HTC One M8 (pretty much) Full Spec List

[GrooveRite]

ICS? Lol. ICS was like 2011. I'm talking about the 2008-Early 2010 Time Frame. HTC's Windows Mobile devices were much better than Samsung's, and their earlier Android devices were far better.

I wasn't around that early so I'll give it to you, lol! I was still playing with flip phones till 2010.

 

[iN8ter]

I've seen your links. I'm sure there is something to this. At the same time every review of the M7 that I read on professional camera sites mentioned how the MP count caused a lack of detail in outdoor daylight shots and the inability to crop or enlarge. Whether duo cameras eliminates these issues or eases them a bit really remains to be seen. I will say that HTC tried to play up this 'megapixel myth' angle last year and I think they were mistaken. I recently saw a video interview with Jeff Gordon, Senior Global Online Communications Manager at HTC, and he used the phrase 'megapixel myth' once again. I realize I'm jumping the gun here and our answer is 10 days away.

HTC One UltraPixel vs Galaxy S4 camera: HTC One UltraPixel vs Galaxy S4 camera - YouTube

HTC can cry about MegaPixel wars all they want, but the proof is in the output. The S4 poops all over the One. Even their OIS doesn't offer any appreciable benefits over the Digital Stabilization in the S4, and in some of the low light shots the One was absolutely terrible compared to the S4.

If Samsung's S5 camera is even marginally better than the Note 3, then I don't assume the M8 will compare any better with the S5 than the One does with the S4 or Note 3 (which is to say it doesn't compare very well with them). HTC would have to make some significant improvements (not just in hardware, but also in software as some of the disparity was clearly due to Samsung's superior camera software - like HTC's Night Mode working counter to its purpose in some of those shots) to offer a better camera experience to sell phones based on UltraPixel and Duos cameras.

The Less Detailed images also means that when sites like Instagram and Facebook do their compression on the images, they look even WORSE, so while I understand HTC's stance on how many people view and share images it is somewhat contrary to how they designed the phone's optics.

 

[CarrierPigeon]

The 2600 mah battery is what scares me.

is 2600 too much or too little?

 

[iN8ter]

is 2600 too much or too little?

HTC has always tended to trail competitors in battery sizes, since forever. People want a larger battery. It's as if they are continuously 6 months to a year behind the competition in battery sizes.

The Battery is non-removeable and smaller. They don't tend to have as good Power Management options as i.e. Sony or even Samsung at this point.

The only way to get around poor battery life on their embedded batteries is to find a charger or carry around a power pack. I'm pretty sure a spare battery is a lot more compact that that... You can get a Spare Battery + Charger form Samsung for the same price as some of those Power Packs and just swap the battery in their phones out, charge them both overnight (the spare comes with its own charger) and repeat the next day. Also, as the phone ages the battery loses capacity and you cannot restore that by buying a cheap replacement battery when the battery is embedded in the phone. This means a lot to people who actually keep their phones for a long time instead of upgrading every few months.

Other OEMs that are embedding batteries on their flagships tend to offer bigger sizes (3k mAh for the G2, for example).

2800 is only 200 mAh bigger than 2600, but it's actually ~8% capacity difference, which is not as trivial as a lot of people make it out to be.

Another thing is a lot of sites do rundown tests for battery life, but those don't even come close to telling the average user what kind of battery life to expect from the device in mixed usage. HTC's phones tend to underperform more than Samsung's, and a lot of people instantly blame the smaller batteries because of it. It can be a number of factors, but that is the most obvious one that sticks out to them.

 

[anon(829886)]

Motion Launch. Double Tap to wake. Swipe Up to unlock.

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

HTC has always tended to trail competitors in battery sizes, since forever. People want a larger battery. It's as if they are continuously 6 months to a year behind the competition in battery sizes.

The Battery is non-removeable and smaller. They don't tend to have as good Power Management options as i.e. Sony or even Samsung at this point.

The only way to get around poor battery life on their embedded batteries is to find a charger or carry around a power pack. I'm pretty sure a spare battery is a lot more compact that that... You can get a Spare Battery + Charger form Samsung for the same price as some of those Power Packs and just swap the battery in their phones out, charge them both overnight (the spare comes with its own charger) and repeat the next day. Also, as the phone ages the battery loses capacity and you cannot restore that by buying a cheap replacement battery when the battery is embedded in the phone. This means a lot to people who actually keep their phones for a long time instead of upgrading every few months.

Other OEMs that are embedding batteries on their flagships tend to offer bigger sizes (3k mAh for the G2, for example).

2800 is only 200 mAh bigger than 2600, but it's actually ~8% capacity difference, which is not as trivial as a lot of people make it out to be.

Another thing is a lot of sites do rundown tests for battery life, but those don't even come close to telling the average user what kind of battery life to expect from the device in mixed usage. HTC's phones tend to underperform more than Samsung's, and a lot of people instantly blame the smaller batteries because of it. It can be a number of factors, but that is the most obvious one that sticks out to them.

You bring up some very valid points about an embedded battery, especially about it wearing out over time.

I do have a battery pack that isn't always on my person but it does stay in my car in case I need it. In that way, it's not less convenient. Having to leave it plugged in is less convenient, but it doesn't bother me that much really. Maybe I've just gotten used to it.

I can also charge it far less frequently than a spare battery, since the capacity is about 4x that of my phone. When I do need to charge it, I plug it in overnight just like anything else. If someone doesn't have a spare microUSB charger that could be a problem, though.

But I don't need to use it all that often, because I have problem getting a days worth of use out of my devices. That's with the One and Nexus 5. Never had complaints about battery life. I can't say which is the more power efficient device, because I haven't had an S4 for long enough to do the testing, but I can't say the One or Nexus feels inadequate from a power performance standpoint.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

Motion Launch. Double Tap to wake. Swipe Up to unlock.
http://i.imgur.com/L3ILnIZ.png

Nice

 

[ibcop]

You bring up some very valid points about an embedded battery, especially about it wearing out over time.

I do have a battery pack that isn't always on my person but it does stay in my car in case I need it. In that way, it's not less convenient. Having to leave it plugged in is less convenient, but it doesn't bother me that much really. Maybe I've just gotten used to it.

I can also charge it far less frequently than a spare battery, since the capacity is about 4x that of my phone. When I do need to charge it, I plug it in overnight just like anything else. If someone doesn't have a spare microUSB charger that could be a problem, though.

But I don't need to use it all that often, because I have problem getting a days worth of use out of my devices. That's with the One and Nexus 5. Never had complaints about battery life. I can't say which is the more power efficient device, because I haven't had an S4 for long enough to do the testing, but I can't say the One or Nexus feels inadequate from a power performance standpoint.

Do you classify yourself a heavy user with your One? I'm a bit apprehensive with a non removable battery. My S4 typically comes off the charger about 6am and will last me through the day up until about 9pm. I do use text more than voice though.

Is the One your daily driver?

Posted via Android Central App

 

[iN8ter]

You bring up some very valid points about an embedded battery, especially about it wearing out over time.

I do have a battery pack that isn't always on my person but it does stay in my car in case I need it. In that way, it's not less convenient. Having to leave it plugged in is less convenient, but it doesn't bother me that much really. Maybe I've just gotten used to it.

I can also charge it far less frequently than a spare battery, since the capacity is about 4x that of my phone. When I do need to charge it, I plug it in overnight just like anything else. If someone doesn't have a spare microUSB charger that could be a problem, though.

But I don't need to use it all that often, because I have problem getting a days worth of use out of my devices. That's with the One and Nexus 5. Never had complaints about battery life. I can't say which is the more power efficient device, because I haven't had an S4 for long enough to do the testing, but I can't say the One or Nexus feels inadequate from a power performance standpoint.

With the Spare battery from Samsung you can basically charge it at night with your phone and then carry it anywhere you go because the battery is so small, it fits anywhere. You can still keep it in the car when/if you want, and charging with a power pack is still not nearly as fast as popping out a dead battery and popping in a completely charged battery. The phone goes from 0 to 100% instantly using the removable battery. Bump charging with a power pack (which likely doesn't have as high an output as the 2A chargers that are being given with phones like the Note 3, but I don't have one so I'll need confirmation on the Amperage Output on those) isn't going to compared to that.

There is literally no scenario where an embedded battery is superior for a person who finds themselves needing charge in the middle of the day.

The only time an Embedded Battery is acceptable is when the capacity is so large that the device can take over a day (as in 20+ hours) of moderate to heavy use, in that case you will likely never run into an issue with battery life during the day so it doesn't matter if it's embedded or not.

If you keep the phone for a 2 year contract you may still run into the issue of the battery degrading and having to replace it, if embedded, though.

Embedded battery is a completely non-factor for some people though. Some people never need it so that will not factor into their purchasing decision..

 

[Kevin OQuinn]

With the Spare battery from Samsung you can basically charge it at night with your phone and then carry it anywhere you go because the battery is so small, it fits anywhere. You can still keep it in the car when/if you want, and charging with a power pack is still not nearly as fast as popping out a dead battery and popping in a completely charged battery. The phone goes from 0 to 100% instantly using the removable battery. Bump charging with a power pack (which likely doesn't have as high an output as the 2A chargers that are being given with phones like the Note 3, but I don't have one so I'll need confirmation on the Amperage Output on those) isn't going to compared to that.

There is literally no scenario where an embedded battery is superior for a person who finds themselves needing charge in the middle of the day.

The only time an Embedded Battery is acceptable is when the capacity is so large that the device can take over a day (as in 20+ hours) of moderate to heavy use, in that case you will likely never run into an issue with battery life during the day so it doesn't matter if it's embedded or not.

If you keep the phone for a 2 year contract you may still run into the issue of the battery degrading and having to replace it, if embedded, though.

A lot of that is going to vary based on use case also. I work in an office, for example, so I can charge whenever I need to. Many others are also going to be in that situation.

The power pack I have will output at 2.1A. And yes, it's not instant.

I've also found that many people (not saying you) that say having a removable is important to them never actually swap it out when their phone is dead, or even buy a second battery to do that.

IMO the biggest use case is for those that do keep their phones for a long time. Then they can replace the one thing that does go bad.

Sent from my Nexus 5 using Tapatalk

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

I have a 7000mah in my s3. At first when I got it I did the whole carry a portable charger crap, but having to carry it and charge my phone during the day using a cord really wasnt the route for me, so I slapped in a big battery and now I only charge at night time.

Having a removable battery is a nice feature for me, but it isn't completely essential, although having one really helps a lot, I'd be willing to give it up for a good phone (ex. IPhone)

 

[Habiib]

If I need to have my power supplied in an uninterrupted manner, then a power pack or power case are the only viable options if a power outlet is not accessible.

My only concern with removing the battery, is that all of my session data will be lost in addition to any activity that I'm currently doing. Enabling the switch of a power case begins charging my phone immediately. What I didn't like was the longer charge times of the HTC One, along with the 2.0A input requirement so that the charge rate will not be less than the discharge rate.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[iN8ter]

Aren't the Motion features in TouchWiz largely regarded around here as being gimmicky and unnecessary?

 

[Habiib]

Aren't the Motion features in TouchWiz largely regarded around here as being gimmicky and unnecessary?

If my memory serves my correct, a lot of the "Air" gestures were deemed gimmicky by some critics. Those along with the semi-gesture based (motion) features such as smart pause and smart stay were also viewed in the same manner. The last one that I can think of, is the hover-based gestures. They were intended for specific scenarios, such as having wet nails or bbq sauce on your hands from eating ribs.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[iN8ter]

I'm not a camera person, don't really use it unless I need a mirror, however isn't it mostly about the camera software these days and not the mp that really makes a photo?

Here's a crop from a higher MP camera 1:1 shot in daylight outdoors (from about 10 feet away):



This image has more detail than any of the HTC One's images that are shot in daylight under similar conditions, and the HTC One would not be able to render that tight pattern on the shirt as well as this phone did. The lines on the knuckles would be less defined, among other things. If this wasn't a portrait image of the person there are other areas of the image where the One wouldn't be able to provide enough detail to compete with this picture... The image would be all-around worse except maybe it would be brighter and have their trademark tinting in it... This image comes from a Galaxy S II's (Skyrocket) camera (using Stock TouchWiz Camera Software). That phone was released in 2011, so I think blaming the software (you aren't doing that, just saying) is a bit of a stretch at this point...

The reason why the image is more detailed is cause the camera provides the means to render a detailed image. It doesn't matter how great HTC's software is. 4MP is still 4MP. They can have 10 cameras and the 4MP image will still be worse than what this old phone was able to pump out in these conditions due to the resolution disparity. There is literally no way to get around this. On top of that, camera software post-processing adversely affects the quality of a low MP image MORE than a high MP image because you can do things to limit the visibility of its "work" with a higher resolution image, which simply aren't as viable with a low resolution image. When the One does Noise Reduction and softens the edges of things in the image, it is 5x more prominent on those photos than on an 8-20MP photo because those edges were almost assuredly less detailed at the start, anyways...

Nokia's phones shoot out 5MP images (by default), but they use 20-41MP sensors and bin it down to 5MP so the detail is ridiculously high in those 5MP images - you can still actually crop from those and end up with decent output... The One's camera does not work the same way... It's always better to take a larger image and then resize DOWN in a decent software package (if you want to power some noise out of the image, etc.), than to settle for a 4MP camera that takes much less detailed images and severely limits what can be done with the product.

 

[Soundtrack to Chaos]

Aren't the Motion features in TouchWiz largely regarded around here as being gimmicky and unnecessary?

They are, however most of their other software isn't

 

[anon(829886)]

Aren't the Motion features in TouchWiz largely regarded around here as being gimmicky and unnecessary?

Apples and oranges. TouchWiz motion features are less used/important IMO compared to what Sense 6.0 is offering. It's the difference between hovering a finger to read a text message fully versus waking your phone. I'd also argue that Samsung doesn't really need a tap to wake feature because they are great at power/wake button placement. However including it as an option can never be argued against. It becomes more important on an HTC device because, One Max aside, because they continue to place the power/wake button on the top of the phone.

Regarding the camera, I'm still holding out hope on a 13 MP shooter. That's what Evleaks said it would be. And I know I'm reaching here but a guy who works for Best Buy Mobile said on an AC story yesterday that he demoed the device via an HTC rep and claims it is indeed a 13 MP camera. Fingers crossed.

 

[iN8ter]

Apples and oranges. TouchWiz motion features are less used/important IMO compared to what Sense 6.0 is offering. It's the difference between hovering a finger to read a text message fully versus waking your phone. I'd also argue that Samsung doesn't really need a tap to wake feature because they are great at power/wake button placement. However including it as an option can never be argued against. It becomes more important on an HTC device because, One Max aside, because they continue to place the power/wake button on the top of the phone.

Regarding the camera, I'm still holding out hope on a 13 MP shooter. That's what Evleaks said it would be. And I know I'm reaching here but a guy who works for Best Buy Mobile said on an AC story yesterday that he demoed the device via an HTC rep and claims it is indeed a 13 MP camera. Fingers crossed.

That Verizon Packaging for it says it's an UltraPixel camera with same pixel sizes as the original one. Unless they have two ridiculous rear sensors in that phone, I wouldn't cross anything. Maybe they just trolled us, though. I'm thinking they're sticking with basically the same camera resolution/tech and will try to gimmick people into buying this one for the massive selfie camera, Lol.

Not gonna argue with a double standard on the gimmicky motion features

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk

 

[Habiib]

That Verizon Packaging for it says it's an UltraPixel camera with same pixel sizes as the original one. Unless they have two ridiculous rear sensors in that phone, I wouldn't cross anything. Maybe they just trolled us, though. I'm thinking they're sticking with basically the same camera resolution/tech and will try to gimmick people into buying this one for the massive selfie camera, Lol.

Not gonna argue with a double standard on the gimmicky motion features

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk

I'm not understanding what you see as a double standard with the interaction-based features. It has been clearly articulated that the implementation of the touchwiz gestures are the polar opposite of those demonstrated in the latest Sense 6 video. The touchwiz features are mostly touchless and require specific positioning and orientation of the hands, fingers, eyes, or face. To compound the problem with their implementation, the end result is inconsistent, unreliable, and require specific conditions (i.e., lighting, no glasses, etc) to even attempt execution. The gesture based controls for Sense 6, based on what I've seen in the video, seem to rely on physical contact for an interactive experience. The only specific criteria I've seen in the video, is that the device needs to be in a certain orientation for some actions to execute.

For example touching the screen to swype through content, is in no way similar to waving your hand above the screen to perform a swiping action. Having to tilt the phone within a specific range of angles so that the content being displayed scrolls without having to touch the screen, is nothing like having to physically touch the screen to perform the same end result.

Based on my examples, where is the double standard? I think the classification of a "gimmick" is being determined on HOW an action is implemented, instead of WHAT is being implemented.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[iN8ter]

There is none.

I'm not discussing it as I'm exhausted of that topic. We've been having it for years now.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 3 using Tapatalk