New HTC One M8, Gunmetal Grey 32GB (AT&T)
This is My Opinion About This Product
After I buy this New HTC One M8, Gunmetal Grey 32GB (AT&T) (Wireless Phone)
I want to preface this review by saying I owned the original AT&T HTC One (m7), and had I not dropped it and ruined it I would still be using it to this day. It was my favorite phone I've ever owned and it wasn't even close. I decided to wait for the release of the HTC One m8 and see how it stacked up against it's elder sibling, and for the most part it's an iterative update to the m7. That's not an insult, mind you, considering how well crafted the m7 was. The m8 is an outstanding device, and I would highly recommend it to anyone in the market for a new phone. Here's a breakdown of my thoughts on the phone:
--DESIGN--
Overall, this is probably the one of (if not THE) best built phones on the market. It just feels premium, and the brushed metal finish looks incredibly sleek. The metal finish is slightly slippery, but gives the phone a perfect fit in your hands. HTC decided to increase the phone size from 4.7 inches to a full 5 inches, and the difference is noticeable in both good and bad ways. The good obviously being the extra space for the gorgeous 1080p screen, the bad being just a tad too long, IMO. I thought 4.7 inches was just about a perfect fit, especially considering the power button is stationed at the top, making it difficult to reach the top when held with one hand. The edges are a little more rounded than the boxier edges of the m7, and the weight is about on par (technically slightly heavier but not noticeable). 9/10
--SCREEN--
Uses the same 1080p screen as its predecessor, which was at or near the top of its class. Still beautiful to look at, has amazing viewing angles, and is very bright. Is no better and no worse than other top smartphones, however, as QHD mobile phones are just around the corner. 8/10
--SPEAKERS--
Usually phone speakers are an afterthought, but HTC has put a lot of emphasis on its "boomsound" speaker technology, and it shows. Without a doubt the best speakers you'll find on a phone. They're loud, crisp, and clear, perfect for showing off a quick YouTube video to your friends. Will never replace a bluetooth speaker, but impressive nonetheless. 10/10
--STORAGE--
HTC has finally done what other smartphones have been doing for years: allow expandable microSD storage. This is major news for anyone who takes lots of pictures and videos, especially when utilizing the phone's Zoe feature. The phone comes standard with 32GB of storage, and Google allegedly offers a free 50GB of extra Google Drive space for 2 years (I say allegedly because for some reason my phone never gave me the option; I have reached out to Google and will update if/when they get back to me)*. Plenty of options to save all your photos, videos, apps, etc. 9/10
*** UPDATE ***
I spoke to an HTC customer service rep on their live chat and they quickly sent me a link which activated the extra 50GB on my Drive account.
--BATTERY--
I was very, EXTREMELY, happy to discover the battery life on this device has been outstanding thus far. Although I wouldn't consider myself a power user, I am consistently checking my phone for emails, texting friends, browsing the internet, and using various apps throughout the day. On my m7, I would find that by the time I went to bed I would be anywhere between 5% and 30% battery, always requiring me to charge overnight. So far I haven't gone to sleep with the phone anywhere below 50% on one day's use, with it averaging around 65% left. Just a remarkable difference for me, so much so that I no longer need to charge the battery every single night. What I find to be strange is the discrepancy between professional reviews in terms of battery life; for example, Engadget speaks very highly of the battery life while ZDNet lists the battery life under one of it's "cons" (it may be worthwhile to note that these reviews were based on the global version of the HTC One while mine is based on the AT&T variant). All I know is the battery life on my device is extremely long lasting, a very pleasant surprise for me. 9/10
--CAMERA--
Probably the most criticized aspect of this phone is the camera and its use of 4 megapixels... I mean "ultrapixels". The benefit is the pixels are larger and allow for more light to be taken in, essentially making the camera more efficient in low light situations. The phone is very capable of taking nice photos, just don't expect to blow them up and hang them on your wall at home. The m8 has added a second camera to the phone that doesn't actually take a photo but captures depth information in the photo's metadata. This allows for some really cool photo editing tricks, such as selecting an area of the picture to stay in depth of focus while the rest is blurred. It also helps with the autofocus, which is blazing fast. Personally, I don't use my phone to take state of the art pictures so this camera works well enough for me, although I can understand this may not be ideal for others. 7/10
--SOFTWARE/HARDWARE--
HTC has applied its "HTC Sense" software on top of Android 4.4.2 coupled with a Snapdragon 801 processor, which combine for a silky smooth performance. The same signature features from the m7 are once again on this phone, such as Blinkfeed, Zoe's and Video Highlights. The best addition to this phone, however, is the inclusion of motion launch gestures. This feature allows you to make a series of gestures on the home screen that will unlock the phone without you having to reach up and hit the power button. As I previously mentioned, it's not exactly simple to hit the power button especially when using one hand, so it's an absolute relief that you can simply double tap the screen to wake the phone up. You can also swipe up from the bottom of the screen to unlock the phone altogether. So far it has worked flawlessly, as it only works if it detects it has been picked up thanks to the low power sensors inside the phone. Call quality and clarity has been perfectly fine, and the LTE speeds are fast as always. 9/10
--OTHER--
HTC has thrown in a 6 month cracked screen repair warranty, which is a nice touch for clumsy people like myself.
--OVERALL THOUGHTS--
If you're in the market for a new Android phone, I can't recommend this phone enough. It's truly a premium device in both looks and performance.
--DESIGN--
Overall, this is probably the one of (if not THE) best built phones on the market. It just feels premium, and the brushed metal finish looks incredibly sleek. The metal finish is slightly slippery, but gives the phone a perfect fit in your hands. HTC decided to increase the phone size from 4.7 inches to a full 5 inches, and the difference is noticeable in both good and bad ways. The good obviously being the extra space for the gorgeous 1080p screen, the bad being just a tad too long, IMO. I thought 4.7 inches was just about a perfect fit, especially considering the power button is stationed at the top, making it difficult to reach the top when held with one hand. The edges are a little more rounded than the boxier edges of the m7, and the weight is about on par (technically slightly heavier but not noticeable). 9/10
--SCREEN--
Uses the same 1080p screen as its predecessor, which was at or near the top of its class. Still beautiful to look at, has amazing viewing angles, and is very bright. Is no better and no worse than other top smartphones, however, as QHD mobile phones are just around the corner. 8/10
--SPEAKERS--
Usually phone speakers are an afterthought, but HTC has put a lot of emphasis on its "boomsound" speaker technology, and it shows. Without a doubt the best speakers you'll find on a phone. They're loud, crisp, and clear, perfect for showing off a quick YouTube video to your friends. Will never replace a bluetooth speaker, but impressive nonetheless. 10/10
--STORAGE--
HTC has finally done what other smartphones have been doing for years: allow expandable microSD storage. This is major news for anyone who takes lots of pictures and videos, especially when utilizing the phone's Zoe feature. The phone comes standard with 32GB of storage, and Google allegedly offers a free 50GB of extra Google Drive space for 2 years (I say allegedly because for some reason my phone never gave me the option; I have reached out to Google and will update if/when they get back to me)*. Plenty of options to save all your photos, videos, apps, etc. 9/10
*** UPDATE ***
I spoke to an HTC customer service rep on their live chat and they quickly sent me a link which activated the extra 50GB on my Drive account.
--BATTERY--
I was very, EXTREMELY, happy to discover the battery life on this device has been outstanding thus far. Although I wouldn't consider myself a power user, I am consistently checking my phone for emails, texting friends, browsing the internet, and using various apps throughout the day. On my m7, I would find that by the time I went to bed I would be anywhere between 5% and 30% battery, always requiring me to charge overnight. So far I haven't gone to sleep with the phone anywhere below 50% on one day's use, with it averaging around 65% left. Just a remarkable difference for me, so much so that I no longer need to charge the battery every single night. What I find to be strange is the discrepancy between professional reviews in terms of battery life; for example, Engadget speaks very highly of the battery life while ZDNet lists the battery life under one of it's "cons" (it may be worthwhile to note that these reviews were based on the global version of the HTC One while mine is based on the AT&T variant). All I know is the battery life on my device is extremely long lasting, a very pleasant surprise for me. 9/10
--CAMERA--
Probably the most criticized aspect of this phone is the camera and its use of 4 megapixels... I mean "ultrapixels". The benefit is the pixels are larger and allow for more light to be taken in, essentially making the camera more efficient in low light situations. The phone is very capable of taking nice photos, just don't expect to blow them up and hang them on your wall at home. The m8 has added a second camera to the phone that doesn't actually take a photo but captures depth information in the photo's metadata. This allows for some really cool photo editing tricks, such as selecting an area of the picture to stay in depth of focus while the rest is blurred. It also helps with the autofocus, which is blazing fast. Personally, I don't use my phone to take state of the art pictures so this camera works well enough for me, although I can understand this may not be ideal for others. 7/10
--SOFTWARE/HARDWARE--
HTC has applied its "HTC Sense" software on top of Android 4.4.2 coupled with a Snapdragon 801 processor, which combine for a silky smooth performance. The same signature features from the m7 are once again on this phone, such as Blinkfeed, Zoe's and Video Highlights. The best addition to this phone, however, is the inclusion of motion launch gestures. This feature allows you to make a series of gestures on the home screen that will unlock the phone without you having to reach up and hit the power button. As I previously mentioned, it's not exactly simple to hit the power button especially when using one hand, so it's an absolute relief that you can simply double tap the screen to wake the phone up. You can also swipe up from the bottom of the screen to unlock the phone altogether. So far it has worked flawlessly, as it only works if it detects it has been picked up thanks to the low power sensors inside the phone. Call quality and clarity has been perfectly fine, and the LTE speeds are fast as always. 9/10
--OTHER--
HTC has thrown in a 6 month cracked screen repair warranty, which is a nice touch for clumsy people like myself.
--OVERALL THOUGHTS--
If you're in the market for a new Android phone, I can't recommend this phone enough. It's truly a premium device in both looks and performance.
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