Can you win the first HTC M8 long experience evaluation of the year?

IT 168 Evaluation At the beginning of this year, Sony, Samsung and HTC released three flagship models. Z2, which supports 4K video, M8, which has a metal coverage rate of over 90%, and S5, which mainly promotes fingerprint recognition and heart rate sensing, are all familiar to everyone. Judging from the sound at the beginning of listing, the innovative spirit of "dual cameras+high metal coverage" has obviously won the favor of more people. However, as a product with numerous praises, it will take time to break whether HTC M8 can finally win the first place in the first half of this year, and whether more than 90% of the metal-clad and rear UltraPixel dual cameras can get a good experience in daily use. Therefore, today's long experience evaluation, I hope to give you an answer as soon as possible.

Related links: 5299 yuan, click to view the purchase link of HTC M8 mobile 4G version.

? Before the evaluation, let's sort out the research and development background of this M8 and learn about this HTC M8 from one side. Looking back at HTC in the past few years, it should be said that it is mixed. On the one hand, HTC, as the "founding minister" of the early Android camp, really has unlimited scenery. At that time, Samsung Electronics was far behind HTC in terms of products. However, when the time has entered 20 1 1, it should be regarded as a "lost year" for HTC. Last year, the appearance of M7, a metal beauty machine, marked a change in the thinking of HTC products, but it was still not a great achievement after the transformation of its company. After a year, the release of M8 is undoubtedly an answer given by HTC to users, so it is not surprising that M8 is successful in styling for a manufacturer who pays attention to design concepts.

▲ The idea of switching from products to marketing HTC is still clear and clear.

In addition to products, if you look back over the past few months, you will find that HTC has made many major adjustments outside products. Among them, PaulGolden, former chief marketing officer of Samsung, quietly became a consultant of HTC in Wang Xuehong at the beginning of the year, and the official user forum community of HTC was launched a week ago. This adjustment in details means that HTC has also undergone a major transformation in marketing. As the flagship model released in the same period, the high-pressure HTC One M8 seems to be the only way to success.

Finally, let's review the general parameters of this flagship, and the evaluation part is coming soon. HTC M8 adopts Qualcomm Snapdragon Snapdragon 80 1 quad-core chip, Adreno 330 GPU, equipped with 5-inch 1920x 1080 S-LCD 3 screen (44 1 ppi) and built-in 2 GB RAM. The storage space is divided into two versions: 16 GB and 32 GB, and the expansion card with the maximum size of 128 GB is supported. At the same time, it adopts a 4 megapixel UltraPixel dual camera and a 5 megapixel front camera.

HTC M8 Appearance Experience:

1 min introductory conclusion: the ultra-thin grip is amazing.

1 hour Conclusion: Compared with M7 metal, it has better hand feeling and rounded and delicate corners.

Experience in the first two weeks: distance perfection needs to be improved.

Machines can never be finished, and any product will expose its own problems in long-term use. This time, the author takes M8 as an example, trying to restore the sensory experience of this product in different periods. I have to say, when I started using M8 in the first grade, this mobile phone left an extremely amazing first impression on me. The place within reach is as warm as jade, and suddenly there is an unspeakable sense of joy.

And the next hour, although this initial amazing feeling is still there, from a rational point of view, this flagship machine has surprises, but there are still some slots. Let's talk about surprises first. HTC M8 follows the classic three-stage design. The front is composed of two metal-like materials (actually plastic patches) and a screen, and the side is covered with a piece of metal, so the overall feeling and texture are much stronger than M7.

Of course, it is unfair to M8 if we only attribute this excellent experience to the material. Looking around the whole smart phone market, although the metal design concept is not very common, we can still pick out several models. Aside from the iPhone, a dominant manufacturer, Lenovo and ZTE in China have actually used metal elements. However, the appearance of the whole machine can be covered with metal, but almost no right-angled products are left. Besides HTC, we haven't found another one.

But it's easier said than done, but technically HTC's handling is extremely difficult, so last year's M7 won numerous awards, but it left a plastic frame after all. In the past year, HTC chose the technology of cutting the whole piece of metal, and through more than 50 minutes of basic polishing, this "warm and complete metal touch" was created. On the surface, the last "plastic shadow" of the fuselage has been completely erased. In addition, regarding the technology of mobile phone case, we also have relevant evaluation, and those who are interested can pay attention to it.

If you read this page patiently, it is not difficult to find that we have used a lot of praise for HTC M8 before. In fact, if the article goes on like this, the author will inevitably fall into the reputation of being a pawn. However, the machine is not finished, as is any product. Therefore, the author has repeatedly considered this part of the appearance and feels that there is still something to say.

It is true that "finished metal is inferior to metal" is expensive, the manufacturing process is difficult, the processing time is long, and the tactile and visual effects are easy to react with the words "texture, taste and style". However, this perceptual natural advantage actually masks some natural disadvantages of metal materials.

One of the most prominent "problems" is actually the biggest selling point before-feel, which I believe users who have used M7 or even One S before can understand. Although the metal is excellent in fineness and touch, the author used the term "smooth as jade" before, but the "slippery" at this time is not an exaggeration, and an "uncontrollable feeling" has spread from it, and the reason for this drawback is actually not just the material problem.

Looking back at HTC's classic metal design mobile phone, the screen of ones is 4.3 inches, and the screen of M7 is 4.7 inches, and the corner cutting of the frame also increases the friction. In the M8, the fuselage is rounder than the One S, and the size is larger than the M7. Finally, the screen lock button is arranged at the top of the fuselage. So when your fingers wander in the screen lock button and normal operation, it feels really difficult to control small Chinese paper and sister paper.

At the same time, another big slot in the design should be the design of virtual keys, which should return to the appearance of M8. M8 adopts the classic three-stage design, leaving the HTC Logo at the bottom of the screen glass. Although last year's HTC ONE also adopted a similar design, this time M8 did not leave any function buttons in the Logo area, which inadvertently further reduced the screen ratio and reduced the controllable area for one-handed operation. Although the official explanation is that this design is based on the consideration of the lower circuit board, the metallic texture invisibly magnifies the difficulty of one-handed operation.

The last thing to say is HTC Dot View. As a "little thing" in mobile phone accessories, the cool sense of technology brought by HTC Dot View is simply against the sky. The dot matrix display effect in the publicity and the function of answering the phone and checking the date and time without flipping the lid are also practical and trendy enough. Back to the technology itself, the simple "Hall magnet induction+high-sensitivity touch" has completed this ingenious application realization, which also reflects HTC's comprehensive implementation of the "design" concept from one side. However, it should be noted that in the past two weeks of use, HTC Dot View basically belongs to the process of "disassembling for a while and putting it back in two days". After all, you can't have cool technology and metal texture at the same time, so you can only struggle for a long time every day.

At this point, the evaluation of the appearance is completely over. It should be said that HTC has once again set a new benchmark for Android phones only in terms of technology, shape and feel. Although the slot occupies a whole page, it is still only a little helpless for "small hand" Chinese paper, and users with medium hand size don't need to care too much. At the same time, HTC M8 added the latest double-click screen wake-up function, which alleviated the shortage of one-handed control to some extent. We will discuss this problem on the next page.

After talking about the appearance, careful netizens should not find it difficult to explain the subjective "feel" and "touch" with a lot of space. In fact, for users who can't touch the real machine at ordinary times, the most incomprehensible thing is this piece; At the same time, M8 mainly focuses on modeling and materials, so it is reasonable to have more space in this experience evaluation. The next evaluation focuses on the system, photography and battery life. We can look forward to it.

HTC M8 experience system:

1 minute introductory conclusion: simplicity is much better.

1 hour Conclusion: Double-click wake-up improves one-handed operation to some extent.

Experience in the first two weeks: familiar feeling, familiar "almost perfect"

This time HTC M8 is equipped with Sense6.0 custom UI based on Android 4.4. It should be said that compared with Sense5.5 of M7, Sense 6.0 tends to go further and further on the road of flattening. At the same time, changing the previous attitude of "I only have such a theme color style", Sense 6.0 also specially added a variety of color mix and match themes. In the application, the color will change according to different themes, and different display styles can be matched with different wallpapers. Of course, the word beauty is different. Bian Xiao put the interface here so that everyone can feel it for themselves.

In terms of functions, the upgrade of HTC is a careful adjustment. However, in this respect, Sense 6.0 is a bit too strong. Taking the lock screen interface as an example, there are as many as six kinds of operation logics arranged on the lock screen key surface. Sliding the bottom upward will enter the voice search, and the top, left and right on the unlock sign represent unlock, BlinkFeed and main interface respectively. Sliding up on the shortcut icon will directly and quickly enter the interface of call, SMS, browser and photo. However, diversity is diverse, but I forgive Bian Xiao's IQ. Generally, I only use the function of directly unlocking and drawing icons to enter the application, and the others are really useless.

It is worth mentioning that HTC M8 has made some gratifying adjustments in the notification bar and virtual buttons. Among them, the buttons of the drop-down menu can be adjusted, which has the function of directly entering the corresponding menu. In addition, HTC has finally improved the system level of the drop-down menu, and can call up the notification bar at any time in any interface. Although it is still a small improvement, it will undoubtedly be the gospel of the majority of full-screen game parties (a certain star and a certain family have already made such adjustments), and the virtual keys are completely transparent, which increases the transparency of the UI interface.

In fact, the biggest highlight of HTC Sense in recent two years is the colorful aggregation of BlinkFeed. Although excellent RSS integration resources like "Flipboard" have gained considerable popularity before release, the integration of HTC BlinkFeed based on the bottom of the system has brought a more customized experience. Among them, HTC specially customized sources suitable for domestic users for China netizens, such as Tencent Finance, and highly integrated Weibo WeChat account, so that it can basically accommodate information and social interaction in one interface.

The last surprise of the system should be Motion Launch, which uses the low-power codec in Qualcomm SOC chip to identify the specific actions of users in real time. For example, on HTC M8, it can be recognized that different effects can be achieved by sliding up, down, left and right without opening the screen, and voice wake-up can be realized. Holding the mobile phone horizontally without opening the screen and pressing the volume button can quickly turn on the camera.

In fact, similar designs can also be completed on mobile phones equipped with low-power coprocessors, including LG G2 and Moto X, which are only embodied in M8. This design almost saves the design defects of its unlock key. But unfortunately, HTC always seems to be "almost perfect" on the system. Although the problem of the screen lock button is almost solved by Motion Launch, when you need to lock the screen, you find that the screen lock button at the top is once again the only choice.

At this point, the system evaluation part ends here. It should be said that the concept given by HTC Sense6.0 today is still very thoughtful, but the details are lacking. From the uniqueness of Sense to Android in those days to the theme of "social experience and interactive concept" today, we can see that HTC is always correct in the general direction. However, the lack of details such as "the unlocking action is too complicated" and "you can double-click to unlock the screen but only use the physical key to lock the screen" always leads to "HTC, did you write a feedback report after designing the product?" Such a question. Looking back at the past M7, the appearance of kelp strips also produced a similar feeling. Although these problems can be completely solved by brushing the wisdom of computers and netizens, for Xiaobai users, Sense6.0 is almost perfect after all.

HTC M8 experience photo:

1 min Introduction Conclusion: The diagonal line is stable and firm, and the photo color is excellent.

Introduction 1 hour Conclusion: Too many functions and poor user experience.

Experience in the first two weeks: 20 14 is one of the most interesting and worth buying camera phones.

In the last chapter of the evaluation, the author left a double rear lens. After all, you carefully analyze the camera technology of HTC M8, Ultrapixel lens with 400W pixels and rear dual lens technology, which all sound mysterious. So what is the actual photo experience? This time, we really need to lay out the hardware technology.

Thanks to the popularity of M7 last year, the 400W pixel Ultrapixel lens is not very strange to you. Although 400W pixels are used, in fact, under the same photosensitive area, the quality of a single pixel is improved by reducing the number of pixels, and finally the image quality of 400W pixels is reduced by tens of millions of pixels. This lens appeared again this year, using the same principle.

At the same time, the camera used to collect depth of field information is the focus of today. According to the current data, HTC recorded the distance position of the objects involved in the picture relative to the mobile phone through this lens. When users edit photos later, the final focus will be completely displayed, and other objects that are not in the focal plane will be artificially blurred according to the recorded distance information, and finally the effects of "back focus" and "shallow depth of field" will be achieved. So what is the effect? Let's show it through practical proof.

From the actual proofs, HTC M8 makes good use of the position capture ability of this auxiliary camera. Whether it is UFocus or fuzzy background, it can shoot artistic effects different from other mobile phones. Including the four seasons effect, Dimension plus three-dimensional photography, multiple filters to increase the playability of mobile phone photography. Tell a joke, HTC M8' s camera function can give people the illusion that "the function is too messy and the experience is too bad" when it is just started.

After a period of use, you will find that through the adjustment of the depth of field effect, HTC post-production photos will have a strong personal style and brand, which will make people recognize that this photo is M8 at a glance, and interest in artistic adjustment will gradually arise. At the same time, with good focusing speed and standard color presentation, HTC M8 should be very good in the experience and fun of taking pictures.

Of course, HTC M8, after all, can't avoid the lack of photo details, and the actual proofs are always worse than flagship machine after enlargement. In this respect, in fact, the author is willing to come up with the word "listening analysis" for analogy. After all, photos or music are only sensory impressions to a certain extent. Whether to pursue "rigorous and comprehensive data" or choose "comfortable music experience" or "interesting photo experience worth sharing" is ultimately up to you. In my own opinion, M8 is undoubtedly a product worth buying for 20 14.

In terms of hardware performance, the HTC M8 evaluated by the author is a mobile 4G version, which uses Qualcomm Snapdragon 80 1 quad-core 2.5GHz processor, while the HTC M8 sold in Europe and America uses a 2.3GHz version. It should be said that the theoretical value of HTC M8 is higher than the European version. However, the actual difference, we "refused to run a point", is very telling. But from today's point of view, even the price-performance ratio machine of 2000 yuan is still Qualcomm 801; Even the Qualcomm 800, in fact, it is difficult to have any different experience. Therefore, instead of "refusing to run scores", it is better to "continue a flight together" while the evaluation time is long. After all, it is far more practical to use three hours more than to run 3000 points more. Of course, for users who are really interested in Qualcomm 80 1, you can see our previous evaluation. Click to view it.

▲ Parameter comparison between Qualcomm 80 1 and 800.

In fact, looking back at the release of HTC M8, HTC's dual rear camera is a feature, and the metallic texture is a selling point, but HTC has never forgotten to strengthen its battery life. Judging from the evaluation news of foreign media at present, although the power of HTC M8 has not improved much, its endurance level is extremely strong, and the standby capacity of HTC One has increased by 40%. So is it like a rumor, you will know when you test it.

Before the evaluation, the first thing to explain is that in order to eliminate the influence of network and light. This endurance test is to turn off the GSM network under WIFI and adjust the screen brightness to the maximum. Therefore, the actual endurance level may be higher.

The first is the restoration of the daily lightweight application mode environment. The author specially conducted a half-hour MP3 playback and a half-hour QQ/ Weibo/WeChat practical evaluation. The actual test shows that HTC M8 consumes only 3% power during the half-hour audio playback, and only 6% power when the social software is running. In the audio-visual entertainment experience, the author chose the form of "offline video playing, 3D game demo and online video watching", which lasted for half an hour. The power consumption of HTC M8 in these three links was 6%, 15% and 6% respectively.

Finally, in two and a half hours of high-intensity test, the total power loss of HTC M8 is about 40%. In daily life, it's relatively easy for Weibo WeChat users or subway users to watch a video and make sure that it is recharged every day. And if it is just a social application game, it is not impossible to charge for two days. In addition, the super energy-saving mode is actually the part we are interested in.

According to the official promotion of HTC, HTC M8 can guarantee 24 hours 10% battery life in super power saving mode. However, in the actual measurement, in the super power-saving mode, the mobile phone only retains the six basic functions of "phone, SMS, calendar, email and calculator" in the main interface, and the screen color is also adjusted to black, including functions such as taking photos and dropping down the notification menu. At this point, the design idea of "cutting off the power supply of most hardware modules and making the mobile phone close to the function machine" is obvious, and as a function machine, it is not too difficult to support 10% power for one day.

At this point, the long evaluation of the whole HTC M8 has come to an end. Let's review this flagship new machine. In terms of technology, M8 once again set a new benchmark for the Android camp. It improves the system, but it is still slightly mild. Taking pictures is extremely interesting and the battery life is excellent. However, the system problems exposed in the evaluation, such as the virtual key position reducing the screen ratio, can only be solved by unlocking the key and locking the screen, and can be solved by brushing the machine later. Therefore, from a horizontal perspective, this mobile phone is undoubtedly the most noteworthy flagship this year.

From the perspective of the industry, HTC has gone from "applauding and not calling for seats" for a period of time to "applauding and not calling for seats" in the past two years. No matter from the perspective of enterprise development or brand building, there is an urgent need for a product to announce a strong return, and M8 is the best signal. At the same time, judging from the "word-of-mouth barometer" of the parallel market, among the three flagships of Sony Samsung HTC, the parallel price of HTC M8 is the highest, which also proves the conclusion that this mobile phone has a higher "purchase value" in the eyes of the public. Seeing that HTC's first-quarter financial report is about to be released, in addition to the media's evaluation, sales will be the best proof to evaluate the quality of this mobile phone. You can pay attention.