HTC Flagships

[Deleted member 13524]

Here's the launch stream of the new HTC One:

http://www.htc.com/us/go/launch/

After all the design and product wins the HTC One got last year, it seems there's quite some expectation for the new model.

Here's what I find intriguing with the new model:

- Dual cameras: what will they do with the dual cameras? Will they combine both cameras to give a larger resolution to the pictures? Will they combine them for HDR? Or is it just for post focus?

- New dual speakers: The dual speakers in last year's model IMO only shined when combined with the beats audio turned on. Will they get last year's results without beats?

- Dual membrane microphones. Only the first batch of the One got the dual membrane microphones because of the Nokia lawsuit. Will they bring them back?

- MicroSD: Will they go around Google's recurrent cockblocking on external storage?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Extreme power saving: 2 weeks standby. Wow?
It's probably a mode where they don't load Android at all and only the 3G connectivity stays on?

 

[Mariner]

Possibly a dual-boot option with the extreme power saving down to a very simplified ROM, perhaps?

Edit:

More information in the detailed Modaco review of the phone:

http://www.modaco.com/page/news/_/android/android-reviews/htc-one-m8-review-r1320

The extreme power saver sounds very useful if you find your battery running out yet still need basic functionality. The 'sensor hub' option (already seen on other devices) could be quite useful. Wonder how long it will take this technology to filter down into cheaper devices?

 

[Deleted member 13524]

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_m8-review-1062p8.php

Unfortunately, the optical image stabilization that the original HTC One enjoyed was not compatible with the dual camera setup in the HTC One (M8). Hence the new cameraphone only relies on digital image stabilization. HTC however claims, it's as good as last year's OIS.

Well f$ck. They just screwed it all. OIS was the only thing that made me think of the phone as a great camera for videos.

 

[Turbotab]

http://www.gsmarena.com/htc_one_m8-review-1062p8.php




Well f$ck. They just screwed it all. OIS was the only thing that made me think of the phone as a great camera for videos.

Lack of 1080P @60fps video recording is a real letdown in a 2014 flagship.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Lack of 1080P @60fps video recording is a real letdown in a 2014 flagship.

That might have to do with them using EIS instead of OIS. If the image stabilization in being done digitally instead of mechanically and they want to make sure they get good results, 60fps might be too much to handle for the DSP.

Apparently the second "camera" isn't a camera at all, it doesn't assimilate colors, just depth information. It's like an useless appendage if you're not interested in using the post-focus feature.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

Extreme power saving: 2 weeks standby. Wow?
It's probably a mode where they don't load Android at all and only the 3G connectivity stays on?

You can do this on any phone, just turn off data.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

You can do this on any phone, just turn off data.

No, I've never had this kind of autonomy with any smartphone and I rarely turn the mobile data on.
If I don't use it at all except for a few calls and SMS, my HTC One lasts for 3,5 days, tops. 2,5 days for my previous One X AT&T.

 

[Nebuchadnezzar]

My S4 lasts for 10 days on Wifi and 2G if I don't touch it.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Anand reviewed the M8.

Here is the result of taking out the OIS:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIdiX8kUuFw

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

Didn't know my HTC one could shoot such steady video's. Then again, I don't really take any videos with it and certainly not while walking. Obviously having ois is better but the amount of people that cares and takes videos while walking on such a frequent basis that you could be bothered is probably very small.

Anyway, looks like a great phone. I think they messed up with the menu buttons though. On-screen is OK but not while still having that black bar with the logo at the bottom. That's just wasted space.

 

[Wynix]

HTC One (M8) Teardown

HTC One M8 Repairability Score: 2 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair)

It's very difficult—although no longer impossible—to open the device without damaging the rear case. This makes every component extremely difficult to replace.

The battery is buried beneath the motherboard and adhered to the midframe, hindering its replacement.

The display assembly cannot be replaced without tunneling through the entire phone. This makes one of most common repairs, a damaged screen, very difficult to accomplish.

Copious amounts of tape, adhesive, and copper shielding make many components difficult to remove and replace.

The only positive;

Solid external construction improves durability.

 

[Mariner]

Well, that's the whole point of a unibody phone - you sacrifice accessibility of the components for a more rigid and compact structure.

Complaining that a phone not designed for users to open up is difficult to open up seems a bit pointless. It costs an arm and a leg to have your phone repaired by professionals so, if they have to work a bit harder for their money, then tough luck on them!

An issue I wonder about is whether the phone will have any QA problems. I remember seeing complaints about a less than perfect finish on some examples of the original HTC One which led to a number of users returning their phones multiple times until they received a 'perfect' one. If you're going to make the high-quality construction quality of your phones a selling point, you'd better make sure you can walk the walk as well as talking the talk. The Modaco review I linked to earlier in the thread had some issues with the speaker grill (albeit minor) which isn't a good indicator, unless it was a pre-production version.

 

[Deleted member 13524]

Well, that's the whole point of a unibody phone - you sacrifice accessibility of the components for a more rigid and compact structure.

Complaining that a phone not designed for users to open up is difficult to open up seems a bit pointless.

Agreed. These devices aren't meant to be repaired at home. They're made to be very compact and ergonomic.

Besides, HTC will give 6 months of free repairs for cracked screens. IMO that should offset the "repairability score" by a mile.

Another good thing is that HTC kept the heatsink->unibody design from the first model:

The SoC interfaces with the aluminum unibody through a copper sheet. Just like the M7, this device should rarely throttle down due to high temperatures.

The camera is still a huge turn-off, though.



I guess the One M8 is the perfect phone if you're always carrying one of these:

 

[Wynix]

I think the main issue is the screen, they shouldn't make it so hard to replace.
A 6 month screen warranty does nothing if you happen to crack your screen in the remaining 1 & 1/2 years most will keep the phone for.

Outside of that it isn't much to fault it on.

 

[tongue_of_colicab]

It's not like they made it hard to replace on purpose, it's just a result of the unibody design. So it's either a phone with a screen that is relatively easy (how many people are capable and willing of replacing their own screen?) to replace and a weaker body or a stronger body and a harder to replace screen.

 

[Wynix]

Those aren't the only choices.