s5 or htc one m8

brightkane

Hi folks.
Currently have an upgrade available and looking to upgrade from the S4.

Anyone used both s5 and one m8 and think one is better over the other?

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

brightkane

jacksie66 wrote: »

Depends on what you want. S5 has a better camera, screen and a removable battery. Htc has unbelievable stereo speakers and it's build quality is stunning. Have a look at both and see which tickles your fancy more. For me, personally, I'd go for the htc.

Sound not a huge deciding factor. Will use it with headphones commuting. Camera is though. Use it for work constantly and a new baby in the house makes me snap happy.

I didnt know the htc battery wasnt remove able though. ..

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

Rowley Birkin QC

jacksie66 wrote: »

Have a read through this aswell http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_vs_htc_one_m8-review-1067.php

Nice one. I was leaning towards a free Nexus 5 on upgrade but the s5 sounds a sweet deal.

Anyone know if the European variant has an FM tuner?

thegeekyjay

Sony Xperia z2 is a viable alternative as well

hfallada

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

Nice one. I was leaning towards a free Nexus 5 on upgrade but the s5 sounds a sweet deal.

Anyone know if the European variant has an FM tuner?

You might as well buy the Nexus from the google play store since its so cheap anyway.

thehomeofDob

thegeekyjay wrote: »

Sony Xperia z2 is a viable alternative as well

Except it's been delayed over and over. My money is on the Z2 if you're prepared to hold out, then the S5 and then the M8 (if aesthetics and sound are your two main priorities).

Rowley Birkin QC

hfallada wrote: »

You might as well buy the Nexus from the google play store since its so cheap anyway.

I'd be getting the Nexus for free on an upgrade so wouldn't be buying from play store.

S5 is €179 and M8 is €129

peewee_44

I think you would be mad to not get the S5. I am a phone a holic and total geek had every make and model of phone bar the iphone coz I hate iproducts but never been so happy with a phone than the samsung

Hogan1

The htc one m8 is currently rated as the top phone on the market.

hfallada

Rowley Birkin QC wrote: »

I'd be getting the Nexus for free on an upgrade so wouldn't be buying from play store.

S5 is €179 and M8 is €129

But the Nexus 5 isnt in the same league as those two phones. Its about half the price of the other two phones sim free. A M8 for 129 is a bargain compared to the nexus.

You are probably going to have this phone for the next 18 months, so at least go with a phone that will still be an excellent phone in 18 months. Plus the Samsung and M8 will have great resell value in 18 months.

peewee_44

My sister who is also a phone a holic had a htc before her samsung note and she said samsung all the way

mondeo

I'd go with the htc, my friends uncles sisters aunt had htc and said they eat Samsung for breakfeast.

I personally think the metal construction looks fantastic and the sense interface is more appealing then Samsungs.

drunkmonkey

M8 by a country mile, one of the only android phones that doesn't feel cheap and plasticky compared to the iPhone.

crazygeryy

The s4 doesn't have an fm radio. A deal breaker for me.

nightster1

drunkmonkey wrote: »

M8 by a country mile, one of the only android phones that doesn't feel cheap and plasticky compared to the iPhone.

+1, if I couldn't have an iphone, i'd go for the HTC

HTC hands down. Classy machine.

Hate the look and feel of the Samsungs.

riclad

HTC 1 ,NO sdcard slot , non removable battery , no way,

http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/htc-one/
back paintwork picks up scuffs incredibly easily; BlinkFeed can't be removed; No immediate way to customise menus; No expandable storage or removable battery; Camera doesn't impress.

batterys at some point need replacing,

maybe next year ,they,ll put in an sdcard slot.

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

jacksie66

This post has been deleted.

ColGreen

riclad wrote: »

HTC 1 ,NO sdcard slot , non removable battery , no way,


back paintwork picks up scuffs incredibly easily; BlinkFeed can't be removed; No immediate way to customise menus; No expandable storage or removable battery; Camera doesn't impress.

batterys at some point need replacing,

maybe next year ,they,ll put in an sdcard slot.

DOS have an SD card, blink feed CAN be removed, and I've had my M7 since launch day, the battery still easily lasts a full day with heavy usage. The new M8's battery is supposed to be much better so I doubt the battery is an issue. The review you posted seems to be a year old and for the old model!

crazygeryy

The s4 doesn't have an fm radio. A deal breaker for me.

CptMackey

I currently have the HTC one m7 and its a brilliant phone. Had iPhones before and I'd never go back. Brother has an s4 and is going to get the new HTC after playing around with mine

Both really good phones tho

Carlos Orange

riclad wrote: »

HTC 1 ,NO sdcard slot , non removable battery , no way,

maybe next year ,they,ll put in an sdcard slot.

That is the 2013 One. This years One has a sdcard and you can remove Blinkfeed.

Liamalone

riclad wrote: »

batterys at some point need replacing,

maybe next year ,they,ll put in an sdcard slot.

True, but when? An irrelevant point because they should last the life of the phone really. My HTC Desire is four years old now and the battery is still fine, I gave my 11yr old the phone when I upgraded and he hadn't wrecked it yet lol.

As said, the m8 has an sd card slot.

Grey_Goose

brightkane wrote: »

Hi folks.
Currently have an upgrade available and looking to upgrade from the S4.

Anyone used both s5 and one m8 and think one is better over the other?

Hello brightkane. I find the Galaxy noteII very good for my first smartphone - plastic, faux leather or aluminium makes no difference to me I feel it is what is inside that counts more. jacksie66 sums it up perfectly for me especially with the url http://www.gsmarena.com/samsung_galaxy_s5_vs_htc_one_m8-review-1067.php

Best of luck with your decision. Sometimes the gut feeling is the best.

Thx jacksie66 for the url.

Mick Murdock

Bought the M8 last week and I would definitely recommend it. The build quality is impeccable. GREAT battery life (I'm a heavy user and generally get home at night with 50% + battery left). My iPhones 4S/5 was generally closer to 0-25% with the same usage. The sound quality and boomsound features were a big plus for me.

Only negatives I feel are: battery replacement/screen replacement etc. Gonna be extremely costly to repair IF you ever have any issues as the phone has to be completely dismantled for both. Not uncommon with modern smartphones but this is really taking the p*ss.

Have played around with my housemates S5 and it's also a great phone that I'd be more than happy with.

Battery can be replaced easily and a screen replacement is a lot simpler than the HTC but will still be expensive.

crunchie44

I am well placed to answer this. I recently got the S5 while my wife has the M8. Only reason l got S5 is I'm a Samsung fan. After having these 2 devices around the house l have to admit the device I want is the HTC. Yes the S5 has better camera on paper but trust me the HTC ultra pixel camera is no slouch. Unless your use your phone for professional photo's there really is little diff. The HTC camera has some neat tricks up its sleeve The S5 fingerprint scanner is flimsy. 50% success rate. Both phones are blazing fast. The clincher for me is when we both have phones on table. Call me superficial but looks mean a lot. The HTC has the WOW factor. Beautiful phone. The S5 looks cheap in comparison. l covet my wife's phone. Not that I will tell her that

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

I've been using both phones the past week. I've decided to keep the S5.

As crunchie says above, overall there is very little difference in terms between the phones. The HTC definitely has the WOW factor when you look at it but I think this is a moot point because most people will end up putting a cover/case on their device anyway.

I would disagree about the camera. I've put photos on the PC and the S5 (overall) takes better photos. The HTC camera app does have some neat tricks though.

The HTC feels lovely in the hand, definitely feels heavier (its about 10% heavier). I would absolutely have to put a cover or case on it though. It has nearly slipped out of my hand a few times. I didn't find this with the S5, the back cover although plastic has a nice grip "feel" to it.

It's a pity neither device has wireless charging because it was a very handy feature on the Nexus 5. The S5 has a wireless cover available now, I'm not sure about the HTC yet. I'm sure it'll be available soon.

Battery performance is about the same. Getting about 2 days out of both devices. (miles ahead of the N5) Would need to be using the phones for a few more days/weeks at least before I pick a winner here. The S5 has a slightly bigger battery on spec.

The screens are the best I've seen on any device. I really don't see much between them.

When it comes to sound, the HTC definitely wins out. The boom sound is excellent. For regular calls the ear speakers are about the same.

Just a quick personal review. Hope it helps.

riclad

IN 2 YEARS time if the htc one battery is dead,
theres nothing you can do with it,
it,ll be a paperweight.

kaizersoze

riclad wrote: »

IN 2 YEARS time if the htc one battery is dead,
theres nothing you can do with it,
it,ll be a paperweight.

True, but in 2 years time most will have moved onto something else.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

For most users, this isn't going to be a problem.
You would want to crucify the battery in the 2 years, which is unlikely. The majority of users that would kill a battery in the 2 years will likely be on a new phone by then.

riclad wrote: »

IN 2 YEARS time if the htc one battery is dead,
theres nothing you can do with it,
it,ll be a paperweight.

Liamalone

riclad wrote: »

IN 2 YEARS time if the htc one battery is dead,
theres nothing you can do with it,
it,ll be a paperweight.

I have a FOUR year old htc desire running quite fine on the original battery, for nearly two years now my 11yr old son has been using it and it has been getting a rough ride.

Rowley Birkin QC

Went into a 3 shop today and finally put my hands on both. On the way in, I was ready to spend the extra money on an S5 and left with neither phone in the end.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Why is that Rowley? Didn't like either, or couldn't decide?

Rowley Birkin QC

Colin Warm Turpitude wrote: »

Why is that Rowley? Didn't like either, or couldn't decide?

Little from column A, little from column B.

S5 felt cheap-ish in the hand and the onscreen buttons on the HTC felt like wasted space.

I've been using CyanogenMod 11 on my S3 for a while now so KitKat is nothing new. Only real issue is that the screen is badly cracked and there's a line of dead pixels down the middle.

crunchie44

Honestly I'm at a loss as to why people use a case? What do people be doing with their flagship Smartphone? Juggling? I have had everything from Blackberry to Nokia to iPhone HTC and Samsung and have never cracked a screen. I even had Sony Xperia z Ultra with 6.4 inch screen that survived. Anyone who covers up either HTC One M7 or M8 must be clumsy or stupid. To cover a Smartphone of that beauty and build quality is just plain wrong. For me looks & feel are important. This will be what you look and touch multiple times a day for 18-24 months. Specs wise they are practically twins. Looks wise one is wearing Armani the other is wearing Penneys. Nothing wrong with Penneys but why buy penneys when you can have Armani cheaper? I have S5 and would swap for M8 in an instant but won't as I'm not listening to the wife brag.

Either way you will get top quality performance. But only one gives top quality build & looks

MuppetCheck

SD cards can be used in both the Samsung and HTC.

AlanS181824

Both are great phones.

Grey_Goose

Mr.S wrote: »

You can disable BlinkFeed / Customise the menus via Custom Launchers, BlinkFeed is actually decent if you set it up correctly though.

M8 build quality feels / looks nicer then the S5 IMO, Samsung phones always feel to plasticy.

Is a removable battery really needed? I mean, you've 12 months warranty anyway, and then after that, you're probably going to be selling / upgrading after the second year..

SD Cards? Cloud storage. Stop living in the past.

Camera is better on the S5 though. Unless you take a lot of low light photos.

I do wonder what the resale value a phone would be if there is an issue with the battery?

quarryman

riclad wrote: »

HTC 1 ,NO sdcard slot , non removable battery , no way,

http://www.cnet.com/uk/products/htc-one/
back paintwork picks up scuffs incredibly easily; BlinkFeed can't be removed; No immediate way to customise menus; No expandable storage or removable battery; Camera doesn't impress.

batterys at some point need replacing,

maybe next year ,they,ll put in an sdcard slot.

Posting (incorrect) garbage like that should get you banned from the forum tbh.

Mister Gooey

I have used both phones. They are both great but for me the HTC One feels like a premium product, like an iPhone (have one of these as well). I need to get a life!

Bundy89

I'm on a S3 after an S2, I never knew the S4/S5 till today have no FM tuner this is crazy, and they have stupid heartrate monitors and finger scanners. Time to change brand I reckon. Big let down Samsung.

ari gold24

Bundy89 wrote: »

I'm on a S3 after an S2, I never knew the S4/S5 till today have no FM tuner this is crazy, and they have stupid heartrate monitors and finger scanners. Time to change brand I reckon. Big let down Samsung.

100% agree, to not have FM radio on a phone in this day and age is crazy. Im itching to fork out for the S5 but the absence of this is holding me back.

timetogo

After posting earlier in this thread that I wasn't bothered about upgrading I got the option to get a cheap S5 (folks upgrade plan). So I got one yesterday.

I haven't used the M8 but 3 negatives for me are
lack of removable battery
speakers on the front of the screen that I'll never use
it's camera

I know not everybody is bothered by those but they're enough for me. I had the S4 which the sale of, paid for my S5 so for shag all cost, why not.

Initial thoughts for me are

I like it, if I had an S3 and was looking for an upgrade I'd go for the S5. For S4 -> S5 there's not enough of a difference to justify a lot of money.

People complain about the build quality. This is annoying to me. It's not the build quality they have a problem with, it's the design (plastic back). The build quality is high. Seems like a very solid phone. Wouldn't expect any different from a flagship. I've no problem with the design. All I look at is the screen. Having a physical front button on the phone is handy to me as I find it easier to turn on without looking at it or when it's sitting in my phone cradle in the car (when I'm not driving).

The size is getting too big. If it was the same size as the S4 I'd have been happier. Maybe I'm just not used to the extra little bit of space. I'm a bit delicate holding it at the moment (feels like it's going to fall) but I have a cover ordered for it so once that comes I won't care about that anymore.

The fingerprint scanner works about 95% of the time which is enough for me. Buuuuut, I use a phone cradle in the car. The design of this means that I can't swipe my finger easily on it without taking the phone out of the cradle or remember to turn on the phone before putting in the cradle. So the fingerprint scanner is turned off and I'm back to my pattern lock.

I didn't know that a standard micro USB power supply could fit into the USB 3 slot. That's great. Means I don't need a different power supply in the house. It comes with a normal micro USB power charger.

I don't know about the USB cover (to help with the water proofiness). I'm not interested in water proof and this may get annoying and I may end up ripping that off. I'll take the chance with the water. I've never damaged a phone yet because of water.

Touchwiz is fine, except for the swipe left on the home screen. If you swipe to the far left a Samsung app (My Magazine) fills the screen. This is enough for me to replace the launcher with Nova Launcher which works perfectly.

Samsung have changed the Settings screens for no reason. It's quite different from the S4. Works fine but it's all colourful and seems a bit more confusing than the way we're used to.

I don't know about the battery yet. Seems to be discharging at the same rate as the S4.

The screen is fantastic as you'd expect and the phone flies.

So those are my initial impressions. I'm not disparaging the M8 here. I just can't afford both

rude awakening

ari gold24 wrote: »

100% agree, to not have FM radio on a phone in this day and age is crazy. Im itching to fork out for the S5 but the absence of this is holding me back.

Althoughit is a pain in the bum, just get the TuneIn Radio app. Huge variety if not all stations on it.

Rowley Birkin QC

rude awakening wrote: »

Althoughit is a pain in the bum, just get the TuneIn Radio app. Huge variety if not all stations on it.

Big fan of TuneIn but it's not much use is data if patchy and if you're away from a power source.

I use the FM tuner on my S3 at weekends if I'm on the farm for the day, switch off 3G and battery lasts all day with plenty to spare.

thejaguar

S5 is waterproof. Anything waterproof gets my vote.

Doesn't matter if it's not 'really' waterproof, or that I have no intention or need to get it wet.

Was looking at both phones the other day, and what's been said so far seems spot on to me. Not much difference between the two - the M8 is a bit more stylish, with good sound. The S5 has a better camera.

If I was you I'd flip a coin. I don't think you'll be disappointed with either of them

Grey_Goose

timetogo wrote: »

After posting earlier in this thread that I wasn't bothered about upgrading I got the option to get a cheap S5 (folks upgrade plan). So I got one yesterday.

I haven't used the M8 but 3 negatives for me are
lack of removable battery
speakers on the front of the screen that I'll never use
it's camera

I know not everybody is bothered by those but they're enough for me. I had the S4 which the sale of, paid for my S5 so for shag all cost, why not.

Initial thoughts for me are

I like it, if I had an S3 and was looking for an upgrade I'd go for the S5. For S4 -> S5 there's not enough of a difference to justify a lot of money.

People complain about the build quality. This is annoying to me. It's not the build quality they have a problem with, it's the design (plastic back). The build quality is high. Seems like a very solid phone. Wouldn't expect any different from a flagship. I've no problem with the design. All I look at is the screen. Having a physical front button on the phone is handy to me as I find it easier to turn on without looking at it or when it's sitting in my phone cradle in the car (when I'm not driving).

The size is getting too big. If it was the same size as the S4 I'd have been happier. Maybe I'm just not used to the extra little bit of space. I'm a bit delicate holding it at the moment (feels like it's going to fall) but I have a cover ordered for it so once that comes I won't care about that anymore.

The fingerprint scanner works about 95% of the time which is enough for me. Buuuuut, I use a phone cradle in the car. The design of this means that I can't swipe my finger easily on it without taking the phone out of the cradle or remember to turn on the phone before putting in the cradle. So the fingerprint scanner is turned off and I'm back to my pattern lock.

I didn't know that a standard micro USB power supply could fit into the USB 3 slot. That's great. Means I don't need a different power supply in the house. It comes with a normal micro USB power charger.

I don't know about the USB cover (to help with the water proofiness). I'm not interested in water proof and this may get annoying and I may end up ripping that off. I'll take the chance with the water. I've never damaged a phone yet because of water.

Touchwiz is fine, except for the swipe left on the home screen. If you swipe to the far left a Samsung app (My Magazine) fills the screen. This is enough for me to replace the launcher with Nova Launcher which works perfectly.

Samsung have changed the Settings screens for no reason. It's quite different from the S4. Works fine but it's all colourful and seems a bit more confusing than the way we're used to.

I don't know about the battery yet. Seems to be discharging at the same rate as the S4.

The screen is fantastic as you'd expect and the phone flies.

So those are my initial impressions. I'm not disparaging the M8 here. I just can't afford both

Hello timetogo
Congratulations on your purchase and the best of luck with your new phone. As you say both phones are excellent build and it comes down to a matter of personal choice in the end.

I see you have a concern about your car phone cradle. Have you considered a Car System with Bluetooth? (Maybe you already have it?) Anyway this could open a whole new thread now that the law is getting very strict on the use of the phone in the car.

I am thinking your s4 would have Bluetooth and I expect your new phone will also have it. For me I find this feature invaluable as the moment I sit into the car and switch on the engine the car system reads my phone automatically and I don't have to take the phone out of my pocket. When a call comes the Car system automatically switches to the phone and just by pressing a button for the incoming call one can hear the call on the car speaker system. I had this Bluetooth system put into my 1989 Volvo 240 Estate 8/years ago and wouldn't be without it. I am hooked on Bluetooth tech I think.

I hope that you will get used to all the features of the phone quickly and that it brings you many happy messages and calls.

AnimalRights

I spent days reading reviews and used both the original sg4 and htc one, I was leaning towards the htc one m8 because of the speakers and build but at the last minute I went for the sg5...

Reasons really were the water resistance, drop it into the loo and it will survive and the other main selling point was the battery, on all reviews it said samsung better and the killer sell was the ultra battery save mode.

Have had the sg5 over a day now and still on same battery (40%)

I also preferred the shape and feel of it in my hand, htc one is taller and narrower.

2 great phones btw you can't go wrong on either.