M8 features: pros and cons

anon(677651)

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just got m8, I love it. Over all it feels like a very solid phone and I really want to use it for more than a couple of years, but somethings bug me a lot.
Trying to decided if I want to keep it with a list of pros & cons.

Feel free to add. I will keep this updated:

Pros:
1. Build quality
2. Incredibly fast UI
3. Speakers are amazing (duo speakers in the front output sound that are nice and clear even when I am driving in the car)
4. Double tap to wake the phone (another 3rd party app allows double tap to lock) http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-m8/382108-double-tap-lock-screen.html
5. Blinkfeed is pretty cool
6. 5MP front facing camera
7. Black bar in the bottom is actually nice - giving hand extra estate to hold with 1 hand... making menu bottom easier to reach
8. Camera software: extremely easy to use and has a lot of really cool features. Zoes
video highlights, full manual mode, and editing capabilities all make the software very well rounded, able to save camera settings as presets
9. FAST Camera focus and picture taking
10. Duo camera: the ability for selective focus after picture is taken
11. Duo flash: able to give more natural colors when flash is used
12. Extreme Power Saver mode: I have not gotten the feature yet, but eventually will
13. Dot View case is awesome
14. Extremely high density screen Text is crisp but not too sharp so it makes for comfortable long-term reading.
15. Infared blaster to control your tv. There is a stock HTC TV app that you can sync with your cable box and list all your channels.
16. Quick Camera Access[/] by just pressing the volume button when taken out of the pocket
17. Able to change system font


Cons:
1. No menu button (just multi task.. with one hand, it requires a weird hand pose to reach for the 3 dot menu icon on top) Can be fixed but requires rooting: [Q] Menu button instead of multitask - xda-developers
2. Camera quality: certainly a capable camera, but resolution & white balance is not a significant upgrade from my 1+yr old s3 (nothing auto enhance can't fix tho)
3. Swipe Gestures accidentally wake phone
4. google now can be launched accidentally when unlocking the phone by swiping up
5. Power button on top (inconvenient, but not a deal breaker since locking can be addressed with a 3rd party app)
6. Useless theme (Background color for Settings/ contacts are still white after changing theme to dark)
7. lack of wireless charging


Mixed / unsure:
1. Battery is decent to most people, but some report its not good. I am still testing it out
2. Ufocus is kind of a hit and miss
3. on screen menu button is pretty easy to get used to eventho some claim it takes away from actual usable screen size
4. no removable battery (not a huge deal to me since i never carry a spare with me, but important to some)
5. lack of fingerprint scanner (ideal function to have, but can be pretty gimmiky to have. I'd rather payless to have this function tho)
6. lack of notification features for Dot View case (not a huge deal breaker since many dont have the dot view case ...)
7. Bezel is thicker than many other phones. it's more of a preference thing imo.
8. Camara lense some people claim it's plastic and can be scratched which ruins the build quality reputation. http://forums.androidcentral.com/htc-one-m8/380522-htc-one-m8-camera-lens-cover-issue.html
9. No water proof nice to have, but not important to 90% of the users i'd assume. We dont live in a water world .... yet
10.Too slippery
 
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Skyway

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Pros:
Camera software is extremely easy to use and has a lot of really cool features.
Zoes
video highlights
full manual mode (a lot of camera's don't have this)
and editing capabilities all make the software very well rounded
You can save camera settings as presets, very beneficial for capturing a quick moment in less than ideal conditions

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Preformer19

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Re: m8 pros / cons

*without reference to above posts, just putting it all out there*

Pros
-IR Blaster
-Blinkfeed
-no lag
-Duo Camera
-front-facing speakers
-amazingly awesome design
-good front camera
-good speakers
-availability of added storage

Cons
-camera quality
-no removable battery
-lack of fingerprint scanner (yes, I really want to experience this one...hopefully someday)
-no wireless charging
-lack of notification features for Dot View case
 

Skyway

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not exactly sure what you mean. what's wrong with the lense cover?

Some people are reporting scratches and that it's a plastic lens cover. Mine apparently is different because it's most definitely NOT plastic, it's glass.

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anon(677651)

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Some people are reporting scratches and that it's a plastic lens cover. Mine apparently is different because it's most definitely NOT plastic, it's glass.

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how do i even tell if it's glass or platic lens? lol
I have the clear plastic case... when i touched the lens, the material feels exactly same as the case, and it doesn't feel like there is any difference from the glass screen either
 
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Skyway

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how do i even tell if it's glass or platic lens? lol
I have the clear plastic case... when i touched the lens, the material feels exactly same as the case, but i doesn't feel like there is any difference from the glass screen either

Some people said if they applied pressure with their finger, the lens cover would flex. That would mean it's plastic and not glass, but mine certainly doesn't flex.

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anon(677651)

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Some people said if they applied pressure with their finger, the lens cover would flex. That would mean it's plastic and not glass, but mine certainly doesn't flex.

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i tried putting pressure on it. and it does flex a little bit. hmnmm
 

Skyway

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i tried putting pressure on it. and it does flex a little bit. hmnmm

That's weird because as I said I can't get mine to flex

Could be one of two things. It's plastic, or really thin glass. My Zagg glass screen protector is really thin and it's flexible. I don't know, that's weird

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anon(677651)

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That's weird because as I said I can't get mine to flex

Could be one of two things. It's plastic, or really thin glass. My Zagg glass screen protector is really thin and it's flexible. I don't know, that's weird

Posted via Android Central App

I thought it was illusion of my finger being compressed at first, then i tried to tilt the phone at an angle with some reflection on the lens to see if added pressure changes the composition of reflection on the surface of the lens. Turns out it certainly does.
 

Skyway

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I thought it was illusion of my finger being compressed at first, then i tried to tilt the phone at an angle with some reflection on the lens to see if added pressure changes the composition of reflection on the surface of the lens. Turns out it certainly does.

Have you had any problems with your lens cover? Any scratches? If not I wouldn't be too worried about it, but that's my opinion

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anon(677651)

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Have you had any problems with your lens cover? Any scratches? If not I wouldn't be too worried about it, but that's my opinion

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i haven't. coz i just got my m8 yesterday. i dont wanna have the problem sometime down the line... so ya i am not going to be the deciding factor for me to keep or return the phone. but i'll definitely keep it in mind.
 

anon(677651)

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Re: m8 pros / cons

*without reference to above posts, just putting it all out there*

Pros
-IR Blaster
-Blinkfeed
-no lag
-Duo Camera
-front-facing speakers
-amazingly awesome design
-good front camera
-good speakers
-availability of added storage

Cons
-camera quality
-no removable battery
-lack of fingerprint scanner (yes, I really want to experience this one...hopefully someday)
-no wireless charging
-lack of notification features for Dot View case

IR Blaster? what's that?
 

Skyway

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IR Blaster? what's that?

Infared blaster to control your tv. There is a stock HTC TV app that you can sync with your cable box and list all your channels. You can even set it up to show you your favorite shows in your BlinkFeed. I use it daily, very handy

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Preformer19

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The included IR Blaster is awesome. I've tried it on several TV's and it works like a charm. Only difficulty is when setting up, guessing what television service is being used. If you know the area you're in, you can usually guess the correct service every time.

Now to go into Buffalo Wild Wings and cause some mayhem :cool:
 

yuppicide

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Pros for me:
- Build quality of my phone is great
- Sounds awesome. Speakers are loud and clear no matter what song I play and no matter how loud.
- Battery life is great.. I put on YouTube at work, play games on my two 15 minute breaks, and my 30 minute lunch, surf the web, etc.. and I still have power left at the end of the day. Most of the time I don't need any charging. Also, while using Maps in my car, my old phone (HTC EVO V) used to guzzle battery power like a porn star guzzles freshly churned nut butter. In fact it would use MORE juice than the charger supplied. With this new phone I don't really have to worry unless I am on a super long trip. 99% of the time I don't even use a car charger anymore.

Cons for me:
- Location of IR blaster to control a TV is in a bad spot. If you get a case it blocks it, rendering that feature useless, but I would rather have protection than a second TV remote.
- Camera isn't the greatest. Take pictures of stuff and it looks purple sometimes.
- Cannot easily open phone. This phone is pretty powerful and I plan on keeping it awhile. I would have liked to be able to easily swap out to a new battery if I ever need, or if there is ever a higher powered one available.
 

Skyway

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Pros for me:
- Build quality of my phone is great
- Sounds awesome. Speakers are loud and clear no matter what song I play and no matter how loud.
- Battery life is great.. I put on YouTube at work, play games on my two 15 minute breaks, and my 30 minute lunch, surf the web, etc.. and I still have power left at the end of the day. Most of the time I don't need any charging. Also, while using Maps in my car, my old phone (HTC EVO V) used to guzzle battery power like a porn star guzzles freshly churned nut butter. In fact it would use MORE juice than the charger supplied. With this new phone I don't really have to worry unless I am on a super long trip. 99% of the time I don't even use a car charger anymore.

Cons for me:
- Location of IR blaster to control a TV is in a bad spot. If you get a case it blocks it, rendering that feature useless, but I would rather have protection than a second TV remote.
- Camera isn't the greatest. Take pictures of stuff and it looks purple sometimes.
- Cannot easily open phone. This phone is pretty powerful and I plan on keeping it awhile. I would have liked to be able to easily swap out to a new battery if I ever need, or if there is ever a higher powered one available.

If you have a case that covers the ir blaster, that's the case companies fault, not HTC's. There are plenty of cases that will allow the blaster to work just fine.

You have a purple tint issue with the camera? This is the first time I've heard anyone say they have this issue. Do you have the white balance set to auto?

I can tell you right now, no company is going to make a higher maH battery for the m8. It's battery is sealed, which means HTC doesn't want you or anyone else (besides a certified repair center) opening it up. Can you or an unauthorized repair place open it? Sure, but that doesn't mean they want to.

Just wanted to add my opinion on those matters, that's all and enjoy the phone!

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