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HTC M8 User reviews - Thoughts on your device? Battery usage/life? -Issues/comments

I just got an M8 because it seems to be getting updates faster than the competition in the US (Samsung and LG failed and i couldn't seem to find any Moto X's in stock). It's a great enough phone and all, fluid, but i can't help but be a bit confused. Sense is more cluttered than TouchWiz or Optimus, and it's riddled with gestures i keep triggering by accident (especially when cleaning the screen after use). Probaly a bit of getting used to will help. it's not as flat as i remembered Sense being in the demo of the first One X, so i'm happy to see some 3D polish.'

Another issue is metal. i never could understand the whole Metal=premium argument. coming from a long life of iPhones and various Apple products, and still using an iPhone 5S for work, i am well aware of how easy it is to damage a metal phone. dents, scratches, busted screens (due to metal not having any 'give' like plastic) and pieces chipped out, are all common on metal phones. reception is also not as good. my new M8 might be going through a bit of first-day setup lag but it doesn't hold nearly as good a data signal as my Note 3 did, and gets 'stuck' in 1X where nothing connects (why do smartphones even have a 1X data capability if nothing can use it?) until i cycle airplane mode or reboot (i've had to reboot it three times so far because it got in a loop where it wouldn't update to 4.4.4). is this another Antennagate issue?

The design feels dated. it looks like the One X that was offered in 2013. It also looks quite similar to the iPhone 5. that might be a good thing for me because i like the power button placement over the oddball setup on my G3.

It differs completely from all the Android phones i've ever owned, so perhaps i just need time. it's that different. battery life and consistent updates are worth it though.

When i first joined AF, i always said Android phones would be better if they took some of Apple's design cues and software fluidity. but now? not so sure.

I'm one of those guys who may never be satisfied, but there are some positives. the battery life is great, the screen is easy on the eyes (something i can't say for the brighter-than-supernova Samsung AMOLED) the sound is loud enough (but i can't say i notice the BoomSound, it is loud enough to notice as it was on my G3) and a big plus is that it reconnects faster to my G Watch if i move out of range. my G3 kept having issues reconnecting to the G Watch and would make me manually reset it to get it back. the GPS of the M8 is far more accurate, no longer placing me in Indiana instead of KY (and of course, giving me a card for '24 minutes to home' when i was already there) which will help Google Now. then there are consistent updates, none of that BS where the overseas enjoys it for months before the US gets it.

It has another positive that i never had with any other though--no 'crash bug'. on all others i'd get random service crashes. such as 'Unfortunately, VZWAVService has stopped' and i always had to hit 'OK' when unlocking the phone before use. it also has a more stock Android feel, as it never nags me to 'turn on Global mode' over and over until i do (i don't plan on going overseas so why Verzion places so much importance on that mode is beyond me). It also doesn't nag me about the music volume. no 'this level may damage your hearing, continue?' which was standard fare with both Samsung and LG.

Some small tip, try turning off vibration. maybe mine is faulty but it has a vibration from hades. it tends to shake and make a horrible noise and feels violent in a pocket. scared the heck out of me after multiple notifications from Google+.
 
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Reception on your M8 ought to be top notch - if yours isn't, it's not the metal case, please get it properly checked right away - you could have a lemon.

You can turn off the motion launch gestures under Settings, Display & Gestures. That will fix the screen cleaning pain.

I agree with you about the metal case as far as fragility but then again I feel the same about plastic. I roll with an armored case, I just don't think there's a better way. Then again, I drop things lol. I use this, love it -

http://www.i-blason.com/prime-dual-layer-holster-case-with-kick-stand-for-htc-one-m8.html

PS, no big deal but fwiw - the One X was 2012, the One (M7) was 2013.
 
i actually like motion launch (don't have to hit power first to unlock and it has a G3 style KnockON) but i think the screen is a bit overly sensitive, since it seems to be capable of responding to a thick sweater.

The unit i got is refurbished, obviously has some dents. didn't cost anything much though. reception here is very hit and miss but Verizon is the only one which has service where i live. the 1x sticking issue is a problem also with my other Android phones, including my still-active G3. airplane mode is the only fix. it will remain in 1X indefintely (and have no ability to get online) until i do. there seems to be no way to block 1X and force 3G/4G. this isn't the One M8's fault, nor Android's fault. but Verizon's handoff fault around my location.

The signal issue cleared up (well, bars anyway) today, so it was mostly setup lag on first-day activation. i've had this before and one day later it's fine. the data issue isn't exclusive to the M8 though. before, yesterday when i picked it up, it kept 'roaming' (phones still do this?) off and on, and calls would not go through.

EDIT: might be confusing the One X with the One M7. they all look the same to me. HTC hasn't changed the design enough for me to notice.

What i miss about plastic phones is that you could easily change the back if it got damaged (in my use, my Samsungs got far more rear damage than front damage). but what i don't miss is how much dirt got into the battery compartment and eventually moisture, which shorted the phone out or caused random reboots, failed reads of the MicroSD card, and faulty SIMs. Part of my decision of getting a sealed phone (odd, right? after multiple rants about non-removable batteries) is hoping that this issue is avoided, which has caused many of my past smartphones to die premature deaths or act all funny (although i have all of my past units, save my S3 which had the screen inexplicably die a year later)

Since iPhones are also sealed, and because i've had good lifecycles from them at work and in the past, i am hoping the HTC device benefits similarly. my M8 is used for personal calls and typical smartphone uses (music, ebooks, etc) while the iPhone is strictly for work, but even on weekends on nature walks or visiting my deer friends, i need a phone that can handle the rough treatment they go through with me. the HTC One M8 has some iPhone design cues and unibody design so here's to a long future for once.
 
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I suppose i just never noticed the stereo speakers myself. i have seen the 'grille' up top on even the Desire 510s that populate this area along with the earlier models still running Gingerbread (a common sight here). i always saw the two grilles as just looks. bezels. the earlier iPhone 4 that i carried before iOS 7 ruined it for me had two speaker grilles on the bottom but i don't think it had two speakers. the HTC phones of recent also tend to hide their front-facing camera and LED notification light behind the top so i just hardly notice there being two on the M8 (was there two on the M7? that's how inept i am at noticing things)

Either way the design doesn't change, so that for some might be good or bad, depending on whether or not you like upgrading early (most Samsung phones or other devices change so often that your model gets old looking very fast) this could be ok for me. i prefer a design that doesn't change at the blink of an eye since my phone ages better over the long term, provided i remain satisfied with it, but the design of the M8 does feel old.
 
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One X, M7, M8
 
I must be seeing the original One X in public, I figured that was the old Desire running Gingerbread or worse. Tons of those left over, along with beat up Galaxy S2's. That trademark S2 boot sound music is something I won't forget, as the sound often happens out of nowhere if the phone reboots itself!
 
I'm spoiled by Samsung. To me the Note 3 is beautiful, shiny and premium looking, despite being glitchy after being abused at work. (Looks fine otherwise except for screen damage from the S-View cover)

To me the M8 is quite plain looking, and bears remarkable similarity to an iPhone 6 Plus. Performance wise once you get used to Sense you won't go back to Samsung.

However looks don't decide if I buy or keep a phone. The Nokia 5185i sure didn't win any awards for looks but it did work fine until the battery could no longer hold charge and new ones couldn't be purchased. If the One works well and keeps working well and isn't four or five versions behind on Android I'll be happy with it

My LG G Watch is panned in reviews for looking ugly or too big (ironically despite the looks of Steve Wozniak's watch, the Moto 360 didn't get panned for being large) but I am not concerned with winning fashion awards. I am concerned that my devices 'just work.'
 
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The camera is pretty nice and has no much different withe the iPhone(my wife owns). The overall battery performance is better than Samsung Galaxy S4.
 
Performance is quite decent. I replaced stock Sense apps with Material Design alternatives and Google apps to give it a taste of Lollipop. Remote control is well executed though and I like quick settings.

It got dropped twice at work (mechanic job isn't good to smartphones) but hasn't gotten any marks or scratches yet.

I also disabled motion launch. I'm not a fan of Gestures and it kept being so sensitive and triggered in a coat pocket and I didn't find out until I realized hours later the screen was on and battery nosedived to 5%. It also never worked when I actually wanted it to. I think my phone is damaged as the G Sensor is wonky and the vibration makes the most horrific noise.

Also has a glitch. The bright green LED flashes but when I go to check there are no notifications to flash about.
 
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