The LG G3 vs HTC One M8 - Help me decide!

[Wildo6882]

Re: Why the M8?

Thank you everyone for the replies, but I decided to go ahead and get the G3 ahead of the M8. In the end, I just could not deal with the camera after trying the units in the store. It was good when I took the time to get the shot, but like I said in my original post, I use my camera on a daily basis and more often than not I just don't have the time to set up a shot. Megapixels aren't everything, but I need something reliable where I can just whip out and take a picture knowing I can crop, zoom, etc. later if I needed to.

The only major gripe that I have with the G3 now is the heating issue which, hopefully, won't be as bad as I have read about. Though the software is not as snappy as Sense 6 and the battery life isn't the best, I realized that those are two things that can be fixed with a software update and extra batteries. But who knows, if the heating issue is really that bad then I will gladly pick up the M8. Again, thank you everyone!

You'll have to let us all know what you think once you get your G3 and have it up and running as you like it. I'm still on the fence coming from a Nexus 5. Just having trouble...letting...go...of...stock....Android......

 

[Mooncatt]

"Why do I need a good main camera when the best pictures I take are the ones of myself?" Between that and the metallic case whose only function seemingly is to show off... and those massive speakers that will most likely annoy the hell out of everyone around you while you listen to your xibeifeng/dubstep fusion. Who cares if the other people around me are annoyed, DAT SOUND!

1. Much as I agree with you on selfies, I believe HTC said they were aiming for the selfie market with the front facing camera. So you're right about that, but what's more disturbing than the fact that there is such a thing as the "selfie market" is the news reported a couple days ago that the term selfie was just added to the official Scrabble dictionary.

2. The metallic case does serve as a heatsink as well, helping keep the internals cooler under load.

3. Hey(!), some of us rather like the sound of Transformers getting it on. Lol. As for the volume, the same could be said for any phone, only the other people can understand what you're listening to with the M8. Personally,I do keep it quiet unless I'm alone or showing something off to others that do want to hear.

 

[LeoRex]

what's more disturbing than the fact that there is such a thing as the "selfie market" is the news reported a couple days ago that the term selfie was just added to the official Scrabble dictionary.

Precisely... and I think I take points away from HTC for pandering to those people.

Then again, LG has that goofy 'make a fist, take a selfie' So I guess we'll know how to point out which one of the duckfaced masses own the G3:

 

[MDMcAtee]

I had a chance to play with a g3 and it did get hot very quickly,and the screen colors were washed out too,so that steered me to the m8 automatically. As nice as the screen size is in a smaller package,the lack of the dual front facing speakers,killed it for me.

Side by side the immersive screen colors,awesome sounds,faster performance,ease of rooting,and quality build sealed the deal with me.

I learned a long time ago that cellphones are no substitute for a dedicated camera. The convenience factor,has never been a issue to me. A simple inexpensive pocket point and shoot camera is far more capable than any cellphones camera,and is less likely to cause me grief if lost,stolen,or damaged too.

Personally I don't need or want the best camera built-in to my phone,I would much rather have the company spend it's resources on building the best phone,with the best reception,best screen,best sound,most memory to make sure it is the best phone on the market...oops...they already did that....

Good luck with your g3 and I hope it is everything you want it to be

Posted via Android Central App on my HTC M8

 

[ShAdoWSKy]

I bought the G3 last week and will be returning it.

I love the phone. It has a big, sharp screen in a beautiful, easy to hold body. Camera is excellent and performance it is pretty snappy especially when using a launcher like Nova. The UI is good, but not great...way better than Touchwiz, but not as good as stock Android or what you find on the Moto X. The phone is just fun to use and I don't want to return it.

BUT, on the third day of use I got the dreaded "overheating" warning. I was at the beach and decided to put the camera and video on my new phone to use. It was sunny and bright outside so I cranked up the brightness to 85%. I took a few photos and started recording a video. About 10-15 seconds into the video, recording stopped, the screen dimmed, and a message popped up about the heat and having to cool down. I didn't get a great look at the message because it was so quick and the screen was dim, but there was a message in the notifications panel about having to cool down.

This was incredibly disappointing as I have done this exact same thing in the same scenario with different phones, but had no issues with overheating. I haven't received any overheating warnings since then, but I have experienced some screen dimming while outdoors or in a car in warm conditions.

I love the phone, but the overheating and screen dimming really turned me off and I don't want to be stuck with a device that fails in moments when I want to take advantage of its features.

I really feel that if LG had gone with a 1080p screen, this would be the perfect phone I was hoping it would be. Unfortunately, I have to keep waiting!

Sorry that this is more of a "Why Not the G3," but I thought I'd share my experience.

I'm curious to know, did you return the G3 and get another new flagship?

 

[dougau]

I went with the M8 because it feels solid, it's fast, its has a lot of third party development (S-Off, root, and custom Roms) going on. I think the camera is okay but then again I'm coming from the Bionic.
I don't mind carrying a a small Cannon PowerShot ELPH camera if I know I'm going somewhere that I want to take pictures but the M8 is good enough most of the time for me.
I don't think you can go wrong with either phone but really like the looks of the gunmetal M8!

 

[ShAdoWSKy]

Re: Why the M8?

You'll have to let us all know what you think once you get your G3 and have it up and running as you like it. I'm still on the fence coming from a Nexus 5. Just having trouble...letting...go...of...stock....Android......

I'll definitely be posting an update once I do get the phone but it's still about a week or two away. I've been continuously playing with my friend's G3 and it does heat up rather faster than most other smartphones I used. Granted, none of the smartphones I used before had a QuadHD display. I would honestly go straight for the M8 if it only had a better camera, but like I said before I like to take pictures on the fly so I don't always have the time to set up a shot. I do have a GoPro handy but I use that primarily for video-shooting rather than photo taking.

 

[LeoRex]

There must be some serious variance with these phones, the only time mine has heated up was when I was booting a few times to test some stuff. Binning differences?

 

[ShAdoWSKy]

There must be some serious variance with these phones, the only time mine has heated up was when I was booting a few times to test some stuff. Binning differences?

The variances also make me hesitant on getting the phone since I don't know if I'll get a bad one or if my replacement will be bad or the replacement for that one.

 

[LeoRex]

Not sure... Glad mine came problem free on the first go at it.

I don't think that there's that high a defect rate on the surface, the nature of this place means you'll see complaints a lot. The likelihood that someone, especially a new poster, posts here goes up if they have issues and want some answers.

LG has sold a ton of these already, so even a really small percentage of defective units is a lot

 

[mountainman15]

I'm curious to know, did you return the G3 and get another new flagship?

I simply bought a used M8 off of Swappa. The G3 was the only phone I was willing to pay full price for at this point. The M8 is a great phone that'll hold me over for awhile and I was able to get a like new device for $225 less than I paid for the G3.

 

[MDMcAtee]

I simply bought a used M8 off of Swappa. The G3 was the only phone I was willing to pay full price for at this point. The M8 is a great phone that'll hold me over for awhile and I was able to get a like new device for $225 less than I paid for the G3.

Nice deal.

Posted via Android Central App on my HTC M8

 

[ShAdoWSKy]

Bringing up a question I asked a few posts ago that I'm still scratching my head over:

Will the G3 battery life be able to keep its performance up when the app market becomes optimized for QuadHD? If the current applications are not optimized for the display then I'm assuming the processor isn't trying as hard as it would for a QuadHD optimized application. And if the processor does work harder, wouldn't it decrease battery life and slow down performance?

 

[Mooncatt]

Bringing up a question I asked a few posts ago that I'm still scratching my head over:

Will the G3 battery life be able to keep its performance up when the app market becomes optimized for QuadHD? If the current applications are not optimized for the display then I'm assuming the processor isn't trying as hard as it would for a QuadHD optimized application. And if the processor does work harder, wouldn't it decrease battery life and slow down performance?

Any time apps advance, be it higher resolutions or just background work, they will demand more from the battery. So yes, you can expect usage times to go down as more apps become optimized. How much of a loss that is will vary based on your personal usage.

If you mean battery life as in how much capacity goes down over time from old age, again expect that to happen. All other things being equal, the simple fact that you are going through charge cycles quicker will degrade the battery faster. Let's say a battery has 1000 charge cycles in it. If that normally lays 2 years and you start running more demanding apps that have you charging it twice as of often, then that same battery would theoretically only last a year. Real world use isn't that straight forward because of all the variables involved, but that should hopefully explain the concept well enough for you.

 

[samir1990]

Re: Why the M8?

G3 all the way~

 

[thekosmicdesign]

I just picked up this phone this weekend. I was coming off of a Galaxy S3 and I also struggled with this decision. I actually had my eyes set on the HTC One M8 about a week ago when I walked into the store to check it out. I didn't even go in thinking about the G3 because I had thought with a 5.5" screen it's going to be like a Galaxy Note and I don't want that. But then once I looked at it in the store it's pretty much the same size as the One M8.

From all the reviews I've read it seems that either phone would be a great choice. Since I last had an S3, the upgrade for me was huge. I've rooted, freezed the bloatware, and I'm using Nova launcher. The phone is flying fast as hell, the battery lasts all day even with moderate to heavy usage, and I don't experience the overheating issues that some people have reported. The Galaxy S3 wouldn't even last half a day so this improvement in the battery life is just amazing for me.

The design is just great - nice brushed faux metal finish, super thin bezels, no buttons on the front or sides. I actually really like that the buttons are on the back because the way I hold my phone I like to just grab it and oftentimes with other phones I'd accidentally press the buttons.

Overall I'm very happy with my purchase and I'm going to hold onto it for a couple of years. One other consideration I had was that the G3 just came out and the One M8 is half a year old. I'm the type of person who keeps a phone for 2 years at a time. The M9 is surely on its way. If I had purchased the M8, it would be "outdated" shortly.

 

[heggood]

Nice topic, I have the same question. Subscribed!

 

[sarahragan2014]

Re: Why the M8?

I got the g3 and it works well.

 

[bembol]

Strangely enough I NEVER did this with my previous phones but that day for some reason, I decided to watch a YouTube video in my car 31 celsius and in direct sunlight. After 7-8 minutes I got a warning but was told it's not an issue.

Anyways, I love the G3. I can't get over how they squeezed the 5.5" display. The build & design and more importably the UI is so much better the G3 has more premium feel & look.

 

[rob damiani]

Deciding between the G3 and S5 for my wife. She's currently using the iphone 5. She hasn't actually tried the phones yet, but I think that I'd like to see her with the G3 as long as it's not too physically big for her small hands. Battery life is a major concern, so from what I've read, the S5 beats the G3 with this, correct?

Please let me know your thoughts on the S5 versus G3. Thx.