What did you guys think about the HTC One (M8) compared to the Nexus 5?

[dkhmwilliams]

Re: What did you guys think about the M8? Compared to the Nexus?

That's fine. That being said, if Google added front speakers to the next Nexus, would that make you unhappy? How about people who actually use the speakers on their phones? Should we take them into consideration?

If they decided to put speakers on the front for the new Nexus, it would not make me unhappy. As far as considering others, I usually don't when buying devices for myself. Google, LG, Samsung, HTC, etc. may, but me, not so much. So when comparing the two devices for my personal use, the front speakers don't matter much to me.

 

[Paskell]

I honestly think the m7 looks way nicer. But spec and wise sure its better than the m7 I'd still rather have my nexus 5 or a moto x. And for phones just coming out s5 over m8 for sure either way I prefer nexus phones I love stock and I don't like to root so yup!

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[AussieAndroid]

I've got an M7 currently (previously, a N4). I'm currently trying to decide if I should go with the new M8 or go back to having a Nexus device in the N5.

Here's some of the differences I've found between the Nexus 4 and HTC One M7, some of which will translate over to the Nexus 5 vs HTC One M8 debate.

- The HTC One M7, despite being a more powerful device than the Nexus 4, is still laggy. My N4 still feels silky smooth. I HATE typing on my HTC because there is noticeable lag where the N4 has zero. It's even worse if you turn on typing sounds or haptic feedback. This bugs me a lot because it doesn't make any sense to me, but makes me want a Nexus 5 because I know it will run perfectly smooth.

- I really do miss getting updates first. I've only received my M7 Kit Kat update a a couple weeks ago. I know it's not as long as I've had to wait in the past, but it's still like 3-4 months?

- I REALLY like the HTC Camera. I don't care about megapixels. Fact is, my photo's come out a lot nicer with less effort than they did on my N4. I imagine the N5 is very much the same, but you can zoom in more (I've looked through the Nexus 5 photo thread). I LOVE the fact I can play around with all the settings and bump up my contrast and saturation by default. I know if I get a Nexus 5, I will miss the HTC Camera a lot cos I've had the pleasure of using it extensively.

- I record a lot of video footage at loud events. Hands down the HTC Camera wins. The Nexus 4 & 5 can't handle loud volumes whatsoever. You get a distorted mess that is extremely unpleasant to watch and listen to rendering the footage useless. The N4 camera could also not handle low light well enough during concerts and I imagine the N5 is similar (at least from what I've seen on youtube).

- I don't know what the Nexus 5 speaker is like so I can't comment on that. I know the N4 speaker was terrible. The HTC One has been the loudest phone I've ever had. I would find it very hard to let those speakers go. Yep, they sound brilliant (by comparison) and I know a lot of people claim they don't need good quality sound. Fair enough. But it has been a really nice feature to have now that I do. Also, loud speakers means the phone rings louder too. This is something that used to annoy me with the N4. The speaker was so soft if you had the phone flat on a surface, I kept missing calls/alarms/notifications. The HTC One M8 is louder than the M7. This is a good thing

- I really like the HTC screen over the N4. I can't remember what the N5 screen is like, but I would imagine it wouldn't be as good. This is of course subjective. My argument would be that when I look at pictures (taken with or without the onboard camera) on my HTC, I find them more pleasing. That is enough for me to like the screen more (along with the high PPI, though the N5 has a high PPI screen now too).

- Battery life on my M7 vs the N4 is a decent amount more. Well, to clarify, I don't have to turn stuff off on my HTC to get the same life out of my device like I did with the N4. I imagine the M8 will be just as good versus the N5. Not a massive dealbreaker as I'm happy to manage my battery a little, but it is nice to not really have to worry about it.

I think I'm gonna buy an N5 regardless, and just swap out my sim card on the odd occasions I need the HTC's media capabilities

 

[Iggymart]

I think I'm gonna buy an N5 regardless, and just swap out my sim card on the odd occasions I need the HTC's media capabilities

Excellent decision. You will also enjoy the few hundred dollars you will save.

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[patt2kpl]

I never liked Moto X or Nexus 5 honestly I only had galaxy nexus and will never get a nexus phone.. I don't get the hype about X and 5.

I had more android phones then iPhone's , I played with my friends M8 I loved it.
And yes I don't need newest android updates right away if that is why most people buy N5/X for.

 

[LeoRex]

Re: What did you guys think about the M8? Compared to the Nexus?

As you can see, the M7 is slightly smaller in length and width than the Nexus 5, even with the front-facing speakers. The M8 is a larger phone, so that's probably not a good model to follow if you're looking for a handset that's relatively compact.

It was slightly smaller than the N5, but the screen is also a fair amount smaller. When I was looking to replace my S3, there were two phones that I was drawn to... The Moto X and the Nexus 5.... now, price, a 'clean' OS... those were key factors of course, but the first thing that attracted me was how the screens dominated both phones. So I hope they keep that approach for the next one.

Now the M8's height isn't necessarily a bad thing, just not my cup of tea.

 

[anon(829886)]

Re: What did you guys think about the M8? Compared to the Nexus?

I waited until the M8 was released to make a decision. After handling it for 20 minutes I went home and ordered an N5 last week.

I absolutely love my N5. My only gripes are the battery life will fade quick when using the screen continuously for long periods of time and the delay to focus for photos.

Everything else is just a revelation. Incredible feel. Super light. Fast as hell. Perfect size. The only thing I'd like at this point is double tap to wake/sleep. Otherwise I'm thrilled with my choice.

I'm rooting for HTC but I don't think the M8 will help their chances. I realize that the M8 has clear advantages over the N5. (Speakers, SD card slot, battery life.) But despite this I see cons going against it too. (Heavy, large, hideous bottom bezel, mediocre camera.) It absolutely blows my mind that the N5 is $300-$350 cheaper off-contract when comparing the two.

 

[clevin]

- Battery life on my M7 vs the N4 is a decent amount more. Well, to clarify, I don't have to turn stuff off on my HTC to get the same life out of my device like I did with the N4. I imagine the M8 will be just as good versus the N5. Not a massive dealbreaker as I'm happy to manage my battery a little, but it is nice to not really have to worry about it.

M8 is tested to last 75% longer than N5 in normal usage (1hr call, 1hr video, 1hr web, per day).

 

[AussieAndroid]

M8 is tested to last 75% longer than N5 in normal usage (1hr call, 1hr video, 1hr web, per day).

As with all battery life tests, I will never ever go by what someone else says, cos it ALWAYS differs to what happens when I get it.

But what I will take from that, is that it is indeed better. Is that under the normal M8 profile, or with power saving engaged? Or is the Nexus 5 battery really THAT bad?

 

[Scott7217]

I agree, but would they be able to make a great Nexus phone at the price point it's going to be sold for? I don't think they will be able to.

So far, the price of a Nexus phone seems to be changing. Last year, the Nexus 4 sold for $299 and $349. This year the Nexus 5 sells for $349 and $399. Maybe the price will be something that's feasible for HTC if Google decides to use them as a manufacturer for the next Nexus phone.

 

[Scott7217]

Re: What did you guys think about the M8? Compared to the Nexus?

There's nothing about the One that would even remotely be worth the $300.

So, what would be an appropriate price for the HTC One M8? Should it cost the same as a Nexus 5? Should it cost less? Do you have a dollar figure in mind?

 

[clevin]

As with all battery life tests, I will never ever go by what someone else says, cos it ALWAYS differs to what happens when I get it.

But what I will take from that, is that it is indeed better. Is that under the normal M8 profile, or with power saving engaged? Or is the Nexus 5 battery really THAT bad?

Better is an understatement, it's one of the top battery performance in the market. Right next to the note 3, Better than g2.

You don't need to believe the numbers other given, but they do have consistent testing method with typical usage in mind. The comparison is quite valid.

N5 battery is bad or not? That depends what you want or need, nobody can't make a judgement for you.

@T-Mobile GN3

 

[LeoRex]

I take the battery performance mode stuff with a grain of salt.... near as I can tell from the description, they are basically fiddling around with things, turning them off and on and such, when the power gets low.

Unless there are some low level changes.... like a low power mode for the radios, etc.... there is nothing that these battery extending features give you that you can't do yourself with something like Tasker. When I had my S3, I used Llama (similar to Tasker) to do a bunch of similar things.... turn off my mobile data stuff when wifi connects, toggle wifi/mobile every 15 minutes when the screen was off (or not at all).... Worked well in the sense that my phone was nearly always in deep sleep when the screen was off and I could get my idle usage down to well under 1% an hour. But one day I said to hell with it..... I have a charger at home, in my car, in my office.... Why bother?

Maybe I'll revisit it to make a proof of concept of my own 'energy saving mode'..... it really isn't that complicated.

 

[JeffDenver]

What did you guys think about the M8? Compared to the Nexus?

Compared to the Nexus 5, of course it has a better built quality & the rest is camera features.. and more features... nothing really crazy? worth the extra 300.

Ordered my Nexus 5 today!

M8 Pros: You can have 150GB of storage on the HTC phone (s usual, Google screwed us on Expandable storage). Nothing beats their speakers. I like that they got rid of physical buttons. The front camera is 5MP, and this should be the standard for any phone in 2014.

M8 Cons: I am not impressed at all with the camera, and I expected to be. That is not a flagship camera in 2014. It should have ROFL-Stomped the nexus, and it most certainly does not. It's not just the low-MP...thats the least of it. The low-light is mediocre by 2014 standards. Macro is (at best) the same level as the Nexus. Color seems over saturated in a bad way. I still hate hate hate Sense and wish it would die. The fact that the much-cheaper and older Nexus is even comparable is a bad sign for HTC.

If I had to buy a phone today, I'd still get the Nexus, even if they were both the same price. I can't get past Sense and the (IMO) crappier camera.

 

[LeoRex]

It should have ROFL-Stomped the nexus, and it most certainly does not. It's not just the low-MP...thats the least of it

Yeah... that was a curious decision... The M8 is a phone for narcissists. It's almost like they decided that the cameras are there ONLY for the Facebook/Instagram crowd, where large, high res photos are a waste, and making funky blurring backgrounds and whoosh effects are paramount. Then they go an put a 5MP camera in there so people can take good selfies. And they wrap it in a designer metal outfit so people can show it off. If the user screams "LOOK AT ME!!!" why not their phones?

 

[JeffDenver]

According to ARS, the Nexus 5 ROFLstomped the M8 in multi-core benchmarks too:



Also: That camera is worse than I thought it was. What a huge disappointment.

Source: HTC One M8 Review: An unambitious update to a premium smartphone | Ars Technica

 

[yfan]

Up till now, phones used to leap - at least in terms of hardware updates. It really has slowed down. Six months ago, the Nexus 5 was released with Snapdragon 800. The M8 and the GS5 have Snapdragon 801. Big deal. Same RAM size, same screen resolution (1080p), essentially the same size screen. There is no big leap.

That's also understandable. You can only pack so much into a limited amount of space. And hardware has gotten to the place that no usual apps will require anything more for a very long time - add to that Android's move with Kitkat to compatibility with lower spec'ed devices.

The M8 is a great device. Premium finish, great software, amazing looks. But it has nothing to wow people into buying - especially not from the Nexus community. Now that the spec war is winding down, I wonder if a price war is on the horizon. I mean, what would happen if HTC suddenly lowered the price to $500 or $450? Could that set off the competition it needs with Samsung? I say let it begin!

 

[JeffDenver]

Up till now, phones used to leap - at least in terms of hardware updates. It really has slowed down. Six months ago, the Nexus 5 was released with Snapdragon 800. The M8 and the GS5 have Snapdragon 801. Big deal. Same RAM size, same screen resolution (1080p), essentially the same size screen. There is no big leap.

That's also understandable. You can only pack so much into a limited amount of space. And hardware has gotten to the place that no usual apps will require anything more for a very long time - add to that Android's move with Kitkat to compatibility with lower spec'ed devices.

The M8 is a great device. Premium finish, great software, amazing looks. But it has nothing to wow people into buying - especially not from the Nexus community. Now that the spec war is winding down, I wonder if a price war is on the horizon. I mean, what would happen if HTC suddenly lowered the price to $500 or $450? Could that set off the competition it needs with Samsung? I say let it begin!

The Galaxy S5 does look like a major upgrade from what I have seen. It has the best display ever tested on a phone, and it's camera is probably the best on any Android phone right now. And I am willing to bet it will destroy all other phones in benchmarks as well. I am willing to bet the G3 will be the same story too.

HTC just dropped the ball again. It is looking like the 2013 One was a one-hit wonder after all.

 

[yfan]

The Galaxy S5 does look like a major upgrade from what I have seen. It has the best display ever tested on a phone, and it's camera is probably the best on any Android phone right now. And I am willing to bet it will destroy all other phones in benchmarks as well.

We'll see about the benchmarks, but with Samsung's history of cheating on Benchmark tests, who knows. Yes, the S5 is an upgrade, but not much from the Nexus 5, for example. The camera upgrade is nice I guess but it's not a big selling point for me. But in terms of core hardware of the GS5, it is only marginally better than the Nexus 5 (Snapdragon 801 vs 800, for example), but nothing major that will kick anyone's socks off in terms of performance. And Lord knows Samsung needs the extra computing power for the extra bloatware - the size of the bundled OS and apps on an S5 is a whopping 8 GB.

If HTC lacks something compared to the S5 on the camera - and I know a ton of people who swear by the HTC One's camera - it makes it up in the sound department. But camera resolution, sound loudness... I think those are side functionalities, not core.

 

[clevin]

Yes, the S5 is an upgrade, but not much from the Nexus 5, for example. The camera upgrade is nice I guess but it's not a big selling point for me. But in terms of core hardware of the GS5, it is only marginally better than the Nexus 5 (Snapdragon 801 vs 800, for example), but nothing major that will kick anyone's socks off in terms of performance. .

Do put everything in prospective, just like you don't care about samsung's app, there are people love it. There are also alot of people care about removable battery, longer battery life, vivid color, expandable storage, etc, etc.

"Marginally better than Nexus 5", right, do speak for yourself.