I'm a current M8 owner. Today I spent some time in a Verizon store with a brand new demo unit. The staff at the store were very nice and applied no sales pressure. They gave me all the time I wanted. I suggest you visit a store and check out the 10 yourself.
I'm a classical music lover. I worked for years as a musician. I'm now in school for engineering. I listened to the phones through their internal speakers as well as my Shure SE-535. I used YouTube for musical and speech content (a speech by President Obama and videos from the Berlin Philharmonic's channel). I listen to a lot of podcasts on my M8 through both headphones and internal speakers, so performance with the spoken word is important to me. I do not listen to music through phone speakers often so I didn't test that much.
Short story: The 10 is a spectacular audio performer. I just placed my preorder; there is nothing left for me to consider. I've been doing a lot of hemming and hawing until now, and reading and watching everything I could find about the 10. Phonearena says the audio through the headphone jack is overly bassy. Several sites said the performance of the speakers does not match the M8 or M9. My short experience indicated the speakers on the 10 are both louder and clearer than the M8, and it's performance through the headphone jack is vastly better. As in, completely, unmistakably, definitley-not-just-in-your head better. A little bassy? Perhaps, but the sound is clear and spacious and rich in detail. The amp seemed very powerful. The sound from the speakers is still relatively thin – it's just a phone, after all – but the speakers sound notably balanced and natural when compared to the G5 and S7. And louder. Bear in mind, I was listening to those two phones at their displays, and the staff asked me to remain at the sales desk with the 10, and there was music and a lot of conversation in the background. This was not a laboratory setting. My impressions were clear nonetheless.
Other observations: The phone feels very premium. I'll have a few words about the other phones, but this was my very strong subjective impression. On the down side, the screen is not as bright as that of my M8, and I liked the colors on the M8 better, too. I did not mess with the new feature on the 10 for saturated/rgb modes, so maybe this can be improved. I did observe the reddish/rusty tint at off angles. This didn't bother me because I don't look at my phone at off angles. It seems like an effect that kicks in beyond a certain viewing angle, an angle I don't normally exceed. Its brightness seemed roughly the same as the G5, and clearly less than the S7. It seems bright enough for me. I wasn't thinking about the claims of HTC that the phone is tuned to be especially responsive when I noticed just how nice it was to interact with the screen. This does seem to be a virtue of the phone. The phone does not seem overly thick or chunky. Yes, it's thicker and heavier than the G5 and S7, but it also feels more luxurious and substantial.
About the other two phones: LG has been taking a lot of flak for their materials and build quality, as well as "muddy", sub-par audio from the headphone. I thought the phone sounded wonderful through my earphones. I would have normally been very satisfied with the sound quality. It's much better than the S7 through both the headphone jack and the speaker. It's a good thing I waited to listen to it until I had a chance to hear the 10, because I probably would have bought it. I don't think they purposely detuned or cheaped-out on the headphone amp at all. I think it's a fine performer that way. I'm now very intrigued by their Hi-Fi Plus module and I hope they sell it in the US eventually. I went into this favorably disposed to the G5 because I've been blown away at the pictures its taken for reviewers. To my eye, it's easily the best of the current crop for photography. The phone did not feel cheap or plasticky to me. It felt like exactly what it is: painted metal. I can't believe people have been so down on this phone for that issue. I felt like I was holding an example of advanced materials science, a real accomplishment. The phone I used looked completely fine, QC-wise. The display looked great to me. It seemed to have a cooler, less-warm cast than the 10 and I preferred that.
I recognize the appeal and achievement of the S7, but I can't get excited about it. They sit there shiny and bright, with what seems like a layer of grease on them from being touched by customers. It's not a look that makes me want to touch them. Perhaps that's unfair. The screen is very bright. The sound through the headphones wasn't terrible. It just couldn't show off the abilities of my Shures at all.
I hope this was helpful to someone out there. Mine is not the definitive opinion, of course, not even for me since I only spent about 45 minutes with the phones. I can say with confidence, however, that the 10 will make for a huge upgrade over the M8.
I'm a classical music lover. I worked for years as a musician. I'm now in school for engineering. I listened to the phones through their internal speakers as well as my Shure SE-535. I used YouTube for musical and speech content (a speech by President Obama and videos from the Berlin Philharmonic's channel). I listen to a lot of podcasts on my M8 through both headphones and internal speakers, so performance with the spoken word is important to me. I do not listen to music through phone speakers often so I didn't test that much.
Short story: The 10 is a spectacular audio performer. I just placed my preorder; there is nothing left for me to consider. I've been doing a lot of hemming and hawing until now, and reading and watching everything I could find about the 10. Phonearena says the audio through the headphone jack is overly bassy. Several sites said the performance of the speakers does not match the M8 or M9. My short experience indicated the speakers on the 10 are both louder and clearer than the M8, and it's performance through the headphone jack is vastly better. As in, completely, unmistakably, definitley-not-just-in-your head better. A little bassy? Perhaps, but the sound is clear and spacious and rich in detail. The amp seemed very powerful. The sound from the speakers is still relatively thin – it's just a phone, after all – but the speakers sound notably balanced and natural when compared to the G5 and S7. And louder. Bear in mind, I was listening to those two phones at their displays, and the staff asked me to remain at the sales desk with the 10, and there was music and a lot of conversation in the background. This was not a laboratory setting. My impressions were clear nonetheless.
Other observations: The phone feels very premium. I'll have a few words about the other phones, but this was my very strong subjective impression. On the down side, the screen is not as bright as that of my M8, and I liked the colors on the M8 better, too. I did not mess with the new feature on the 10 for saturated/rgb modes, so maybe this can be improved. I did observe the reddish/rusty tint at off angles. This didn't bother me because I don't look at my phone at off angles. It seems like an effect that kicks in beyond a certain viewing angle, an angle I don't normally exceed. Its brightness seemed roughly the same as the G5, and clearly less than the S7. It seems bright enough for me. I wasn't thinking about the claims of HTC that the phone is tuned to be especially responsive when I noticed just how nice it was to interact with the screen. This does seem to be a virtue of the phone. The phone does not seem overly thick or chunky. Yes, it's thicker and heavier than the G5 and S7, but it also feels more luxurious and substantial.
About the other two phones: LG has been taking a lot of flak for their materials and build quality, as well as "muddy", sub-par audio from the headphone. I thought the phone sounded wonderful through my earphones. I would have normally been very satisfied with the sound quality. It's much better than the S7 through both the headphone jack and the speaker. It's a good thing I waited to listen to it until I had a chance to hear the 10, because I probably would have bought it. I don't think they purposely detuned or cheaped-out on the headphone amp at all. I think it's a fine performer that way. I'm now very intrigued by their Hi-Fi Plus module and I hope they sell it in the US eventually. I went into this favorably disposed to the G5 because I've been blown away at the pictures its taken for reviewers. To my eye, it's easily the best of the current crop for photography. The phone did not feel cheap or plasticky to me. It felt like exactly what it is: painted metal. I can't believe people have been so down on this phone for that issue. I felt like I was holding an example of advanced materials science, a real accomplishment. The phone I used looked completely fine, QC-wise. The display looked great to me. It seemed to have a cooler, less-warm cast than the 10 and I preferred that.
I recognize the appeal and achievement of the S7, but I can't get excited about it. They sit there shiny and bright, with what seems like a layer of grease on them from being touched by customers. It's not a look that makes me want to touch them. Perhaps that's unfair. The screen is very bright. The sound through the headphones wasn't terrible. It just couldn't show off the abilities of my Shures at all.
I hope this was helpful to someone out there. Mine is not the definitive opinion, of course, not even for me since I only spent about 45 minutes with the phones. I can say with confidence, however, that the 10 will make for a huge upgrade over the M8.
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