Right now: M8 or M9?

[markymark]

I had a technician out to my house yesterday, I saw he was using a Note 4 and we started talking about android phones. He said he switched to the Note 4 because of the S Pen but he said the best phone he ever had was the One M8. He highly recommended if I was upgrading now to go with the M8. I mentioned that the M9 was out and was basically being panned by reviewers for overheating, worse battery life and so forth. He said just get an M8, you can get them much cheaper now anyway. He had a good point.

For those coming from an older generation phone (like me with the 2012 Razr Maxx HD), why not just get an M8? It seems the M9 is no better in most respects and actually has worse battery life and overheating issues. Why would I get an M9 as opposed to just getting an M8? Both are running Lollipop. Yes the M8 will stop getting updates sooner but really, who cares?

 

[Adam_ation]

I had an M8 and now have an M9, I just have to have the latest things, all of them - Adam

 

[petvas72]

I had an M8 and now have an M9, I just have to have the latest things, all of them - Adam

I agree. If you don't care though about having the latest then the M8 is the better choice, considering the price. If money isn't an issue then get the M9.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Adam_ation]

Yeah I honestly believe though that the M9 is an all around better phone across the board and have no issues at all with the camera or battery life, I have taken some fantastic shots so far - Adam

 

[festinator]

Overheating issue is a thing of the past, phone doesn't heat up to uncomfortable temperatures after the fix. The camera can be fixed by editing the settings and from what most people who have the phone have been saying, battery is not as good as the m8 but still enough to get you through the day, unless you're a heavy phone user.

Unless you're a heavy phone user or are on a budget, I'd go ahead with the m9.

(I've not had either phone, I'm just listing what people who have had the phone like the above guys have been posting)

Posted via Android Central App

 

[neo905]

I had a technician out to my house yesterday, I saw he was using a Note 4 and we started talking about android phones. He said he switched to the Note 4 because of the S Pen but he said the best phone he ever had was the One M8. He highly recommended if I was upgrading now to go with the M8. I mentioned that the M9 was out and was basically being panned by reviewers for overheating, worse battery life and so forth. He said just get an M8, you can get them much cheaper now anyway. He had a good point.

For those coming from an older generation phone (like me with the 2012 Razr Maxx HD), why not just get an M8? It seems the M9 is no better in most respects and actually has worse battery life and overheating issues. Why would I get an M9 as opposed to just getting an M8? Both are running Lollipop. Yes the M8 will stop getting updates sooner but really, who cares?

You really just need to go to a carrier and test them both out for yourself. I still won't be able to test the M9 out for another week and a half. I will make my final decision then but the M8 still is a great choice.

 

[Alex_NJ]

I went for a second hand M8 for £150 and going to keep it for 6 months until better options with better battery life are available.

 

[msm0511]

My M9 comes Thursday. Can't wait to put it through it's paces and compare it to the M8 I had. I haven't had the M8 for a while though, so I can't compare them side by side. Just have to go by memory.

 

[markymark]

I agree. If you don't care though about having the latest then the M8 is the better choice, considering the price. If money isn't an issue then get the M9.

Posted via the Android Central App

Money isn't an issue. For me it's more about the battery life. I don't see getting an M9 when the M8 is basically the same phone with better battery life. I have also read reports that the M9 speakers are not as good as M8. I can't see anything that M9 has over M8 that I would actually care about. But maybe I'm missing something. I'm also looking at the Galaxy S6 but the initial battery reports on it are abysmal.

 

[msm0511]

Money isn't an issue. For me it's more about the battery life. I don't see getting an M9 when the M8 is basically the same phone with better battery life. I have also read reports that the M9 speakers are not as good as M8. I can't see anything that M9 has over M8 that I would actually care about. But maybe I'm missing something. I'm also looking at the Galaxy S6 but the initial battery reports on it are abysmal.

The speakers aren't quite as loud, but offer better clarity and depth. I'd take that over a louder hollow sound any day.

 

[crazymike]

I went for a second hand M8 for £150 and going to keep it for 6 months until better options with better battery life are available.

I bought the M9, and returned it due to battery life. I also bought a used M8 to get me through until the next wave of releases.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[drone3]

I think the M9 looks better than the M8 and apparently the camera is tweakable to get some good shots, the new sense is also slick and georgous. Sadly I think the M8 wins in battery, screen and price.

Posted via Android Central App

 

[NadaAddict]

If you buy an M8 new you're only missing 1GB of RAM, but if you buy used, you're missing out on a new battery.. The M8 is getting Sense7, so it'll even look like the M9..

Posted via Android Central App by my M8

 

[Powarun]

I'd go with the M9, for the following reasons:
For the more expensive price you get 1 year of insurance so to speak with the Uh Oh program, so if you go with insurance on your phone, you may skip the water damage/broken screen part. Though the HTC M8 probably gets the 6 month screen replacement.
Gets another year of support of updates and seeing how "buggy" lollipop this is probably welcomed.
As noted the additional gig of RAM, still get the Ultrapixel camera, and a higher megapixel camera.

 

[Quikstep]

For those coming from an older generation phone (like me with the 2012 Razr Maxx HD), why not just get an M8? It seems the M9 is no better in most respects and actually has worse battery life and overheating issues. Why would I get an M9 as opposed to just getting an M8? Both are running Lollipop. Yes the M8 will stop getting updates sooner but really, who cares?

I would get an M9, and you should care about getting updates. Here's why:

I just got my M9 yesterday, coming from a Nexus 5. I was very happy with my Nexus, and the only reason I upgraded was because of a hardware issue on my particular device. It's funny, but this actually resulted in me going backwards in OS versions (from 5.1 on the Nexus to 5.0.2 on the M9). I am pretty sure that there's something about 5.0 that is bad on battery life, because there was a noticeable improvement when my N5 updated to 5.1. I suspect this could be related to why both the M9 and Galaxy S6 have less than stellar reviews on battery life.

Anyway, knowing product life cycles, you are essentially reducing the useful life of your phone by purchasing a year-old device when the newer version is already available. What if there's a significant update say, 18 months from now, and the M9 gets it but the M8 does not? Maybe you don't care if you're someone who gets a new phone every year, but seeing that you're coming from a 2012 Razr, I assume you won't be buying a new phone next year. I don't buy a new phone every year, so when I do, I get the latest and greatest available at the time so that my phone isn't close to being sunset by year 2.

That being said, if you're happy with the device as-is and don't believe OS updates will enhance your experience, then perhaps the cost savings is of greater priority to you.

 

[markymark]

I would get an M9, and you should care about getting updates. Here's why:

I just got my M9 yesterday, coming from a Nexus 5. I was very happy with my Nexus, and the only reason I upgraded was because of a hardware issue on my particular device. It's funny, but this actually resulted in me going backwards in OS versions (from 5.1 on the Nexus to 5.0.2 on the M9). I am pretty sure that there's something about 5.0 that is bad on battery life, because there was a noticeable improvement when my N5 updated to 5.1. I suspect this could be related to why both the M9 and Galaxy S6 have less than stellar reviews on battery life.

Anyway, knowing product life cycles, you are essentially reducing the useful life of your phone by purchasing a year-old device when the newer version is already available. What if there's a significant update say, 18 months from now, and the M9 gets it but the M8 does not? Maybe you don't care if you're someone who gets a new phone every year, but seeing that you're coming from a 2012 Razr, I assume you won't be buying a new phone next year. I don't buy a new phone every year, so when I do, I get the latest and greatest available at the time so that my phone isn't close to being sunset by year 2.

That being said, if you're happy with the device as-is and don't believe OS updates will enhance your experience, then perhaps the cost savings is of greater priority to you.

All good points. I have read the same thing, that battery life will improve with 5.1. I'm a bit surprised that neither the M9 or S6 shipped with 5.1. I wonder how long it will take for them to upgrade to 5.1.

I'm not so concerned with being on the latest and greatest Android release. Kitkat and Lollipop are 2 good examples. My RMHD had absolutely no issues on Jellybean, then I was forced to upgrade to Kitkat. All of a sudden I started having issues with bluetooth audio skipping, Foxfi stopped working and so forth. Kitkat basically messed up a perfectly good phone. From the reports I am reading Lollipop is pretty much a disaster. Honestly, I have been on Android since 2.1 and I don't ever remember an upgrade that did more good than harm. I wish Android would give us the option to refuse upgrades, once I get my phone set up the way I want it, just leave me alone.

Cost is not an issue for me, it's mainly about battery life. Coming from an RMHD with a 3200 mah battery that easily gives me a day and a half or two days of normal use, I can't see "upgrading" to a phone that can't even get through a day. At least the M8 can supposedly get through a day easily. Early reports on the M9 are that it can't. If battery life were the same on both phones, I agree it would be a no brainer to go with the M9. I'm on Verizon, I don't believe the Verizon version of the S6 or M9 have been released yet, supposed to be around 4/10 or 4/11. I'm waiting to see if those have the same issues as the other carriers. Or if one of them gets a firmware upgrade that fixes the battery life issues.

 

[Alex_NJ]

I would get an M9, and you should care about getting updates. Here's why:

I just got my M9 yesterday, coming from a Nexus 5. I was very happy with my Nexus, and the only reason I upgraded was because of a hardware issue on my particular device. It's funny, but this actually resulted in me going backwards in OS versions (from 5.1 on the Nexus to 5.0.2 on the M9). I am pretty sure that there's something about 5.0 that is bad on battery life, because there was a noticeable improvement when my N5 updated to 5.1. I suspect this could be related to why both the M9 and Galaxy S6 have less than stellar reviews on battery life.

Anyway, knowing product life cycles, you are essentially reducing the useful life of your phone by purchasing a year-old device when the newer version is already available. What if there's a significant update say, 18 months from now, and the M9 gets it but the M8 does not? Maybe you don't care if you're someone who gets a new phone every year, but seeing that you're coming from a 2012 Razr, I assume you won't be buying a new phone next year. I don't buy a new phone every year, so when I do, I get the latest and greatest available at the time so that my phone isn't close to being sunset by year 2.

That being said, if you're happy with the device as-is and don't believe OS updates will enhance your experience, then perhaps the cost savings is of greater priority to you.

Make a small investment for a cheap M8 now, and go for a SIM only contract would allow you to upgrade when something like the LG G4, iPhone 6s or a more updated, more efficient GS6 or M9 (by which time the price will be cheaper)

 

[aallison1882]

So I have a question about the M8 vs M9 battery life debate. I keep on reading and seeing the benchmarks where the M9 isn't getting the battery life of the M8 and so forth... my question is are the battery comparisons apples to apples? Are the results being shown a comparison of the M8 with 5.0.1 or are they results from last year when the M8 was running Jellybean? That could skew the results in the M8's favor.

 

[markymark]

So I have a question about the M8 vs M9 battery life debate. I keep on reading and seeing the benchmarks where the M9 isn't getting the battery life of the M8 and so forth... my question is are the battery comparisons apples to apples? Are the results being shown a comparison of the M8 with 5.0.1 or are they results from last year when the M8 was running Jellybean? That could skew the results in the M8's favor.

Good question.

 

[Aaron Starr]

I would say go with the latest and greatest. But that's just me because I like to have what's hot right now.

Doesn't matter which phone you get because if your looking for three days of usage then you might as well get a Droid turbo or a Note 4 and buy a extended battery. I never got more than a day of usage out of any device I owned that wasn't a Note, Turbo or anything without a extended battery.