M8 or Z2: Which to buy??

[g4rvd4]

I can't believe there isn't one of these threads already. Ok, so initially I had my heart set on the Sony Xperia Z2, but seeing as how the M8 is performing extremely well in almost every area, I'm reconsidering my choices. It's pretty much down to these two and I'm not interested in other devices (like S5 for example).

I don't care too much about camera quality in a phone - I've got my DSLR for that.

Here's what is confusing me:

Points for the HTC One M8:

1. Better speakers (I've seen the video comparisons so no arguments on this)
2. Better design (in my eyes)
3. IR blaster present
4. So far I'm seeing it top the benchmarks whereas Z2 is just 3rd or 4th in rank
5. Excellent battery life (shows that the OS is optimized - this might give other advantages that are not immediately apparent as well)
6. Fast charging feature
7. Presence of a battery saving mode that can give me 15 hours on a 5% charge - I see myself using that all the time
8. Better lockscreen (I don't like the lockscreen unlock animation of the Z2)
9. More streamlined Sense experience (arguable, maybe?)
10. Little things like TEXT REFLOW to custom zoom level in browsers that matter a lot! (I really don't know why others are not implementing this)

Points for the Sony Xperia Z2:

1. Extra 1 GB RAM will be useful for multitasking
2. Bigger and RGB notification LED (Somewhat important for me - HTC has only ONE color for notification? Definitely a joke, right? Right?)
3. Waterproof phone (I might use it in the swimming pool maybe 2-3 times during the life of the phone, practically thinking. But it will ensure peace of mind during the heavy rains here)
4. More applications in the multitask pane (M8 has max 9!!)
5. Better positioned power button
6. Built-in noise cancellation (I could definitely use this on flights and buses)
7. Less cluttered notification bar (Things like the battery percentage showing inside the battery bar, and similar stamina mode icon make for this. The M8's notification bar is almost always cluttered with a myriad of icons which irritates me)
8. Better screen (Again, I'm convinced of this. The difference is not too much though - mainly to do with better reds, higher overall contrast and saturation)
9. Better stock dialer app (in M8, smart dialing gives you only the top hit and for others you've to expand the list)
10. Better stock Music Player - Walkman
11. Better stock app drawer (I prefer the pages interface to the scrolling interface of the M8)

Honestly I'm having a pretty tough time deciding, and I would much appreciate your opinions (as long as it comes with a logical justification that is ).
Thanks!

PS - I realize I'm posting this in the M8 forum so people would tend to be naturally biased towards their device, but I would appreciate it if you could be as honest as possible.

 

[torifile]

When is the Z2 actually coming out?

 

[g4rvd4]

When is the Z2 actually coming out?

It's already released in certain parts of the world, like Taiwan for instance. I don't know about your country, but here in India it's expected around 20th April.

 

[kronosqq]

Hmm, if I were in your position I might just want to wait until I could handle both in-store and then decide based on that. Comparing the two on the criteria you listed I think it just comes down to which one you prefer using. Personally every one of my smartphones has been an HTC phone, I love their hardware design, and I love their software design, it's a really good fit. The Z2 looks like an impressive phone, but it doesn't wow me as much in those areas. So yeah, that's my advice, go by feel and aesthetics.

 

[Skyway]

I can't believe there isn't one of these threads already. Ok, so initially I had my heart set on the Sony Xperia Z2, but seeing as how the M8 is performing extremely well in almost every area, I'm reconsidering my choices. It's pretty much down to these two and I'm not interested in other devices (like S5 for example).

I don't care too much about camera quality in a phone - I've got my DSLR for that.

Here's what is confusing me:

Points for the HTC One M8:

1. Better speakers (I've seen the video comparisons so no arguments on this)
2. Better design (in my eyes)
3. IR blaster present
4. So far I'm seeing it top the benchmarks whereas Z2 is just 3rd or 4th in rank

1. 
   
   HTC had admitted to allowing the phone to run faster for benchmarks, much like the s4 last year
   
   

   [*]Excellent battery life (shows that the OS is optimized - this might give other advantages that are not immediately apparent as well)

   
   A lot of that is because of the snapdragon 801, I'm expecting the z2 to be better due to the same chip and a 3200mah battery
   
   

   [*]Fast charging feature

   
   Stock charger is only 1.5amp, so it only uses quick charge 1.0, not Qualcomm quick charge 2.0. We are waiting for HTC to come out with a 2 amp charger
   
   

   [*]Presence of a battery saving mode that can give me 15 hours on a 5% charge - I see myself using that all the time

   
   It's called extreme power saving. The US variants don't have this yet, again waiting for HTC to come out with an update to enable this. International models, at least some, do have it. Also when in this mode, you can only use like five things, phone, messages, and some others.
   
   

   [*]Better lockscreen (I don't like the lockscreen unlock animation of the Z2)
   [*]More streamlined Sense experience (arguable, maybe?)

   
   I haven't experienced the z2 software but my guess is sense is better. It's one of the lightest smoothest manufacture ui's
   
   

   [*]Little things like TEXT REFLOW to custom zoom level in browsers that matter a lot! (I really don't know why others are not implementing this)

Points for the Sony Xperia Z2:

1. Extra 1 GB RAM will be useful for multitasking

1. 
   Nothing you do on the phone will really take advantage of this, multitasking included. 2gb is plenty for all apps and processes
   
   

   [*]Bigger and RGB notification LED (Somewhat important for me - HTC has only ONE color for notification? Definitely a joke, right? Right?)
   [*]Waterproof phone (I might use it in the swimming pool maybe 2-3 times during the life of the phone, practically thinking. But it will ensure peace of mind during the heavy rains here)
   [*]Better positioned power button

   
   Kind of negligible due to motion launch on m8
   
   

   [*]Built-in noise cancellation (I could definitely use this on flights and buses)
   [*]Less cluttered notification bar (Things like the battery percentage showing inside the battery bar, and similar stamina mode icon make for this. The M8's notification bar is almost always cluttered with a myriad of icons which irritates me)
   [*]Better screen (Again, I'm convinced of this. The difference is not too much though - mainly to do with better reds, higher overall contrast and saturation)
   [*]Better stock dialer app (in M8, smart dialing gives you only the top hit and for others you've to expand the list)
   [*]Better stock Music Player - Walkman

   
   Maybe better software, but the m8 is king for audio. Better speakers and higher voltage output audio jack
   
   

   [*]Better stock app drawer (I prefer the pages interface to the scrolling interface of the M8)

Honestly I'm having a pretty tough time deciding, and I would much appreciate your opinions (as long as it comes with a logical justification that is ).
Thanks!

PS - I realize I'm posting this in the M8 forum so people would tend to be naturally biased towards their device, but I would appreciate it if you could be as honest as possible.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Skyway]

A lot of those are my opinion, some are fact. Take them how you will, but you should definitely test out both for yourself and make decision that way. I know going to a retailer gives you a really limited experience, but it's the only thing we have now. You ultimately have to decide, it's your money and its you who will be using the phone.

I hope I helped without being too bias. Good luck man! I think you will be happy with either device though, where one falls short, the other picks up imo. Both great devices

Posted via Android Central App

 

[jd914]

Didn't vote since I haven't been able to get a Z2. The Z2 looks like it's a damn good device but I'm not going to recommend either without any hands on with a Z2.

 

[metz65]

I'm waiting for the same reason. The M8 is nice but before I upgrade I want to see what the Z2 and the G3 (no S5 not a Samsung fan) bring to the table. I'm in no hurry I still have a major man crush on my DNA.

I don't care what kind of phone you have, that's not how I judge someone's worth or intelligence.

 

[Alleyviper13]

M8 is the best phone ive ever owned, which is a lot because i purchase them full price, sell them blah blah blah.

Very happy with the M8. Also very happy explaining my M8 to other people who see my phone and ask what it is and how i have all those customizations on it....I think its because of the gun metal grey and the seemingly fitting screen size.

 

[Prinny Mask]

I originally wanted the Z2. Why didn't I get it? Verizon. It wasn't so much that Verizon didn't have the Z2 as it was that I could get a One right now. I had an upgrade; I already waited almost a month holding on to it; I just wasn't going to wait any longer for a chance that Verizon might get the Z2. So that's pretty much how my decision was made.

After doing so I absolutely love my One, but I believe I provide, at the very least, a pretty reasonable perspective, and I'll try to do so even though I don't have a Z2. So here's my take (sorry if it's sort of a shambled mess, I don't know how to format posts to make them organized and with lists and pretty much anything besides bold and italics lol) :

One points-

1. The speakers are pretty spectacular with the One. They're better than my Nexus 7, the laptop, TV, anything that isn't an actual sound system. And they're loud. My house is pretty open, but if I was standing at one end with full volume, you could probably still hear it around 3/4ths of the way into the house. So you could probably hear what's playing in the majority of the house if you don't have any doors closed or you're doing it from the living room. I don't think the Z2's will be bad, they've just been pretty run of the mill. Which isn't to say they'll be bad, just based on the Z and Z1 and such, they'll probably be at the same level as any other phone out there now. I'd give points to the speaker being on the bottom as opposed to the back though.

2. As far as design, it's a wash for me. They both have big bezels, but it's for speakers on the One and waterproofing on the Z2. And I actually like bezels, because I have something to hold onto in landscape. One is curvier and rounder, but the Z2 has the power button on the side. I'd be happy with either of them.

3. I honestly haven't used the IR Blaster, and probably don't plan to other than to try it out, but if it's something you'd use, power to you.

4. I don't even look at benchmarks. The One flys. I'm sure since the Z2 uses the same CPU, it will too.

5. Battery life is amazing too with the One. Since the Z1 had really good battery life with 3,000, the Z2 should be just as good with 3,200.

6. The battery saver mode does sound enticing, but I don't think any of the carrier versions have it yet until another update. And the Z series has had their Stamina mode, which might not be as extreme but seems to work really well as well.

7. Lockscreen is kinda ehhh. I don't really care to be honest, and even if I did I'd prefer the lockscreen on my Spectrum 2 where I could swipe anywhere in any direction to unlock. Maybe the One just because you can swipe up when the screen's off to bypass the lockscreen completely. I've just never really had an issue with how a lockscreen looked before.

8. I'd prefer Sense over any other UI, but I don't have a problem with the Z2's UI. It would probably be my next favorite. It's not so close to stock as the Moto X, but it still retains some of that feel, and has a good deal of customization and features.

9. Kinda vague, so I can't really say much.

Z2 points -

1. The extra gig of RAM isn't all that necessary, but it's definitely nice to have it.

2. The notification light on the One is decent, it's small since it's in the speaker grille, but it's really bright. I'd prefer to have more colors than orange and green, but I only have messages and calls trigger it, so it's not that big of a deal to me as others (and my previous phone only had one color. Seriously). I'd definitely take the Z2's notification light over it though.

3. I don't mind flaps, so any waterproofing is a big plus. It just opens up more possibilities of things you can do with your phone and decreases the amount of things you have to worry about.

4. Power button on the side is great, especially with devices getting this big. I've honestly never really had trouble hitting it on the top of my One (I don't have huge hands, but I have long fingers), but the side is just a better position. This is somewhat mitigated by being able to swipe to wake the One, but you still have to hit it when you're done.

5. According to GSMarena, they both have noise cancellation. Don't know if you mean the Z2 has something else or special.

6. The only thing that bugs me about the notification bar with the One is having the Boomsound icon take up space when you play music, because if you use Play Music with headphones then there's an icon for Play Music, plus one for headphones, plus one for Boomsound. The Z2 has a slightly bigger screen too so it should help with the icons.

7. I haven't seen the Z2's screen so I can't really say myself, but I have no complaints about the One's screen, and if they really did fix the viewing angles for the Z2 they should be about the same. They're both at the top for best screens so neither would do you wrong.

8. Won't argue with that, but I don't find it as a big issue either.

9. I use Google Play so I can't really comment on that either.

10. It did take some used to with the scrolling app drawer on the One. I like that you can customize it, but every time I put a folder as the last app and restart my phone, it goes back to being the first.

I'll add more if I can think of any, but for me at least, they both seem like really great phones. I got the One, because I could get it right now. If the Z2 was out for me to visibly compare last week, I probably would have just as hard a time deciding as you. I don't regret getting my One. It's the best phone I've ever had, hands down. But if I got the Z2 instead, I'm sure I'd say the same thing. I suggest taking a good look at both of them when you can side by side and just going with what feels better. If you can't wait like me, get whatever's available, for me that was the One, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with either of them. It sounds like you might be a little better off with the Z2, but you might hold them and like how the One feels better or something like that. I just think you should hold off until you find someone or someplace with a Z2 you can spend a few minutes with, go into a store, look at a One, and just go with your gut. It seems like a difficult choice, because they're both such great phones. I know I keep saying it, but I seriously don't think you could go wrong with either one.

 

[o2k]

OP,
I voted for M8 when I saw the poll upon opening the thread.
BUT after seeing your post, 10 pros listed for M8 while 11 for Z2, I'd say Z2.

Seriously, I don't think you can go wrong with either. It comes down to which one you like more.

As to water resistance, anecdotally I saw someone in a swimming pool accidentally drop his iPhone in the pool. Got it out of the pool almost crying. He went use a hair dryer to blow dry it. Finally, a few hours later the phone was revived. So when my old phone (an HTC) got wet and went dead some time later, I didn't panic as much, just patiently waited and hoped for it to dry out (overnight). And it did and the phone was very well alive after. But I don't know if I would be so lucky again next time around.

 

[Skyway]

OP,
I voted for M8 when I saw the poll upon opening the thread.
BUT after seeing your post, 10 pros listed for M8 while 11 for Z2, I'd say Z2.

Seriously, I don't think you can go wrong with either. It comes down to which one you like more.

As to water resistance, anecdotally I saw someone in a swimming pool accidentally drop his iPhone in the pool. Got it out of the pool almost crying. He went use a hair dryer to blow dry it. Finally, a few hours later the phone was revived. So when my old phone (an HTC) got wet and went dead some time later, I didn't panic as much, just patiently waited and hoped for it to dry out (overnight). And it did and the phone was very well alive after. But I don't know if I would be so lucky again next time around.

I use the android central app, so I didn't know about the poll. I voted for the m8 and the results were actually 9-1, in the m8's favor. Don't know what your seeing.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Justin Stepp]

I would love a Z2. I think it's a fantastic device. But I am on Verizon in the US so that isn't really going to be an option for me in the foreseeable future.

If I could have had the choice I probably would have picked the Sony just because I like Sony but the aluminum chasis is hard to beat.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[g4rvd4]

1. The speakers are pretty spectacular with the One. They're better than my Nexus 7, the laptop, TV, anything that isn't an actual sound system. And they're loud. My house is pretty open, but if I was standing at one end with full volume, you could probably still hear it around 3/4ths of the way into the house. So you could probably hear what's playing in the majority of the house if you don't have any doors closed or you're doing it from the living room. I don't think the Z2's will be bad, they've just been pretty run of the mill. Which isn't to say they'll be bad, just based on the Z and Z1 and such, they'll probably be at the same level as any other phone out there now. I'd give points to the speaker being on the bottom as opposed to the back though.

2. As far as design, it's a wash for me. They both have big bezels, but it's for speakers on the One and waterproofing on the Z2. And I actually like bezels, because I have something to hold onto in landscape. One is curvier and rounder, but the Z2 has the power button on the side. I'd be happy with either of them.

The Z2 also has dual front-facing speakers that are the same volume as the M8's. The only difference is that the M8's is slightly clearer.
You can check out this video if you like: HTC One (M8) vs Sony Xperia Z2 - speaker comparison - YouTube

5. According to GSMarena, they both have noise cancellation. Don't know if you mean the Z2 has something else or special.

There is built-in noise cancellation in the Z2 when you're playing music through headphones, which can reduce up to 98% of ambient noise (claimed). This works with only specific headphones, but so far the Z2 is the only phone to have this feature.

The noise-cancellation in the M8 is for calls, the person you're talking to will be able to hear you clearer. This feature is now available on almost all phones.

 

[Prinny Mask]

The Z2 also has dual front-facing speakers that are the same volume as the M8's. The only difference is that the M8's is slightly clearer.
You can check out this video if you like:

There is built-in noise cancellation in the Z2 when you're playing music through headphones, which can reduce up to 98% of ambient noise (claimed). This works with only specific headphones, but so far the Z2 is the only phone to have this feature.

The noise-cancellation in the M8 is for calls, the person you're talking to will be able to hear you clearer. This feature is now available on almost all phones.

Thanks, I'm kinda fuzzy on my Z2 info since it's been awhile since any posts were made about it. I knew one of them had front facing speakers too, but I assumed it was the Ultra since it's really hard to see the one on the bottom in pictures. I thought it was something like that for noise cancellation, I just don't remember it being talked about too much. It still sounds like honestly you might be a little better off with the Z2, but they're pretty close. Should still wait until you can hold a Z2, even if it might be better for you; if you think it's too blocky in your hand you might not like using it too much which would defeat the purpose of getting one lol. I'd be okay with it, my previous phones were really blocky, but it's a subjective thing. I think getting to hold both of them might be the thing that gets you to decide since their designs are pretty much on opposite sides of the spectrum.

 

[MetalxAssassinx]

I'm as confused as you, but what's making me have an HTC device is its UI, and also how durable the device is in hand compared to the awkward squared sony device

Don't get me wrong Z2 would be the device that i would buy after the M8, and i don't know how to help you really
But i can help you with two things
For the M8: it is actually certificated for water resistant, not as huge as the Z2 or the S5, but it is, so when there's rain you wouldn't need to worry much, and don't know why HTC haven't said that
For the Z2: The LED light notification is something HUGE for me, i mean on the M8 you can't customize it at all, while on the Z2 you can actually download apps like lightflow and use the led for other apps, which is pretty pretty handy

Didn't vote as well, i like both devices , hope i helped.

 

[kronosqq]

I'm as confused as you, but what's making me have an HTC device is its UI, and also how durable the device is in hand compared to the awkward squared sony device

Don't get me wrong Z2 would be the device that i would buy after the M8, and i don't know how to help you really
But i can help you with two things
For the M8: it is actually certificated for water resistant, not as huge as the Z2 or the S5, but it is, so when there's rain you wouldn't need to worry much, and don't know why HTC haven't said that
For the Z2: The LED light notification is something HUGE for me, i mean on the M8 you can't customize it at all, while on the Z2 you can actually download apps like lightflow and use the led for other apps, which is pretty pretty handy

Didn't vote as well, i like both devices , hope i helped.

They haven't said it's water resistant because it's not certified as being water resistant. Yeah, I saw that water test video too, but we have absolutely no idea whether it's real or not, and regardless it's not grounds to assume the phone is water resistant. That being said you are right about the rain, basically with any phone, unless you're leaving it directly in heavy rain for a long span of time it's going to be just fine.

 

[iknownothing]

Just a little input. I believe the z2 still uses a tft screen whereas the HTC is ips. I'm certain about the m8, less so about the z2.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[Samuelchua]

Just a little input. I believe the z2 still uses a tft screen whereas the HTC is ips. I'm certain about the m8, less so about the z2.

Posted via Android Central App

Z2 uses IPS this time.

Posted via Nexus 5 on Android Central App

 

[MetalxAssassinx]

They haven't said it's water resistant because it's not certified as being water resistant. Yeah, I saw that water test video too, but we have absolutely no idea whether it's real or not, and regardless it's not grounds to assume the phone is water resistant. That being said you are right about the rain, basically with any phone, unless you're leaving it directly in heavy rain for a long span of time it's going to be just fine.

Well i just looked at what i was pointing out is this "FYI, the HTC One (M8) is rated IPx3, which protects it from everyday use in rainy or damp conditions."
and that's the link https://twitter.com/urbanstrata/status/448883156213837824
I've seen the video as well, that wasn't my point though