One M9 owners: What are your HTC One M9 first impressions?

[neo905]

I have a very active toddler and to be quite honest, neither me nor my wife have yet to miss a "magic moment" because the camera "sucks". It is a very capable camera with snappy software running it. The reviewers have the unique (and to a fault) advantage of getting to play with and review ALL the new toys. So when the come across a camera as good as the iPhone or S6 of course their view of a lessor product will be jaded and the faults will be magnified and good overlooked.

The M9's camera is not the best of the flagships but it is more then adequate to sit on a flagship device. And I'm sorry to every one jumping ship simply because of the camera... not a very good reason in my opinion. Unless you are planning on taking professional and blowing them up to 11 X 18 to put on your wall, the camera on the M9 is very capable of producing very nice photos and print extremely nice quality 5 X 7's and 8 X 10's and good enough 11 X 18's.

I would reserve judgement of the camera until you've used it in real-life.

Ok. But have you taken video of your kids? How is that working out for you without OIS. The M9 is capable in next to perfect conditions and the operater perfectly still or using a tripod but that isn't realistic do the margin of error is much smaller with this handset. It's just whether you can accept those shortcomings given the overall package is quite compelling.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[sadielrojas]

M9 has been great for me so far. The camera was not great at first but now that I've changed settings and usually take all photos in HDR it seems to work perfect for everyday photos. The battery life was so so about 8 hours for the first 5 days and maybe 2.5 hours of screen on time. Now after a little of 9 days of owning the m9 living in Spain running on USA T-Mobiles network, the m9 gets great battery life maybe 11 hours to 12 for me. With 3.5 to 4 hours of SOT. I turn WiFi off when I'm not using it now and I never turn on WiFi Calling anymore on TMobile because it burns battery rapidly. I also keep power saver on all day the performance is not hindered phone is snappy never lags. Overheating has never been an issue. And I have not recieved the camera update to improve photos yet so I'm still waiting as I have the T-Mobile version.

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[PeteMc]

Re: HTC One M9 First Impressions

THANK YOU ADAM !!!!

And for those going to look, it's a bit counter intuitive. When you tap Settings (3 dots) the third item says "Large dial pad"... That's telling you what you've selected, not what you want to switch too. So tap it and the dial pad will drop just enough to see part of the second entry in the History. When you go to scroll the History list, the keypad drops like it always used to do.

 

[aallison1882]

Ok. But have you taken video of your kids? How is that working out for you without OIS. The M9 is capable in next to perfect conditions and the operater perfectly still or using a tripod but that isn't realistic do the margin of error is much smaller with this handset. It's just whether you can accept those shortcomings given the overall package is quite compelling.

Posted via the Android Central App

The videos taken (all by my wife on her M9) are fine for social media posting and/or watching on the phone. A little jittery here and there but nothing that would cause motion sickness or an epileptic seizure. The videos where my wife was sitting/standing still and just moving the camera around were better than when both her and the kiddo were moving at the same time. Kind of reminds me of the camera bounce in a movie when the cameraman is moving to follow the action in a scene.

The EIS on the phone is decent/average but definitely not great (like the iPhone) and probably not even good. If it were a 1 to 5 scale, I would give it a 3, neither good nor bad kinda just meh. OIS would have definitely been a well welcomed feature and it not being there is a disappointment. We compared it to my mom-in-law's M7 and the M7 is more stable.

The one thing I noticed about the video that was actually more noticeable than the any shakiness was actually the amount of wind noise picked up. While it wasn't over powering compared to the voices, it was more than I would like. I can throw them on the TV later to see what they look like at 65 inches and sound like in 5.1.

That is the most unbiased opinion that I can give.

 

[Habiib]

Sorry but you are wrong. Some of us leave our homes when it is dark and I have yet to see any evidence that the M9 is capable, so yes that would be cherry picking knowing what the inherent flaw of the device is and just posting sunshine pics. I am waiting and hoping to be proven wrong.

Posted via the Android Central App

Fair enough and now I see where you're coming from. I tell you what, I'll take you up on your challenge and take some low light shots. I'll admit that out the box, it's severely lacking, but I think I can get something better out of it. I'll keep you posted.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[neo905]

The videos taken (all by my wife on her M9) are fine for social media posting and/or watching on the phone. A little jittery here and there but nothing that would cause motion sickness or an epileptic seizure. The videos where my wife was sitting/standing still and just moving the camera around were better than when both her and the kiddo were moving at the same time. Kind of reminds me of the camera bounce in a movie when the cameraman is moving to follow the action in a scene.

The EIS on the phone is decent/average but definitely not great (like the iPhone) and probably not even good. If it were a 1 to 5 scale, I would give it a 3, neither good nor bad kinda just meh. OIS would have definitely been a well welcomed feature and it not being there is a disappointment. We compared it to my mom-in-law's M7 and the M7 is more stable.

The one thing I noticed about the video that was actually more noticeable than the any shakiness was actually the amount of wind noise picked up. While it wasn't over powering compared to the voices, it was more than I would like. I can throw them on the TV later to see what they look like at 65 inches and sound like in 5.1.

That is the most unbiased opinion that I can give.

Thanks. Appreciated. Question. How are the exposure and focus issues in real life? Reviews made a big deal about it when shooting videos. The subjects end up too dark or too light depending on where the camera moves.

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[aallison1882]

Thanks. Appreciated. Question. How are the exposure and focus issues in real life? Reviews made a big deal about it when shooting videos. The subjects end up too dark or too light depending on where the camera moves.

Posted via the Android Central App

The focus was good. I didn't notice any issues of the kiddo going out of focus. I didn't pay much attention to anything else in the video though. As far as exposure and subjects being too dark or too light, I can't speak to that as all the videos were taken on a bright Dallas day, so the lighting was just bright everywhere and we don't have trees in the backyard to provide any kind of shading. The camera didn't have to do much adjustments for lighting conditions. Trust me, knowing my wife it won't take long to get videos in lower light or shaded areas at which time I can provide a more opinions.

As a note, my wife was shooting in Full HD (1080p).

 

[Rose4uKY]

I haven't tested my video out yet! I usually video at the bar a band playing and it's kind of dark sometimes. Video was great on the M8 sound and all. I guess will see next time I am out.I still love this phone and my pictures aren't too bad. I got the update already.

 

[ABOSWORTH007]

I think the camera is alright but have you messed with the slow motion video? That is straight up abysmal. Is there a setting I'm missing or something? I don't see how the regular 4k video can come out well but slow motion is just horrid. It comes out all dark and grainy. I haven't tried it outside on a nice sunny day yet but it looks terrible inside with lower light conditions.

 

[trsbbs]

Since most purchases are made on the back of reviews, and I won't be owning 10 devices at a time to compare camera quality, and the consensus is the camera is under par for a flagship, and that it is nowhere near the league of the S6/iPhone 6 cameras, then yes I would go along with the camera sucks. Why are there so many users complaining of poor camera then.

Yes those are nice photos, but even the crappiest camera can take some good photos if you work at it and get the right shot. The S6 and iPhone 6 are good point and shoot cameras where the consensus is that the HTC One M9 is not and requires a lot more work.

HTC has never made a good camera, let alone a class leading one like Samsung so let's not debate that. When you think "HTC" and "camera" we automatically adjust our expectations because they have historically sucked at making cameras.

Toshiba makes the camera, not HTC.

Buy one then I'll listen. Maybe...

Posted with my HTC One M9 via Verizon...

 

[Bodzm]

Toshiba makes the camera, not HTC.

Buy one then I'll listen. Maybe...

Posted with my HTC One M9 via Verizon...

It doesn't matter who the OEM is. The device says HTC on it so they are responsible. Of course you know this but are getting defensive over your phone

The truth is this camera will never be in the ballpark of the Note 4, S6 or iPhone 6 no matter what software updates come through, but you're happy to accept mediocrity. As I said before, a camera doesn't matter too much to me - I rarely use it - but to state the M9 is comparable to its competitors is completely untrue. It's a lazy implementation and we've come to accept mediocrity when it comes to HTC cameras. I'm sorry but even an S3 camera is better than the last three generations of HTC phones.

 

[Habiib]

It doesn't matter who the OEM is. The device says HTC on it so they are responsible. Of course you know this but are getting defensive over your phone

The truth is this camera will never be in the ballpark of the Note 4, S6 or iPhone 6 no matter what software updates come through, but you're happy to accept mediocrity. As I said before, a camera doesn't matter too much to me - I rarely use it - but to state the M9 is comparable to its competitors is completely untrue. It's a lazy implementation and we've come to accept mediocrity when it comes to HTC cameras. I'm sorry but even an S3 camera is better than the last three generations of HTC phones.

How so?

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[Aquila]

Trolling - Do not post inflammatory, extraneous, or off-topic messages to provoke users into responding in a negative way. Calling another member a troll is also a form of trolling.

Don't feed the trolls, report them and move on.

 

[puch96]

I had the opportunity to see the M9 in person. When i held the phone in my hand, i came to the conclusion that is the best constructed, best feel in hand and premium phone out there right now.
I played with the new Sese 7, and i like the small tweaks here and there, without overhalling the Sense experience we are used to. They keep it clean and simple (one of the reasons it is so snappy).
I didn't ge tthe chance to test the speakers, but I imagine they sound very good. Whether it is louder or not compared to M8, I don't know, but clarity is certainly there and no one comes close to this implementaiton of front facing speakers.
From a camera standpoint, it may be not as good, but each consumer will have to deside what they want their smartphone to accomplish. I mean for someone who will rely on the camera and take pictures frequently, right now I think Samsung has accomplished a good quality camera for a smartphone. This is not to say that the M9 camera is bad, it is just not appropriate for a 2015 flagship device.

One thing i've been reading is battery life on 2015 flagship devices. I heard both complaints from the S6 and M9 when it comes to battey life. A lot of people say that in 2015, battery life should not be an issue. But we have to remember that batery technology has not drastically evolved. On the other hand, we now have very fast, 64 bit - 8 core processors which will generate more heat, and of course, drain the battery faster. Sometimes I think why we really need such powerful processors on smartphones. Looking at my M8 performance next to the M9, there is not that "huge" difference in every day use (only on benchmarks and demanding games), but for the everyday use, I would rather have a toned down processor if it will favor battery live. There is a 'sweet balance' between performance and batter life, at least, until battery technology improves. At least we now have fast chargers that can quickly top off the battery if needed.

 

[bobby35ny]

I was always an HTC guy. EVO etc. Got the S4 a while back and always said my next phone I'm going back to HTC. Well I'm typing this on an M9!!

So glad to see sense 7.0. TW was horrible.

My thoughts on this M9 having it about 12 hours.

Lots of good for sure.
BAD:: phone does get hot even with power saver. And YES really hate to say it...OMG the camera STINKS! My S4 took way better pictures. Ill wait for the 14 days hoping for a camera fix. Otherwise its going to be returned ...

Posted via the Android Central App

Well.....I returned it today! The camera is just that bad. Didn't think it would matter to me but it did. HTC if you guys read this...spend the extra couple of bucks and improve the camera. Loved the sense and everything else but OMG that camera. I just want to point and shoot not play with the settings. And the video was just as bad. Back to my S4 for now .....

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[kleeno]

A big jump up from the 4g LTE and even bigger jump form jellybean to lollipop getting used to everything being faster and smoother.

Battery life could better though.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Jeff H2]

Difficulty removing the mini-SD card is almost a reason to return it. I absolutely dislike the access system to the mini-SD card. If you loose the tool, you are SOL. My other phones were much easier to remove and later replace that mini-SD card. Historically, I put only the card in my PC when transferring photos and other files. Now I am stuck plugging in the phone to the PC because the removal difficulty of the mini-SD card is almost a reason to return it..
That plug receptacle on the phone will get greater wear and tear between power recharge and PC file transfers using the same plug.
The M9 phone runs HOT when in my shirt pocket with a coat on
The M9 Automatic Connections is a PIA switching connections way too often including switching attempts to passworded WiFi that I do not have access to. I turn it off with a goal of better control by me how to lock in a signal but the M9 Automatic Connections is switched back on by the phone - There needs to be a way to turn it off effectively.
I do LIKE the QPair which I have used with the LG G pad 7.0 to locate the other.
The bluetooth seems solid with this and my Toyota Prius. I can make phone calls from my car even with lockout functioning.
Some of my Android 4.x apps do not work on Lollipop 5.x / Example: TouchMobile.
Like all Androids, it comes preloaded with a ton of GIGO apps that you cannot fully delete:
. Hangout, Google Music,Play Books, App Pass, HTC Dot View, Kid Mode, News Stand, on phone voicemail that will not let you use SPRINT voice mail.

 

[msm0511]

Difficulty removing the mini-SD card is almost a reason to return it. I absolutely dislike the access system to the mini-SD card. If you loose the tool, you are SOL. My other phones were much easier to remove and later replace that mini-SD card. Historically, I put only the card in my PC when transferring photos and other files. Now I am stuck plugging in the phone to the PC because the removal difficulty of the mini-SD card is almost a reason to return it..
That plug receptacle on the phone will get greater wear and tear between power recharge and PC file transfers using the same plug.
The M9 phone runs HOT when in my shirt pocket with a coat on
The M9 Automatic Connections is a PIA switching connections way too often including switching attempts to passworded WiFi that I do not have access to. I turn it off with a goal of better control by me how to lock in a signal but the M9 Automatic Connections is switched back on by the phone - There needs to be a way to turn it off effectively.
I do LIKE the QPair which I have used with the LG G pad 7.0 to locate the other.
The bluetooth seems solid with this and my Toyota Prius. I can make phone calls from my car even with lockout functioning.
Some of my Android 4.x apps do not work on Lollipop 5.x / Example: TouchMobile.
Like all Androids, it comes preloaded with a ton of GIGO apps that you cannot fully delete:
. Hangout, Google Music,Play Books, App Pass, HTC Dot View, Kid Mode, News Stand, on phone voicemail that will not let you use SPRINT voice mail.

A small paperclip works fine if you lose the ejector tool.

 

[Teserack]

I just got My M9 Thurday 05/07. As Far as the Speakers go , well the 1 on the Galaxy S6 Sounds Fuller !! and I had a Problem when a Call Ended it didn t say it in English it said it in another Unknown Language. But what Matters Most is its 1 of the Sharpest Looking Cell I ve Ever HAD !!!

 

[Speedygi]

My battery life is always consistently good if I am not playing really intensive games or videos.