M8 or M9

[chrisw99]

My M7 contract is up in 3 weeks, I absolutely love the M7 and would have gone SIM only to save costs if it wasn't for the fact the pink camera issue now is so bad the front camera is unusable and my external microphone is broke so I get no sound on videos and can't do hands free.

I am tempted by the M9, but I think the fact I could upgrade to the M8 at probably a cheaper monthly fee than I currently pay for the M7 is swaying me towards the M8.   Also I think I have suffered with the pink camera because I was an early adopter of the M7 before they realised and fixed its faults.  As the M9 is new who knows what faults are lurking and the M8 should be tried and tested by now.

Considering I'm perfectly happy with the M7 and am only upgrading because it's broken, is there any killer reason why I should pick the M9 over the M8?

[drey_p]

HI there

Having played with both of them for a while, there really isn't a huge difference at initial glance.  They still have the same form factor, both have the same metal body.  The M9 is slight faster and more efficient as it has an Octo core processor and more RAM

Also the M9 comes with more storage onboard.

The key difference for me would be the battery life.  The M9 has a 2840mAh battery whilst the M8 has a slightly smaller 2600mAh battery. On those grounds I would be looking at the M9.

What I would advise you do is take a look at the M9 battery tests and see how it holds out compared to the M8.   Use a site like GSM arena as they do loads of stats and comparisons - just head to the tools section to get details on the more technical bits of the handset.

If you are looking at phones, what about the Lg G4 or the Galaxy S6 or S6 Edge?

[BandOfBrothers]

Under the hood on phones is important as well as features but aesthetics play a big part too as well as disposable income and trying to be as future proof as possible.

I'd suggest paying a visit to the HighStreet shops to have a go with the demo models and check out comparison / Vs sites and YouTube end user reviews.

Enjoy the journey.

[hrym]

Yes, the M9 is slightly faster. Battery life seems to be about the same and I suspect the larger battery accomodates the possibly more power-hungry processor.   The M9 has 32gb of internal storage against the M8's 16, but the firmware and built-in apps take up slightly more space, so 16gb on it wouldn't allow much for your own files.  Both phones can take an external sd card.

Apart from the slight performance improvement, there isn't a huge amount to choose between the two and the choice probably comes down to price as much as anything else.

[thesoupdragon]

I own both the M8 and the M9.

Both Phones are fantastic and running the latest Sense 7 Launcher/Skin.

However there are parts of Sense 7 that only work on the M9.

Theming the Phone is one of those instances... Both can have custom themes but some of the advanced features are not available to the M8.

Raw image saving in the camera is only available in the M9.

This is really useful if you have to take Low light shots, as the post processing (using external software) can really improve the final image without increasing noise.

If cost is a major factor then you will love the M8 but I really think it's worth going for the M9.

TSD

[TimGriff6]

How about SIM only and buy a brand new M7 off an on-line auction site while they are still available?  You'll pay less in 12 months than with your existing contract and still have a phone that you like, and also have a case and screen protectors for and which fits in any cradles etc that you use.  That saves the one-off costs of changing to a different phone.

[chrisw99]

Thanks for the responses. 

Going SIM only and getting a new M7 would be ideal for me - but how can I guarantee I won't get an early model suffering the pink camera again?  It seems so widespread

[oldgit2]

If your contract hasn't expired send your m7 for repair.. I had the pink camera issue on mine.. They don't repair it they just send you another m7, then you have the choice ,go sim only or if you upgrade you have a new m7 that you can put a payg sim in or keep as a spare phone... I certainly would send it for repair tho before your contract is up!

[chrisw99]

Thanks for all the responses. Upgrade is now available, and the M8 is £22 a month and the M9 is £44 a month.

There's also the M8s at £29 a month, which is the cut down M8 yet £7 a month more?

Was paying £25 for the M7, so I think the M8 it will be as I will be saving money on what I pay now and getting a better phone.  I can now get the VEA employee advantage scheme 20% discount so will get it down to £17ish a month too.

[drey_p]

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@chrisw99 wrote:

 I can now get the VEA employee advantage scheme 20% discount so will get it down to £17ish a month too. 

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Please don't forget that you need to apply for your VEA discount within 30 days of upgrading your contract.  Try to do it sooner rather than later so that there is plenty of time in case something goes wrong.