails and use apps. I do not really listen to music, do that much texting. I doubt I would set up a thing like a TV remote or other such gizmo.

They say the camera is much better on S5. It is waterproof, but a hassle to deal with the little cover each time you charge.

I find the resident email on the S5 not so good. I have a few AOL and gmail accounts. It seems google does want to make things easy for non-gmail users. I have tried a few other email apps, but they all have issues. Not as good as the resident email on the M8. (Certainly not as good as iOS.)

Both have poor widgets. The HTC Evo came with so many and so many usefull ones. I had to download 5 or more for weather clock and picture frame, and still have not found any as good as those that came with the Evo.

The setting for notifications seems difficult with the S5. I am not sure if its Samsung or the apps fault. I am unable to turn off sound notifications for K-9 email. The buzzing is really loud, I keep turning it down, but still kind of loud.
Thanks (crossposting on both S5 and M8)

 

[jhilker]

I think the M8 is pretty water resistant, too, and there's no cover needed for the connection.

All New HTC One (M8) Water Test - Water Resistant?: http://youtu.be/lhwvXTVQoPM

Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk.

 

[darryjr]

Any comments and comparisons from those familair with both are appreciated.I got the S5 a few days ago (verizon), coming from HTC Evo4G. I am not sure if it will work for me or I should go with M8. I use it mostly to read emails and use apps. I do not really listen to music, do that much texting. I doubt I would set up a thing like a TV remote or other such gizmo.

They say the camera is much better on S5. It is waterproof, but a hassle to deal with the little cover each time you charge.

I find the resident email on the S5 not so good. I have a few AOL and gmail accounts. It seems google does want to make things easy for non-gmail users. I have tried a few other email apps, but they all have issues. Not as good as the resident email on the M8. (Certainly not as good as iOS.)

Both have poor widgets. The HTC Evo came with so many and so many usefull ones. I had to download 5 or more for weather clock and picture frame, and still have not found any as good as those that came with the Evo.

The setting for notifications seems difficult with the S5. I am not sure if its Samsung or the apps fault. I am unable to turn off sound notifications for K-9 email. The buzzing is really loud, I keep turning it down, but still kind of loud.
Thanks (crossposting on both S5 and M8)

I have both and enjoy the m8 better. I like the feel of it ,the ui is nowhere near as cluttered ,it runs smoother ,sometimes the s5 lags ,have not found that with the HTC. As far as the camera goes,I get great shots with the m8 ,if you are not going to blow shots up or print them than they are fine. I also done like the port covers,everyrime you charge it becomes a hassle ,unless you need to be waterproof. Plus sense 6 is very close to pure android,nice and clean. To me ,the s5 has a lot of nonsense I would never use,that's why a chose the m8 as my daily driver. Have the s5 to my wife and kept my reliable g2 for a backup. Hope my opinion helps.

 

[raymaane]

Use the device for a few days. Find out of you love it, if you don't then return it and give the M8 a shot. I enjoy my M8.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[ibcop]

I used the M8 for a while before settling on the S5. I like both devices and went with the S5 because of the camera. I thought the M8 took decent photos, but when you zoom is where the problem comes in. The M8 was snappy but it was a bit tall for my liking. I really liked the front speakers and nothing comes close to them - I find myself "cupping" the rear speaker on the S5 in some instances. I'm waiting to see if they come out with a M8 "Prime" (or "Plus" version is what I see now) with a better camera. I also have a Note 3 I'm not using so I may sell (or trade) it and get another M8 to play with.

If you search the S5 forum, you'll find plenty of threads about the M8 versus S5.

 

[pikachu95]

I used an S5 before finally settling on the M8. And I'll just say that although I've used a lot of Samsung devices(S3 S4 Note 2 Note 3) as my daily drivers, I've never ever felt such satisfaction using Touchwiz. Sense UI feels complete, more professional and mature. Sure the camera isn't very good, but it seems fine for posting on Social Networks. I actually regreted not buying the HTC One last year instead of the S4 after getting this phone.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Greg C]

I think the M8 is pretty water resistant, too, and there's no cover needed for the connection.

All New HTC One (M8) Water Test - Water Resistant?: All New HTC One (M8) Water Test - Water Resistant? - YouTube

Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk.

The M8 is NOT water or dust resistant.

 

[A895]

I think the M8 is pretty water resistant, too, and there's no cover needed for the connection.

All New HTC One (M8) Water Test - Water Resistant?: http://youtu.be/lhwvXTVQoPM

Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk.

The M8 is splash resistant and that is IT. It is not water resistant.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jhilker]

The M8 is NOT water or dust resistant.

So you think the video was doctored to show that?

Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk.

 

[A895]

So you think the video was doctored to show that?

Sent from my HTC One M8 using Tapatalk.

It was luck that it survived. It is not technically water resistant like the S5 so I wouldn't trust it to last as long as the S5 in water.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[lontano]

Anandtech affirms the clear superiority of the audio performance of the M8 over the S5 with new tests.

AnandTech | Smartphone Audio Testing - HTC One M8 and Samsung Galaxy S5

 

[Davileet]

I love my M8. I had a hard time deciding between the M8 and the S5, but I am very happy with my decision. I had an S3 previously and that helped me decide between the two I think.

The S5 felt cheaper than the S3 and I disliked that very much, probably what kept me from buying the phone the most. Buttons felt cheap and so did the phone overall. The M8 on the other hand is very nice and feels very well made. I love the metal and the weight to the phone. Even though I have a dot case covering it up, I love the feel of the case and I think it feels almost identical to the metal. The dot case is wicked awesome, look into it.

The TouchWiz software with the S5 is probably not much of an upgrade if not worse than that of the TouchWiz on the S3, probably more unneeded bloatware in fact. I am tired of the same old UI with TouchWiz to be honest, and I am much happier with Sense 6. I was looking for a simple android system like with the Nexus 5, and I think I found that with the M8. Software is super zippy and does not have any lag to it all.

I had a lot of worry about the M8's camera not being effective enough, but I am happy with it. Zoom feature on the phone is lacking, but I just get closer to what I want to take a picture of if that is the case. The Zoe feature with the phone is nice, but the quick shutter makes it unneeded in my opinion. The camera takes good pictures at face value, but when zooming in it does get a little blurry, but nothing I can't deal with. When bringing the pictures over to the computer they are large enough with enough detail to be satisfying.

Battery life seems very good and has made it everyday with around 30% juice left before getting back on the charger. Normal days for this phone is from 9am to 12am and I am impressed with its lifespan.

I really like the front speakers and to be honest I do not see how I lived without them. This phone also has a built in FM radio antenna which is a great feature. I do not have to use data when listening to music anymore. Speaking of antennas, I read that since the phone has a metal case that it would get worse reception, however I have found that not to be the case. The antenna gets better reception than my S3 did.

I would buy this phone again, even over the upcoming G3 I think.