So I've had the One M8 for a few days now; at least enough time for me to get a real feel and impression of the device. I made the now-heated post asking whether I should get the Icon or M8 a couple days before I went to Verizon, and people in that thread made some very good points. I know a lot of people are probably in the same boat as me when it comes to choosing between the two phones, so here's my reasoning in why I chose the M8 and why I don't regret it.
As we all know, both devices are very good and top of the line. But, I made a simple pros/cons list when deciding between the two. Here's what I came up with:
M8 Pros - design, speakers, latest update preinstalled, latest internals
M8 Cons - Camera, potential support issues
Icon Pros - Camera, support, Nokia apps
Icon Cons - bland hardware, not-latest OS (more on this later), slightly older internals
When I came down to that list, the M8 was very appealing to me, and appeared to win that pros-cons war; the M8's pros outweighed the Icon's, except for one thing - the camera. I like taking pictures on my phone and I do it often. I was worried about this. However, I figured it was worth the risk, and I have a good Nikon anyway if I need it.
So, my thoughts on the M8 after a good five days? 9/10, easy. I do not regret choosing it at all. The hardware is ridiculously good, the screen is fantastic, the performance kills my old 925, and the whole thing just feels right. Now let me address some concerns I know some of you are having.
Camera. Let's get this out of the way. The camera isn't extraordinary. However, for 4 [megapixels], I'm a bit impressed. It handles different situations fairly well, and its low light performance is just as good, if not better, than my 925/920. I don't miss the higher megapixels, but I do miss OIS. Unless you will be using your phone for professional quality pictures, do not let this be a deterrent on getting this device.
Software issues. There have been a few people complaining of random reboots. Some people are saying they're having three a day in some cases. I have had one random reboot in five days. Also, earlier today, the phone completely locked up and wouldn't do a thing, so I had to force reboot it. I've had both of these things happen in the past on Lumias, so I'm hoping this is just a coincidence and not some device-specific issue. We shall see.
On screen buttons. I was a little concerned about these at first, but it's really not much different at all. I'm actually starting to prefer them, since if your finger is on the screen, you can't accidentally hit them because they won't read, which, as we all know, isn't the case for capacitive buttons.
So, there's my initial impressions. Hopefully I've helped some of you all. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Edit: Oh yeah, about the Icon not coming with the latest OS update. I updated my 920 and 925 on the dev preview 8.1, and both their battery lives decreased dramatically. I'm talking losing 50% battery in 5 hours of sitting idle. It was ridiculous, and I wasn't risking that with another device that wasn't made for 8.1. I have no doubt that the Icon with Cyan/official 8.1 would have good battery life, however, but I wasn't about to sit and wait on Verizon.
As we all know, both devices are very good and top of the line. But, I made a simple pros/cons list when deciding between the two. Here's what I came up with:
M8 Pros - design, speakers, latest update preinstalled, latest internals
M8 Cons - Camera, potential support issues
Icon Pros - Camera, support, Nokia apps
Icon Cons - bland hardware, not-latest OS (more on this later), slightly older internals
When I came down to that list, the M8 was very appealing to me, and appeared to win that pros-cons war; the M8's pros outweighed the Icon's, except for one thing - the camera. I like taking pictures on my phone and I do it often. I was worried about this. However, I figured it was worth the risk, and I have a good Nikon anyway if I need it.
So, my thoughts on the M8 after a good five days? 9/10, easy. I do not regret choosing it at all. The hardware is ridiculously good, the screen is fantastic, the performance kills my old 925, and the whole thing just feels right. Now let me address some concerns I know some of you are having.
Camera. Let's get this out of the way. The camera isn't extraordinary. However, for 4 [megapixels], I'm a bit impressed. It handles different situations fairly well, and its low light performance is just as good, if not better, than my 925/920. I don't miss the higher megapixels, but I do miss OIS. Unless you will be using your phone for professional quality pictures, do not let this be a deterrent on getting this device.
Software issues. There have been a few people complaining of random reboots. Some people are saying they're having three a day in some cases. I have had one random reboot in five days. Also, earlier today, the phone completely locked up and wouldn't do a thing, so I had to force reboot it. I've had both of these things happen in the past on Lumias, so I'm hoping this is just a coincidence and not some device-specific issue. We shall see.
On screen buttons. I was a little concerned about these at first, but it's really not much different at all. I'm actually starting to prefer them, since if your finger is on the screen, you can't accidentally hit them because they won't read, which, as we all know, isn't the case for capacitive buttons.
So, there's my initial impressions. Hopefully I've helped some of you all. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask.
Edit: Oh yeah, about the Icon not coming with the latest OS update. I updated my 920 and 925 on the dev preview 8.1, and both their battery lives decreased dramatically. I'm talking losing 50% battery in 5 hours of sitting idle. It was ridiculous, and I wasn't risking that with another device that wasn't made for 8.1. I have no doubt that the Icon with Cyan/official 8.1 would have good battery life, however, but I wasn't about to sit and wait on Verizon.
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