Switch or come from M8?

I'm coming here from a galaxy s4 and my s5 should be shipping but I was really on the fence between these two. But with this one no having root and everything I'm still not sure what I'm going to do. I'll probably just try out s5 and see if it's worth keeping even without root. What are your guys complaints on s5.

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BlueHarford said:

i came from the G2, the battery i kill in less than a day. i check my email and FB @6am. by 6:20 my battery is at 90% with the powersaving on and grayscale feature disabled. using wifi.

i feel like i cant get through a day. with my G2 i could get through an entire work day and be at 70% battery.

Going to look at the M8 now

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Wow first I'm hearing about such subpar battery life. I was under the impression that the s5's battery is a bit better then M8.

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ElijahD407 said:

Wow first I'm hearing about such subpar battery life. I was under the impression that the s5's battery is a bit better then M8.

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It's definitely better, I don't know why anyone would look to the M8 for an improvement if they're coming from the GS5.

BlueHarford said:

Anyone thinking about switching to the M8, due to root and not being able to control the battery? Or come from the M8 and have comments?

Contemplating the switch

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I returned the M8 due to it being ridiculously slippery and just very difficult to hold. I'd hold my breath each time i got it out!

Coming from the M8

Syn Ack said:

It's definitely better, I don't know why anyone would look to the M8 for an improvement if they're coming from the GS5.

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I got the HTC One M8 the day it came out for Verizon and it is an incredible phone. Very fast and responsive, beautiful and sleek but coming from a galaxy s4 ( and thinking I was tired of touchwiz and Samsung phones) I couldn't get used to the volume controls in the other side and such. I switched to the S5 (burning my only exchange option) in the day 14th of using the M8 because of the wonderful screen, the better camera and the volume keys location besides that this phone feels sturdy and robust.

I dislike the vibration caused by the speakers and how different it sounds when compared to the M8. Also I see myself double tapping the screen frequently to turn on the phone. But the main difference is how slow this phone is compared to the M8 and even to my "old" galaxy S4. Despite all those facts I still love my S5 and if I had the chance wouldn't exchanged it back with the M8 even when I keep looking for apps to turn on my screen by double tapping and ways to make my phone faster.

I'd prefer to wait longer and if I don't get use to the slowness of this device I might give it to my wife in August (when her upgrade is available) and get myself a new phone such as the new LG G3, etc. I used to root and install lots of ROMs in my old S3 (now my wife's), and other phones but I did not root my S4 and did not miss it. I am OK with my S5 if it was faster and could double tap to turn on. This screen in amazing and I think I already got used to Samsung phones.

M8 is a great phone but to simple for me and the screen don't get close to the S5 in my humble opinion. Besides it's heavier and slippery that I thought I was going to drop it any minute, even when I can't get over its speed and responsiveness.

jongraytv said:

I returned the M8 due to it being ridiculously slippery and just very difficult to hold. I'd hold my breath each time i got it out!

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Im coming from S4 to S5 but due to not having root im taking it back today. Actually liked how snappy it is and smooth it works. Reason i need root is need to tether my unlimited data. Was actually considering M8 cause its roited and unlocked but i just dont know might wait for that Sony to come out soon.

I'm on the gs5 right now but I seem to be having little issues like the screen not coming back on after hitting power then trying to turn phone back on. I do this a lot I'm noticing now. I've had each galaxy phone Verizon has had and I still have the m7 gs4 gs3 and gs5 this has the best screen IMO and will miss camera. I'll hold one to the gs5 in hopes of the root but will have the m8 as my main phone for the time being. The little issues I have from the gs5 makes it feel like a downgrade from the m7.

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Had the s5. Bought the m8 first, then got the S5 but returned it to keep the M8. No regrets. I didn't like how long it was to have to reach up to turn the screen off but I found a screen off widget do one handed use is perfect.

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First off, i'm impressed with this thread so far. Everyone giving their opinions and not telling anyone what they should do or that something sucks.. It's refreshing.

I own both myself and the G2. While the displays on the G2 and M8 are great and are by no means slouches, the AMOLED on the S5 is just stunning. The best on a mobile device I've ever owned. I do enjoy the back and it feels well construed. I went ahead and added wireless hotspot to my unlimited plan for another $30. I did this for more than just having it on my S5, the only device I own that isn't rooted but wanted to throw that out there for those who are worried about it affecting their unlimited data and don't mind paying the extra cash.. It only brings my bill up to $120 so it's acceptable for me. I love my devices and usually hold on to all of them but with S5, I planned on giving it a test run as I'm in love with the M8 and will not be parting with it anytime soon. But, I didn't count on my love for the S5's display. I'll be keeping it as well.. At least until the G3 comes out. A Galaxy device is like money in the bank. Great resale value. Owning all the devices that I do and cruising all the threads, it's obviously, as we all know, personal preference. Just keep at the reviews and find what features are most valuable to you.

If all my devices were held hostage and I was only allowed to keep one, it would be none of the above. It would be my developer edition Moto X, that is covered by warranty while being unlocked, rooted and running a custom ROM based the stock Moto UI.

Sorry for the novel, I always end up rambling.

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Ciscoaudrey said:

Im coming from S4 to S5 but due to not having root im taking it back today. Actually liked how snappy it is and smooth it works. Reason i need root is need to tether my unlimited data. Was actually considering M8 cause its roited and unlocked but i just dont know might wait for that Sony to come out soon.

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KitKat kills tethering.

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I am exchanging my s5 tomorrow for the m8. The s5 is awesome but there's a few things I'm really looking forward to on the m8...

1. Root/s-off. This is important to me. For me having a phone without root is like having a bike with flat tires. You can still ride it, but it sucks and the bike is so much more fun with pumped up tires.

2. On screen buttons. I do not like the physical home button, and since I am left handed I HATE that the back button is in the bottom right hand corner. It's a pain for me to reach. If I could switch the back and recents button on the s5 that would go a long way.

3. Front speakers. I watch a lot of stuff on my phone and the first time I heard the speakers on the m8 I knew I was probably gonna exchange my phone.

4. Double tap to turn on. I fell in love with this feature on the G2 (kinda wish I had just kept that phone. It's a great phone. Gave it to my sister in law though). Once you get used to this feature it's hard to not have it.

Things I'll miss about the s5:
1. The screen. It. is. Beautiful.
2. Water resistant. It's been a long time since I've dropped my phone in the toilet. I'm overdue for it to happen again.
3. Removable battery. I've always like this feature.

Any thoughts on the battery life of the m8 vs the s5? I know the battery life on the G2 was quite a bit better than on my s5. Is the battery on the m8 even worse?

Lastly - what's with the sim card on the s5 not being spring loaded? IT's a PAIN to take out.

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dts242 said:

KitKat kills tethering.

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What do you mean? I've tethered many times on different phones running kit kat. Lack of root kills tethering. Not kit kat.

supermatt9 said:

I am exchanging my s5 tomorrow for the m8. The s5 is awesome but there's a few things I'm really looking forward to on the m8...

1. Root/s-off. This is important to me. For me having a phone without root is like having a bike with flat tires. You can still ride it, but it sucks and the bike is so much more fun with pumped up tires.

2. On screen buttons. I do not like the physical home button, and since I am left handed I HATE that the back button is in the bottom right hand corner. It's a pain for me to reach. If I could switch the back and recents button on the s5 that would go a long way.

3. Front speakers. I watch a lot of stuff on my phone and the first time I heard the speakers on the m8 I knew I was probably gonna exchange my phone.

4. Double tap to turn on. I fell in love with this feature on the G2 (kinda wish I had just kept that phone. It's a great phone. Gave it to my sister in law though). Once you get used to this feature it's hard to not have it.

Things I'll miss about the s5:
1. The screen. It. is. Beautiful.
2. Water resistant. It's been a long time since I've dropped my phone in the toilet. I'm overdue for it to happen again.
3. Removable battery. I've always like this feature.

Any thoughts on the battery life of the m8 vs the s5? I know the battery life on the G2 was quite a bit better than on my s5. Is the battery on the m8 even worse?

Lastly - what's with the sim card on the s5 not being spring loaded? IT's a PAIN to take out.

---------- Post added at 10:11 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:10 PM ----------



What do you mean? I've tethered many times on different phones running kit kat. Lack of root kills tethering. Not kit kat.

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You need more than root for tethering to work. FoxFi has stated that it will never work on KitKat. Hopefully somebody will find a way.

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dts242 said:

You need more than root for tethering to work. FoxFi has stated that it will never work on KitKat. Hopefully somebody will find a way.

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Good point. In my experience I have always rooted and then flashed a rom. Whether it was a stock rooted rom or a custom build like CM, tethering was always built in.

BlueHarford said:

if you use AOSP it works fine... G2 tethered all the time

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AOSP will probably not be an option. It was only possible on the S4 when it first came out. After updates, you could only flash TW based ROM's.

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Coming from S4 MDK to the S5. My brother needed a replacement phone, so I made a commitment to give the S4 to him, knowing the S5 was going to be a PITA to root. Though we don't have root, I'd rather suffer with a locked down S5, than suffer more with a rooted M8. Can't wait for something else to come along and offer another alternative.