Note 3 to M8 - anyone done this? - T-Mobile HTC One (M8)

Hi,
My first Jump is coming up in a few weeks and as I'm something of a phone whore I'm starting to look at my options.
I really like the Note 3, but I use literally none of its whiz-bang features (auto scrolling, s-pen, hovery finger crap, etc.). The reason I like it so much are its display, speed, and battery life. I used to think a lot of its camera features were silly and gimmicky, but after putting many of them to use on a trip to the Caribbean side of Mexico a couple months ago I found a whole new respect those as well. The only thing I can point to that I really don't like is that it's plastic, and the faux-leather is really cheesy IMHO.
Has anyone gone from the Note 3 to the M8? What are your impressions of the M8 by comparison, specifically regarding the display, speed, battery life, and camera functionality? Is Boom Sound all it's cracked up to be? Zoe? How is the IR blaster and associated software compared to the N3 solution?
I'm not looking for someone to tell me the M8 is "better" per se, more along the lines of whether anything about the experience is disappointing coming from the N3.
Thanks!

I decided to make the transition from the Note 3 to the M8. I honestly can't begin to describe how happy I am with this phone.
The only noticeable difference for me in the display is when viewing the color black. On the Note 3's display, black is just turned off pixels, so it's a true black (kinda miss that). In every other regard, I think the displays are comparable.
The M8 is definitely faster than the Note 3 IMO. Touchwiz was so bloated and laggy, whereas Sense seems more lightweight and optimized. Apps open faster and the overall performance is beter.
Surprisingly, I don't notice much of a difference in battery life. HTC must have really optimized their software in this device because it seems about the same as the Note 3.
The camera is the main downfall of this phone, but not a huge one. I really enjoyed the Note 3's camera quality and took it for granted. The M8's camera isn't bad, but the quality just doesn't compare except for when using the front facing camera. There is a plethora of options available in the camera app, though, so having the features shouldn't be a problem.
To wrap this up, I'll just say that boom sound is amazing (seriously the best speakers I've ever had in a mobile device), I've never used Zoe, and my experience with the IR blaster has been about the same as with the Note 3

I did merely cuz I was tired of touchwiz. Also the big screen novelty worn off. Better battery life too
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app

Same here got tired a little of TW .... Both are great phones ...
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

I changed as well because I wanted the speakers. I had the HTC one before the note 3 as well. I will also get the note 4 when that comes out. so you might want to wait for that shouldn't be much longer.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

Related

HTC ONE vs. S4?

Can't decide which one to buy. Storage space and removable batt doesn't matter to me. Coming from Nexus 4 since I need WiFi calling. Any insight would be appreciated. Thanks.
S4. HTC One is not nearly as good hardware wise as the S4. Samsung really did a great job on it. I too was teetering and couldn't decide, seeing since i had the S2, S3, and now the S4 i love the s4
I actually have the One and I find it at times to lag when web browsing. It feels great and looks great and the speakers are nice. The only thing making me want to switch is wireless charging and biigger screen, as definites. Possible reasons, depending if its true, are better camera (low light doesn't matter) and better battery. I have seen conflicting reports about both all over the web so I'm considering those features a draw. Hmmmm... Don't know if I should return the One or not.
S4 much nicer, I had the one its a great phone , just nothing like samsung s4 at all..
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
S4 all day. I get compliments every time I pull it out
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
lojak29 said:
S4 much nicer, I had the one its a great phone , just nothing like samsung s4 at all..
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
S4 is legit. HTC one was a letdown especially with all the reviews and fanaticism.
Can anyone give reasons why they like their S4 over One? Especially people who have used both for a couple of days. I don't care about removable battery or storage.
Check this thread http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2278783
Why did you go S4 over HTC? only a few threads down. And then check all the other threads everywhere else about this. Then make up your mind.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
Legaleye3000 said:
Can anyone give reasons why they like their S4 over One? Especially people who have used both for a couple of days. I don't care about removable battery or storage.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Besides having advantage of removable battery and expandable memory, S4 has a wider range of third party accessories available for customization.
Both fantastic devices. S4 will have better dev support (for multiple reasons) and comes with the latest version of Android. Greater selection of accessories, some useful gesture features, larger battery, higher res camera, and for me a more familiar button layout than the HTC One. Tons of samsung specific software, some gimmicky, others somewhat useful like split screen.
I prefer LCD screens but the AMOLED screen on the S4 is amazing. I will still say the HTC One has the better overall screen by a hair and the front facing speakers are a plus. Some also prefer the all aluminum shell of the HTC One, and I can definitely understand why.
There is no bad choice.
I actually went with the HTC One because for me the S4 may have good hardware but for my personal taste for a 2 year contract I just don't like the Touchwiz UI, to me its really not luring me in to the phone but instead holding me back from buying it. I actually just s-offed my one so flashing is easier now and well overall the aluminum body and front speakers like others are saying were something i felt were pretty cool instead of the Samsung plastic.
Edit: I also found out that the T-mobile and AT&T one's can flash the HTC One(M7) International roms since the hardware is pretty much the same.
I own the S4, Nexus 4 and One. Honestly use the S4 the most, like the camera better than the both one and N4. Better battery life than both, SD card, better accessory support. Don't like amoled, prefer the LCD on one and n4. But overall S4 is the phone I use mostly. As far as software I flash AOSP roms, so same on all of them.
I just sold my HTC One after owning for 2 weeks. Thought I would go crazy over the speakers (the S4 is louder). Thought I would love the camera (S4 is better). So then I thought I would love the feel of the device (digs into the fingures because the sides are too thin.
I also love the mult iview I can use on the S4. That alone is worth it for me to choose the S4. I love true multi tasking.
I just ordered the wireless receiver and pad for my S4 which is another HUGE plus for me. I will have a wireless charging pad on my desk and next to my bed and the convenience is way worth the price. You ever get sick of fumbling around at night to plug it in?
Hardcore73 said:
I just sold my HTC One after owning for 2 weeks. Thought I would go crazy over the speakers (the S4 is louder). Thought I would love the camera (S4 is better). So then I thought I would love the feel of the device (digs into the fingures because the sides are too thin.
I also love the mult iview I can use on the S4. That alone is worth it for me to choose the S4. I love true multi tasking.
I just ordered the wireless receiver and pad for my S4 which is another HUGE plus for me. I will have a wireless charging pad on my desk and next to my bed and the convenience is way worth the price. You ever get sick of fumbling around at night to plug it in?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
the speakers on the s4 are better than the boom sound on the One? can anyone else verify this?
They are.
Sent from my SGH-M919 using xda app-developers app
most people in this thread will side with the Samsung GS4 because this is in a GS4 forum.
I've gotten both and i regret getting the S4. Overall the S4's screen looks better at room lighting but looks horrible in the sunlight or at night with no lights.
The One has a finished OS compared to the S4, which lags stock very badly and even lags when rooted. Now for the camera, they were about the same for my usage.
Also, the HTC One feels like it would hold up to use and not look bad a lot longer than the S4. I've gotten a crack in my S4's back cover for no apparent reason, scratches everywhere on the sides, chrome surrounding the camera and the speaker.
Overall, if you don't hate Sense, get the HTC One please! just make sure the one you get isn't defective..
Oh btw the S4's speaker is louder than the HTC's in certain sounds, but if you turn off the beats feature, which sucks, it will make the HTC's speakers louder than anything. Also the HTC's speakers produce a lot more refined sound that screams quality.
Haha my friend actually has the HTC One and every time we hang out he goes on about how much better my phone is and how he wishes he had my phone XD
Unfortunetly, I hate HTC Sense, which is why i traded it. But have i waited for the Nexus HTC One, i would of loved it.
I had an HTC One for two weeks. Camera is all hype. Even low light photos taken on the H1 don't look spectacular. Yes, the image is brighter in low light than images produced on the S4 in night mode. However, that doesn't make the photo any more worthwhile. You simply have an extremely grainy 4MP photo. I'd rather not take a low light shot at all with a cellphone.

Own(ed) the HTC One, S4 and now G pro. Here's my honest opinion

Ok so I have owned the S4 for about a week, the HTC One for about 3 weeks and the G pro for 2 days lol. I get myself familiarized real quick with phones so 2 days is already enough for me to give a good opinion. Before I give you guys my opinion let me just say that I am very unbiased, I could care less who makes these phones as long as the product is good but I have used Samsung phones more than any other phones and I do like them a lot. Anyways, here's my take ( my opinion) on these 3 phones:
Build/design/choice of material:
I will say that the HTC One takes this category. I have never really cared on how good a phone looks, I always pay more attention to functionality but the HTC One really deserves a lot of praises. Not necessarily because it uses metal but because of the design. It really does looks stunning with its curved back and the 2 front facing speakers. Talking about the material now, it looks and feels great especially when you pick it up in the morning and get that cold feel, really nice. Overall amazing looking device.
The galaxy S4 also has a very nice design. Yes it looks pretty much just like the S3 but its thinner, a little lighter despite having a bigger screen. The polycarbonate is just fine as it serves its purpose to provide a removable battery. The galaxy s 4 is the phone that feels the best in the hand, sooooo comfortable.
The G pro also has a very nice design, its thin, light for its size ( although I wish that it was just a little lighter but no big deal at all) and overall looks really nice. Much more comfortable in the hand than its competitor, the Note 2.
Button placement:
The HTC One is horrible in this category. I hate the power button at the top left with a passion. I despise it so much, it is so uncomfortable to reach. The volume rocker on the right hand side is just fine. Also don't like that there's no menu button.
The S4 is almost perfect, love the power button on the side as always, I also like the volume rocker on the left but I wish that it was just a little bit lower. Love that there's a menu button.
The G pro is the winner here, power button is perfect, volume is perfect on the middle left plus we get an extra button to access any app we want. Simply perfect. Menu button is great although i'm used to the back and menu the Samsung way ( the other way around) but no big deal, ill get used to it. Love the LED home button!
Display/screen size:
The HTC One display is OUTSTANDING. It is such an amazing display, I cannot emphasize it enough. It is absolutely jaw dropping. Sharp, nice colors ( maybe just a tad bit saturated but I love it). Overall its just an amazing display. You do need however to have the display at least at 50% if you want to see anything in direct sunlight. I like the 4.7 inch size but always prefer bigger displays.
The S4 display is the best Super Amoled display ever. If you're a fan of over saturated colors and deep blacks, this one is unbeatable. It is sharp, blacks are great, whites have a little blueish tint on them but not that big of a deal. Personally I think this display is easier to read in direct sunlight even at 0 brightness because the colors pop regardless. This size display is the best for an average smartphone in my opinion. Samsung did an amazing job at fitting a 5 inch screen on pretty much the same body size as the S3 and it doesn't feel big at all.
The G pro display is also INSANE! Despite having a lesser ppi than the 2 other phones, it is insanely sharp, text is crystal clear, colors are super accurate, viewing angles are excellent ( all 3 displays as a matter of fact). As far as screen size, this is my personal favorite ( im a sucker for big screens). It has the same 5.5 inch screen as the note 2 but doesn't feel too big, its just perfect!.
Overall all 3 displays are great, its just a matter of preference. If you take the display alone then I would give the ever so slight edge ( and I mean so slight that you cant measure it) to the HTC One, followed by the G pro and 3rd the S4 but again all are absolutely amazing. I f you consider display plus screen size, G pro takes it.
Performance:
The HTC One performs so well. It is super quick. Opening apps, exiting apps, swiping through the home screens, browsing the web, performance is nearly flawless ( literally). Once in a blue moon there can be a very slight hiccup but the average person wont notice it. ( Im pretty good at noticing these things).
The S4 performance is good but it does stutter...quite a bit. ( not lag where it completely stops but the animations can stutter a lot). My guess is that android 4.2 and the gazillion sensors are responsible. 4.2 is known to have quite a few bugs, as far as the sensors go they are always activated waiting for the user's gestures/movements so I think it might contribute to the stuttering. There has been a software update the past few days and I think it solved many issues. Don't get me wrong the S4 performs well but stutters a lot ( its hard to explain really).
The Optimus G pro performance is AMAZING. It is so fluid, I never had a device as fluid as this. Just an hour ago I was at work and I showed the phone to one of my co-worker who owns a nexus 4 and talks about how smooth and fast his phone is, I asked him to play with my G pro, you should have seen his face. First thing he said was " Holy sh*t this is so cool" referring to the lock screen animation and then " OMG this is so smooth and fast" as his fingers were gliding through the home screens. Seriously the G pro is INSANELY smooth, by far the smoothest device I have owned yet and I mean it.
If I had to pick a winner it would be G pro followed by the One and S4. The One might be a little quicker than the G pro but the G pro is so smooth and is also quick.
Sense 5/ Touchwiz/ LG's UI:
I like sense 5. Its very nice. Its very simple, in fact sometimes its too simple but it performs well. I thought that I would hate blinkfeed but I fell in love at first sight thanks to the impressive display. What I don't like is that people cant completely remove it if they don't want to use it, I don't like the fact that you have to double tap the home button to access the multitasking and have to close each apps individually. That is just stupid HTC, dumb. Love the music player, don't like that to add an app to the home screen you have to go in the app drawer, hold the app, drag it all the way to the top and then it lets you put it on the home screen, another dumb move. But still sense 5 is very nice nonetheless.
I always liked touchwiz. I thought that it brought many features to the table, I still think it does. But touchwiz is getting old, really old and needs a UI revamp ASAP!!!! Its pretty much the exact same as it is on the S3 and not too different from the S2 except the features. Speaking of features, the S4 has anything possibly imaginable. The bad is that many of them are really gimmicky but the good is that you can turn off whatever you want and I respect that, thank you Samsung for at least giving us the option to remove things unlike HTC lol. My favorite features on the S4 are Airview and multiwindow. Both extremely useful. Airview to access sub menus, preview emails ( don't have to open every email), works as a magnifier glass, works really well. Multi window takes multitasking a step further. Yes it is available on other Samsung devices but it is something that the S4 has over the G pro and HTC One. Air gestures, smart pause are fun for 15 min but then you wont find any use to it ( except for moving apps from one home screen to another with air gesture, pretty useful).
Lg's UI is awesome in my opinion. Starting with the lockscreen, love the animations, in fact I love all the animations of the UI. That's what I love about this device, you can pretty much customize ANYTHING YOU WANT. Colors of folders, lockscreen animations, settings in tabs or list, icons... you name it. Q slide is very nice but doesn't even come close to multi window. LG's UI is very close to touchwiz but they kinda created their own lane and they're doing a very nice job. Once again everything is so smooth, love the quick access button to access any apps on the phone. This UI is like a touchwiz refresh and feels very familiar but different and I love it.
The Gpro UI is my favorite because of the animations, the smoothness and the features. Touchwiz would have tied it if it wasn't for the stutter. Love sense 5 as well.
Camera:
S4 WINS HANDS DOWN, NO DEBATE EVER!!! Such a fantastic camera. The G pro camera is second and the One 3rd although the One is very impressive in low light.
Storage:
Definitely the G pro. Let me explain. Every android phone since ICS can only install apps on the internal storage except the S4 which just had an update to be able to install apps to the sd card. The problem with the S4 move to sd card is that the maximum size app is 40 mb. ( that's what I read) So considering all 3 phones entry models at 199$, the HTC One gives you 32 gig of storage but no possible way of sd cards, the S4 comes in 16 gig with half of it taken by the system and move to sd card only support apps that are 40 mb and under. The G pro comes with 32 gig AND has expandable memory.
Battery life:
Definitely the G pro but everybody knows that, no surprises here with its 3140 mah battery. Not too far behind is the S4 ( GT-I9500 exynos 5 octa version). Plenty of screen time as well and 3rd is HTC One with also great battery life but not better than the other 2. All of them get you through a day with normal use no problem but the G pro is the star of the show.
Music/sound/Speakers:
You already know, the HTC One is UNBEATABLE right now. I don't know if any of you had the privilege to hear the sound that comes out of the One speakers. The sound is so good and loud and clear that it literally puts a smile on my face, literally. It is so crisp, really HTC has Set the bar when it comes to sound quality on a smartphone meaning every new phones that come out will have to beat it to be impressive. Music through the headphones is also great, Beats audio is supported and HTC provides a nice pair of ear buds. Second place goes to the S4. The speakers are plenty loud, just not as clear as the One plus the placement is in the back so it can easily be muffled. Sound through earbuds is nice and loud but again doesn't match the One. Last but not least is the optimus G pro. The sound through the speakers is good ,not great but the volume isn't very high with the headphones. Plus the G pro doesn't come with any earbuds.
Development:
HTC One without a doubt. Not only that HTC provides a method to unlock the bootloader, but the One has S-off now. As you may know, S-off gives you pretty much complete control of your phone and lets you write things on the "write system partition". You can change boot animation, flash radios ect... plus it has super CID which lets you change the ID of your phone from for example an AT&T to the international version so when HTC pushes an update you'll get it on your AT&T phone despite it not being the international version. And the cherry on top of the cake is that any roms on the international HTC One can be flashed to the T-Mobile, AT&T and sprint versions ( some for the sprint versions). That is so amazing. The S4 (Gt I9500 octa core) has an unlocked bootloader, I love Samsung for that. Super easy to root and tools like Odin and CF root by chainfire are awesome. Development is good and will get better. G pro has an easy root method but as you all know the bootloader is locked ( damn you AT&T !). Thanks to thecubed, the bootloader unlock is just a matter of time and once that's done, everybody needs to step back cause the beast will be unleashed!
Call quality
No complains really, all 3 perform pretty well although the advantage goes to the One cause of the speakers for speakerphone calls.
Overall, all 3 phones are amazing. The One offers a quality device, amazing sound, nearly flawless performance and a fantastic display. The S4 is a worthy upgrade to the popular S3, pretty much same body frame but with a bigger screen, lighter, thinner and a bigger battery. Also the best Amoled display and the best camera on a phone yet.
And now the G pro, an optimus G on steroids just like the Note 2 is to the S3. Smoothest experience on a phone, so fast, incredible 5.5 inch 1080p display, fantastic battery life, customizable to the core, nice LED home button, very nice performing camera. My new favorite phone. Cheers!
That was one heck of a comparison... Great job!
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
Nice review...
Thanks for the review! Just wish we had the community the note ii has
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
vivebatu said:
That was one heck of a comparison... Great job!
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Teardrop45 said:
Nice review...
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
ethanemc505 said:
Thanks for the review! Just wish we had the community the note ii has
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thank you very much fellas, really appreciate it!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
barondebxl said:
Thank you very much fellas, really appreciate it!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Just a query... Can you also post the average (I mean ball park without any usage qualifications) SCREEN ON times you for with the 3 phones before the battery ran out?
Tks again
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
vivebatu said:
Just a query... Can you also post the average (I mean ball park without any usage qualifications) SCREEN ON times you for with the 3 phones before the battery ran out?
Tks again
Sent from my Xolo_X500 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Sure thing. Don't have an S4 screen shot though.
HTC one:
{
"lightbox_close": "Close",
"lightbox_next": "Next",
"lightbox_previous": "Previous",
"lightbox_error": "The requested content cannot be loaded. Please try again later.",
"lightbox_start_slideshow": "Start slideshow",
"lightbox_stop_slideshow": "Stop slideshow",
"lightbox_full_screen": "Full screen",
"lightbox_thumbnails": "Thumbnails",
"lightbox_download": "Download",
"lightbox_share": "Share",
"lightbox_zoom": "Zoom",
"lightbox_new_window": "New window",
"lightbox_toggle_sidebar": "Toggle sidebar"
}
G pro:
It's pretty good although I was on WiFi all the time. It takes time to charge though.
For the S4, getting 5hours of screen time with constant use is so easy and I wasn't on WiFi all the time so it's definitely better than the HTC one. Also battery charges pretty fast.
The G pro is amazing, it's better than the S4 (exynos version) but not by much, I would say maybe 30 to 45 min more of on screen time. (Note that I had a custom kernel on the S4). The G pro has excellent stand by time plus the battery charges SO FAST!
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Do you think that the G Pro has the most reflective screen out of the bunch? It would make the screen hard to see outdoors and even under strong artificial light.
Sharpshooterrr said:
Do you think that the G Pro has the most reflective screen out of the bunch? It would make the screen hard to see outdoors and even under strong artificial light.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Maybe yes but again I think everything is Crystal clear from 50% brightness and above in outdoors conditions. All 3 displays are phenomenal.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
raduque said:
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
The note 2 does have a better battery life yes but the G pro isn't too far behind. Right now I'm at 16 hours off charge with a little over 4 hours of screen time with extremely heavy use, only 1 hour of WiFi use, lots of iron man 3 and granny Smith gaming, lots of web browsing and tapatalk and 30% left so battery life is definitely not an issue on this phone but yes the note 2 is a bit better. What I like about these phablets is that they charge so freaking fast ( yesterday my phone charged in 1h20 min from 9% to full charge) and the phone never gets hot/warm. The G pro is the best phablet until the note 3 comes out.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Fast Charging is definitely my favorite feature of the NII and OGPro.
As for that battery info from my Note II, that day I played CSR Racing for about 2 hours, listened to music for 6 hours (about an hour with the screen on) and was on wifi for 90% of the time. Of course I had a smattering of text, maybe 20 minutes of calls and 5 or 10 minutes of browsing. I wasn't using any of the phone's radios heavily that day. The absolute best I pulled out of it was 35 hours off-charge, with 8 hours of screen time, and 12% left.
You're right when you say battery life is not an issue. I have no problems leaving it off the charger for a long time. My S2, I didn't like being more than 20 feet from a charger, and used to have it plugged in, in my truck for the drive to work (30 minutes each way, screen on with music playing).
raduque said:
GPro's got a nice big battery, but honestly, it's got NOTHING on the Note II. I've easily done 48+ hours with 5 hours of screen-on time on my Note II.
If the OGPro were out same time as the Note II, it would've been a tough choice between the two phones. I bought the Note II because I wanted the biggest, highest-powered phone you could buy in December.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Honestly, my easily lasts 3 days with 6hrs of screen time, for example now I have 50hrs spent with 57% left and 3hrs of screen time. My advice: don't push brightness over 40% and turn off everything you don't need as explained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292012
Billy Madison said:
Honestly, my easily lasts 3 days with 6hrs of screen time, for example now I have 50hrs spent with 57% left and 3hrs of screen time. My advice: don't push brightness over 40% and turn off everything you don't need as explained here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2292012
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely possible. I use my g pro heavily because I know the battery can handle it. 7 hours on screen time is more than doable.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
G Pro Wins!!
I work with 5 guys that have the S 4. My friend and all his employees att the Att store where he is a manager all have the G pro. Without a doubt I think the G Pro is the better phone. It seems way faster. I was concerned about not being to connect my G Pro to the Tv but I just found a slim port adapter that is supposed to work.
BUT!!!!! Be careful the G Pro glass is weak. I shattered it in the first week with a 2 foot drop waiting for my case from South Korea. Ballastic or Otterbox please get a case out asap!!!
drrandall1 said:
BUT!!!!! Be careful the G Pro glass is weak. I shattered it in the first week with a 2 foot drop waiting for my case from South Korea. Ballastic or Otterbox please get a case out asap!!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Broke my Note II's screen from about a foot-ish drop to concrete. That's how I got a OGPro. No phone is immune.
barondebxl said:
Ok so I have owned the S4 for about a week, the HTC One for about 3 weeks and the G pro for 2 days lol. I get myself familiarized real quick with phones so 2 days is already enough for me to give a good opinion. Before I give you guys my opinion let me just say that I am very unbiased, I could care less who makes these phones as long as the product is good but I have used Samsung phones more than any other phones and I do like them a lot. Anyways, here's my take ( my opinion) on these 3 phones:
Build/design/choice of material:
I will say that the HTC One takes this category. I have never really cared on how good a phone looks, I always pay more attention to functionality but the HTC One really deserves a lot of praises. Not necessarily because it uses metal but because of the design. It really does looks stunning with its curved back and the 2 front facing speakers. Talking about the material now, it looks and feels great especially when you pick it up in the morning and get that cold feel, really nice. Overall amazing looking device.
The galaxy S4 also has a very nice design. Yes it looks pretty much just like the S3 but its thinner, a little lighter despite having a bigger screen. The polycarbonate is just fine as it serves its purpose to provide a removable battery. The galaxy s 4 is the phone that feels the best in the hand, sooooo comfortable.
The G pro also has a very nice design, its thin, light for its size ( although I wish that it was just a little lighter but no big deal at all) and overall looks really nice. Much more comfortable in the hand than its competitor, the Note 2.
Button placement:
The HTC One is horrible in this category. I hate the power button at the top left with a passion. I despise it so much, it is so uncomfortable to reach. The volume rocker on the right hand side is just fine. Also don't like that there's no menu button.
The S4 is almost perfect, love the power button on the side as always, I also like the volume rocker on the left but I wish that it was just a little bit lower. Love that there's a menu button.
The G pro is the winner here, power button is perfect, volume is perfect on the middle left plus we get an extra button to access any app we want. Simply perfect. Menu button is great although i'm used to the back and menu the Samsung way ( the other way around) but no big deal, ill get used to it. Love the LED home button!
Display/screen size:
The HTC One display is OUTSTANDING. It is such an amazing display, I cannot emphasize it enough. It is absolutely jaw dropping. Sharp, nice colors ( maybe just a tad bit saturated but I love it). Overall its just an amazing display. You do need however to have the display at least at 50% if you want to see anything in direct sunlight. I like the 4.7 inch size but always prefer bigger displays.
The S4 display is the best Super Amoled display ever. If you're a fan of over saturated colors and deep blacks, this one is unbeatable. It is sharp, blacks are great, whites have a little blueish tint on them but not that big of a deal. Personally I think this display is easier to read in direct sunlight even at 0 brightness because the colors pop regardless. This size display is the best for an average smartphone in my opinion. Samsung did an amazing job at fitting a 5 inch screen on pretty much the same body size as the S3 and it doesn't feel big at all.
The G pro display is also INSANE! Despite having a lesser ppi than the 2 other phones, it is insanely sharp, text is crystal clear, colors are super accurate, viewing angles are excellent ( all 3 displays as a matter of fact). As far as screen size, this is my personal favorite ( im a sucker for big screens). It has the same 5.5 inch screen as the note 2 but doesn't feel too big, its just perfect!.
Overall all 3 displays are great, its just a matter of preference. If you take the display alone then I would give the ever so slight edge ( and I mean so slight that you cant measure it) to the HTC One, followed by the G pro and 3rd the S4 but again all are absolutely amazing. I f you consider display plus screen size, G pro takes it.
Performance:
The HTC One performs so well. It is super quick. Opening apps, exiting apps, swiping through the home screens, browsing the web, performance is nearly flawless ( literally). Once in a blue moon there can be a very slight hiccup but the average person wont notice it. ( Im pretty good at noticing these things).
The S4 performance is good but it does stutter...quite a bit. ( not lag where it completely stops but the animations can stutter a lot). My guess is that android 4.2 and the gazillion sensors are responsible. 4.2 is known to have quite a few bugs, as far as the sensors go they are always activated waiting for the user's gestures/movements so I think it might contribute to the stuttering. There has been a software update the past few days and I think it solved many issues. Don't get me wrong the S4 performs well but stutters a lot ( its hard to explain really).
The Optimus G pro performance is AMAZING. It is so fluid, I never had a device as fluid as this. Just an hour ago I was at work and I showed the phone to one of my co-worker who owns a nexus 4 and talks about how smooth and fast his phone is, I asked him to play with my G pro, you should have seen his face. First thing he said was " Holy sh*t this is so cool" referring to the lock screen animation and then " OMG this is so smooth and fast" as his fingers were gliding through the home screens. Seriously the G pro is INSANELY smooth, by far the smoothest device I have owned yet and I mean it.
If I had to pick a winner it would be G pro followed by the One and S4. The One might be a little quicker than the G pro but the G pro is so smooth and is also quick.
Sense 5/ Touchwiz/ LG's UI:
I like sense 5. Its very nice. Its very simple, in fact sometimes its too simple but it performs well. I thought that I would hate blinkfeed but I fell in love at first sight thanks to the impressive display. What I don't like is that people cant completely remove blinkfeed if they don't want to use it, I don't like the fact that you have to double tap the home button to access the multitasking and have to close each apps individually. That is just stupid HTC, dumb. Love the music player, don't like that to add an app to the home screen you have to go in the app drawer, hold the app, drag it all the way to the top and then it lets you put it on the home screen, another dumb move. But still sense 5 is very nice nonetheless.
I always liked touchwiz. I thought that it brought many features to the table, I still think it does. But touchwiz is getting old, really old and needs a UI revamp ASAP!!!! Its pretty much the exact same as it is on the S3 and not too different from the S2 except the features. Speaking of features, the S4 has anything possibly imaginable. The bad is that many of them are really gimmicky but the good is that you can turn off whatever you want and I respect that, thank you Samsung for at least giving us the option to remove things unlike HTC lol. My favorite features on the S4 are Airview and multiwindow. Both extremely useful. Airview to access sub menus, preview emails ( don't have to open every email), works as a magnifier glass, works really well. Multi window takes multitasking a step further. Yes it is available on other Samsung devices but it is something that the S4 has over the G pro and HTC One. Air gestures, smart pause are fun for 15 min but then you wont find any use to it ( except for moving apps from one home screen to another with air gesture, pretty useful).
Lg's UI is awesome in my opinion. Starting with the lockscreen, love the animations, in fact I love all the animations of the UI. That's what I love about this device, you can pretty much customize ANYTHING YOU WANT. Colors of folders, lockscreen animations, settings in tabs or list, icons... you name it. Q slide is very nice but doesn't even come close to multi window. LG's UI is very close to touchwiz but they kinda created their own lane and they're doing a very nice job. Once again everything is so smooth, love the quick access button to access any apps on the phone. This UI is like a touchwiz refresh and feels very familiar but different and I love it.
The Gpro UI is my favorite because of the animation, the smoothness and the features. Touchwiz would have tied it if it wasn't for the stutter. Love sense 5 as well.
Camera:
S4 WINS HANDS DOWN, NO DEBATE EVER!!! Such a fantastic camera. The G pro camera is second and the One 3rd although the One is very impressive in low light.
Storage:
Definitely the G pro. Let me explain. Every android phone since ICS can only install apps on the internal storage except the S4 which just had an update to be able to install apps to the sd card. The problem with the S4 move to sd card is that the maximum size app is 40 mb. ( that's what I read) So considering all 3 phones entry model at 199$, the HTC One gives you 32 gig of storage but no possible way of sd cards, the S4 comes in 16 gig with half of it taken by the system and move to sd card only support apps that are 40 mb and under. The G pro comes with 32 gig AND has expandable memory.
Battery life:
Definitely the G pro but everybody knows that, no surprises here with its 3140 mah battery. Not too far behind is the S4 ( GT-I9500 exynos 5 octa version). Plenty of screen time as well and 3rd is HTC One with also great battery life but not better than the other 2. All of them get you through a day with normal use no problem but the G pro is the star of the show.
Music/sound/Speakers:
You already know, the HTC One is UNBEATABLE right now. I don't know if any of you had the privilege to hear the sound that comes out of the One speakers. The sound is so good and loud and clear that it literally puts a smile on my face, literally. It is so crisp, really HTC has Set the bar when it comes to sound quality on a smartphone meaning every new phones that come out will have to beat it to be impressive. Music through the headphones is also great, Beats audio is supported and HTC provides a nice pair of ear buds. Second place goes to the S4. The speakers are plenty loud, just not as clear as the One plus the placement is in the back so it can easily be muffled. Sound through earbuds is nice and loud but again doesn't match the One. Last but not least is the optimus G pro. The sound through the speakers is as loud as the S4 but the volume isn't as high with the headphones. Plus the G pro doesn't come with any earbuds.
Development:
HTC One without a doubt. Not only that HTC provides a method to unlock the bootloader, but the One has S-off now. As you may know, S-off gives you pretty much complete control of your phone and lets you write things on the "write system partition". You can change boot animation, flash radios ect... plus it has super CID which lets you change the ID of your phone from for example an AT&T to the international version so when HTC pushes an update you'll get it on your AT&T phone despite it not being the international version. And the cherry on top of the cake is that any roms on the international HTC One can be flashed to the T-Mobile, AT&T and sprint versions ( some for the sprint versions). That is so amazing. The S4 (Gt I9500 octa core) has an unlocked botloader, I love Samsung for that. Super easy to root and tools like Odin are great plus there is CF root by chainfire. Development is good and will get better. G pro has an easy root method but as you all now the bootloader is locked ( damn you AT&T !). Thanks to thecubed, the bootloader unlock is just a matter of time and once that's done, everybody needs to step back cause the beast will be unleashed!
Overall, all 3 phones are amazing. The One offers a quality device, amazing sound, nearly flawless performance and a fantastic display. The S4 is a worthy upgrade to the popular S3, pretty much same body frame but with a bigger screen, lighter, thinner and a bigger battery. Also the best Amoled display and the best camera on a phone yet.
And now the G pro, an optimus G on steroids just like the Note 2 is to the S3. Smoothest experience on a phone, so fast, incredible 5.5 inch 1080p display, fantastic battery life, customizable to the core, nice LED home button, very nice performing camera. My new favorite phone. Cheers!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I disagree on camera quality. HTC One pictures look better overall, even if they are lacking a little detail. The G Pro tends to blur the photos a bit much and you lose a lot of detail that you should have on a 13mp camera.
The GS4 definitely wins on quality, however the camera is slow. Like the rest of the UI, it lags and takes significantly longer to launch and take a picture. This translates to missed opportunities and blurry action shots. I don't have this issue with either the One or the G Pro, although the One is the champ in the fast camera department. Honestly, if Samsung could optimize Touchwize and speed up the GS4's fluidity, it would be boss.
greyhulk said:
I disagree on camera quality. HTC One pictures look better overall, even if they are lacking a little detail. The G Pro tends to blur the photos a bit much and you lose a lot of detail that you should have on a 13mp camera.
The GS4 definitely wins on quality, however the camera is slow. Like the rest of the UI, it lags and takes significantly longer to launch and take a picture. This translates to missed opportunities and blurry action shots. I don't have this issue with either the One or the G Pro, although the One is the champ in the fast camera department. Honestly, if Samsung could optimize Touchwize and speed up the GS4's fluidity, it would be boss.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It is your opinion but I definitely disagree with you, the S4 is the best camera on a phone at the moment. The one does not even come close and really lacks detail. If you talk about shutter speed then yes the One is quicker but the S4 excels in detail and the pics looks absolutely stunning.
I don't think it's fair to call the One camera better because it has a faster shutter speed. What about the picture quality (the thing that really matters after all)?
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
barondebxl said:
It is your opinion but I definitely disagree with you, the S4 is the best camera on a phone at the moment. The one does not even come close and really lacks detail. If you talk about shutter speed then yes the One is quicker but the S4 excels in detail and the pics looks absolutely stunning.
I don't think it's fair to call the One camera better because it has a faster shutter speed. What about the picture quality (the thing that really matters after all)?
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 2
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You basically reiterated what I said, but camera launch and shutter speed are important because it doesn't matter how good the picture quality is if you miss the moment completely or get a blurry shot due to movement. The whole point of a smartphone camera is speed and convenience, otherwise, you might as well use a DSLR for the best quality.
I regularly miss photos with my GS4 because by the time the screen unlocks and the camera loads, the moment has passed. This is never an issue on the One and rarely on the G Pro.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
greyhulk said:
You basically reiterated what I said, but camera launch and shutter speed are important because it doesn't matter how good the picture quality is if you miss the moment completely or get a blurry shot due to movement. The whole point of a smartphone camera is speed and convenience, otherwise, you might as well use a DSLR for the best quality.
I regularly miss photos with my GS4 because by the time the screen unlocks and the camera loads, the moment has passed. This is never an issue on the One and rarely on the G Pro.
Sent from my LG-E980 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Well once again I have to disagree with you. " the whole point of a smartphone camera is its speed and convenience". What if the pic quality isn't that great?
I don't know about you but most pictures I take are still pics, people posing stuff like that. Yes shutter speeds are great, but ill take the image quality of the S4 with its slower shutter speed over the fast shutter speed of the One but with far less picture quality anyday. I don't understand your point about carrying DSLRs since we are comparing smartphones here. So if I understand correctly, you think the HTC One's camera is better because of faster shutter speed to capture that "moment" while I prefer the S4's camera because its picture quality is absolutely superior. And its not like it takes 10 seconds for the S4 to launch the camera plus capture a pic.
Your quote to my huge post was " I disagree with camera quality", well this isn't even a point to be argued since everybody knows the S4 captures more details with its camera.

Going from HTC One to the Note 3

So I'm thinking about migrating from the One to the Note 3. Has anybody done this and enjoyed the experience and would you all recommend it?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I went from the Htc one dev edition to the note 3. First thing i noticed was the difference in screen, i prefer the display quality of the htc one (SLCD) rather than the amoled screen of the GN3. Other than the screen and premium feel the GN3 bests the htc one with battery life, speed and camera quality.I'm most likely going to sell the note 3 and get the new htc one (m8) when it arrives.
I just to have the HTC one . But the Note 3 is a Beast. I won't go back to HTC one.
The only thing that I like from the HTC one, was the sound quality and the aluminum body, but, I don't miss it at all.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using Tapatalk 2
I do miss the HTC One because I could easily manipulate it with one hand. After switching to the Note 3, I noticed it is much more difficult to use the device with one hand, and trust me I have relatively large hands. The speakers on the one were awesome and the sense ui is far superior in terms of appearance. However I don't regret having the Note 3 at all since it compensates by being a beast of a device.
If it was me, I would get away from HTC devices. The company has been hurting badly and it is only a matter of time until your device has no support anymore. They are constantly losing money, reinventing the wheel, and just flying pretty low.
The naked eye cannot discern the difference between tiny little 4.8" SUPER LCD screen and the one on the Note 3. Look closely at an edge, a graphic on a widget, a web page... if you tell me you can see a difference, even while squinting up close, you are suffering massively from a bad case of placebo.
I would go with the Note 3. Better software, better support, more likely it will remain supported for a few years, and you really can't beat the way they integrated the pen into the UI. Unbelievable, the places Samsung has taken Android.
And the Note 3 camera makes the One's camera look like a polaroid.
That is just my opinion - and despite what you or others may think - it is unbiased. Just calling a spade a spade. I used to love HTC products.
Do what you want.
Jason Syn said:
So I'm thinking about migrating from the One to the Note 3. Has anybody done this and enjoyed the experience and would you all recommend it?
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I had a One for about 3 months until the Note came out and changed straight away simply for the screen size.
HigherSensation said:
I went from the Htc one dev edition to the note 3. First thing i noticed was the difference in screen, i prefer the display quality of the htc one (SLCD) rather than the amoled screen of the GN3. Other than the screen and premium feel the GN3 bests the htc one with battery life, speed and camera quality.I'm most likely going to sell the note 3 and get the new htc one (m8) when it arrives.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Only real thing I noticed was the size and how the Note seemed brighter, but the HTC had a crisper screen IMO -- I'm also waiting to see what the M8 throws at us, but I doubt I will switch unless it's something totally different.
I came from the One as well and I cannot go back. I enjoy the screen size and features such as the multi window and pen window... root enables so much more.
The issues I couldn't stand anymore on the One were:
Purple haze making low light photos horrible on the camera
Bad battery life (easily 2x the battery with the Note)
GD bezels... HTC really didn't make efficient use of the size of the device
Bad USB ports (went through 2 with this issue, they wiggle loose)
Things I miss:
The front camera was better then the rear and all over just a good camera
Speakers.. Stupid catch name or not, they were great
Feel (although the Note isn't far from it. Feels solid and we'll built with no slimy plastic)
Sent from my SM-N900T using Tapatalk
I had 2 HTC Ones and I traded one of them for the LG Optimus G Pro. It was a wrap after that. The screen was bright and sharp but it was the way I could use slide for multi tasks. My wife has the note 2 and I absolutely hated Tw, but the use of the stylus and how great it was with its multitasking was perfect for me as I have TBI and my memory sucks. I do miss the zoe feature, perfect for a huge family like mine, and the speakers were awesome. But when my wife surprised me with the N3 it was all over. Everything I need and then some. Development is better in the note3. Tw even grew on me lol.
The camera on the N3 sucks at low light shots but other than that, it's pretty banging. Probably not going back to HTC. If they hadn't mucked up the HTC one max then I would most likely still be with them. But I'm gonna ride out with my N3.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using xda premium
Please use the sticky here http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2466107

HTC Desire Eye mini review

So, I picked up a Desire Eye on launch day. I feel like I was one of the few people intrigued by this device when it was announced. Since then, it has received almost zero attention: Few reviews, no posts on XDA, very little buzz on the internet in general. So, if you're even remotely considering this device and want a little info, here's a personal perspective from someone who bought the phone.
Disclaimer: I have owned dozens of flagship phones over the last several years. I'm also quite a fan of Sense UI and HTC in general. I did not buy this phone for the front facing camera. I don't care about selfies, so I'm probably not the target audience. I really just wanted an M8 with a better camera.
Display
The display is probably my one gripe about the device so far. I can't quite put my finger on it, but it looks washed out to me. When I first turned it on in the store, it immediately looked dull. A lot of the HTC wallpapers and themes are a sort of pastel, so it's really hard to tell, but next to my iPhone 6 Plus, and even a Windows M8 in the store, it just doesn't look as vibrant as I'd expect. Compared to my Note 4, it looks positively depressing, but that's to be expected. That said, it does get plenty bright. I just wish I still had my M8 to compare it with because I swear the M8 had more contrast and vibrance.
Camera
My only real beef with the M8 was the camera, mainly the low megapixel count which made cropping nearly impossible. It also had trouble with exposure and focus. I was really hoping that they fixed that with this phone. I know it's not their flagship and is, in fact, marketed as mid range, but it's really just an M8 with a different build and cameras. I have taken quite a few photo samples and compared them online to the Z3 Compact, iPhone 6 Plus, OnePlus One, G3, and Note 4. There is definitely more detail and you can crop in much further than the M8, but it still gets soft when you do. I also noticed the same issues with exposure. If you're not careful about where you tap to focus, you'll get a blown out sky or dark subject. Focus is fast, but not always accurate. It sometimes blurs the subject instead of the background. Definitely not on par with the focusing systems found in the Note 4 and iPhone 6 Plus. Colors are good, if not great. They lean toward the warmer and more vibrant side, which I personally prefer. Overall, it's an upgrade over the M8 and on par with phones like the OnePlus One and G3, at least in my testing.
Build
I know a lot of people are fans of metal, but there are advantages and disadvantages to metal and plastic. The advantages here are water resistance and weight. This is a light phone and it feels good in the hand. Coming from my Note 4, it is significantly lighter and easier to hold. It's also fairly grippy. I don't feel the need for a case. My one complaint about build is the size. This thing is big. It's nearly as big as the iPhone 6 Plus and Note 4, which is kind of sad when you consider the 5.2" screen. Part of this is the 13mp front-facing camera. Part is the speakers, even though the grills are much smaller this time around. They still needed that blank "HTC" strip on the front for components and that adds to the overall size. The camera shutter button is very difficult to press. I only see using this thing under water. If you try to use it for normal pictures, you'll get blur because the phone will move when you try to press it. I find this to be a problem on a lot of phones with dedicated shutter buttons, but it's much more pronounced here.
Battery
My other primary concern with this phone was battery. It's the same internals as the M8 with a bigger screen and a smaller battery. While disappointing, so far it's not as bad as I expected. It seems to be about on par with the M8, though I'm not sure how. Standby time is pretty good (in my limited testing so far) and it doesn't drain horribly fast when the screen is on. Since HTC doesn't show screen on time and I had to install GSAM, I don't have any screen on results yet, but I will be testing that over the next few days.
Performance
This is the reason to get an HTC phone, in my opinion. Sense and stock Android are easily the fastest, best performing versions of Android, in my experience. But Sense brings some nice enhancements to the table that I think are worth it over stock Android. There's no lag or delay anywhere on the phone so far. Everything is fast and fluid. It makes my Note 4 look positively slow. Just the gallery lag on the Note 4 alone is enough to drive someone mad. HTC is doing it right. I'm actually a fan of Blinkfeed, too, though I know other people hate it. Since the introduction of Blinkfeed, I almost always end up putting a widget on my left most homescreen of every other Android phone that gives me a full page of news, though nothing quite compares to HTC's solution. I like their enhancements to the gallery, contacts, etc. Very nice overall experience.
Misc.
1. Minor annoyance, but the stock email client makes you tap to show images on every HTML email. Since I actually use it, it's kind of annoying. I wish they would at least give an option in the settings to "always show".
2. Some of the camera features are really need, like face merge and photo strip. I do miss slow motion video and 4k recording, though.
3. Internal storage is only 16gb. You have a little over 9 free out of the box. This is the only other con to this phone, in my opinion.
4. I'm a pretty big fan of the screen on gestures. I basically never have to use the power button. And now we can launch straight into the camera, too.
5. I received an update yesterday and it auto installed. There's no info anywhere on what it was. The phone just rebooted and installed with no warning.
6. There is a ton of bloatware on this thing (AT&T). Seriously, brace yourselves. It's even more insulting with only 16gb to start with.
7. Bootloader is unlockable at HTC Dev so, there's at least hope that we'll get root soon. The main issue will be S-Off, as usual. But I really only want/need root.
8. The front-facing speakers are every bit as good as you'd expect, despite the water resistant membrane and smaller grills. It's pretty impressive how small and unnoticeable they are.
Wrap Up
Overall, I really like the device. My main concerns are camera quality and battery life, which I will continue to test. I really like the user experience overall, though, and it's one of my favorite phones of the year. I don't think this phone is really getting the attention it deserves. Even the tech bloggers seem to be ignoring it. I hope this helps anyone who's on the fence about this phone and/or looking for more information.
Obligatory Camera Samples
Here are some camera samples. XDA is compressing them, but you get the idea.
Thanks for the review and photos. The camera was better than what I was expecting from the sensor HTC is using, to be honest. The only downside from what I've read in your review is the screen: while I don't like oversatured screens, I also don't appreciate "dark" screens (it hasn't to do with brightness, but with the white tone).
Regarding the speakers, I know you don't have a M8 to compare, but do you notice much of a difference between the devices?
Can you please confirm that it has MHL and it works?
For what it's worth, I held my One M8 side by side with a Desire Eye in store and compared the screens while displaying the same images and websites. They looked pretty much exactly the same to me other than a slight difference in size. Didn't think it looked dull. Of course, the lighting in AT&T was pretty harsh so it wasn't the best environment for comparison. Maybe you just got used to the super punchy over saturated colors of the Note 4?
gtg465x said:
For what it's worth, I held my One M8 side by side with a Desire Eye in store and compared the screens while displaying the same images and websites. They looked pretty much exactly the same to me other than a slight difference in size. Didn't think it looked dull. Of course, the lighting in AT&T was pretty harsh so it wasn't the best environment for comparison. Maybe you just got used to the super punchy over saturated colors of the Note 4?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That's actually what I was thinking too. Not a bad display by any means.
Thank you for this mini review! Really helpful.
Could you please state in which degree you can use the phone with one hand?
Would it feel closer to the use of a One M8/Galaxy S5/LG G2 or would it compare more to a One Plus One / Iphone 6 Plus (which is for me slightly to big).
The 5.2 inch of the LG G2 is of perfect size, but that phone had way smaller bezzels, so this is in fact something that scares me of the HTC desire EYE.
Waarez said:
Thank you for this mini review! Really helpful.
Could you please state in which degree you can use the phone with one hand?
Would it feel closer to the use of a One M8/Galaxy S5 or would it compare more to a One Plus One / Iphone 6 Plus (which is for me slightly to big).
The 5.2 inch of the LG G2 were perfect.. but this phone had way smaller bezzels, so this is what scares me of the one M8.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
It's definitely closer to the OnePlus One or iphone 6 Plus size wise, but it is MUCH lighter, which does make it easier to handle with one hand. Unless you have gorilla hands, though, you definitely won't be able to reach all four corners of the screen with one hand.
It's tall, rather than wide.
I got the Desire EYE in the mail 2 days ago, it's a really good phone, really fast, takes nice pictures, overall I'm happy about it, the only downside about it is the internal storage, it has like 7 gb out of the 16 dedicated to the OS and stock apps... But other than that, really good phone!
To start off, I will say I am a big HTC fan. I talked about 7 people into buying the One M8 over the S5 this year. I love Sense, Blinkfeed and the snappiness of their devices. I have since sold my One M8 earlier this summer, around May, and have been jumping around to different devices. I strayed from the One M8 mostly due to the camera and the fact that I like to try the latest and greatest devices. I have been using an iPhone 6 since it launched. When I saw the Desire Eye was announced, I got excited. I was really hoping for an M8 Eye, which I think would have been the perfect smartphone for 2014, but this was almost as good. I picked one of these up on Friday at an AT&T store. The guy kind of looked at me funny when I said I wanted one, I don't think he was trained on the device or knew what it was. I didn't open it until Saturday night, but in the store, when playing with it, the first thing I said was, this screen looks washed out. I think it has something to do with the default theme, when I changed it back to one of the same Sense stock themes on the One M8, it didn't look as bad. It is something to do with that pink color they are using. I am torn on the device, it is like 2 steps forward, a couple steps back. I didn't like the first few indoor pictures without flash I took of my 3 month old daughter, so I switched back to the iPhone 6 yesterday because it was her baptism and I didn't want to miss any shots, or risk them coming out badly. One thing that Apple knows is how to make a camera that focuses fast and gives you good pictures. The Boom Sound is also a bit of a disappointment. The bass and clarity seems to be lacking compared to the M8. I played some Vevo music videos on the demo models in store. I am currently thinking about trying to find a second hand M8 Google Play Edition in mint condition (so I have full T-Mobile support for the $30 SIM I have for my play phone line), and keep either it or the Eye and my iPhone 6.
Y2J
Thanks for the review!
The camera doesn't seem bad but for some reason i was expecting it to have a bit more "wow" factor, don't know why and they the shots seem good enough.
You mentioned no-slow motion (i had actually talked about this in the other thread) and the info i read was that it didn't have. However, i was just watching a video review of the desire eye and in the settings i noticed the slow motion icon and the review actually pressed it and it sayed it was slow motion (its an italian video, i actually looked it up to see the translation lol). It was in the camera interface under the " ... " icon and on the modes (it usually says auto) it has the slow motion icon/cartoon - Here is the video @ 11:45
Still no mention of 4k, so that is not from stock but maybe with a mod.
griffin_1 said:
Thanks for the review!
The camera doesn't seem bad but for some reason i was expecting it to have a bit more "wow" factor, don't know why and they the shots seem good enough.
You mentioned no-slow motion (i had actually talked about this in the other thread) and the info i read was that it didn't have. However, i was just watching a video review of the desire eye and in the settings i noticed the slow motion icon and the review actually pressed it and it sayed it was slow motion (its an italian video, i actually looked it up to see the translation lol). It was in the camera interface under the " ... " icon and on the modes (it usually says auto) it has the slow motion icon/cartoon - Here is the video @ 11:45
Still no mention of 4k, so that is not from stock but maybe with a mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't see a slow motion option anywhere in the settings. The only video options are for the resolution (MMS, 1080, etc). One thing they did do right, though, is put the video record button back on the main interface full time next to the camera shutter button. They were crazy to ever take that away.
Quality is okay. It's about on par with the OnePlus One and G3, in my testing. Most of the shots I took were on an overcast day, so not the best testing environment, but overall I think it's acceptable. I think I'd still grab my Note 4 or iPhone 6 Plus if I was going somewhere to take a lot of pictures, but I don't feel like I'm carrying around a bad camera when I have this phone.
griffin_1 said:
Thanks for the review!
The camera doesn't seem bad but for some reason i was expecting it to have a bit more "wow" factor, don't know why and they the shots seem good enough.
You mentioned no-slow motion (i had actually talked about this in the other thread) and the info i read was that it didn't have. However, i was just watching a video review of the desire eye and in the settings i noticed the slow motion icon and the review actually pressed it and it sayed it was slow motion (its an italian video, i actually looked it up to see the translation lol). It was in the camera interface under the " ... " icon and on the modes (it usually says auto) it has the slow motion icon/cartoon - Here is the video @ 11:45
Still no mention of 4k, so that is not from stock but maybe with a mod.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, I was totally wrong about slow motion. I just found the option. It was not where I expected, but I'm stoked to see that it's there!
Great Slow motion on htc is good, at least if its like on the m8. I think only htc and sony in Android lets you record 120fps and then edit what parts to slow down, which is how slow motion should be. Glad to see its there and websites like gsmarena should mention it and update the specs info with that.
battery update?
G1_enthusiast said:
battery update?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Battery is really good for the capacity. Idle drain with my apps and setting was about 3%/hr. With the screen on, it does seem to lose battery pretty fast, but I was still able to get about 10-13 hours of use with around 3 hours screen time. That's not much worse than most of my other phones do, actually.
I would post screenshots, but I no longer have the phone. As much as I really liked it, I just couldn't live with the camera quality. I was really hoping for better. But if camera isn't your #1 priority, this is a great all around phone. Camera is definitely better than phones like the Moto X. I was just hoping for closer to Note 4/iPhone quality.
How do the camera quality and pictures compare to Samsung S4 or S5?
Thanks.
struff said:
How do the camera quality and pictures compare to Samsung S4 or S5?
Thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
My mom has the S5 And I prefer the Eye´s camera, It´s just... sharper and more clear.
sidle said:
My mom has the S5 And I prefer the Eye´s camera, It´s just... sharper and more clear.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm going to politely however completely disagree. There's no comparison. S5 is one of the best cameras you can get.
Sent from my HTC Desire Eye using Tapatalk
robstunner said:
I'm going to politely however completely disagree. There's no comparison. S5 is one of the best cameras you can get.
Sent from my HTC Desire Eye using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And yet, I like this one more.
Front HTC Desire Eye:
http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/143110-image/HTC-Desire-EYE.jpg
Front Galaxy S5:
http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/143127-image/Samsung-Galaxy-S5.jpg
Back HTC Desire Eye:
http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/143113-image/HTC-Desire-EYE.jpg
Back Galaxy S5:
http://i-cdn.phonearena.com/images/articles/143130-image/Samsung-Galaxy-S5.jpg
Let the photo's speak for themselves. The HTC Desire Eye clearly wins this battle, or even HTC in general. The S5 is litteraly crap in low to medium-light area's.
http://www.phonearena.com/news/Firs...-HTC-One-M8-and-the-Samsung-Galaxy-S5_id61506
Fair enough, but in better lighting the s5 proves much better and rarely overexposed the pictures.

HTC 10 vs Samsung S7

Hello, I have been a long time fan of HTC, and still use my One S from 2012. Back then the one series was the best in every department, the Samsung equivalent has was nowhere in sight.
Anyway time has finally come to upgrade, and looking at the reviews I am torn between the HTC 10 and Samsung S7. I know there must be plenty of threads on this topic, but I couldn't find any using the search, so please link if there is any. I created a list below, but I wanted the opinions of the owners to tell me if they are accurate.
HTC 10 Pros:
Unlocked Bootloader/Easy custom ROMS
Best Lite Android UI (Sense)
Use SD Card are Internal Storage
Boomsound and Audio Codecs
USB 3.0
S7 Pros:
AMOLED >>>> LCD
Camera??
Waterproofing
A lot has been said about the camera problems with the HTC 10, the latest update v1.51 was supposed to address the issues. Have any owners received the update and has it improved to match the S7? And I guess with further updates the camera can only get better...
But on the other hand, surely with time the S7 will become unlockable and easy to install custom ROM's? And if so I could easily install a better ROM with near stock android UI
Not sure what to decide. What do owners think of my list, do they agree with the things I have said??
Cheers
Well I have the S7 Edge and I decided to buy the HTC 10 because I was sick of all the issues the S7 Edge had, if that tells you anything.
Sent from my SM-G935V using Tapatalk
At the end of the day, both devices are more than capable, so I'm forced to be a little nitpicky and look at what I consider big cons for me that I've read about throughout my research on both. I do want the HTC 10 far more.
HTC 10 has been experiencing random screen issues, such as pink/yellow tints.
SG7 has been experiencing random pink tints, too, plus an apparent dead zone on the lowest point of the screen. I've also read about the camera glass randomly cracking/shattering. The entire phone being incased in glass makes me very nervous. A bump/drop could mean a shattered phone instead of a cracked screen.
Sadly, due to my wedding/money issues I'm forced to use my BestBuy credit to upgrade, so if the unlocked HTC 10 does not come to BestBuy, I'm forced into a Exynos G7.
I've got the TMo S7 and will probably switch to the 10 when it's available for Jump.
The S7 is definitely not a bad phone at all. I love the waterproofing on it and only have a few minor complaints. The speaker isn't great, probably takes a hit from the waterproofing. I get a lot of accidental touches on the edges of the screen from my palm when using it one handed. Lastly, the home button is pretty loud. I use my phone a lot in bed while my fiancée is asleep, and it just seems deafeningly loud (exaggerating a lot, but in a quite bedroom it is noticeable).
I haven't used an HTC device in a few years so I'm not sure how it will compare, but I'm looking forward to giving it a shot.
I went from a Note 5 to the HTC 10 (just look at my signature for order of devices...I have zero brand loyalty). Couple buddies of mine went to the S7E. Nice device, but just like the Note 5, forget modding it. To me it looks like a bigger fisher price phone. Flashy design, flashy bold colors, and absolutely zero customization. No thanks...never again. I would have went for a Nexus phone but I like the SD slot so HTC 10 was my pick.
Sammy Exynos versions are unlockable and have a dev community going. It's just the US versions that are locked down.
Sammy isn't as forgiving as GTC, though, and rooting and such will void your warranty.
Sent from my HTC One_M8 using XDA Free mobile app
I don't have a preference between LCD and AMOLED, honestly. AMOLED has its strengths, but I like better color reproduction vs. saturation. This is, of course, a personal preference. And I'm pretty sure the 10's camera is aboooooouuuut as good as the S7's, especially post-update. Dxomark thought so, anyway.
I'd hate to inflame a useless Samsung vs. HTC flame war, but Samsung's button placement and UI make me want to smash their phones off of a concrete floor, douse them in lighter fluid, burn them, and fire them into the sun.
I'm on T-Mobile, and with the locked bootloader on the S7, I'm about to JUMP again to the HTC 10, personally. The S7 is nice if you don't care about rooting, but I'm too much of a tinkerer to do without. There's a workaround for adoptable storage on the S7, but it causes the reporting of the storage to mess up and display wrong information, which makes me wonder if that's why Samsung left it out. The cameras will likely be fairly even since the update, and honestly, I listen to music more than I take pictures, so the 10 is better suited for me. I also am not a fan at all of Samsung's UI, but I thought I'd be able to fix that with root.
I'm on T-Mobile as well and have one more Jump until June with Jump on Demand. I'm waiting for the 10 to hit their stores so I can make up my mind.
I obviously can't make a pro's and con's list since I don't own the 10 but I can make a list of what I'm worried about switching from the S7 Edge to the HTC 10.
1. Battery......I have gotten a taste of what 8 hours SOT and over a day of usage tastes like. After reading some posts regarding the 10's battery life, it looks like one area I'd regret.
2. Display.....Putting the AMOLED/LCD argument aside because honestly, I could care less what display technology my phone has just as long as it's a good display. What I'm worried about however is the size and brightness. I use my phone a lot outdoors and after reading some reviews, it looks like the S7E is much brighter in direct sunlight. In regards to screen size, I've been using a phone with a 5.5 inch + display for the past 2 years and feel like anything below 5.5in. will feel small.
3. Camera.....I love the camera on the S7E and as of right now, I believe it to be the better camera in most situations as of right now. I do think HTC will improve the 10's camera through updates but it still worries me.
If HTC would have built this exact phone around a 5.5in display and a 3600 mAh battery, it would have made my decision much easier. I like the speaker design and I love how they didn't skin Android's UI to death. Granted it doesn't really effect me too much since Nova is the first app I install on every phone.
I guess we will see what happens on the 18th when the phone hit's T-Mobile shelves.
jrwingate6 said:
I'm on T-Mobile as well and have one more Jump until June with Jump on Demand. I'm waiting for the 10 to hit their stores so I can make up my mind.
I obviously can't make a pro's and con's list since I don't own the 10 but I can make a list of what I'm worried about switching from the S7 Edge to the HTC 10.
1. Battery......I have gotten a taste of what 8 hours SOT and over a day of usage tastes like. After reading some posts regarding the 10's battery life, it looks like one area I'd regret.
2. Display.....Putting the AMOLED/LCD argument aside because honestly, I could care less what display technology my phone has just as long as it's a good display. What I'm worried about however is the size and brightness. I use my phone a lot outdoors and after reading some reviews, it looks like the S7E is much brighter in direct sunlight. In regards to screen size, I've been using a phone with a 5.5 inch + display for the past 2 years and feel like anything below 5.5in. will feel small.
3. Camera.....I love the camera on the S7E and as of right now, I believe it to be the better camera in most situations as of right now. I do think HTC will improve the 10's camera through updates but it still worries me.
If HTC would have built this exact phone around a 5.5in display and a 3600 mAh battery, it would have made my decision much easier. I like the speaker design and I love how they didn't skin Android's UI to death. Granted it doesn't really effect me too much since Nova is the first app I install on every phone.
I guess we will see what happens on the 18th when the phone hit's T-Mobile shelves.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You could run into a Verizon store and check it out. That's what I did as I was waiting for mine to arrive. I'm very satisfied with the 10. Only downside I've had is screen brightness outdoors.
Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk

Categories

Resources