HTC One (M8) Review

[@CorruptionDee]

The camera may be lacking in megapixel count, but the M8 delivers in every other regard. It's easily one of the most premium phones on the market. I say this as a Note 3 owner. If it had a bigger screen and better battery I'd be interested.

[@smyhasan7]

Bigger screen? HTC are not dumb, they'll not compromise on their pixel density just to increase the screen size. You take iPhone 5s and compare with any other 400 + ppi 1080p phones, you'll notice clear differences in sharpness and resolution. Heck I have an iPhone 5s and I notice the difference even with Gionee Elife E6 whatever it's called...

[@CorruptionDee]

5 inches is fine, however, when you use on screen buttons some of the real estate is lost. This is why LG went with 5.2 inches to compensate. Once you cross the 400 PPI threshold, anything extra can't be perceived by the human eye. HTC most likely stuck with 5 inches to avoid making the body of the phone larger. Still a great phone.

[@KoalaSnuggles]

I have a Note 3 and came from last year's HTC One. One massive flaw with the Note 3 is the DPI being set so that everything is huge. You basically have a giant screen that doesn't show all that much. For example, when you pull down your notification shade to preview messages/emails etc, the One actually shows A LOT more information than the Note does. Samsung have a long way to go with Touchwiz, they need to learn how to design and refine their software, it's stuck in the old Gingerbread days.

[@mnodaddy]

John you will never give an HTC scores of 9 or higher even if it has 2 millions megapixel...and the SGS5 will get 9 or higher even without a review..... That's SAD

[@JohnVelasco]

Ummm...I pretty sure that last year's HTC one received a 9.1 rating.

[@mnodaddy]

John Velasco I was talking about you not phonearena ... Nothing personal here

[@GoMetricToday]

Small correction. The memory upgrade slot is on the right side of the phone above the volume up/down rocker. At least that is the way it is on my M8.

[@jlcurtis94]

I didn't plan on useing blink feed when I got my m8 was going to disable it. But I tried it out and I actually like it I would recommend this phone over any other phone best build quality out of any one and the all metal backing is elegant and feels soild

[@devinquigley]

"Some of you folks like to call it, the M8." I don't think consumers made that up.

[@merdoc81]

I was thinking the same thing. Just saw a comercial tonight for it with Gary Oldman and he called it the HTC M8

[@deeje8]

Thanks John V! Yours was the most helpful review of the HTC One M8 among the several I've watched. Your observations about the camera are particularly helpful.

[@topografer]

John V did you smoke a joint before the video buddy?

[@BuzWeaver]

Excellent review. You went over a great deal of detail where other reviews were lacking.

[@Kamukix]

Thanks for the review, I've been trying to get as much information about this model as possible since release. I have an HTC One M7 right now, and thinking about getting this one. The new gestures are great, my only reserve was if the sound quality was diminished or not. The sound on the M7 is out of this world!

[@RamonRivas]

No wonder it leaked so easily. Everyone already had the phone. The embargo just lifted. Funny how it was just announced and we already have a detailed review lol.

[@JamesRussoMillas]

My thought exactly!

[@thisismyemail806]

All the major reviewers get them a week before the announcement

[@JamesRussoMillas]

I don't think that happened with the s5 though. We'd see them in house by now.

[@RamonRivas]

***** Those were quick on the fly barely announced reviews. This is more of a in depth "we've had it for a few days/ weeks" review.

[@JamesRussoMillas]

Yeah. Agreed, holding a phone on a table at a tech show isn't a review.

[@vMaxHeadroom]

I have had mine for 2 weeks. Have to admit it is fantastic. Ultra fast, smooth and does everything I need without any fuss. The comments I have heard about the camera don't apply unless you are a hard core photographer. The camera is absolutely perfect.Browsing, gaming, office, email, text doesn't matter what you throw at it, it sails through and the sound is something else. The screen for me is supersharp and at 5 inches it is a great size. I found the larger screen size phones were just a bit too big to handle properly for daily use, work and play.

[@andrewbarbarash3116]

I don't take to many photos, but I listen to TONS of music, and I'm sick of the crappy feel of the Samsung Galaxy's, this is beautiful. I think it's the perfect phone for me, though I can see why it wouldn't be for others.

[@greenrolaids]

i played with the m8 yesterday.. The onscreen controls take up about15% of the web browser.. I dont know why the reviewers are skipping this huuuuge issue of the buttons taking up valuable real estate.

[@nach2691]

15%? come on!!

[@ChuanTsay]

And how did you arrive at 15%? The buttons on screen are no more than any other device.

[@greenrolaids]

length times width, divided by the bar lenght x width. its just math.

[@evilfatcowthe2nd]

greenrolaids no way. just eyeballing it, no way if you line that 6/7 times, it will cover 90/100 percent of the phone. but thats what you get with on screen buttons. i love on screen buttons, cant go back.

[@greenrolaids]

you cant... i tried the .54 version and it blocks you from changing it.

[@cantdothis100]

Good review! I have the htc one (M7) and im so looking forward to get this one.. htc one is just simply an amazing phone you can have, very unique and it looks very nice and you wont ever get disappointed from how fast it is. Whoever use the htc one wont even think about replacing this phone with another one!

[@SnipesHalo]

I have both the HTC One M8 and Galaxy S5. Sometimes I forget about my s5 from never using it.

[@alanky6666]

You forgot about Asus Padfone which has aluminum unibodies too. Not available in the US but it definitely rivals HTC on industrial design.

[@Shaybabe723]

its so hard trying to choose between this and the galaxy.. im coming from a iPhone 4s and i just loove the design on the htc. and the camera quality on the galaxy looks amazing ._. its hard choosing

[@theimperious1]

I got an HTC One M8 coming from a locked Galaxy S4 and I've never been more satisfied with a phone in my life, this phone is easy to unlock/root, the audio is PHENOMENAL, its faster than any iPhone to date and snappier than the S5/5S by far. Build quality is amazing and honestly all in all this phone is just PERFECT. It may not be certified waterproof either but if waterproof is attracting you to an S5 then look no further the M8 can survive in water too. Just not certified and no guarantees LOL #M8 :D Honestly could go on for hours but i'll leave it at this. GET AN M8!

[@SubhashAgarwalIIT]

choose m8 if u beleive in aluminium or metal case otherwise go with the cheap plastic

[@KeyT3ch]

6:55 Green? its still the usual color. so it seems the statusbar only changes color for HTC apps.

[@DanielMuvdi]

I finally get this phone and im loving it. today i watch a game of throne episode on my phone. and i cant believe it , the HD video and de super HD audio experience was incredible. seriously im not fan, but this phone has the mos impress sound on the world. fast fast and fast. browsing experience with a lot of tabs open. games are just perfect with all the app running. at the same time i put my friend galaxy s5 to do the same and start lagging. i dont have a xperia z2 but for me HTC have no comparison with GALAXY S5. and don't say anything about the camera. we are buying phones no cameras. and the HTC camera is also very good 4upx is perfect for social media and personal pics. but. anyway is just my experience. good luck!

[@djbis]

8:05 won't this feature allow for a hell of a lot "pocket answering"?

[@2435Studios]

I must say if you take a look at some videos on youtube of the HTC One M8 you will see it is waterproof. According to htc reps on twitter the M8 is "The HTC One (M8) IPx3 rating means it's protected from water spray up to 60 degrees at 10l per minute, pressure of 80-100kN/m2 up to 5 mins." So it is somewhat waterproof.

[@Marco-gz8mj]

John Veeee, thanks for this in-depth review. Looking forward to watching a follow-up video after a month or so of use.

[@JohnVelasco]

Thanks a lot

[@locoism1025]

Hopefully they send an update soon to fix these camera issues

[@premtm4958]

Whilst metallic phones are known for aesthetics and premium feel, there are disadvantages too. The primary disadvantage of using a metal case is that it will weaken the phone signal. Just like a mirror reflects light waves, a metallic case reflects the radio waves that your mobile phone uses to communicate. As an alternative to metal casing, many smartphones instead use plastic casing. Compared to metal, plastic is lighter so your phone is less likely to weigh down in your pocket. As plastic is an insulator rather than a conductor, it also won’t lead to an adverse impact on phone reception in the same way that a metal case would.

[@danceparttyy]

It's just a shame that such a beautiful and capable phone has a below average camera..Breaks my heart :(

[@srijiths8681]

just see the qualities of pic doode it wont break ur heart!!! when it cones to htc 4p is enough

[@HOVA2195]

srijith s I know I have the 2013 HTC One and the camera looks really good. Ppl tell me all the time that my phone has a good camera. But if 4mp/up was soo bad how come it can shoot 1080p. I'll tell you why. Because it's not all about mp it's mainly about the software. Even tho more megapixals are great, it just doesn't define the camera overall. I've seen some cameras phones out there that have a high count in mp but pictures still come out looking like shit💯

[@kinstar]

Young_Hov lol software you mean the sensor thats being used, htc should have gone higher on pixel count for their up camera

[@srijiths8681]

the other phones use mega pixel cameras and htc is using ultra pixel camera.. if u ever used an htc handset u will come to know the camera quality is unbeatable bro

[@danceparttyy]

I have the iPhone 5s, had the Htc M7 and now using the M8. I compare and contrast the photos taken by HTC M8 and iPhone 5s and the picture quality for Htc is terrible.

[@ChrisWinkley]

Ive ordered the m8 had a play with a s5 and I've got to say the new touchwiz is nice and tbh I might swap, its just the plastic feel? Why didn't they use polycarbonate ?

[@garywebb33]

Is there a way to show how a particular contacts picture pulls up when a call comes in? Is the picture large in size?

[@SMOCZYLAS6]

i get my m8 as upgrade 2 days ago, i have to say its amazing, very very fast. had no occasion to fully test it yet (benchmark, new htc feats...etc), quality of picture is sharp, second in-depth camera work perfect, ufocus really works, sound is great (and im waiting for my free boombass speaker), headphones included with phone r pretty good too and beautyfull design, that i dont really want to put any case on it ;), as a regular user im amazed by this phone

[@Turkboyz20]

Phone is also waterproof to a certain degree putting it on sink is not recommended for long but u can use it in rain/damp conditions

[@MaheshWalatara]

Having music visualizations is totally redundant for a phone. What are we supposed to keep looking at the screen while we are listening to music? lol. You supposed to plug in the headphones and slip the phone in ur pocket while you enjoy the music.

[@enjoiandrew4]

Then don't fucking use it, it's not hurting anyone or taking away from anything

[@MaheshWalatara]

Touchy bitch :P

[@MaheshWalatara]

Touchy Bitch :P

[@MaheshWalatara]

Woodman94 Touchy Bitch :P

[@danielreinosob]

That visualization screen also shows lyrics, which is cool..

[@tomwhite3997]

You forgot to mention one of the biggest changes with the new HTC One. The capacitive navigational buttons are now on screen.

[@Frenzii3]

When you sync your phone with the Sync Manager does it make a backup of your contacts as well as the messages, photos etc? (I'm taking my HTC One to repair the purple tint on the camera and they're going to wipe everything)

[@sanfong08]

Glad that John is doing this video. :)

[@Melt.Like.Butter]

Great Reviewr! :) I love their phones, HTC. But here in the Philippines, we're experiencing POOR after sales assistance. They had my phone (service center) for almost 6 months, till now i haven't received it back yet. So i decided to file a case, tomorrow would be our first meeting in D.T.I. i hope everything will be done by tomorrow. It's such a hassle, we also have our work to attend to. HTC if your reading this. FIX THIS PLS.

[@JoeSibal]

great review! "good looks can only get you so far" - well said. think i just made my decision and moving to the s5 (coming from an htc one m7).

[@kevinsmith5270]

bigger screen but i noticed the ui buttons are now on the screen taking up space on the bottom of the screen. still love htc though!! cant wait to get this phone. Ive got the htc one m7 right now.

[@mikiduric]

FOR ME! 1st place: Xperia Z2 2nd place: place: Galaxy S5 3rd place: New HTC one

[@anthonyt425]

Sigh. Why the S5 over the new HTC one?

[@mikiduric]

Anthony Turner Only because they have metal body and that's, i am not fan of black part for HTC logo on the front, rest of things are same nothing new.

[@Stvnrulz]

What's there to sigh about? The only advantage the htc one has is it's rooting capabilities and boom sound. Aside from that, it's an inferior phone.

[@steveellsworth2547]

I got phone. It is amazing. Holding the phone in your hand, you realize how well made the device is in comparison to the Samsun line of phones. I have the Galaxy S5 first. The S5 felt like a toy. It had some software gadgetry to it and the heart rate monitor, but the S5 felt cheaply made. The M8 is amazing. it is very snappy and I think this may in fact be my most favorite cell phone of all time.

[@Samuelkings]

Hey guys check out ***** in depth review on this phone , very nice

[@stephonjhn]

John, actually, the placement of the power button on the left side would be more convenient for right-handed users. Think about it.

[@hardCOREmonkyman]

the on screen buttons are a horrible idea. on some apps it just becomes another black bar making the screen smaller. should have kept the capacitive buttons.

[@2Aliza]

Why didn't they fix the black dots on those contact pictures?

[@dresden67]

I was a big HTC fan, until they stopped doing the removable battery option, I see they put back the option of using an Sd card slot..but it still fails..I'm a heavy data user and that external battery I don't think will cut it..That's why I got the Samsung S4..has what I need..and what happened to the clock and weather widget? That used to be beautiful, I admit that Samsung stock clock& weather widget sucks too..

[@MrFloryn88]

For 99% of users two things matter : 1 . Camera . If the phone doesen't have 1000 MP camera it sucks . 2 . If doesen't have ultra quadcore processor and 15 GB of RAM again the phone sucks . This is the main reason why HTC doesen't sells this superb phone and has a lot of haters but actualy the haters are lammers in reality ! If you are a noob and hate the HTC ultrapixel camera don't buy this phone and go buy a DSLR Camera ! Go and buy Samsung device witch get broken while you keep then in your pocket like a friend of mine that has a Note 3 and the back cover of the phone cracked in his pocket and also wait and complain about updates with Samsung !

[@joerodriguez209]

by chance would know if using a mhl to hdmi using htc one m8 is possible like the galaxy fones?? im just wondering im about to buy it and I know the m7 has one but not sure it can be used on it as well? any answers?? PhoneArena

[@FlyingCrazzyBanana]

Does the HTC m8 overheat easily because every time I played my game the phone start to heat up quickly?

[@garrettjohnston1580]

People are so freaken rude!! What is wrong with his voice? It sounds fine and if you don't like his voice get over it! You guys are rude! Learn to respect people and who they are. People can't change their voices and cannot help it. Stop!!

[@fluffykitten517]

You look absolutely adorable 😋

[@garrettjohnston1580]

why thank you

[@fluffykitten517]

And yeah people are shit what's new lol

[@fluffykitten517]

+Garrett Johnston aww you replied melts 🙈 also I'm gay so sorry if you think I'm a chick lol

[@garrettjohnston1580]

aww hehe thanks.

[@GusSerrano]

You took HDR test shots indoors at night time..? :I

[@tenzinlama5789]

Tell me which is perfect ? One m8 or nokia lumia icon.

[@locoism1025]

Don't be so picky, we got what we asked for and they delivered the the SD expansion.

[@haizhu9755]

I got my M8 today. I got a problem cuz the speakers are not impressing me. The quality is definitely good but the volume is not louder than my iPhone 5c. Just makes me wonder if something is wrong with my phone. Plz help!

[@TheDark-Knut]

thumbs up if the design was better last year(m7)!

[@thepromman]

I'm not necessarily agreeing with the design being better last year, but the size sure as hell was. I have average hands and these new phones are REALLY pushing it.

[@suzannebradenclouser9880]

I have a s4 and a one. Durin the day the s4 is better in details but as evening hits the one takes great shots... the camera is definitely not a deal breaker

[@jmorales5922]

I'll be going with this device over the S5. The music amps is a big plus for me Build quality.. The s5 is just fugly. The amber gold HTC one m8 is a beautiful device. Blink feed is so much better now. And the addition of an SD card.. No contest.

[@wonderfulcurse]

.... In your rating u said one of the cons was that it's not water proof.. Which it is.... It can stay in a couple inches of water for quit a long time actually..

[@tonyynot484]

I'm chosing to buy Lumia 930 vs M8 (windows). Which do u think is better?

[@ClaytonInman]

You've got the memory card slot mixed up with the SIM card slot

[@Bergz99]

Can you change the theme colors ???

[@Jut1911]

I've watched Samsung s5 reviews and HTC one M8 reviews and there's really not a lot of differences between them, they both come with flaws, and added features which enhance the phone. Upgrading from HTC one X I have chosen to go with the S5, purely based on the success of S4 and wanting a change.

[@hoopoverthehill]

Even though the camera sucks. Id buy it. Its a overall well built device.

[@15lumen]

Which speakers plays music better? HTC One 2013 or HTC One 2014 ?

[@tejassrinivasan24]

8.8 are you kidding me, it's worth a 9.7

[@Soundtrack2Chaos]

Have you used it before?

[@bboyloco3]

BWSMG718 Dont need to use it, its almost the same as the One so we know the specs and OS is amazing, and plus the build quality is the absolute best.

[@brzutt]

Ooops what is with the blinkfeed i love the animation why they have taken it away ??????!!!!

[@raresmacovei8382]

Won't this thing be cold as hell in the winter?

[@TheCambra]

Does it have a built in emoji keyboard?

[@JasonEllisonJL]

Wait, which slot is the sim, and which slot is the SD card?

[@Koopa901]

You said the sd card slot and sim card slot the wrong way round.

[@GiShinso]

For future reviews, please show the functions of the phone with the phone straight in front of the camera. Not sideways in your hand while reviewing, the angle is kinda awkward.

[@rccyi]

i just find out that the htc m8,..actually water resistance ! u can find it in another reviews on youtube.

[@iinfinitii.8]

does HTC phones degrade in performance after using about a year.. lags....and auto restarts while opening some apps...???

[@sivachevuri2345]

Will there be a htc one m8 max

[@sharpkilla89]

just a bigger screen and another camera added???

[@stormblazer9991]

I still don't understand why they give iPhones a higher score than phones who have used more innovation. iPhones have features and specs which are a year behind. Also, why is "Not waterproof like many other flagships" a con? You didn't put that as a con for iPhones, yet you give 5s a 9.3/10 and it's not waterproof. Honestly, all phones deserve their rights!

[@stormblazer9991]

I love iPhones and I'm not a fanboy and I am the same with Androids.

[@connorosullivan3500]

Just their opinion I guess. To each his/her own

[@e.praveen]

John V is finally saving phonearena from extinction.

[@AhmedAli-yn3uh]

Is htc one m8 is good for music on headphone??

[@FermionBecProductions]

The camera will suck for anyone that is editing or viewing the pictures on anything other than the phone itself. The average consumer shares photos via social network or by showing a picture right from the screen of their phone. They definitely should try to cover all bases rather than just the majority. But I'd say the camera is enough for most people. I've seen the pictures taken on both the original ONE and this new ONE M8 and they looked promising when viewed on the unit itself. HTC might want to develop a sensor that pleases all rather than just the Instagramers out there

[@architgamer]

Want an ultra camera, go get a DSLR..... This phone is much better than what I expected and I can say I will buy this phone anytime over s5 cuz specs are better, expect for the camera and it looks beautiful and solidly built premium phone. Haters gonna be hatin........ And I don't really trust these guys as on local store, I compared both m8 and s5 and turns out sense 6 is simple and does the job without any fancy animations or complications of touchwiz........

[@MagicalGalaxies112]

S5's and M8's spec is identical except the Camera and Battery.

[@architgamer]

well M8's camera isnt that gud and I seriously think That its one of the point where many users will buy S5 over One M8

[@walterharris4681]

Is it a phone or a tablet? It doesn't look too far from 7 inches.

[@thedon404]

Jon v is the man when it comes to phone reviews

[@Pienimusta]

Seems that One(M8) nor Galaxy s5 haven't been updated too much =/

[@alvadagansta]

he talks too much. the talk to action ratio in this review is like 8:1. Show us, don't tell us.

[@anilgurung1020]

gagagaga

[@batsai]

Great review Jon! Thanks!

[@SnPJA]

I have seen a vid of the phone being waterproof

[@usmanakhter1174]

One of the best phone but i thing needed is equlizer in it. HTC should introduce equlizer in next update,s of softwear

[@lionzzz24]

that bezel is bigger than riri's forehead. and due to the onscreen buttons your not even getting 5inches. i think the s5 is pretty safe here. i just don't understand why sammy dont use a metal back. would literally cost them 5usd more per device

[@Ionuteodorescu]

LOL, gr8 one! 😂 Yes, the bottom bezel (including on screen keys) is half the phone! Good at tenis! 😀

[@SMOCZYLAS6]

onscreen buttons hide after few second plus they are transparent and u can call them back with a gesture. then wtf u talk about?

[@Ionuteodorescu]

SMOCZYLAS6 yes, you are the intelligent one! 😂

[@woodman94]

Ionuț Teodorescu he is a tually more intelligent as of the few comments from you guys.

[@rohanthapar4896]

Please Make a HTC one M8 vs Samsung Galaxy Alpha Video....!!!!

[@StigTube06]

Isn't the sd slot on the right?

[@TechTrinkets]

I prefer the old look

[@belalyoussef412]

so maybe now i will go with the xperia Z1 or Z2 ... with 20.7 MP camera it will be awesome

[@LostTrigger]

should i get this, S5, or the Z2?

[@SubhashAgarwalIIT]

grab m8 bro

[@LostTrigger]

Ashwin Raj the phones to wide and im not a fan of their ui

[@kingcobbra51]

can your listen to radio on this?

[@szalma94]

This phone or the Xperia Z3?

[@princeohyeah4305]

M8 or GS5 or iphone 6 ( coming ) ? :/

[@porto147]

can't decide, the htc one m8 or the samsung galaxy s5? :/

[@porto147]

robertwright26101 Hi! I made my choice! I'm getting the s5! :)

[@frockoff1]

the IR blaster is built into the power button. FYI

[@puckhead1221]

It should be a rule... If you buy this phone you can't put a case on it. It's too beautiful. This might be the best phone on the market if you get the GP edition. Only thing I'm uncertain about it the camera.

[@Ionuteodorescu]

Half of the phone is occupied by that fat bottom and on screen keys.... After the camera, another dumb move. Note 3 wins, guess LG G2 too.. I can only imagine Note 4 or G3... Thumb ⤵ for M8!

[@gerard7417]

Such a beast of a phone I loved this phone I love my htc U11 plus as well

[@Top0ne]

Can't believe htc uses the same Ultra pixel Camera from last year. I hope htc learn from last year model and don't have that blue and purple tint when taking pictures at night.

[@heydjstugots]

By the way John, you said "this is the same camera as the one from last year". No it isn't. HTC has said it is a new sensor.