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In case you haven’t heard, the HTC One M9 has officially launched in Taiwan and reviews of the international version of the phone have started pouring in. While our HTC One M9 review is still in the works and will be along shortly (here’s everything you need to know about it in the meantime, and you can always talk about it at AndroidForums.com), we thought it wise to bring you the opinions of some of the web’s top tech outlets ahead of the phone’s April 10th availability here in the United States.
Engadget, who rated the phone 84 out of 100, says that while it looks and feel just as good as the previous two entrants have, there wasn’t a big enough improvement in the camera department to completely win them over. “Alas, the M9 is let down by a camera that isn’t as good as it should be,” said the reviewer, who noted that it wasn’t much better than yesteryear’s Ultrapixel counterpart that now sits on the front.
The Verge gave it a similar rating of 8.3/10, and echoed Engadget’s sentiments about the HTC One M9’s 20.7 megapixel camera. “For the third year in a row, HTC has a really compelling phone with a disappointing camera,” writes Dan Seifert.
And that seems to be the common theme here — the familiar design is fine, because it’s actually good. HTC Sense is better than ever, and the Snapdragon 810 is plenty powerful to make it run smoothly. But if the HTC One M9 is supposed to one-up its predecessor in every other way, then the camera seems to have missed the memo. Here’s a bundle of impressions from other notable outlets:
Gizmodo:
“HTC played it safe this year instead of pushing things further. Honestly, if you’re willing to settle for the M9, you should also look at the M8 while you’re at it. It lasts longer, it feels just as fast, and it costs less.”
Anandtech:
“Although we’re still missing some of the pieces, based upon what data we have the One M9 is in an alarming place for a new smartphone. It’s pretty rare that a new phone ends up regressing in almost every major way compared to an old phone, but the One M9 ends up doing this in display and battery life. “
Phone Arena (8.3/10):
“As we take a look at the bigger picture, we certainly can agree that the HTC One M9, as a whole, has been tweaked and refined to correct the issues that were left outstanding with the M8.”
ZDNet (9.5/10):
“The only thing I don’t like about the new HTC One M9 is that I cannot yet buy one on T-Mobile. Actually, I am a bit disappointed that there is no OIS support for the rear camera.”
PocketNow (8.7/10):
“As a sequel to the One M8, it’s definitely a letdown: the new camera is worse in low light; the aesthetic changes are subjective; and most of the software improvements will probably come to the M8 anyway.”
Trusted Reviews:
“There’s no denying it, the One M9 is another fantastic phone from HTC. Yes, it is let down slightly by an inconsistent camera and some software niggles, but the One range remains one of the best all-round flagships you can get thanks to the One M9.”
Pocket-Lint (4/5):
“If you’re an HTC fan, the M9 is HTC delivering what you love, with power, precision and sophistication. But with the overriding aim of refinement, of correcting the parts of the M8 that didn’t quite work, HTC has focused attention on its camera. It’s here that the M9 stumbles.”
TechnoBuffalo (7/10):
“The HTC One M9 is a great phone, but it’s so much more of the same. In a lot of ways, this is simply a One M8+.”
GSMArena:
“Latest Snapdragon, latest Android and Sense, Dolby Surround added to HTC Boomsound, very good screen quality. With a proper camera finally on the list, the HTC One M9 is the all-round flagship smartphone the company should have had a while ago. “
Slash Gear:
“Refinement, not revolution. HTC took what was undoubtedly a handsome, capable phone in last year’s M8, and thoughtfully polished away the rough edges. “
CNet (8/10):
“One M9’s camera is improved, but not not enough to make it a “killer app” that sets this phone apart from its peers. And — in early testing — the battery life does not impress.”
BGR:
“HTC’s new One M9 is a strong offering from the scrappy Taiwanese company. It’s the strongest phone HTC has ever made. The hardware is sleek, the performance is smooth, the power is there and it has been improved in almost every way compared to its predecessors.”
Forbes:
“There’s no headline grabbing innovative ideas here. There’s no HTC Pay or curved edges, but there is a solid phone that has some decent standout features. The fact is that I enjoyed using the One M9, which is probably the most important metric to measure anything against. But some glaring mistakes means HTC missed an opportunity to make this the complete smartphone.”
Tech Radar:
“Let me make one thing clear: the HTC One M9 is an excellent phone, filled to the brim with good features, a clever interface and a design that it should rightly be proud of, once again showing every other brand how it should be done. The issue is that it doesn’t improve enough.”
And there you have it. We’ll have to put the device through its paces ourselves to see if we agree with any of these opinions, but trot on over to the HTC One M9 section at AndroidForums to discuss these early impressions and whether the HTC One M9 will be worthy of your attention once it hits retail (and feel free to drop a comment below, too).
But if you didn’t have an M8, or any HTC phone, it should be pretty stellar phone. So the ratings are somewhat jaded by the previous year, but not really stand alone ratings it seems.
That’s what I’m wondering. They seem to be compairing it to the M8 more than focusing on anything else. Does that mean the M8 was so amazing that it was ahead of it’s time?
I’ve been patiently waiting almost 5 months for the right phone to upgrade to and unfortunately, I feel it hasn’t come yet. My Note 2 is fine, I’m just over it. I won’t get the Note 4 since there still is no root. The Nexus 6 doesn’t appeal to me since their is no expandable storage; same with the S6. Seems like the M9 is the phone I will be settling for since there isn’t a chance I’m waiting on LG even if they do have the phone I am looking for.
So true. I think for regular Joe Schmoes — non Android fans looking to upgrade every year — they’re going to love it. It really is a great phone and I think it was built for the mainstream users, not anyone who already owns the One M8.
That’s true, but it makes sense. Why? Because if the M9 is not much different from the M8, then why should people upgrade to it? Why should new buyers who never owned an HTC phone not get the M8 instead? The M9 is a good phone but its not even better than the previous model, that’s where the issue really is.
The only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders. That was the point of my first comment.
I would nearly always buy the new version of a phone over an older. The M9 has upgrades over the M8. As a potential new HTC owner, I would never buy the M8. Only to M8 owners does the M9 likely seem like a weak update.
“The only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders…” how do you know that?
You can buy whatever you want but me I use my common sense and don’t try to fall in the marketing tactics. The M9 has worse battery life and display than the M8 according to anandtech, gsm arena and phonearena. Why would one go out and pay 599 a phone when they can get (I would argue) better for less than 300 bucks? That’s just me. I don’t think the power button moved to the side is an upgrade nor I think the S810 is a worthy upgrade. But of course to each his own as you do what works for you. But how do you know that the only ppl looking for a new phone are not upgraders?
Actually if you Chek out anandtechs website again he even mentioned that since they received the newest update htc pushed out that both battery life and camera have noticeably improved enough so that they are re doing their review.
So we’ll wait for it
Nice… raise the point to make a point to bolster your position and seem informed, and then dismiss the answer you get from someone else that fact checked you like, “oh, well, I guess we will just wait and see”.
It’s actually called being reasonable. If there is an update that improved things then it is only right to wait and see how much and if things have improved. See unlike you I base things objectively not based on my personal opinion then make it a generality. Just cause you wear pink underwear doesn’t mean we all do, just saying
No, it’s called trying to seem like you know WTF you are talking about by naming different review sites, dropping some partially true knowledge, and then being corrected, and not acknowledging the points you wanted to use to make your position seem better turned out to be bunk.
I don’t wear/own pink underwear.. unless your wife left it under my bed… POW!!!!
See now you’re just looking pathetic. I suggest that you read those reviews before you come and try to save face here. I have read those reviews and it looks like you haven’t, you’re just trying to look like you’re making a point. It makes you look unreasonable and dumb. Fact is anandtech for example, made tests and concluded that the M9 has a worse battery life then the M8. Then Rui Texeira said that they are updating that review because they received an Ota that improved things so I told him that we shall see now if it has improved and you said that I was trying to act like I knew what I was talking about. I’m reasonable, you’re just a clown wanting to look like you made a point when your very first comment was stupid. I called you out on it and now you’re on the defense since. I exposed clowns like you, but if you’re just younger then it’s understandable. If you’re an adult then shame on you.
I didn’t read them as I DIDN’T CLAIM THEM… you did. I do not/didn’t care enough to fact check you. YOU made the claims, I didn’t so it is not my job nor requirement to go read them just because you stated them. Just because YOU raised them does not in any way obligate me or anyone else to read them. So yeah, I didn’t read them, I don’t want to as I didn’t make any sort of claimed that required me to. YOU did.
BUT someone did, and corrected you.
So my point still stands… you tried to pull in reviews and drop some site names to make your point and sound informed. That was your goal and your intention. And in doing so, just as you have been doing to me, your intention is to make the person feel ill informed while you seem informed. Thus, people reading along will think you know WTF you are talking about.
BUT it turns out, you got fact checked and when fact checked, just kind of blew it off.
You keep trying your hardest bro but you look weak now. Fact is anandtech did mention that M9 has worse battery life than M8 which I mentioned but you did not know that of course. So now we wait for the updated review. But you’re pathetic man, at first I was going to discuss with you like others but now it’s obviously clear that you just don’t wanna lose face. That shows weakness from you. You’re weak.
I’m not your bro bruh. Calling me weak, nice, and that is coming from the guy that started with the insults of “you’re just simply dumb” and “you’re just a clown” and “just cause you wear pink underwear” and “you’re pathetic man.” and”like a little biiitch”
I see guys like you all the time. Once beat, you veer off course, repeatedly prop yourself up & try to reverse the heat, deflect what i being said, take to the insults, and muddy the waters.
But it’s cool… look… I need to move on. I will give you the last word here if you want it and you can bash me as you see fit.
I won’t bash you, im just teaching you how to take responsibility for what you write and admit when you’re wrong, it won’t kill you. That was the lesson I hope you learned.
If you don’t think this photos are good (which were taken with alpha software) you aare insane. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
“how do you know that?”
Seriously? I know that… because I AM ONE! I have never owned an HTC or the M8. So if I get the M9, and it’s on my list, I am NOT upgrading from an M8. I am a fresh buyer. So, it is nutty to me you even asked the question as the answer seems so laughably obvious.
” But how do you know that the only ppl looking for a new phone are not upgraders?”
Wait what??? Did you even read my comment? I never said this. YOu said “then why should people upgrade to it” and I said “The only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders.” which is radically different than “But how do you know that the only ppl looking for a new phone are not upgraders?”
What? You gotta be kidding me right? So because you’re one therefore everyone else is like you? What type of logic is that?
OMG.. you said “how do you know that?”… and I gave a great answer.. I know because I AM ONE.
And man, do some simple math. If I am just 1 here, simple statistics would tell you there are TONS of people like me.
Me using me as an example here is easily extrapolated to MANY people. Why? We are not talking about some rare cancer treatment only a few people get. We are talking about buying a smartphone… something MILLIONS of people do on a regular basis in just the USA. Now extrapolate that out over the world. Good God man, this is the best logic & simple statistics you could ever ask for and you say, “What type of logic is that?” I guess it is the type you cannot follow.
Well 2 things, either you’re young and not fully mature yet which is totally understandable, or you’re just simply dumb. Because there are tons of people that are going to upgrade from the M8 to the M9 and unlike you who is just guessing, I know that objectively by seeing how many ppl talk about it on xda in the M8 and M9 forums. So your point is quite dumb
Brother, I think you might be partially retarded. Is English your first language?
When you say, “there are tons of people that are going to upgrade from the M8 to the M9 ” I concur 100% and have never, ever disagreed. Ever. That is not even what I said or implied!
In ANY of my posts here, quote where I said there would NOT be people upgrading from the M8 to the M9? Please, go for it.
Now, while you are scrambling to do that, and find you cannot because I did not, but which might finally hit home to you, maybe tomorrow or later tonight after you take your meds is… what I said is “The only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders” which does NOT mean there are not M8 to M9 upgraders. Not in any way does it mean this. In fact, it means the only people getting the M9 will NOT only be people coming from the M8. That means, to make it easier on you, there WILL BE NEW BUYERS that never had an M8 or an HTC and that simple fact means “The only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders”
But of course there will be people getting the M9 that never owned the M8 But you forgot what your wrote or you’re just playing dumb. You said ” the only people looking to get a new phone are not upgraders…” what does that mean? Thank you.
It means what I have spent 15 minutes explaining to you what it means. So, are you now saying, you never understood what I meant to begin with and have been battling me because you are confused about what I meant? Well then what a waste of time. Fun, but a waste of time.
So here.. I think I get your disconnect.. I will add 1 word to my original quote that might make it easier for you to follow along.
“The only people looking to get a new phone are not JUST upgraders.”
or
“The only people looking to get a new phone are not ONLY upgraders.”
or
“The only people looking to get a new phone are not SOLELY upgraders.”
HaAaa there you go see now you admit that you just couldn’t right proper English and you’re correcting yourself even though you still try to act like you didn’t make a mistake. You wrote that not me, you should read what you write before posting otherwise it makes you look kinda dumb, just saying. And you have been arguing back and forth cause you forgot a simple word…..lolllllll
Next time, I will make sure I add every possible word, version, caveat, variation, formulation of a sentence, thought, concept so that I can make sure even the dimwitted can keep up and understand what is being said even if it is not typed in the 1 way that makes sense to you/them. Keep up man… these are easy concepts to flesh out.
No, all you gotta do next time is think before you post and read before posting and arguing back and forth like a genius when you’re the one who made a mistake then turn around and ask others if they know English. There’s a different between I kill people and I don’t kill people, it’s on you to make sure your message is given properly. We all make mistakes but instead of admitting you did so, you stayed on the defensive like a little biiitch. All you had to say is oh my mad I mean NOT lol.
I just read this whole interaction and agree with you. He does seem a bit retarded. lol
I got 6 up votes on the comment I now see… you are apparently the only one that DIDN’T get it. I mean, you got it, right? Others got it clearly. You got it, right? Well, I am seeing now…. you never got it. Spoon feeding clearly is needed as it was super easy for others to follow what I said.
Congratulations on your 6 upvotes….
90% of sales of a phone are to ‘regular’ people. While we tech enthusiasts are the most VOCAL, volume sales wise, we are no where NEAR the majority purchasers.
And most phone sales are NOT outright purchases. They are the discounted renew your contract phones or the EDGE, whatever payment plans. MOST people dont pay 599. They pay 200 up front or 30 a month.
And thats where the money comes into play. If the m8 is offered free with contract, and the m9 being the new phone is 200, and the m8 looks the same…performs the same in their hands in the 5 minutes they play with it in the store…takes good quality photos…why not save 200 bucks?
100% agree
Even if you have an M8 it is stellar. Trading my M8 in for it as soon as I can.
I quit my office job and today I have a profit of eighty five dollars per/hour. …How? I freelance online from my home! My previous work was making me miserable ,so I was forced to try something completly different… After 2 yrs…I can say it was a life changing decision for me! Let me show you what i do…> -> ——->JOB FOR YOU HERE! <-
HTC really shot themselves in the foot by not doing better with the camera. It’s like the one sticking point that every reviewer is bringing out. And it might only be on thing, but it is important to a lot of people and with these reviewers making such a big deal out of it, I’m sure people will be swayed away from this phone because of it.
They did great wit the camera. Here is the proof. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/ HTC is in fact using the same sensor in many Lumia devices. Don’t believe the lies about the cameras. The average user doesn’t read reviews. They go by brand name alone.
I don’t really think those pics prove the point you’re trying to make. Some of them were really nice, but those were the ones in good lighting conditions, which everyone acknowledges the M9 can do well. It’s the mid to low light conditions where it fails. I don’t think the reviewers are lying. After all, it’s not very often that every reviewer you read agrees on one thing. Not to mention all the reviews have picture sets that clearly outline the problems.
Yea, sure. If you pick a phone based on camera and how reviewers say the camera isn’t the best out there then your’e probably a samsung or iphone buyer. A little research goes a long way.
I don’t really understand your point. Camera quality is an important factor for many people. And if people are hesitating to come to the HTC side because of the poor camera, would wouldn’t they have put more effort into improving the camera? Wouldn’t that have made sense?
My point is that the camera is still good, it just might not be the best. It’s not like it’s the worst camera on a phone. If you are deciding to purchase a phone based on camera then that’s your choice. It’s just too bad.
I don’t see what’s too bad about it. These phones (especially in the Android space) are starting to become so close in quality and features that it really only takes on thing to push a person either way. Whether you accept it or not, cameras are probably one of the biggest deciding factors. We live in an age where everyone wants to be able to capture pics or video of stuff constantly. So it stands to reason the camera on the device you have with you at nearly all times is going to be important.
That is very true, the camera can be a deciding factor. But the difference in quality is not like it’s the worst camera on a smartphone and compared to many phones that have good cameras it is not bad at all. And again, these reviews aren’t even from the final build of the phone which could change the way the camera works. My point is not to compare or argue about which camera is better, my point is that i don’t pick a phone solely on camera. If i did things on a regular basis that required a good camera I would carry my canon dslr with me. Most phones iv’e had have been good enough for what I’m doing. What people should be talking about is how the battery life on the s6 is not that great compared to the s5. To me that’s more important, but that’s just my opinion.
Hey, I get what you’re saying. For me personally, the front facing camera is more important than the rear camera because I use it a lot letting my daughter skype with my parents and using hangouts with my wife when I’m out of town. That said, lack of OIS makes a pretty big different when comparing the M9’s cam to the S6 or iPhone. And I do understand that people could just carry another camera around if they wanted better pics, but with those two phones, they wouldn’t have to and that’s a big selling point for some.
As for the s6 battery life, I’m sure you will hear more about that in the coming days. The s6 doesn’t have as many reviews out so that knowledge isn’t quite as widespread. But it’s also not like the M9 is blowing the competition away in that regard, so again any clear weakness can make a lot of difference.
I agree with you on the front facing camera, if you use it for something important then that is one reason to look at how each camera is. As far as OIS, i’m no pro photographer but my cousin is and I have done a little research and ois is not that important on a phone and in most pictures ois would not have changed anything. The advantages of ois mainly only make a difference when you are using a longer folcal lense and are using a viewfinder to see the effectiveness ois at the time of taking the picture. I think one of the only phones that ois would be great on is the Nokia 1020 due to the longer lens. But again i’m not a pro photographer, i just like to research and dabble in different hobbies.
It seems to me that the benefit of OIS is one of those things where you don’t want pro input. Pros can likely take good pics either way. However, those of us with shaky hands or that don’t know how to pick the best options for each situation would benefit pretty greatly from something that takes much of that burden off of us. Go look at some of the comparison videos between phones with and without OIS. It’s a pretty substantial difference.
From what Ive researched, ois only works on still photos on most or all ois phones. It is mainly for pictures as the ois sensor uses a little motor to move the lens and compensate for shakiness and therefore is not used on video. On video only digital stabilization is used. I could be wrong though.
Yeah, that’s not true. In fact, I think video is where it makes the biggest difference. I can’t find it now, but there was a youtube video they had of this set up at MWC where you put your phone on it and set it to record a video as it was being jostled a bit. Then they tested the M9, s6, and iPhone 6. The s6 was clearly better than the other two and it was because of the OIS.
The iphone for a fact usis ois only on pictures not video. For video it uses “cinematic video stabilization” or in other words, their version of digital stabilization. They also state this on their site: “iPhone 6 Plus introduces optical image stabilization that works with the A8 chip, gyroscope, and M8 motion coprocessor to measure motion data and provide precise lens movement to compensate for hand shake in lower light. The fusing together of long- and short-exposure images also helps to reduce subject motion. This unique integration of hardware and software delivers beautiful low-light photos.” So ois is only on photos and only on the 6 plus, not the 6. Although iphone 6 plus digital stabilization is very good and is hard to beat.
Yeah, you’re right about that. The iphone 6 didn’t do much better in that test than the M9.
It’s like they had allot of old material left over and quickly put the phone together with small tweaks. Same size screen they could have at least reduce the bezel and gone to 5.1 – 5.2. For anyone waiting for an improvement to jump back to HTC it’s a huge disappointment. I have been waiting for a bump in screen size since the Dna. Hope the m9 plus is larger than 5.2.
They did reduce the bezel.
HTC has improved just the camera on the M9 in comparison to its previous predecessor. But the camera on M9 is still not so good, especially the low-light performance is really horrible. The M9 also quite disappointing in display and battery life. The M9 is not even a successor for the M8. HTC failed again.
So I think I should go for the Galaxy S6. I can even wait for the Xperia Z4, but I really like the Galaxy S6.
Not just that but doesnt even have OIS
OIS is pointless on a phone.
Are you a pro photographer? If you were you may want to do a little more research on ois and how it works and why it’s really not needed on a phone.
No. The camera on the M9 is great. HTC did not fail. The M9 uses the same sensor as the Lumia. Don’t believe the lies about the camera.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
If you have an M8 (such as myself) I see no incentive to jump to an M9.
HTC has been a huge disappointment this year it almost makes no sense. They could have made this an absolute beast but they went the lazy route and they will suffer greatly for it. Now I’m gonna have to wait to see what LG has in store.
As an HTC fan, I really feel like they should have called it the One 8s. Not saying the One M9 isn’t good — I think anyone with a 2013 phone or older will have a good reason to upgrade — its design is just way too close to last year’s model.
Exactly Chavez, dangerously too close to last years model. If a proper phablet is out of the question then this may be the first year in a long while that I haven’t purchased an HTC device which is disappointing.
Stupid comment.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Sounds a lot like what people said last year about the S5 vs S4.
Doesn’t HTC have enough image problems without resorting to iPhone naming conventions? :D
No M9 hater would suddenly become forgiving with that name – they’d just get angrier. ^.-
Why does it matter if the design is too close to last years model? last years model was an award winning design. To say they need to radically redesign the phone is stupid.
After owning galaxy S1, galaxy nexus, and now galaxy s4 for 2 years I was really hoping to jump to another maker like HTC this spring. However for me the top features it must have is a good camera, battery life and premium feel. It seems the S6 camera with OIS is the way to go at this point. Sad HTC couldnt do better with camera. Now that S6 has premium build quality, if I had to buy now ide get another damn samsung. Gonna hold out and see what LG and Sony bring to table with their flagship next month. Hoping one of those impresses, water proof would be huge for me, but OIS is also huge…
The M9 has a good camera. In fact it has the same camera as several Nokia devices which all were praised or the camera. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
OIS is pointless in a phone.
Been using the M8 for the past year and love it. I was looking forward to the M9 very disappointed with it this year. I think that gold lip on the edge is stupid. I’ll be trying out the S6 this time around. Maybe next year HTC might get my attention again. I will miss these front facing speakers though.
You are an idiot.
Since the Galaxy S6 has gone “iPhone”, I was looking towards the M9 as my replacement this fall. Disappointing indeed!
Don’t believe the lies about the M9 camera.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
It’s always the camera lol.
Why does the least important feature get the most attention?
Because, it’s not the least important feature, if you’re taking about the camera. The issue becomes why pay the price for a phone with a sub par camera when I can pay that same price and get considerably better for my money? And, we’re talking better battery life, better screen, and a better camera experience. And, although I really loved my M8, I’m not missing anything about it as a new nexus 6 owner!
Ironically, the camera is why i still have the g3 and not the nexus 6 despite in every other way i love the 6. The default camera app from google is HORRIBLE. Its bare bones to the point of embarrassment and insult. It doesnt even do burst shot, something that is useful and people use. Id rather have burst then that fancy google only panorama.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Agreed, the camera app of the Nexus 6 is bare bones but the camera itself is quite excellent.
The M9 camera is awesome. And funnily enough is using the same sensor as several Nokia Lumias which all were universally praised for their cameras. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Hey, those are some great pictures. Although, I’m still not convinced that HTC got it right. You can see best when you see comparisons between two phones. Check this out..http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-One-M9-vs-Google-Nexus-6_id3959/page/3
In these comparisons, especially the night photos, HTC is still having pink/purple tint issues. They did good with video, but that camera still isn’t good enough to make me wanna drop my nexus.
You are an idiot.
Give me better battery life, better performance, and a better screen. The camera is just window dressing. If I needed to take high quality photos, I’d buy an actual camera.
Because the camera is important… To Alot of people.
No one I know buys a phone or the camera. Everyone I know buys it for the brand on the device. That’s most people.
That is not true at all. People who don’t care for tech but just want a smartphone but what they like in looks, not by brand. The second factor is budget. There have been several opinion polls about that done by big electro giants here in Belgium which lead to that conclusion. Only people who are tech savvy are very different and hold on to a certain branding
No. People by on brand alone. Which is why Apple and Samsung sell so many devices.
Your hitting way off target now. Apple has a strong user base and Apple has the advantage it only needs to differentiate themselves / compete with other platform based smartphones while Samsung both has to compete with Apple and other competitors who actualy share the same platform as Samsung, hence why I believe Samsung so would love to get on Tizen.
But back to the subject. The reason why samsung sells so many phones, just walk in any store and count all the different models Samsung offers and compare that to its competitors and here you have your answer.
They almost seem to be flooding the market with so many different models that at the end of the day a person who just wanna buy a phone walks out with a Sammie not because he wanted a Samsung but because the chance of someone ending up buying a Samsung is just higher because of that ratio of availabilty compared to other brands
I don’t care about your anecdotal evidence.
Really? You did research on that? I would love to see it.
You people are killing me. There’s tests that show the camera Sucks. Go buy the phone if you want it but don’t tell me that the pics people are showing using the m9 and the reviews are wrong. There’s no amount of software updates that’ll fix this camera.
Good for you. Just like there’s tests that show one phone is faster than another but in real world test it means nothing. I’ll stick to deciding on battery life and overall performance when buying a phone. You can continue to pick a phone based on camera.
Dude I don’t care about what you buy, get it. I’m glad you’re worried about battery. I’m not.. Good luck with whatever phone you want.
I don’t care if you care DUDE. LOL. Thanks for keeping my day interesting.
If you want a great camera, buy a camera. I want a phone with great performance, good battery life, and quick updates. The quality of the camera is the last thing I’d consider if everything else were equal. I doubt I take 10 pictures in a year. I realize most people take a lot more than I do, but who’s really trying to take professional quality photos on a smartphone?
Or… I could buy a phone that has a great camera? What’s wrong with you people? Lol. You obviously don’t feel the way I do… Keep it moving.
Only the M9 camera is awesome. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Fail, if there is one constant on a lot of the reviewers conclusions is that the camera again is a disappointment and from what I gathered already, the 16MP of the S6 is one of the best android cameras…even though a Canadian review shows the iPhone 6S is actually still the reference
That’s looking Alot like an opinion. I disagree
Since when is evidence an opinion?
The reviews don’t seem to be very consistent. The one from Anandtech is almost a 180° turn compared to the review of GSMArena. And this also counts for several others.
HTC was on a roll with the M7 and M8 but they did a ‘Sammie’ and I fear they will indeed be punished for this. But seems that the M9 has its own devils to fight above the fact HTC have it a look too similar to the M8. To be honest, I expected this phone to get a unanimous high score because although it gets a lot of criticism for its recycled look, I did expect HTC used the time to make the biggest progress in the performance area of this phone. But what do I read many times? Yes, battery performing worse, questionable display and a camera that is hardly better even though it is a 20MP one. Shame on you HTC.
The ones that are both critical and supportive on features at the same time and dont pull punches are trustworthy. The ones that are nothing but glowing reviews despite already exposed ‘limitations’, issues, or performance are the ones that intentionally kiss ass to continue to be in good relations with the OEM in question and get free review units in the future.
The ones being critical are mostly bs and have a history of bashing HTC at every turn. They are not trustworthy.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
I take a review of anandtech over many others any time a day but that does not mean history hasn’t proved them wrong on several occasions
If you improve the best smartphone on the market then Its still going to be the best smartphone on the market. Where do I sign?
It feels like if you don’t have the best camera out there now then your camera is a let down. The Sample shots I’ve seen around the Web from the M9 after receiving the update with camera tweaks look great, they’re very clear and crisp with bold colouring in your average and above lighting situations. Yes it’s not great for low light shots but if you need to take the odd pic in low light then use the front facing camera with its ultra pixel tech. The Galaxy Note 4 has been praised for its camera and it’s a great camera but I have the Note 4 and a fair share of the shots come out with this weird noise that look grainy but nobody mentions that because everyone else has praised it it seems. It just seems one tech site says something and the rest follow suit. The M9 takes great pics in most situations and people need to stop focusing on just low light performance considering the percentage of low light shots most ppl will take.
1.Most people take low light shots bud. They may take more day shots numerical value wise..but everyone takes low light shots. At night..on a date..at a park..etc..EVERYONE.
2. use the front camera?? are u serious. Is this actually worthy of a “featured comment”? Unless the back of the phone has a view screen how exactly are u suppose to use it? lift it waaay over your head and hope you dont get your head in it??
3. if you went from bad low light performance to bad..sucks but no biggie. No change. If you went from bad low light performance to better…good on you. Here, low megapixel or not, the old camera was way better in low light performance and now its not. They went from good to bad in that category. So people notice and complain…rightfully so.
4. it doenst even have OIS..something every new flagship that the M9 will go against has..and btw..OIS is an actual useful feature that has real world results and is not a gimmick.
Thanks though
1. People wanted more megapixels at the sake of low light performance. HTC gave them what they wanted.
2. Too stupid of a response.
3. Even dumber comment.
4. OIS is a useless gimmick in a smartphone. Anyone who says otherwise knows absolutely nothing about photography.
Captain, what’s OIS ?
Nevermind, found it
Good points. If you buy a phone based on camera then photography isn’t your thing. Most pro or amateur photographers that are serious will use their phone as their main camera. It’s just a good backup for quick pictures or certain situations. I base my phone purchase on battery life, ui and snappiness.
Ouch, I’m not feeling too bad about my recent M8 purchase right now. I am disappointed that HTC didn’t knock this one out of the park like they’ve done before.
M8 – better battery life, similar screen, with htc introduced software throttling to prevent snapdragon 810 from overheating the m8 is just as speedy, same look, same storage, less megapixels but better low light performance…..and all that for a cheaper price!
The M8 is this years best HTC phone.
Nope. The M9 is the best phone HTC has ever put out. Also the snapdragon overheating is bs. The M9 camera is one o the best on the market. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Anyone who says the camera is bad is frankly lying. And here is the proof. https://www.flickr.com/photos/jpenico/sets/72157650671608427/
Ohhh…I hope this is true. Just can’t go from my purple tint M7 camera to a dud M9 one!
Yea, that’s exactly what they said, that it was a dud… it’s crazy how much emphasis is being put on a phone camera over battery life or how the ui works. The funny thing is that a lot of the issues with the camera can be fixed with software updates and comparing several phone cameras side by side shows it’s not like its horrible.
Ok Cory, we get your point. You’ve practically copied and pasted the same camera defense over and over. I mean, it’s clear as day you work for HTC and must have some sort of personal investment in how the m9 does. But as it is right now, the initial reviews don’t look so good for you. And although your pictures look pretty good, it doesn’t prove anything. You could just be showing us the best of the best.
I wish I worked for HTC. And if that’s the best comeback you got its pathetic.
Anyone with enough time and knowledge can take good photos with just about any smartphone. The real question is, how many blurrysub-par pics does an average user have to take before getting a good one?
You are an idiot.
Sadly the M8 had a better camera than my Nexus 6. Really miss the low light performance. The oversaturation of pics that people supposedly had on the M8 is what im experiencing on the Nexus now. Nothing wrong with the Ultrapixel camera other than peoples wrong perception of it. Sadly HTC caved.
I have a g3, i am exchanging it for M8. Is it worh it?
It is because it’s a great upgrade. Especially if it’s $100 to $200 then the latest phone that will be out also, s6.
i honestly dont know anything about the G3 to make an honest comparison. Sorry. I would say its worth it.
Most people don’t care about the camera. If you buy a smartphone based on camera alone then that’s your problem. I consider a good camera a bonus. If the phone itself is snappy,well made, good os or ui and great battery life then that’s all i need.