Sell me on the S5....

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WizeGuyDezignz

Senior Member
Jun 12, 2008
3,711
1,568
San Diego
Hey guys, I got the M8 last Thursday but am not totally convinced that it is the phone for me yet. I have some gripes with it, but overall I like the phone. First I have two questions about the S5, and then I will post the gripes that I have with the M8 that I posted in the M8 forum. After that, let me know what you think. Here are my two questions about the S5:

1. Will the Touchwiz lag from the S4 be gone? I was always a Samsung phone guy, but I just couldn't deal with the lag on the S4. It drove me absolutely nuts. I'm hearing some rumblings that the new UI on the S5 is free of lag? Has anybody played with the phone yet and can chime in on this?

2. I know the speaker won't sound as good as the stereo speakers on the M8, but will it at least be as loud? That's all I care about, I don't care about the quality. I will use headphones most of the time, but I want it to be loud enough for notifications, etc.

Ok, now on to my gripes about the M8 that I posted earlier in the M8 forum:

1. After all the constant "excellent build quality" praise that the M7 and now M8 constantly get, I really just don't see it. Based on materials alone, yes, the M7 and M8 are excellent in materials. In actual build quality, they are both quite poor in my opinion. Both of my M7's from last year had screen fitment issues where they weren't flush with the top and bottom speaker grills. It annoyed the heck out of my OCD self and was one of the few reasons why I returned them both.

My M8 has a very similar issue. On the right side of the phone, the top and bottom speaker grills are raised above the glass. So my finger snags when I'm swiping up or down on the screen. Super annoying and I'm going to exchange it for sure, if I even keep this phone in general.

2. The LED notification light....if you can call it one. Is HTC the only smartphone manufacturer that doesn't understand the importance and desire from consumers to have a bright, legible and multi-colored LED notification light? The one on the M7 and now M8 is pathetic. Might as well not even have one. It is the size of a pinhole, can only show green or amber, and it is next to useless.

To HTC's credit, the one on the M8 does seem to be a bit more visible than it was on the M7, but it could be in my head. And also keep in mind that I knew exactly what I was getting into when I bought the M8, so it's my own fault with this issue. I still wanted to mention it however as it still bothers me.

3. The camera. I will keep this one short as there is constant discussion about it and people have varying opinions. My opinion is that it's lackluster, and I never thought I would say my Nexus 5 camera is better than a premium flagship phone. But it is, and I will leave it at that.

And once again, I knew what I was getting into before I purchased the M8, but I fell for HTC's duo camera marketing thinking it might somehow make 4mp's better than 4mp's. It didn't and I'm disappointed for the most part.

4. Software....I don't know what it is, but Sense 6 feels cold and empty to me. Coming from the Nexus 5, I know this might sound like a bizarre statement, but something feels off and I can't quite pinpoint it. It feels, dare I say, boring. Yes it is fast and smooth, I will give it that. But that's about where it ends for me.

I also can't wrap my head around HTC still not addressing their messaging app oddity. On the M7, when you got a new text message and opened the app, the new message wouldn't immediately appear and it would refresh quickly and then it would show up. I don't know about anyone else, but that is super duper annoying to me. And it's sadly still present on the M8.

Some might say, "use Hangouts or a 3rd party app". And I would say "nope". I hate how Hangouts handles SMS and MMS and I don't like to use 3rd party apps for text messaging. Just personal preference.

5. The physical aspect of the phone itself....it's just too tall. I understand they had to cram amps, a bigger battery, etc into the phone. But almost as tall as the Note 3? Come on. The phone feels good in the hand however, but it's just a little cumbersome. And I still hate the top of phone power button placement even thought they moved it from the left side to right.


After all of that being said, do you think the S5 is the device for me? I'm in quite a dilemma because my 14 day return policy of the M8 expires on the say that the S5 starts shipping. So I kinda need to make a decision blind unless I can get my hands on an S5 to test before then.

Thoughts? Thanks!
 

SolarTrans

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2014
1,310
393
Portland, OR
1. Yes. 110% gone. Dalvik to Dalvik as smooth as the stock Nexus 5.
2. It's pretty loud, sufficient enough for me when I tested it.
What area are you in? Most AT&T stores and some best buys have the S5 on display. Oh, and I'd for sure recommend the S5 :p


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WizeGuyDezignz

Senior Member
Jun 12, 2008
3,711
1,568
San Diego
1. Yes. 110% gone. Dalvik to Dalvik as smooth as the stock Nexus 5.
2. It's pretty loud, sufficient enough for me when I tested it.
What area are you in? Most AT&T stores and some best buys have the S5 on display. Oh, and I'd for sure recommend the S5 :p


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That's great to hear! I'm in San Diego, CA.
 

AMoosa

Senior Member
Sep 24, 2006
2,119
348
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold2
What about the lack Of a hardware menu button? I think it's a pain having to stretch all the way to the top right of the huge screen to get to the soft menu button.

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jayochs

Senior Member
Jul 22, 2010
9,624
3,147
36
Central NJ
www.dinosaurstakefrance.com
tl;dr ;) what's up man? hahaha I'm gonna get an s5..and you know how I am about lag. from what I'm reading, she seems so much more lag free than the s4.

you might as well get it since I am and we both seem to follow eachother ;)

Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
 
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SolarTrans

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2014
1,310
393
Portland, OR
What about the lack Of a hardware menu button? I think it's a pain having to stretch all the way to the top right of the huge screen to get to the soft menu button.

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk


M8 doesn't have an on screen menu button... But with either phone I'm sure you could change functionality if you rooted. I'm happy with a multitasking button instead of menu though. It's not too hard to reach the top for me.


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turbosrrgood

Senior Member
I had the same feelings about the M8. I had actually gone to Verizon planning to buy it, but was disappointed with the phone hands on. The phone obviously looks great, but it's got some issues otherwise. It was sitting next to a G2, which actually looked much nicer in terms of the screen, and smaller bezels. The camera got terrible reviews, and as someone who doesn't listen to music from phone speakers the large speakers at the top and bottom of the phone were unsightly and make it seem longer than necessary. I also didn't like the software, and particularly the navigation bar, it felt uncomfortable to use. As a Verizon user, I also want bootloader access which is particularly tough to come by with HTC.

I haven't gone hands on with the S5 yet, but I consider the S4 to be superior to the M8...So I hope to be pleased.
 

SolarTrans

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2014
1,310
393
Portland, OR
S5 is miles ahead of the S4 IMO. I used it and was VERY impressed. DisplayMate said it was the best screen they'd ever seen on any smartphone.


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samsat

Senior Member
Apr 5, 2007
465
17
ex Johannesburg now SoCal
Hey WizeGuyDezignz, hello from a fellow San Diegan.
I am in a similar position to you.

Either of these phones will be a quantum leap from my HTC Vivid.

Having owned HTC phones for years I really want to like the the new One.
Not having handled one, I still think that it's awkward size will bug me as will the lack luster camera (not that I usually need 16MP but it's nice to know it's there in case you do).

Things that don't having me rushing to get the S5 are

1. Touchwiz is unknown to me
2. Linked to 1. the fact that there is the Knox issue as far as rooting is concerned.
3. I think the dust cover over the charge port could be a weak point and would drive me crazy having to fiddle with it to get access every day. Specially seeing that regardless of which phone I get they will be protected by a case-mate tough case which has been outstanding for me on my Vivid.

I look forward to more hands on reviews once the S5 starts selling here.
 

SolarTrans

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2014
1,310
393
Portland, OR
Hey WizeGuyDezignz, hello from a fellow San Diegan.
I am in a similar position to you.

Either of these phones will be a quantum leap from my HTC Vivid.

Having owned HTC phones for years I really want to like the the new One.
Not having handled one, I still think that it's awkward size will bug me as will the lack luster camera (not that I usually need 16MP but it's nice to know it's there in case you do).

Things that don't having me rushing to get the S5 are

1. Touchwiz is unknown to me
2. Linked to 1. the fact that there is the Knox issue as far as rooting is concerned.
3. I think the dust cover over the charge port could be a weak point and would drive me crazy having to fiddle with it to get access every day. Specially seeing that regardless of which phone I get they will be protected by a case-mate tough case which has been outstanding for me on my Vivid.

I look forward to more hands on reviews once the S5 starts selling here.


I will 110% get the wireless charging backplate/charger from Best Buy (I'd recommend it to anyone getting this phone :p).
Also, the new TouchWiz is quite intuitive IMO. It's very simple and you should have no issues picking it up.


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SolarTrans

Senior Member
Feb 7, 2014
1,310
393
Portland, OR
Oh yeah with a case it's unlikely to work, unless you get a wireless charging capable case. I go naked on my phones, so it's no big deal :p


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i9100g user

Senior Member
Dec 18, 2011
2,115
507
I read that and I was very impressed with the screen specs!


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S5 may have improved upon s4's display, but I am waiting for a comparison between S5 and Z2's display.
From what i have read Z2 has a better display than M8.
So yeah i am still waiting for that[emoji6]


Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk
 

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    Hey guys, I got the M8 last Thursday but am not totally convinced that it is the phone for me yet. I have some gripes with it, but overall I like the phone. First I have two questions about the S5, and then I will post the gripes that I have with the M8 that I posted in the M8 forum. After that, let me know what you think. Here are my two questions about the S5:

    1. Will the Touchwiz lag from the S4 be gone? I was always a Samsung phone guy, but I just couldn't deal with the lag on the S4. It drove me absolutely nuts. I'm hearing some rumblings that the new UI on the S5 is free of lag? Has anybody played with the phone yet and can chime in on this?

    2. I know the speaker won't sound as good as the stereo speakers on the M8, but will it at least be as loud? That's all I care about, I don't care about the quality. I will use headphones most of the time, but I want it to be loud enough for notifications, etc.

    Ok, now on to my gripes about the M8 that I posted earlier in the M8 forum:

    1. After all the constant "excellent build quality" praise that the M7 and now M8 constantly get, I really just don't see it. Based on materials alone, yes, the M7 and M8 are excellent in materials. In actual build quality, they are both quite poor in my opinion. Both of my M7's from last year had screen fitment issues where they weren't flush with the top and bottom speaker grills. It annoyed the heck out of my OCD self and was one of the few reasons why I returned them both.

    My M8 has a very similar issue. On the right side of the phone, the top and bottom speaker grills are raised above the glass. So my finger snags when I'm swiping up or down on the screen. Super annoying and I'm going to exchange it for sure, if I even keep this phone in general.

    2. The LED notification light....if you can call it one. Is HTC the only smartphone manufacturer that doesn't understand the importance and desire from consumers to have a bright, legible and multi-colored LED notification light? The one on the M7 and now M8 is pathetic. Might as well not even have one. It is the size of a pinhole, can only show green or amber, and it is next to useless.

    To HTC's credit, the one on the M8 does seem to be a bit more visible than it was on the M7, but it could be in my head. And also keep in mind that I knew exactly what I was getting into when I bought the M8, so it's my own fault with this issue. I still wanted to mention it however as it still bothers me.

    3. The camera. I will keep this one short as there is constant discussion about it and people have varying opinions. My opinion is that it's lackluster, and I never thought I would say my Nexus 5 camera is better than a premium flagship phone. But it is, and I will leave it at that.

    And once again, I knew what I was getting into before I purchased the M8, but I fell for HTC's duo camera marketing thinking it might somehow make 4mp's better than 4mp's. It didn't and I'm disappointed for the most part.

    4. Software....I don't know what it is, but Sense 6 feels cold and empty to me. Coming from the Nexus 5, I know this might sound like a bizarre statement, but something feels off and I can't quite pinpoint it. It feels, dare I say, boring. Yes it is fast and smooth, I will give it that. But that's about where it ends for me.

    I also can't wrap my head around HTC still not addressing their messaging app oddity. On the M7, when you got a new text message and opened the app, the new message wouldn't immediately appear and it would refresh quickly and then it would show up. I don't know about anyone else, but that is super duper annoying to me. And it's sadly still present on the M8.

    Some might say, "use Hangouts or a 3rd party app". And I would say "nope". I hate how Hangouts handles SMS and MMS and I don't like to use 3rd party apps for text messaging. Just personal preference.

    5. The physical aspect of the phone itself....it's just too tall. I understand they had to cram amps, a bigger battery, etc into the phone. But almost as tall as the Note 3? Come on. The phone feels good in the hand however, but it's just a little cumbersome. And I still hate the top of phone power button placement even thought they moved it from the left side to right.


    After all of that being said, do you think the S5 is the device for me? I'm in quite a dilemma because my 14 day return policy of the M8 expires on the say that the S5 starts shipping. So I kinda need to make a decision blind unless I can get my hands on an S5 to test before then.

    Thoughts? Thanks!
    2
    TouchWiz has evolved as much as AMOLED displays have XD


    Sent from my iPhone 5s using Tapatalk
    1
    tl;dr ;) what's up man? hahaha I'm gonna get an s5..and you know how I am about lag. from what I'm reading, she seems so much more lag free than the s4.

    you might as well get it since I am and we both seem to follow eachother ;)

    Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk
    1
    outlasts the note 3
    1
    tl;dr ;) what's up man? hahaha I'm gonna get an s5..and you know how I am about lag. from what I'm reading, she seems so much more lag free than the s4.

    you might as well get it since I am and we both seem to follow eachother ;)

    Sent from my VS980 4G using Tapatalk

    Hey man!! And we meet yet again! :good:

    Well, you and I are the same about our sensitivity to lag, so let's see how this goes lol. I did however play with an S5 in an AT&T store yesterday for a good 10 minutes and I really, really like what I saw and felt. It was smooth!!

    As far as getting it, I already have my preorder in! Hope to see you around! :good: