Signal reception: M8 vs S4

rushless · Apr 1, 2014

Anybody that used to have a Verizon S4 now with an M8 notice any difference with radio (data and phone) reception? The S4 is average and not a standout for signal reception. I would expect the S5 to be like the S4 for reception.

New device pixie dust can bias opinion until the pixie dust effect wears off, but hoping for some obectivity

oneandroidnut · Apr 1, 2014

m8 has better signal then my note 3 and i thought note 3 had about the same maybe slightly better then s4

ch0use · Apr 1, 2014

I'm feeling like i get a stronger single on the M8 than the S4. Granted the LTE signal isn't that strong out here but the M8 maybe adds another bar for me.

ocman40 · Apr 1, 2014

HTCs radios are superior to Samsung's period end of story. HTCs hardware and build quality are superior end of story. Now Samsung makes the bomb tv's though!

travisryans · Apr 1, 2014

^ What he said.

I'm coming from the S3 on Verizon. My phone would die after 5 hours in my house due to terrible reception. I can now make it 1.5 days with moderate use in my home without having to charge it. I can even send text messages from my couch now. Weee

-T

bakemcbride21 · Apr 1, 2014

A little off topic and it's by no means scientific...but I'm in a very good LTE area and in the basement my DNA still gets 1-2 bars of LTE...the M8 only gets 3G..and if I force LTE only...no connection on the M8.

So I'd say my DNA has better signal reception...but then again I'm getting a new replacement M8 tomorrow as this one randomly reboots all the time...so I'll reserve final judgement until I have a proper working M8

xShin · Apr 1, 2014

The M8 has a better radio, with support for AWS bands so that it can connect to Verizon's LTE-A network. Faster speeds + less people using the network = profit for us

ericerk · Apr 1, 2014

xShin said:
The M8 has a better radio, with support for AWS bands so that it can connect to Verizon's LTE-A network. Faster speeds + less people using the network = profit for us

The S4 also has AWS support.

topaz330 · Apr 1, 2014

i always found the best antenna on Motorola phones followed by HTC, then samsung. In my basement I get good signal with the maxx i had, sketchy signal with my s3 and s4, and acceptable signal from the m8.

rushless · Apr 1, 2014

bakemcbride21 said:
A little off topic and it's by no means scientific...but I'm in a very good LTE area and in the basement my DNA still gets 1-2 bars of LTE...the M8 only gets 3G..and if I force LTE only...no connection on the M8.

So I'd say my DNA has better signal reception...but then again I'm getting a new replacement M8 tomorrow as this one randomly reboots all the time...so I'll reserve final judgement until I have a proper working M8

My son has the DNA and is also better than my S4 for reception.

rushless · Apr 1, 2014

travisryans said:
^ What he said.

I'm coming from the S3 on Verizon. My phone would die after 5 hours in my house due to terrible reception. I can now make it 1.5 days with moderate use in my home without having to charge it. I can even send text messages from my couch now. Weee

-T

The S3 and S4 both have awful power efficiency in bad signal areas. Battery sucking demons, so I turn the data radios off in weak signal areas to avoid a hot running, battery drained device.

Apparently the M8 and S5 are both much better in this regard, but Samsung is not known for radio reception as a strength.

BFirebird101 · Apr 1, 2014

bakemcbride21 said:
A little off topic and it's by no means scientific...but I'm in a very good LTE area and in the basement my DNA still gets 1-2 bars of LTE...the M8 only gets 3G..and if I force LTE only...no connection on the M8.

So I'd say my DNA has better signal reception...but then again I'm getting a new replacement M8 tomorrow as this one randomly reboots all the time...so I'll reserve final judgement until I have a proper working M8

This. Came from DNA, and it kept a better signal in some areas.

Sent from my HTC One M8!
U WOT M8?

rushless · Apr 1, 2014

BFirebird101 said:
This. Came from DNA, and it kept a better signal in some areas.

Sent from my HTC One M8!
U WOT M8?

Perhaps the metal is limiting somewhat, in spite of the plastic strips?

sfreemanoh · Apr 1, 2014

Not exactly what you're looking for, but coming from a GNex to the M8, the M8 has better reception. Not MUCH, but better. My M8 still goes down to 3G sometimes when I know I'm in a 4g area (and where I've previously had 4g, like sitting at my desk at work), and in my house I still only get 2-3 bars of 4g. When I'm walking the dog though, the signal appears to be better. I used to get 1 bar if I was lucky, now I'm usually getting 2-3 bars.

LTE just has very poor signal penetration as compared to actual 4G, so if you're inside a building, the signal won't be fantastic.

That being said, Samsung's radios have definitely gotten better in the last few years, but Motorola and HTC are definitely still better (Motorola more so, I believe).

levilib · Apr 1, 2014

I'd have to say the opposite of what most are, I finally copied over all my data to my M8 from my S4 and both phones are sitting next to each other on a table, and the S4 was getting 3/4 bars, when I took out the SIM and put it in the M8, the signal now shows 1-2 bars. All the time only one phone's radio was on at a time, so there's no interference between the 2 phones.

Moose3 · Apr 1, 2014

I've always had poorer signal with Samsung phones. Even including wifi.
Apple and Motorola phones have always treated me well.
From my observations, this M8 is on par with any other phone I've ever owned. Wifi reception is great even in my backyard (no signal with any samsung phone ever). Cellular reception is always good as well.

rushless · Apr 2, 2014

levilib said:
I'd have to say the opposite of what most are, I finally copied over all my data to my M8 from my S4 and both phones are sitting next to each other on a table, and the S4 was getting 3/4 bars, when I took out the SIM and put it in the M8, the signal now shows 1-2 bars. All the time only one phone's radio was on at a time, so there's no interference between the 2 phones.

The actual dB signal showing rather than bars is usually the best measurment. I noticed the M8 seemed a few dB points weaker than the S4, but only tested 15minutes in that regard (I mainly tested with game emulators). Not a good sample. Concern I have is the metal design, but the plastic strips provide a window. iPhone 5 is metal too and has good signal.

nerogold · Apr 3, 2014

Never got these numbers with my s4 with my

replica9000 · Apr 3, 2014

ch0use said:
I'm feeling like i get a stronger single on the M8 than the S4. Granted the LTE signal isn't that strong out here but the M8 maybe adds another bar for me.

Bars mean nothing. It's a non-standard way of representing the signal. Better to see the dBm reading.

ocman40 said:
HTCs radios are superior to Samsung's period end of story. HTCs hardware and build quality are superior end of story. Now Samsung makes the bomb tv's though!

I agree. I had traded my Galaxy Nexus for a Rezound because of this. I would have a Samsung if HTC wasn't available though. Also, all of my TVs/monitors are Samsung.

Trooper Thorn · Jun 9, 2014

BFirebird101 said:
This. Came from DNA, and it kept a better signal in some areas.

Just chiming in here to say that I've noticed the same thing with my HTC One max. My DNA was an absolute champ, and very possibly my favorite phone I've ever owned. The reception was fantastic, I don't recall seeing 3G on that for the entire year that I used it as my daily driver.

Moving to the metal One max, however, I am dropping into 3G on a daily basis. I contacted HTC support about it, and they said it shouldn't be happening that frequently where I live (Chicago suburbs) so they sent me a warranty replacement. It behaves the same way. I've tried replacing the SIM card as well, and nothing has improved the data reception.

My wife still uses her DNA daily, and she doesn't experience the same issues that I do, so I have to assume it's the metal case on my One max, or something else hardware-related.

Signal reception: M8 vs S4

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