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Deciding factor for choosing S5 over M8?

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danoffset

Newbie
Hi all,

As the title says really, and as they are probably the main 2 rivals at the moment:

What made you go for the S5 over the M8?

Any regrets?

Anyone going to exchange? And for what reason?

Cheers peeps!
 
Number 1! Battery! M8 doesnt have removable battery and comes from reviews that s5 battery is durable, lasts longer than m8.
 
Well I'm thinking about returning the S5 for the M8. Ive had a samsung devices for a while now and I'm kinda missing sense. I have till thursday to decide, so I'm going to pick up a M8 and test it for a few days then return it and make my decision off of that
 
May i know what factors that affected you to change your s5 to m8? Im kinda like to switch to m8 also but the removal battery is holding me down.
 
Well I haven't changed yet. I'm going to test the M8 very hard over the next couple days vs my S5. But 1 is I miss sense and I feel touchwiz coloring is starting to get very kiddish. The battery isn't that big of a deal since its only 200mha and normally phones with built in batteries tend to consume energy less. But I can go 24 hours on my S5 so If I can make 20 hours on the M8 I'm ok with that.
 
Keep in touch and let us know if you see m8 is much better than s5. I still have 1 week and 1 day to switch from s5 to m8.
 
I switched from the s5 to the m8. The only thing I miss about the s5 is the camera. The s5 may have the better detailed camera, but the m8 is a better phone IMO.
 
I had the m8 for a week before i returned it,

never was a fan of samsung and was worried about the "lag and bloat" people always say comes with the products.


i was impressed.

1. battery is removable as a college student this is HUUUUUGE, as i always forget to sometimes recharge my phone, so i have 2 batteries now and i swap em all the time which is awesome. no waiting next to the wallsocket anymore.

2i really hatd this aout the m8... the touch buttons at the bottom . they cover up the screen it drove me crazy that on the homescreen those buttons never went away. and on chrome , it was horrible i hated it. it remeinded me of why i loved physical buttons way more because it doesnt cover up the screen.

3. usb 3.0 is awesome, i play emulators psp and it can take a while same with digital movies , its super fast now.

4 i took a shower while on my phone...scrub a dub dub , it was awesome.

5.i like the screen better than the m8's. one thing i noticed about the m8 was the blacks were not black at all. I like my blacks to be black. that annoyed me.

6.not really a problem for me since i rarely use a camera , but the m8's camera was okay, but not as good as this one.

i followed the m8 since it was rumored and i really wanted to like it like i loved the htc one. but it dissapointed me so much that not even the speakers could save it.
 
I must admit, the only thing at the moment that would be drawing me towards the M8 is the front speakers. But logically thinking if I want to listen to something properly I'll just stick a decent set of ear phones in.

Build quality doesn't bother me at all, I'm only gonna put a case on what ever phone I have.

As mentioned above, those on screen buttons don't sound good.

I'm really happy choosing the S5, but hearing a bit of hype of the M8 so was wondering if I missed something and chose the wrong phone???
I also have about a week to change my mind just case
 
M8 cons:

Sense - I just don't like it. I had an HTC desire about 4 years ago and it just feels the same as that.

Design - its awkward, I hold a phone with three fingers across the back and use my thumb to tap, my little finger sits underneath the phone to stop it falling. With the M8 because it has a speaker then the goofy "HTC" band at the bottom of the screen it makes it harder to reach the top part of the screen. Also, I wasn't comfortable and kept thinking it'd slip from my hand.

Music app - pretty poor compared to the S5 one (or even the S3 one..)
 
danoffset said:
I must admit, the only thing at the moment that would be drawing me towards the M8 is the front speakers. But logically thinking if I want to listen to something properly I'll just stick a decent set of ear phones in.

Build quality doesn't bother me at all, I'm only gonna put a case on what ever phone I have.

As mentioned above, those on screen buttons don't sound good.

I'm really happy choosing the S5, but hearing a bit of hype of the M8 so was wondering if I missed something and chose the wrong phone???
I also have about a week to change my mind just case
Click to expand...


Honestly depends on what you are looking for in a device. Like I said, the s5's camera is what mainly made me want the s5. But the hindrance of memory and hardware/software that bogged it down is what made me want to return it. As far as the m8 goes....
Music/audio sounds ridiculously good on the m8. And I'm talking about with headphones.
Memory. It comes with twice the available memory over the s5 for the same price. So if you plan on storing a lot of memory intensive apps.....
It's actually faster and more fluid than the s5, despite that the s5 is clocked faster. Screen rotation, going through apps, web pages...it's only by like a second, but it's still faster.
The on screen buttons really are not that much of a hindrance like people are making it out to be. If you are texting or whatever, they aren't going to bother you since you are already typing away anyway. If you are watching a movie or playing a game, they go away until you swipe the area of the screen where they would be. Like I said, they really are not a bother at all.
Battery. You can switch out with the s5 (which is a good thing if you are a mega heavy power user), but if you always recharge your phone at the end of the day, then both of these devices will carry you through, especially since both of these devices come with ultra power saving mode.
Even texting is better on the m8. It may not have the number row like the s5 does (which is a good thing), but the predictive text works so much better to the point where it's almost reminiscent of the iPhone in terms of texting.

Basically it's the little things that make the experience. Both phones are in fact great. But everyone's needs and what they want from a phone is completely different. Think about what you want exactly out of a phone, then think about what each phone brings. Match the phones price and the hardware/software capabilities that come with that price with your needs and then go from there, because it is your money that you are investing in
 
I would definitely suggest checking out the review threads over in the M8 forum (there are 2) Professional review thread -M8 and Personal reviews. I would also recommend the battery life thread as well: Battery life of the M8 to get a perspective on what phone is best for you.

Personally I like both phones. I ended up with the M8 and have no regrets, but I can easily see myself having the same experience based on my testing of the Galaxy S5 and the reviews I have seen. I chose the M8 for the design and the way it felt in my hand (I keep my device naked unless I know I'm going to be in a situation where I might damage it). I enjoy the performance and I love how Sense integrates into the phone. The camera is ok for what I use it for. I have a DSLR if I need nice pics...


I liked the vibrant colors of the S5, though sometimes it seemed they were almost unnatural. The camera is amazing compared to the M8. My big personal gripe with Samsung is all the junk apps they add to their phone. The only other thing I like about the S5 is the water resistance. It's nice to know if your phone gets wet it will be alright. The M8 has no issues with splashes but I would definitely avoid them if possible.
 
With that being said, for my job I'm an engineer/precision toolmaker and in the past my work has affected the Condition/functionality of my phones (iron filings in speakers and ports etc). I also do EDM Wire and Spark Erosion which involves working with water and Electrolite, so the dust and water resistant features of the S5 is probably the best bet for me.
And with a family I like to take pics when out and about so again I think I'd benefit with the S5.
Like I said earlier for me personally the only draw back so far owning the S5 is the rear speaker
 
In the end, just choose the phone that best suits you. The phone that has all of the features that you know you are going to use or make the most use out of, that justifies the price that you are spending for it.
 
Sorry guys, but I just pulled the trigger on the M8.
I really wanted the S5's large megapixel camera, OLED display, and removable battery, but the downsides to the S5 made me go the other way.
The 16gb S5 is the only version that is available with no release data set for the 32gb. Knox software is a big turn off for me since I love to root and rom my phones. The current root method available for the S5 trips Knox. I have a Galaxy Nexus and have about 3 extra batteries I use to swap when I need to, but the M8's reported battery life will make my habit of swapping batteries no more when compared to the anemic battery life of my current phone.
I have perused the forums for both the M8 and S5 for weeks now looking at all the pros and cons, and the pros of the M8 outweigh the S5 for me. I can live with the low megapixel camera of the M8 and non removable battery.
See you all next year when I look at the S6 when it comes out ;)
 
Have read and appreciate the above comments. A major difference APPEARS to be "the cameras" between the two phones. Is this real or perceived?? Any insights would be appreciated. When sending photos attached to messages, they are reduced in size. Is the pixel thing relevant only if you move photos via computer to a computer which can handle the large files/
 
smitty543 said:
Have read and appreciate the above comments. A major difference APPEARS to be "the cameras" between the two phones. Is this real or perceived?? Any insights would be appreciated. When sending photos attached to messages, they are reduced in size. Is the pixel thing relevant only if you move photos via computer to a computer which can handle the large files/
Click to expand...


When you send pics be it in message/email format or to a social site, they become compressed. They lose pixel size so that it can fit. The only way you can retain your full 16mp shot is if you transfer that file to your computer directly from your phone.
 
My number one reason for choosing the S5 was the water resistant feature. I'm into kayaking and other water activities and I really like that feature.

Second reason for chosing the S5 was the removable battery. Or maybe it's the number one reason and water resistant was number two.

The third reason is the camera. It will be a great camera for taking photos while in my kayak. I don't want to risk taking my expensive DSLR in my kayak.

And I think the S5 is a perfect size with a great looking screen.
 
Camera & durability is what made me choose the S5. I am hard on my phones. I do not just sit at a desk or at my couch all day. I need a phone that will keep up with me. So far, the S5 has.
 
NibX said:
My number one reason for choosing the S5 was the water resistant feature. I'm into kayaking and other water activities and I really like that feature.

Second reason for chosing the S5 was the removable battery. Or maybe it's the number one reason and water resistant was number two.

The third reason is the camera. It will be a great camera for taking photos while in my kayak. I don't want to risk taking my expensive DSLR in my kayak.

And I think the S5 is a perfect size with a great looking screen.
Click to expand...

I would be careful with the S5 on the river and anywhere else really. It's turning out to be not quite as water resistant as expected.
 
Mittar said:
I would be careful with the S5 on the river and anywhere else really. It's turning out to be not quite as water resistant as expected.
Click to expand...

It seems the only potential water issue has been reports of the back cover not being snug enough. Of course there it's a good chance of user error there...we will not know until more people report back on the issue though.
 
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