HTC M9 thread

Bluefoam

Picked mine up today. 32gb Grey.

All M9 discussion here...

godskitchen

Bluefoam wrote: »

Picked mine up today. 32gb Grey.

All M9 discussion here...

Yawn to be honest, friend got one and it not too much different from the m7 or m8.

Then again I think the whole mobile phone sector has stagnated.

It's the same old stuff every year.

Captain Chaos

Bluefoam wrote: »

Picked mine up today. 32gb Grey.

All M9 discussion here...

How does the gunmetal grey M9 compare to the same M8. In the press release pictures it looks very dark. I'd almost go for the silver M9 but that gold band is putting me off it.

Also how much did you pay for it. I've read reports of about €650 for the 32gb version.

JacksonHeightsOwn

whats the battery life and camera like?

1jcdub

Had an M7, moved to the M8, current phone. Won't be purchasing a M9. Too similar in design and not enough of jump in specs. I had a good run. So after 6 or so HTC flagship phones in going to try something new. Leaning towards a Sony Z4 providing it has a SD card slot.

Bluefoam

The grey looks darker than the m8. The phone is very different in the hand. I hated the M8, but liking this. I had the choice of the silver/gold, which also looked good.

Price in Dubai is likely to be cheaper than Europe.

Bluefoam

godskitchen wrote: »

Yawn to be honest, friend got one and it not too much different from the m7 or m8.

Then again I think the whole mobile phone sector has stagnated.

It's the same old stuff every year.

Well done

Bluefoam

I came from an M7... This is a worthwhile upgrade. No idea of battery or camera at this stage. Camera isn't pink though

JacksonHeightsOwn

Bluefoam wrote: »

I came from an M7... This is a worthwhile upgrade. No idea of battery or camera at this stage. Camera isn't pink though

Good man, keep us up to date on battery life etc....

I've got a note 3 for the past year and would like to down size. I'm torn between the m9 and the s6. But coming from the daddy of long battery life, I really don't want to trade down too far in that department.

beno619

Bluefoam wrote: »

Picked mine up today. 32gb Grey.

All M9 discussion here...

From an Irish retailer ?

byte

beno619 wrote: »

From an Irish retailer ?

He's in the Middle East and mentions Dubai.

God knows what it'll cost here. Dont' think it's available here til the end of the month?

Flaccus

Some of the more recent reviews that came out in last 24 hours.

Having read them, it's disappointing.

1. Screen is not as good as the M8's as it's running very cool (over 8k) giving off unnatural colours
2. Camera is rubbish in low light. Seems to be the biggest complaint.
3. Battery life is disappointing
4. The snapdragon 810 runs hot and has to throttle in benchmarks so while it won't overheat, you will never see the performance figures quoted

http://www.theverge.com/2015/3/22/8272727/htc-one-m9-review
http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-One-M9-Review_id3956
http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-one-m9-review
http://gizmodo.com/htc-one-m9-review-a-great-phone-that-cant-keep-up-1692880041
http://www.engadget.com/2015/03/22/htc-one-m9-review/

Zascar

Very disappointed in this, I was 100% set on getting one, but if the camera is that poor maybe I should think otherwise.

Idleater

Zascar wrote: »

Very disappointed in this, I was 100% set on getting one, but if the camera is that poor maybe I should think otherwise.

I presume the front facing camera is okay in the dark considering it's the same as the m7 standard camera?

corwill

Idleater wrote: »

I presume the front facing camera is okay in the dark considering it's the same as the m7 standard camera?

I think it's the rear shooter from the M8, rather than the M7, that's the front one on the M9. One of the reviews posted above mentions that certain accompanying hardware didn't carry over with it.

corwill

Zascar wrote: »

Very disappointed in this, I was 100% set on getting one, but if the camera is that poor maybe I should think otherwise.

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed off myself, had been hanging on for the M9 for months. Given the consensus emerging from reviews about the camera, the approach seemingly being taken by HTC and LG to the Snapdragon 810's overheating (software down-throttling) and the conservative design, I think I might look elsewhere.

beardo81

Test photos from a guy on YouTube micgamer16 I think, comparing M9 to S6.

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/yh3izckmz7a4a6j/AADgC5D4atz1I47cqC5-qCKFa?dl=0

Flaccus

I guess you have to ask yourself how important is taking low light photos to you. I had an M8 and really only used take photos in decent light although some reviews have commented on HTC's metering problem which can easily result in photos being overexposed in daylight, which is a problem the M8 had. For the amount of pics I take it would probably be ok.

The overheating / throttling is probably something you won't encounter in every day usage.

Lack of 1440p screen is not even worth considering seeing I wouldn't be able to tell the difference on a 5 inch phone between 1080p and 1440p. I couldn't on the Note 4 either.

Battery life will likely be improved with updates. And it's probably still better than the IP6 which I have now. Also didn't the Nexus 6 start out with poor battery life ?

I suppose the plus's on the M9 are the design which I like a lot, and the UI which I am guessing is still going to lighter then touchwiz on the S6 (I hated it on the Note 4 and it was supposed to be scaled down on that phone too). I also did use the speakers on the M8 *alot*, so that would be important to me, and probably most important for me is decent headphone quality and volume output where the HTC at least matches the Iphone 6.

A few things I am wondering about :
1. What's the story with that sapphire camera lense. Is it the real deal and scratch resistant. On the m8 they had a cheap plastic lense protector with a coating that scratched up and people eventually were forced to remove it with tooth paste.

2. Which finish to get ?. The grey looks boring compared to the silver/gold, but that gold looks too blingy. I also wonder how this scratch resistant coating works and will it help prevent the back of the phone chipping or the edges getting hairline scratches. This I found was a problem on the M8.

3. That IR blaster. It looks like an ugly piece of plastic with a gloss finish prone to scratching.

corwill

Flaccus wrote: »

I guess you have to ask yourself how important is taking low light photos to you. I had an M8 and really only used take photos in decent light although some reviews have commented on HTC's metering problem which can easily result in photos being overexposed in daylight, which is a problem the M8 had. For the amount of pics I take it would probably be ok.

For the price, I want an excellent camera. Hopefully there are further software tweaks on the way, I'd be surprised if it's down to the sensor itself.

Flaccus

The reviews say the sensor is capturing lots of detail.
The problem is with the metering in the day where it exposes everything too much. And at night, who knows what's going on.
Also the video camera at 1080p seems to be hopping around trying to grab focus.

beno619

corwill wrote: »

Yeah, I'm pretty pissed off myself, had been hanging on for the M9 for months. Given the consensus emerging from reviews about the camera, the approach seemingly being taken by HTC and LG to the Snapdragon 810's overheating (software down-throttling) and the conservative design, I think I might look elsewhere.

Tbf there is no other approach to dealing with a hot chip. Throttling only seems to occur during benchmarking the phone is otherwise smooth and performs well. Qualcomm really dropped the ball this year.

The biggest disappointment for the is the display, the camera is bound to improve with updates whose OIS is clearly missed for videos.

Bluefoam

I have found out that mine doesn't have the final software yet. Camera is expected to be improved in the update... When it appears.

This phone feels awesome to hold... Serious quality. The software and interface is slick, smooth and fast. It also looks great.

The phone is a pleasure to use and I can't imagine any other phone coming close...

There is a lot of talk of Samsung concentrating on design, but touchwiz is laggy and crashy... That's probably not going to change. The new phone body's look impressive, but they are very bling/nightcluby. I don't see any functionality on the Samsung that is better than that of the m9... Plus if you've every tried to take a photo in a pub using a Samsung, you'll realise it takes about 5 minutes to actually get the shot.

This is really a great phone

Ivefoundgod

Would a phone bought in Dubai work back here? Have a friend over there who returns often, if it's that much cheaper I'd be tempted to have her pick up my next phone over there.

Reviews are disappointing, particularly anandtechs. Will wait and see how the s6 gets on.

KillerShamrock

Hmmmmm i was waiting for this phone so bad wanting to go back to htc. finally thinking htc have upped their camera problems but reading the reviews it doesnt seem to be the case tbh.
Now maybe its all software based and can be resolved but the lower quality screen and supposedly worse battey life are a deal breaker for me.
I have a g3 and was looking forward to a decent 1080p screen with good - awesome battey life this sadly doesnt seem to be it. Maybe the z4 wont go qhd ill keep an eye on that. Or maybe the lg flex 2 hmmmmm

Zascar

How does the OnePlus one camera compare? People talk about the great build quality and feel but I think the Oneplus one has the best feel and quality, the gray one with the textured case is fantastic. Plus it's half the price.

Bluefoam

Ivefoundgod wrote: »

Would a phone bought in Dubai work back here? Have a friend over there who returns often, if it's that much cheaper I'd be tempted to have her pick up my next phone over there.

Reviews are disappointing, particularly anandtechs. Will wait and see how the s6 gets on.

Yeh, most phones here are unlocked and work with European networks...

Flaccus

SM97 wrote: »

Would rather spend 5 minutes taking good photos with the Samsung than a few seconds taking rubbish ones with the M9 to be fair. Samsung are well known for their top notch cameras on their flagships. The S5 had a fantastic camera, only took a few secs to focus for me, and I assume the S6's camera will be even faster.

The S6 has redesigned the UI also, and is now incredibly fast. The M9 reviews I have been reading are not very inspiring at all, many say the camera is just not up to scratch, which is a pity as I like the build quality.

Agreed. had a play with a live S6 and S6 edge in the Samsung experience store today. The edge is really svelte, more so then any other phone I have seen. And I liked the feel of it. The regular version just felt like a slightly thicker iphone. The S6 didn't seem laggy in the UI, nothing like the S5. Maybe about on par with the Note 4 or slightly quicker. And black is a major fingerprint magnet. White is much better. Just like the Xperia Z3 glass. And boy was it light. Also had a play with the M9. Felt like a brick in comparison.

I might just wait for the S6 edge now. The only negative I can see is what some reviewers picked up on, is the blue discolouration along the curve due to the nature of amoled.

super_furry

Have an M7 and was really excited by the M9 until the reviews and impressions first started dropping - especially where the camera is concerned. I'm out of contract now and had intended on getting the M9 but at €269 on a two-year contract I might just get a new battery in my M7, which works great with Lollipop, and wait for a while. Might even switch to the S6 which I would never have considered a month ago.

magentis

Flaccus wrote:

1. Screen is not as good as the M8's as it's running very cool (over 8k) giving off unnatural colours 2. Camera is rubbish in low light. Seems to be the biggest complaint. 3. Battery life is disappointing 4. The snapdragon 810 runs hot and has to throttle in benchmarks so while it won't overheat, you will never see the performance figures quoted

This phone gets hammered in every review i have seen.HTC what have you done!

mickob16

super_furry wrote: »

Have an M7 and was really excited by the M9 until the reviews and impressions first started dropping - especially where the camera is concerned. I'm out of contract now and had intended on getting the M9 but at €269 on a two-year contract I might just get a new battery in my M7, which works great with Lollipop, and wait for a while. Might even switch to the S6 which I would never have considered a month ago.

I'm in the same boat, the wife got the M8 and and it's too similar to the M7 so going by the reviews the M9 may not be worth getting. Looking at the S6 but it seems the prices will be crazy..what to do..first world problems

Zascar

I was in a similar situation. I ended up buying the Oneplus One for €299, now I can go on a cheaper sim only contract

KillerShamrock

Just seem this review helps dispel the mega pixel muth that more is better but really shows the camera in bad light ........... ill get my coat.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/133328-htc-one-m9-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-4-vs-lg-g3-cameras-a-quick-performance-comparison

I know the note 4 has an awesome camera but never really felt the g3 was that great but it really does better than the m9. Dam it htc what have you done. Maybe the m9+ will be better.

Richie6904

Richie6904 wrote: »

Just seem this review helps dispel the mega pixel muth that more is better but really shows the camera in bad light ........... ill get my coat.

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/133328-htc-one-m9-vs-samsung-galaxy-note-4-vs-lg-g3-cameras-a-quick-performance-comparison

I know the note 4 has an awesome camera but never really felt the g3 was that great but it really does better than the m9. Dam it htc what have you done. Maybe the m9+ will be better.

I wouldn't read anything into it. HTC are using a new sensor, but it is a good one. They will continue to push updates and improve the camera.

Also, these tests only show a comparison on auto settings. If they were to show the best photo you could take in each situation, then results would be very different.

JacksonHeightsOwn

Basil3 wrote: »

I wouldn't read anything into it. HTC are using a new sensor, but it is a good one. They will continue to push updates and improve the camera.

Also, these tests only show a comparison on auto settings. If they were to show the best photo you could take in each situation, then results would be very different.

But why bother releasing a phone which then need updates to fix problems. Why not just make it right before bringing it to market?

You wouldn't buy a car that needed to be fixed straight out of the show room would?

It doesn't make any sense to me.

chrisbonnie

chrisbonnie wrote: »

But why bother releasing a phone which then need updates to fix problems. Why not just make it right before bringing it to market?

You wouldn't buy a car that needed to be fixed straight out of the show room would?

It doesn't make any sense to me.

No, but I would buy a car which ticks all my boxes, has no major shortcomings, and is from a company that has a track record of providing updates that improve the product.

For me, the other options tick less boxes, or are insanely priced and/or have a poor record of addressing issues in updates etc.

PrzemoF

chrisbonnie wrote: »

But why bother releasing a phone which then need updates to fix problems. Why not just make it right before bringing it to market?

You wouldn't buy a car that needed to be fixed straight out of the show room would?

It doesn't make any sense to me.

Deadlines, marketing, yearly revenue/earnings, stock value - all those very important things would suffer if they delay the product. That's why it will be (hopefully) fixed later. Cars are a different - you cannot easily replace a part on a million cars that has already been sold.

I'm going to wait for cyanogenmod anyway - vendor software is almost always overloadad with "features" that I don't need and don't use and misses the important things like ad block or Privacy Guard

dan786

The reviews are of review units which do not have final consumer software yet. It may release with an updated software that fixes the camera issue.

I will have mine on day 1 and will post here what its like.

Flaccus

Please do. I would definitely like to see some low light pics from release models over here.

Testament1

Had a play with one in store here in Sydney but they had it fixed to the display shelf so couldn't mess around with the camera unfortunately. My M7 has the purple camera issue so is awful in low light anyway. I love the aesthetics of the phone even if it's largely the same as the last 2 iterations, HTC were onto a winner with that design and its still the best looking phone IMO.

Anyone got any real world stats on battery life yet? My M7 can barely struggle through 12 hours on power saver (not the extreme one) and with only a little over an hour of screen time. Once the battery dips below 20% it plummets like a rock and dies shortly after.

The loudspeakers on my M7 are abysmal too, very quiet compared to my housemates iPhones. M9 Boomsound seemed decent enough from playing a couple of YouTube vids in store.

Have mentioned it before but an upgrade from M7 to M9 is definately worthwhile, however I can't see any sense in upgrading from an M8 to an M9.
I upgraded from M7 to M8 and it is a fairly big upgrade, though I miss the beats audio. Speakers in M8 are still good though. Only thing that would tempt me to go for an M9 would be a bigger battery but that didn't happen. Hopefully the M10 will be a significant improvement overall but I don't see any major tech advances happening in the mobile market this year.

Testament1

Testament1 wrote: »

Had a play with one in store here in Sydney but they had it fixed to the display shelf so couldn't mess around with the camera unfortunately. My M7 has the purple camera issue so is awful in low light anyway. I love the aesthetics of the phone even if it's largely the same as the last 2 iterations, HTC were onto a winner with that design and its still the best looking phone IMO.

Anyone got any real world stats on battery life yet? My M7 can barely struggle through 12 hours on power saver (not the extreme one) and with only a little over an hour of screen time. Once the battery dips below 20% it plummets like a rock and dies shortly after.

The loudspeakers on my M7 are abysmal too, very quiet compared to my housemates iPhones. M9 Boomsound seemed decent enough from playing a couple of YouTube vids in store.

Are you sure you have an M7, and not some cheap Chinese knock off? Purple tint, one hour sot, and terrible speakers? I would have had it replaced under warranty a long time ago.

Testament1

Basil3 wrote: »

Are you sure you have an M7, and not some cheap Chinese knock off? Purple tint, one hour sot, and terrible speakers? I would have had it replaced under warranty a long time ago.

Yeah I've had it around 2 years now I'd say. Used to get about 4 hours screen time on auto brightness and I work outdoors in Australia so screen used to be pretty lit up. Battery life is gone to **** these days though. Listening with headphones provides great sound but the speakers themselves I find pretty poor. These and purple tint were issues that developed gradually over the last 2 years. Still a great phone but showing its age a bit now.

Edit: Played around with the M9 camera in another store. Auto focus was thrown a bit by the bright lights but camera itself seems fine when manually tapping to focus. I reckon it'd take perfectly fine shots in real world surroundings. Gunmetal version is gorgeous except for the big IR blaster strip. Pity since its a feature that could have been dropped. I've never once made use of the M7 ir blaster over the last 2 years!

Testament1

Testament1 wrote: »

Yeah I've had it around 2 years now I'd say. Used to get about 4 hours screen time on auto brightness and I work outdoors in Australia so screen used to be pretty lit up. Battery life is gone to **** these days though. Listening with headphones provides great sound but the speakers themselves I find pretty poor. These and purple tint were issues that developed gradually over the last 2 years. Still a great phone but showing its age a bit now.

Edit: Played around with the M9 camera in another store. Auto focus was thrown a bit by the bright lights but camera itself seems fine when manually tapping to focus. I reckon it'd take perfectly fine shots in real world surroundings. Gunmetal version is gorgeous except for the big IR blaster strip. Pity since its a feature that could have been dropped. I've never once made use of the M7 ir blaster over the last 2 years!

You should seriously get your device replaced under warranty for purple tint, before your warranty runs out.

Maybe HTC could bring out a new device for you with removed features that you don't use.....plenty of us do use the IR blaster!

Testament1

Basil3 wrote: »

Maybe HTC could bring out a new device for you with removed features that you don't use.....plenty of us do use the IR blaster!

I'll get onto them about it haha. I never had any use for it but different strokes for different folks and all that.

Just ordered M9 on vodafone. At €679, it's pretty damn steep, but oh well.

Delivery should be tomorrow.

Flaccus

Basil3 wrote: »

Just ordered M9 on vodafone. At €679, it's pretty damn steep, but oh well.

Delivery should be tomorrow.

Please let us know how you get on, specifically how decent the camera is in low lightish situations and what the screen looks like. Anandtech and others said it was calibrated poorly and looked too cold.

Flaccus

Camera shootout done today between M9, S6 and IP6.
http://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-galaxy-s6-camera-comparison-versus-htc-one-m9-iphone-6/

I'm happy enough with the M9 results. Not a terrible camera by any means.

Bluefoam

Flaccus wrote: »

Please let us know how you get on, specifically how decent the camera is in low lightish situations and what the screen looks like. Anandtech and others said it was calibrated poorly and looked too cold.

Let me know what software release you have

Flaccus

Bluefoam wrote: »

Let me know what software release you have

I don't actually have the M9

I am in a holding pattern at the moment. Can't decide on anything.

Vodafone stuffed up my order, so just went into a store and picked up earlier on. First impressions are good, screen colour is a little greenish, but I know this can often be the glue.

Comes with 1.32.161.7 on it, with an update available. Unsure whether I'll update until I know the situation with s-off.

Flaccus

Basil3 wrote: »

Vodafone stuffed up my order, so just went into a store and picked up earlier on. First impressions are good, screen colour is a little greenish, but I know this can often be the glue.

Comes with 1.32.161.7 on it, with an update available. Unsure whether I'll update until I know the situation with s-off.

s-off ?