Introduction
For the past four iterations, HTC had been touting an all metal unibody design in its flagships. This year, HTCs arrives with a fresh, new, and more fragile look. Tuned with the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU, top-notch audio experience , and a water resistant glass sandwich design, will the new HTC U11 be able to swoon loyal Samsung or Apple customers to HTC?
The "U" in the phones name stands for the companys new design language, while the "11" follows the numbering of the HTC One M9, and then last years HTC 10. The reason for the "U" is thanks in part to the super-reflective surface on the back glass which HTC says "is a reflection of you".
Sappy puns aside, the U11s new Liquid surface" design symbolizes (both literally and figuratively) a new image for HTC. Glass is more appealing and stands out better than a metal-clad phone, all without be ing overly flashy. HTC didnt take a risk with a taller display as LG and Samsung have done, and thats okay. After all, we dont know that non-traditional aspect ratios will stick around for very long.
HTC U11 key features
- Body: HTCs design uses Gorilla Glass 5 on the front and back. The "Liquid Surface" design on the rear is curved glass and changes hues under light. Its IP67 water-resistant.
- Display: 5.5-inch Super LCD 5 panel, 1440x 2560 resolution, 16:9 aspect ratio, ~534ppi
- Rear camera: 12MP f/1.7, dual pixel autofocus, OIS, dual-LED flash, 1.4 micron pixel size, HDR Boost, 3D audio recording, Acoustic Focus, 4K @ 30fps
- Front Camera: 16MP fixed-focus, HDR Boost, 1080p @ 30fps.
- OS/Software: Android 7.1.1 with HTC Sense - HTC Sense Companion app, Alexa available in UK, US, and Germany
- Chipsets: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835: Octa-core (4x2.45 GHz Kryo & 4x1.9 GHz Kryo), Adreno 540
- Memory: 4GB RAM/64GB storage in base model (6GB/128GB in select markets), expandable via microSD slot (or SIM2 slot for dualSIM model).
- Battery: 3,000 mAh battery with Quick Charge 3.0
- Connectivity: Single or Dual SIM; LTE-A Cat 16: 1024/75 Mbps, USB Type-C 3.1, 3.5mm to USB-C adapter included
- Audio: Boom Sound speakers, noise-cancelling U Sonic earbuds (via USB-C) included, four on-board mics for 3D audio and always listening for assistant hotword
- Misc: Squeeze actions via sensors embedded into frame, front fingerprint scanner; stereo speakers
Main shortcomings
- No analogue headphone jack (an adapter is provided but you cant charge it and listen to the music at the same time)
- Battery c apacity is not stellar
Yes, HTC is a little late to the party this year. The Taiwanese company pushed the launch of its 2017 flagship back a couple of months, partly because the U Ultras release put HTC behind schedule for its flagship phone of the year.
Although the U11 isnt the first smartphone with a Snapdragon 835, HTC is the first company to launch a smartphone with Qualcomms latest chipset on a global scale. While that wont win HTC any awards or new fans, it has to rely on the phone itself to deliver a product experience worth writing home about.
HTC U11: Amazing Silver • Brilliant Black • Sapphire Blue • Ice White • Solar Red
While the HTC 10 was a great phone with an overly robust exterior design, its presence wasnt enough to stand out amongst Samsung or Apple in the mobile space. HTC hopes that the U11 closes the gap that Samsung and Apple have between the other smartphone makers.
HTC heavily emphasized the U11s squeeze features and noise-cancelling USonic headphones at its launch event in Taipei. Could these new features and its shiny new design be enough to sway customers back? Perhaps, but HTC likely needs a bigger presence to compete with Samsung and Apples multi-million dollar marketing campaigns.
Some might be upset that HTC shifted from its robust and sturdy all-metal design to a more fragile (more common) glass and metal build. Whether or not the back-glass will hold up like the al l-metal HTC 10 will only show over time. Will HTCs new U design win over new customers or will it fall and shatter? Lets find out together starting with the unboxing.
Unboxing
The HTC U11s packaging takes after the phones appearance with rounded corners and edges. Laid out in a flat-box style, lifting the lid of box reveals almost everything in the package: the U11 smartphone, a Quick Charge 3.0 adapter, USB-C to USB-A cable, and HTCs U Sonic earbuds with different sized tips. There is also a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter.
Unboxing and contents
The flap under the phone reveals a couple more things: a bonus plastic clear case, documentation and IMEI stickers, cleaning cloth, and a unique HTC-branded SIM tool.
Just so you know, this is the unlocked dualSIM Taiwanese model, so your regions retail package might be a little different.
Design
The U11 is stunning to look at. But you wont get the full effect of its "Liquid Surface" design until you can actually see one of these in person. Our review unit is called "Amazing Silver" and is a lot like a cross between silver and light sky blue.
Other color options are: Ice White, Solar Red, Sapphire Blue, and Brilliant Black. The black option has tinges of green while the red one will appear somewhat orange as well.
"Optical Spectrum Hybrid Deposition" is what HTC attributes to each color options tinges of di fferent color in the glass. Added layers of highly reflective minerals is what gives Brilliant Black its green hues and Solar Red is orange-ish tint.
The metal unibody is no more and HTC explains that after four iterations of flagship phones with an all-metal jacket, it was time for a new look. This is, actually, why the U Ultra and U Play were launched. The U Ultra was never intended to be the flagship of this year, rather it was created as a platform for HTC to introduce its new design language on a global scale, hence the inclusion of the U Play.
The HTC U11s 3D glass is progressively curved to form its shape. The color is laminated on the back of the glass as to prevent it from rubbing off. HTC admits that previous models with metal backs could scuff and chip off, but could the rear Gorilla Glass 5 hold up better than metal? Well, we will see about that down the line but so far we havent seen even a scratch mark on it.
On another note, you might actually be able to convince someone that the backing is polished metal - the curve and fitment is what makes this idea believable.
Hardware
Lets start off with the front of the deivce: All color options come with black front bezels and were glad to see that both HTC and Samsung did this with their 2017 flagship offerings. Give us a shout out in the comments if you dont like white bezels like us.
The front glass is also curved but only around the edges. Like the back glass, the front panel is also Gorilla Glass 5.
At the top is a small in-call receiver which, despite how small it is, is also a loudspeaker. To its right is a proximity and light sensor, a mic, and front facing 16MP selfie camera. Unfortunately, this one doesnt feature OIS or autofocus like the HTC 10s did. To the left of the speaker is an RGB LED for notifications.
Front • Forehead
The display is a 5.5-inch QHD Super LCD 5 panel with bright colors and dark blacks. Under the display is an oblong fingerprint scanner which doubles as a home button. On either side of the fingerprint sensor are capacitive navigation buttons.
Screen • Chin
Unlike LG and Samsung, who have worked hard to reduce the size of bezels, HTC kept the traditional aspect ratio and didnt focus as much on bezel reduction. If you dont like huge bezels, youll be happy to know that the U11 still has a smaller footprint than the iPhone 7 Plus.
Moving on to the edges, the left of the phone has nothing but two antenna lines toward the top of the phone while the right side features three physical (and metal) keys which feel excellent with plenty of tactile feedback and arent too soft. As an added touch, the power key has a ridge to tell it apart from the volume rocker without looking.
Left • Right
Although you cant see it from the outside, the left and right edges are also home to pressure sensors embedded in them. These enable HTCs new squeeze functions, which well cover in a later section.
Moving on to the top, theres another mic, and the nanoSIM/microSD card tray. Th e bottom of the phone has a USB-C port, two more mics (well get to the mics soon), and a speaker slot, one that looks a lot like the one on the Google Pixel - HTC did build the Pixel, after all.
Top • Bottom
The metal frame that goes around the phone is metal and has a high-quality matte finish. This frame blends very well into both pieces of glass. HTC says it has put a lot of effort into minimizing the tolerances of the fitment between parts, and it really shows in its craftsmanship.
Now we arrive to the back glass, which we have to say, is quite hard to photograph because of its reflectivity. But reviewers hurdles aside, we like how the curved back of the U11 feels in hand ergonomics-wise. Combined wi th the curved corners of the phone, the U11 is a joy to hold. What isnt a joy is the amount of fingerprints youll be cleaning off of the glass. Thats unless you get the Ice White version, which hides them qute well with its almost pearl-like finish.
On the back, there are three glass cutouts: one for the 12MP camera, another for its dual-LED flash, and a pin-hole for the last mic. The reason for all these mics is HTCs 3D Sound recording in videos as well as Acoustic focus, both of which will be covered in the camera section. The four mics are also used to listen for a hotword - more on this in the UI section.
Back • Camera< /strong>
We like the overall design of the HTC U11: its simple yet sophisticated, conservative yet bold. Durability and fragility over its previous metal-clad devices remain questionable and something well find answers to once we put some more mileage on it.
Display
The U11 sports a gorgeous 5.5-inch display. The choice of this screen size means HTC has bumped up the default display size for its flagship. Screen size has been slowly creeping up since the first HTC One (M7)s 4.7-inch. The M8 and M9 both had a 5-inch screen, and the HTC 10 was the first QHD screen on an HTC flagship, which also got a minor bump in size to 5.2 inches.
The display itself is a Super LCD 5 IPS display with QHD (1440 x 2560 px) and offers a pixel density of 534ppi. It offers great viewing angles, bright colors, dark blacks, and great contrasts.
The U11 isnt the brightest screen around, nor was the HTC 10 last year, either. While Apple and Samsungs flagship phones easily break the 600-nits mark, the HTC U11 remains well under 500. Once bright light shines on it, its able to go into an overdrive mode, which gets it another 100nits extra for a maximum brightness of up to 583nits.
| Display test | 100% brightness | ||
| Black, cd/m2 | White, cd/m2 | ||
| 0.308 | 483 | 1568 | |
| 0.373 | 583 | 1568 | 0.41 | 573 | 1398 |
| 0.50 | 681 | 1362 | |
| 0.35 | 561 | 1603 | |
| 0.40 | 656 | 1640 | |
| 0 | 440 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 618 | ∞ | |
| 0.228 | 468 | 2053 | |
| 0.277 | 564 | 2036 | |
| 0.29 | 428 | 1543 | |
| 0.335 | 547 | 1633 | |
| 0.463 | 573 | 1238 | |
| 0.462 | 603 | 1305 | |
| 0.43 | 475 | 1097 | |
| 0.59 | 628 | 1064 | |
| 0.00 | 445 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 432 | ∞ | |
| 0 | 447 | ∞ | |
| 0.461 | 564 | 1223 | |
So is this display any better when it comes to color reproduction? Kind of. The HTC U11s default setting yielded a n average deltaE of 4.9 with a max detlaE of 9.8 @ 50% grays. Our units display is tuned very cool, so whites and grays looks blue and colors almost appear oversaturated.
Thankfully, theres a setting that allows further tuning of the display, though it only lets you nudge it warmer or cooler. After setting it three notches warmer, we were able to achieve numbers much closer to color-accurate. The average deltaE was 3.1 with a max detlaE of 5.1 @ green.
Adjusting color temperature
The display gets quite dim at 6 nits, dim enough to pick up your phone in the middle of the night and use it comfortably. Otherwise, if you wear polarized sunglasses, youll be able to see the screen just fine as long as you arent using it in landscape, as is the case with the majority of smartphones.
Where LG and Samsung hav e the U11 beat is on HDR video playback. This isnt something that the vast majority of consumers are going bananas over and the amount of HDR content is still quite limited so we shouldnt count that agisnt it.
The screens performance outdoors is not as competitive. Thanks to the relatively reflective front glass, the other flagships will probably give you better screen legibility in direct sun.
Sunlight contrast ratio
- Samsung Galaxy S8
4.768 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
4.658 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge+
4.615 - Samsung Galaxy S7 edge
4.439 - OnePlus 3
4.424 - Samsung Galaxy S7
4.376 - HTC One A9
4.274 - Samsung Galaxy Note7
4.247 - Samsung Galaxy A3
4.241 - OnePlus 3T
4.232 - Google Pixel XL
4.164 - ZTE Axon 7
4.154 - Samsung Galaxy S6 edge
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2017)
4.124 - Samsung Galaxy Note5
4.09 - Huawei Nexus 6P
4.019 - OnePlus X
3.983 - Vivo Xplay5 Elite
3.983 - Oppo R7s
3.964 - Apple iPhone 7
3.964 - Huawei P9 Plus
3.956 - Meizu Pro 6 Plus
3.935 - Lenovo Moto Z
3.931 - Samsung Galaxy A7 (2016)
3.918 - Samsung Galaxy C5
3.911 - Samsung Galaxy C7
3.896 - Samsung Galaxy A5
3.895 - OnePlus 5
3.882 - Samsung Galaxy J7 outdoor
3.879 - Samsung Galaxy J2 outdoor
3.873 - Samsung Galaxy A8
3.859 - Sony Xperia XZs
3.818 - Sa msung Galaxy A9 (2016)
3.817 - Motorola Moto X (2014)
3.816 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017)
3.804 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) outdoor mode
3.802 - Xiaomi Redmi Pro
3.798 - LG V20 Max auto
3.798 - Sony Xperia XZ
3.795 - Samsung Galaxy A5 (2016)
3.789 - Apple iPhone 6s
3.783 - Meizu Pro 5
3.781 - Microsoft Lumia 650
3.772 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3.767 - Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016)
3.756 - Oppo F1 Plus
3.709 - Vivo X5Pro
3.706 - Samsung Galaxy A3 (2017)
3.688 - Apple iPhone SE
3.681 - Huawei Mate 9
3.68 - Samsung Galaxy A7
< span class="value">3.679 - Meizu PRO 6
3.659 - BlackBerry Priv
3.645 - Sony Xperia XA1 Ultra
3.597 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3.588 - LG G6
3.556 - Apple iPhone 6s Plus
3.53 - Motorola Moto Z Play
3.526 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016)
3.523 - Samsung Galaxy J3 (2016) outdoor mode
3.523 - Acer Jade Primo
3.521 - Microsoft Lumia 950
3.512 - Oppo R7 Plus
3.499 - nubia Z11
3.466 - Huawei P10 Plus
3.456 - HTC U Ultra
3.453 - Samsung Galaxy J7
3.422 - Meizu MX5
3.416 - LG V20
3.402 - Huawei P10
3.379 - Oppo R9s
3.352 - Honor 8 Pro
3.341 - Oppo R7
3.32 - Lenovo P2
3.316 - Xiaomi Mi 5s
3.276 - Nokia 6 (Chinese version)
3.244 - Samsung Galaxy J2
3.235 - Sony Xperia X Performance
3.234 - Xiaomi Mi Note 2
3.228 - Motorola Moto X Play
3.222 - Oppo F3 Plus
3.218 - Huawei Mate 9 Pro
3.206 - Huawei P9
3.195 - Lenovo Vibe Shot
3.113 - Motorola Moto X Force
3.105 - LG Nexus 5X
3.092 - HTC U11
3.089 - Huawei Mate S
3.073 - Microsoft Lumia 640 XL
3.065 - Sony Xperia XA1
3.012 - Sony Xperia X
2.989 - Huawei P10 Lite
2.974 - Huawei Mate 8
2.949 - Xiaomi Redmi 3S
2.913 - Sony Xperia XA Ultra
2.906 - LG G5
2.905 - HTC One S
2.901 - Xiaomi Redmi 3s Prime
2.893 - Xiaomi Mi 5s Plus
2.884 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium (sRGB)
2.877 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
2.877 - Sony Xperia Z5
2.876 - Microsoft Lumia 550
2.851 - Lenovo Moto M
2.813 - Xiaomi Redmi 3 Pro
2.803 - Sony Xperia Z5 compact
2.784 - Meizu MX6
2.751< /li> - LG V10
2.744 - Xiaomi Redmi 3
2.735 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (S625)
2.714 - Meizu M5
2.71 - Sony Xperia M5
2.69 - Huawei P9 Lite
2.679 - Xiaomi Redmi 4 Prime
2.679 - Vivo V3Max
2.659 - Xiaomi Mi Mix
2.658 - Xiaomi Mi 4i
2.641 - Xiaomi Redmi 4a
2.635 - Sony Xperia XA
2.609 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus
2.582 - Motorola Moto G4 Plus (max auto)
2.582 - Meizu M5s
2.58 - Xiaomi Mi 4c
2.574 - LeEco Le Max 2
2.567 - Microsoft Lumia 640
2.563 - Asu s Zenfone 3 ZE552KL
2.563 - Lenovo Moto G4
2.544 - Lenovo K6 Note
2.544 - Oppo F1
2.528 - Sony Xperia Z5 Premium
2.525 - Huawei Honor 7 Lite / Honor 5c
2.506 - Sony Xperia M4 Aqua
2.503 - Oppo F1s
2.481 - Motorola Moto G
2.477 - Lenovo Vibe K5 Plus
2.473 - Huawei G8
2.471 - Huawei nova
2.467 - Sony Xperia Z
2.462 - Lenovo Vibe K5
2.459 - Meizu m3 max
2.447 - HTC 10 evo
2.407 - Huawei Honor 7
2.406 - Sony Xperia E5
2.386 - ZUK Z1 by Lenovo
2.382 - HTC 10
2.378 - Samsung Galaxy J5 (2016)
2.378 - Oppo F3
2.376 - vivo V5 Plus
2.371 - Meizu m1 note
2.362 - Huawei nova plus
2.329 - HTC One E9+
2.305 - Alcatel One Touch Hero
2.272 - Lenovo Vibe K4 Note
2.254 - Sony Xperia C5 Ultra
2.253 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 3 (MediaTek)
2.249 - Sony Xperia C4 Dual
2.235 - Xiaomi Mi Note
2.234 - Motorola Moto G (2014)
2.233 - Huawei P8
2.196 - Meizu M5 Note
2.189 - Huawei Honor 6
2.169 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 2
2.166 - OnePlus Two
2.165 - HTC One X
2.158 - LG Aka
2.145 - Xiaomi Redmi Note 4 (X20)
2.145 - Archos 50 Diamond
2.134 - Xiaomi Redmi Note
2.119 - Xiaomi Mi 4S
2.095 - Acer Liquid X2
2.084 - Huawei P8lite
2.078 - vivo V5
2.059 - Moto G 3rd gen max manual
2.026 - Xiaomi Mi 3
2.001 - Xiaomi Mi Max
1.996 - Sony Xperia E4g
1.972 - OnePlus One
1.961 - Meizu m3 note
1.923 - BlackBerry Leap
1.892 - Meizu m2 note
1.892 - HTC Butterfly
1.873 - ZTE Nubia Z9 mini
1.759 - Sony Xperia U
1.758 - Asus Zenfone Selfie
1.68 - Motorola Moto E (2nd Gen)
1.675 - ZTE Nubia Z9
1.659 - Jolla Jolla
1.605 - Motorola Moto E
1.545 - Sony Xperia M
1.473 - Sony Xperia L
1.351 - HTC Desire C
1.3 - Meizu MX
1.221 - Sony Xperia E
1.215
Connectivity
The HTC U11s Snapdragon 835 enables a vast variety of connectivity options thanks to the chipsets quad-band GSM modem. Single SIM and US variants will be capable of LTE-A Cat 16 with theoretical speeds of 1024/75 Mbps. Meanwhile, the DualSIM models will be Cat 15 with theoretical speeds of 800/75 Mbps.
There will be a singleSIM and dualSIM version for Global distribution while the US gets two variants: one will be sold unlocked and will work on all US carriers including CDMA carriers Verizon, while Sprint will get its own model, which they will sell directly.
All variants will support Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n for 2.4GHz and 802.11 a/n/ac for 5GHz (dual-band Wi-Fi). Wi-Fi D irect, Bluetooth 4.2, A-GPS, and GLONASS are also present. The USB-C port may be used for OTG and is capable of USB 3.1 speeds. Theres also support for Qualcomms Quick Charge 3.0. NFC is also here, of course.
The USB-C port is also relied on for outputting external audio since there is no longer a 3.5mm headphone jack. HTCs included U Sonic headphones have a USB-C connector and the phone comes with an adapter as well.
HTC Connect is baked into Sense UI and offers native support for Airplay (HTC 10 was the first Android phone to support Airplay out of the box), AllPlay, Blackfire, Bluetooth, Chromecast, and Miracast devices either nearby or on your Wi-Fi Network. You can also connect to DLNA devices through here. HTC connect is intended to "Choose where to play media". You can find HTC Connect in the Settings.
HTC Connect • Compatible streaming devices
Battery life
The HTC U11 has the same sized battery as the HTC 10 - its 3000mAh. It does need to power a larger 5.5-inch display, up from the HTC 10s 5.2 incher so we were a bit pessimistic starting our battery test. If you were one of the people who were disappointed by the lack of a battery capacity upgrade, youll be glad to know that the U11s score is a bump above the HTC 10s initial battery performance from last year. The U11 didnt do a whole lot better, but the improvement is more remarkable when you remember that it has a larger screen.
While the U11 scored 1:20h lower than its predecessor in 3G talk time, it did better in every other category. In both our web browsing and video test it scored about an hour and a half better t han the HTC 10s 9:08h and 8:42h scores, respectively.
Combined with the battery draw we measured in standby, all these numbers yielded the U11 an overall battery endurance score of 73h. Despite its improvement over the HTC 10, the Galaxy S8s endurance score of 84h is still unmatched, thanks to its AMOLED screen and superiorly efficient standby power draw.
The HTC U11s battery scored 73h, and although its categorical scores werent too bad, we figured the U11 could have done even better if it wasnt for the above average power draw in standby.
The U11 features Quick Charge 3.0 just like the HTC 10 did. Under ideal charging conditions like proper ventilation, the U11 charged up to 52% in 30 minutes. Varying charging conditions like poor thermal ventilation or too high of an ambient temperature will result in slower charge times.
The U11 battery life may not be am ong the best, its certainly consistent and well above average. The battery should last all day for most, though if youre a heavy user constantly streaming and listening to music, you might want to carry a charger around with you.
Our proprietary rating denotes the number of hours the phone will be operational if you are to make an hour of 3G talks, web browsing and video playback per day. Such usage pattern may not apply to you directly, but weve established it so our battery results are comparable across devices.
The proprietary score also includes a standby battery draw test, which is not featured in our battery test scorecard but is calculated in the total endurance rating.
The battery testing procedure is described in detail in case youre interested in the nitty-gritties. You can also check out our complete battery test table, where you can see how all of the smartphones weve tested will compare under your own typical use.
Edge Sense
HTC calls its new squeeze feature Edge Sense and that fits well with HTCs UI, also called Sense. The sides of the phone are embedded with pressure sensors. This allows you to have two gestures to program to whatever app youd like. One that may be particularly useful is the Camera app, though, you can achieve the same result by double-pressing the power key and using the volume rocker to take the picture.
The first time you squeeze the phone, youll be prompted to set up the Edge Sense feature. Youll follow a tutorial that shows you how long and how hard youre squeezing with the help of on-screen visuals to guide you. Note that your ability to squeeze may be affected by the kind of case you use, so keep that in mind when shopping for one.
Setting force level • Testing force level • Learning Squeeze-and-hold
Advanced mode is what lets you program two gestures. The default gestures are: short squeeze opens camera, a second squeeze takes the photo. Its worth noting the UI purposely has a delay built into it as to wait for you to stabilize the camera before taking a shot. That way, the phone isnt trembling mid-shot.
The other default action is a squeeze and hold will activate Google Assistant Voice command. Doing the same thing while the keyboard is open will activate voice-to-text typing.
Edge Sense in Settings • Programming a squeeze gesture
Sense Companion App
The Sense Companion isnt meant to be "just some other assistant". It was created and first debuted on the HTC U Ultra and is meant to compliment Google Assistants existing features and functions; this follows the theme of getting rid of redundant apps. Take note, Samsung.
What the Companion app does is takes various behavioral data points like location, time, and fitness activity, and develops recommendations to make that can benefit you. For example: If you normally leave work at 4PM every day and your calendar lists dinner reservations in the city, your Companion App would recommend that you top up your battery, hours before you leave work.
In order for Companion App to work best, its recommended you allow a bunch of permissions to the app so that the apps AI engine can make the be st recommendations based on your location, time between calendar events, active phone usage, and fitness/activity data.
HTC Sense Companion setup and settings
Recommendations are given via a non-obtrusive bubble that you can move and replace until you can get to it later. The more you take action on these recommendations, the smarter the Companion app gets by learning which recommendations you care or dont care about.
Recommendation bubble • Recommendation
Android Nougat with Sense UI
Sense UI has gotten leaner over the years with the most drastic reduction happening last year when HTC decided that it would let Google take care of the core apps by shutting down HTCs in-house apps like: browser, calendar, and gallery among others. If youve used the HTC 10 on the newest Nougat update, youll know what to expect.
Lets get right into it, because theres a lot to cover here. Starting off ways to wake the device: there are several enabled by default. You can press the power key, double tap the screen, tap the fingerprint sensor, or slide up on the screen to unlock from sleep. Interestingly, if you dont have any security set up, Swuoing up fully unlocks the phone, while any of the other methods only gets yo u to the lockscreen where you can check your notifications and choose whether to swipe to unlock the phone.
Speaking of the lock screen, it also offers you four app shortcuts, which are identical to the ones you have on your homescreen.
Pull icon to open app • Secure lock screen • Double tap to open
You can add up to five fingerprints, and you can disable the tap-home-button-to-wake feature. Know that even the slightest brush with your arm will wake the screen, so if you handle your phone a lot, chances are the screen will come on. Phone will not accidentally wake in a pocket or bag thanks to proximity sensor.
Adding a fingerprint • requires a secure lock screen • scanning finger
There are a couple of default home pages, though you may add as many as youd like. The main app drawer is organized to fit all pre-installed apps into a single page. Apps in the drawer can manually rearranged, or arranged by install date or alphabetically.
Home screen • Home screen 2 • App drawer • Ways to organize • Drawer settings
Launcher settings • Wallpaper chooser • Adding a widget • More settings
A swipe to the left brings you to BlinkFeed, which you can either disable altogether, make it yours by adding feeds, or even set it as your default home scree n. Your docked apps are even laid over BlinkFeed. HTC has been expanding BlinkFeeds functionality for years now, so you can add a wide variety of feeds and social networks to it.
BlinkFeed • Scrolling BlinkFeed • BlinkFeed Settings • Adding feeds
HTC has added a powerful theming engine to the U11 for those who love to customize every aspect of the phones appearance. Using the themer requires you to log in with a Facebook, Gmail, or HTC account.
HTC Themes
You can change many aspects of the theme down to the notification sounds, dialer color scheme, and wallpapers in various locations. For those who really want to go all out, theres even an advanced theming tool available from themes.htc.com.
Recommended themes • Theme menu • Editing a theme
HTC offers two kinds of themes: classic themes and freestyle themes. The first one is self-explanatory, but the freestyle option is intended for folks to add apps or widgets however theyd like. Combine it with your favorite custom widget maker to create your unique setup.
Choosing a "classic layout" • Classic theme • Freestyle themes
HTC Sense supports Androids native multi-window support. To use it, open any app, then press-holding the Recents key will let you choose another app thats already been opened. The UI will tell you if an app doesnt support multi-window. The looks of the notification shade and the quick settings are mostly stock.
Recents • Multi-window • Notification shade • Quick settings • Edit quick tiles
Finally, HTCs Boost+ app offers some power-user options. There are automatic optimizations like Boost and Clear junk which clear RAM and cached files, respectively. Optimize background apps disables apps you havent used in 3 days or more. You can disable this per app.
Boost+ • Boost • Clear junk • Boost+ settings
"Power Optimizer" is a simplified way of managing your power-hungry apps. If an app has "Foreground optimizer" enabled, it will adjust the screen resolution at which the app is rendered to save power and boost performance. Not all apps can be optimized this way. If an app is "Background optimized" it wont continue running in the background.
Power Optimizer • Types of optimizations
The unit we tested was a Taiwanese retail unit, so we were unable to play with the U11s Amazon Alexa integration. Well update this section once we get our hands on a US retail device.
Benchmark performance
HTC made a nice move of utilizing the Snapdragon 835 instead of settling to use last years chipset like the G6 did. The base version is available with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, but there will also be a tricked out version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage on certain markets.
Given that the U11 is among those using Qu alcomms newest and fastest mobile chipset, well be comparing it against the likes of the Galaxy S8 in both Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 flavors, as well as the Xiaomi Mi6, and Sony Xperia XZ Premium, both of which are also on the SD 835.
As for performance tests, lets start with GeekBench 4. In the multi-core test, the Exynos-powered Galaxy S8+ tops the charts, where the Huawei Mate 9 once stood alone before the new Exynos and Qualcomm processors were available, now is a crowded area with scores clocking in neck-and-neck.
Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 821-powered phones are well behind the iPhone 7 Plus, which scored under all the current-gen Exynos, Qualcomm, and HiSilicon chips in the multicore test.
GeekBench 4 (multi-core)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
6338 - Xiaomi Mi 6
6132 - HTC U11
6125 - Huawei Mate 9
6112 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
6106 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
5837 - Huawei P10 Plus
5821 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
5664 - OnePlus 3T
4364 - LG G6
4209 - Google Pixel XL
4152
Switching to single-core performance reveals more about these processors. The iPhone 7 Plus Fusion A10 chip is still unmatched in single-core performance. Meanwhile, the Exynos 8895, SD 835, and HiSilicon Kirin 960 are all quite similar in single-core performance. Remember, these numbers dont mean much as we progress through the other benchmarks - every benchmark is different.
GeekBench 4 (single-core)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3473 - Xiaomi Mi 6
2026 - HTC U11
1993 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
1943 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
1938 - Huawei P10 Plus
1937 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ ( SD 835)
1915 - Huawei Mate 9
1898 - OnePlus 3T
1890 - LG G6
1733 - Google Pixel XL
1507
Here is where graphics change things up. On Basemark X, the international Galaxy S8+ wins the competition. Following behind are the latest three Snadragon 835 devices, though the Galaxy S8+ was more behind than even the OnePlus 3T, which would be due to its 6GB of RAM and an up-tuned Snapdragon 821.
Even the Kirin 960 didnt do as well as others did in graphics, though the difference is almost marginal. The U11 sits right around the performance of the Mi 6 and Xperia XZ Premium.
Basemark X
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
43862 - Xiaomi Mi 6
38541 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
38507 - HTC U11
38399 - OnePlus 3T
36958 - Huawei Mate 9
36519 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
34951 - Google Pixel XL
30861 - Huawei P10 Plus
30602 - LG G6
30507
GFX Bench takes OpenGL 3.1 and puts raw graphic rendering to the test. Off-screen tests are easier to compare sinc e it levels the playing field to a 1080p resolution while on-screen tests measures the phones unique performance based on displays native or set display resolution.
In Off-screen tests, the U11 hit higher marks, though the Exynos S8+ was within one score point. Otherwise, youll see the HTC phone score around the middle of the bag in On-screen tests since the processor has to manipulate significantly more pixels than the Mi 6, iPhone 7 Plus, and Xperia XZ Premium, all of which rendered the on-screen test at 1080p.
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
42 - HTC U11
41 - Xiaomi Mi 6
41 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
39 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
39 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
39 - OnePlus 3T
33 - Google Pixel XL
32 - LG G6
26 - Huawei Mate 9
22 - Huawei P10 Plus
19
GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)
Higher is better
- Samsung Galaxy S8+
25 - Xiaomi Mi 6
25 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
25 HTC U11
24- Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
23 - OnePlus 3T
20 - Google Pixel XL
19 - LG G6
16 - Huawei Mate 9
13 - Huawei P10 Plus
12
GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
42 - Xiaomi Mi 6
41 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
41 - OnePlus 3T
33 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
23 - Huawei Mate 9
23 - HTC U11
19 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
18 - Google Pixel XL
17 - Huawei P10 Plus
12 - LG G6
12
GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 6
25 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
25 - OnePlus 3T
2 0 - Huawei Mate 9
14 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
13 - HTC U11
13 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
12 - Google Pixel XL
11 - Huawei P10 Plus
9 - LG G6
8.5
This next test continues the theme of graphics performance. The U11s Adreno 540 was generally within the other Snapdragon 835 performers of the bunch. The iPhone 7 Plus leads the pack and the Adreno 530 in the Snapdragon 820/821 arent too far behind the U11.
Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal
Higher is better
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
1517- Samsung Galaxy S8+
1111 - Xiaomi Mi 6
861 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
842 - HTC U11
836 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
817 - Huawei Mate 9
794 - OnePlus 3T
641 - Google Pixel XL
626 - LG G6
541
Basemark OS II encompasses CPU, GPU, RAM, Web, and OS performance into a single score. The U11 did pretty well in this test scored behind only the Mi 6 and Xperia XZ Premium. The LG G6 scored last, behind the Huawei Mate 9.
Basemark OS II
Higher is better
- Xiaomi Mi 6
4402 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
4127 - HTC U11
3877 - Huawei P10 Plus
3447 - OnePlus 3T
3328 - Huawei Mate 9
3280 - LG G6
2291
Basemark OS II 2.0 includes the iPhone 7 Plus in the chart, which sits right at the top anyway. While the numbers are a bit different, the U11 scored closer to the middle of the pile.
Basemark OS 2.0
Higher is better
- Apple iPhone 7 Plus
3796 - Xiaomi Mi 6
3547 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
3319 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
3298 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
3174 - HTC U11
2970 - Huawei P10 Plus
2940 - OnePlus 3T
2678 - Huawei Mate 9
2637 - Google Pixel XL
2281 - LG G6
2126
Finally, in the widely popular Antutu 6, the U11 tops the charts, barely scoring past the Mi 6, followed by the iPhone 7 Plus. This makes the HTC U11 the highest-scoring device on Antutu 6.
AnTuTu 6
Higher is better
- HTC U11
177343 - Xiaomi Mi 6
177326 - Apple iPhone 7 Plus
174987 - Samsung Galaxy S8+
174070 - Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
168133 - OnePlus 3T
165097 - Sony Xperia XZ Premium
144223 - LG G6
143639 - Google Pixel XL
141186 - Huawei P10 Plus
126252 - Huawei Mate 9
122826
Overall performance of the HTC U11 is top-notch just as the high-end chipset would suggest. The UI is fluid and theres zero stutter, no matter how many apps youre using. Loading larger apps like heavy games doesnt even make this thing sweat. On that note, weve experienced no temperature spikes while using this phone at all. The occasional long session of gameplay might, though.
Boom Sound
Though is wasnt the first to pioneer it, the HTC One M7 was among the first modern smartphones to feature front-facing stereo speakers and the company does n ot intend to get rid of the feature from its flagships anytime soon.
The HTC 10 sought out to reduce the size of the body by integrating Boom Sound into a different setup than literal front-facing speakers. The redesign came at the expense of loudness, which the HTC 10 isnt. Although, depth and dynamic range of sound did improve.
| Speakerphone test | Voice, dB | Ringing | Overall score | |
| 61.9 | 66.0 | 62.1 | Below Average | |
| 62.9 | 65.2 | 71.6 | Below Average | |
| < strong> | 63.1 | 66.7 | 74.3 | Average |
| 61.0 | 69.3 | 78.3 | Good | |
| 68.5 | 69.4 | 71.6 | Good | |
| 66.8 | 68.8 | 74.5 | Good | |
| 68.3 | 72.2 | 72.9 | Good | |
| 64.8 | 69.8 | 82.5 | Good | |
| 66.1 | 69.0 | 84.1 | Very Good | |
| 69.2 | 72.7 | 78.4 | Very Good | |
| 68.7 | 73.0 | 79.1 | Very Good | |
| 67.3 | 73.1 | 80.6 | Very Good | |
| 61.7 | 73.1 | 86.7 | Very Good | |
| 67.6 | 74.2 | 91.7 | Excellent | |
| 83.1 | 74.5 | 85.0 | Excellent |
HTC has spent a lot of its time and effort into perfecting the best Boom Sound speaker setup in the U11 and it shows. They are louder and richer-sounding than those on the HTC 10. And when it comes to notifications and ringtones, some can come off as piercingly loud.
There are two listening modes, both of which you can toggle between while playing music or w atching a video, right from the notifications shade. This notification only appears while sound is playing from the phone.
Sound mode notification
Music mode is optimized for reaching all the highs, mids, and bass notes in the cleanest way possible. Theater mode is a more immersive experience while watching videos, as the speakers are set to project toward the front of the phone.
USonic earbuds
HTC first introduced its USonic headphones on the HTC Bolt, which was coincidentally the first HTC device without a headphone jack. With the U11, HTC is debuting a new feature to its USonic earbuds: active noise cancellation. The included earbuds can actively cancel background noise thanks to all the processing of extraneous noise taking place on the phone rather than in the earbuds.
Toggling active noise cancellation
In addition to ANC, the USonic earbuds can be tailored to any person wearing them. Sonar sensors in the earbuds detect the echo in your ear canals and create an optimal profile.
The calibration process involves a short static noise emitted through the earbuds. The whole process takes about 5 seconds from tapping "Start Scanning Now".
Creating a custom audio profile
The sound quality coming from these earbuds are light-years ahead of the "AKG" earbuds that Samsung bundled with its Galaxy S8. In fact, HTC demoed USonic to us by comparing the sound output from the bundled AKG earbuds hooked up to an S8.
Its very difficult to put perceived sound into words, but if we had to describe it: HTCs USonic earbuds are like if music was deconstructed and reconstructed to where you can hear all the instruments. Its truly something you need to hear for yourself.
HTC should set up demo booths around shopping malls showing off both Boom Sound and USonic. We feel these are one of the better selling points of the phone.
Great audio output
The HTC U11 did splendidly in the first part of our audio test. When hooked to an active external amplifier it delivered very loud and perfectly accurate output.
When headphones come into play the volume remains nicely high and the only reading to take a hit is stereo crosstalk. Its a moderate amount of damage there and will all the other aspects of the performance remaining excellent, its a great showing overall.
| Test | Frequency response | Noise level | Dynamic range | THD | IMD + Noise | Stereo crosstalk |
| +0.05, -0.11 | -94.1 | 94.1 | 0.0017 | 0.0067 | -94.5 | |
| +0.05, -0.02 | -93.7 | 93.8 | 0.0018 | 0.105 | -53.7 | |
| +0.04, -0.00 | -92.5 | 92.5 | 0.0016 | 0.0072 | -92.8 | |
| +0.03, -0.03 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0056 | 0.060 | -77.2 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.5 | 93.3 | 0.0042 | 0.0092 | -92.7 | |
| +0.12, -0.32 | -92.6 | 93.2 | 0.0072 | 0.219 | -67.0 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.3 | 93.3 | 0.0059 | 0.0095 | -94.4 | |
| +0.01, -0.02 | -93.4 | 93.4 | 0.0067 | 0.020 | -56.3 | |
| +0.01, -0.04 | -93.0 | 94.8 | 0.0019 | 0.0080 | -93.5 | |
| +0.25, -0.02 | -92.7 | 93.0 | 0.192 | 0.175 | -59.5 | |
| +0.06, -0.10 | -92.4 | 92.3 | 0.0015 | 0.0093 | -80.9 | |
| +0.03, -0.11 | -92.3 | 92.3 | 0.0011 | 0.012 | -77.0 |
HTC U11 frequency response
You can learn more about the tested parameters and the whole testing process here.
Telephony
Sense UI includes a straightforward dialer. There are five tabs: Call History, Phone, Favorites, People, and Groups. The cool thing about this dialer is you can switch between a number pad and a full keyboard.
Call History • Dial pad • Switch to keyboard to search contacts
This way, you have an option to use either the number pad to search alpha-numerically or the keyboard for a more direct approach.
Favorites • Alpha-numeric dialing • In-call screen
Keyboard - TouchPal
HTCs keyboard of choice is TouchPal. There are many options, tweaks, customizations, and features that will satisfy any power user. Swipe-gesture typing is supported on TouchPal.
Some TouchPal settings
You can access most of the setting and toggles from the TouchPal logo in the upper-left corner of the keyboard. Here is where you access resizing, appearance, keyboard type, language, and many more settings and features.
Options • More options • Language and layout selection
There are a total of four keyboard layouts including a T9 number pad with word prediction, T+ which combines two letters to a single key, and theres a split keyboard. While some of these layouts may seem weird to you, they may be more optimized for Traditional Chinese, the national language of HTCs home country: Taiwan.
Standard • T+ • Alpha-numeric T9 • Split keyboard
Themes • Emoji • Resizing keyboard
Excellent 12MP camera
The HTC U11 was given a DxO score of 90, the highest of any smartphone. Though, we know that this may not mean much since not all smartphones are actually rated by DxO.
Even if we put scores aside, the U11 has a really compelling camera. Although the pixel si ze has been reduced from the HTC 10s 1.55 microns down to 1.4 microns, theres now a wider aperture of f/1.7 which helps let more light in. There is also Dual Pixel auto focus, which is as fast as the Galaxy S8s.
Again, just like the Samsungs latest Galaxy S8 duo, the HTC makes use of image stacking for both the front and rear cameras.
And much like those same phones, HTC U11 features Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) on its main camera but there is no such on the front snapper and there is no auto focus either (unlike the HTC 10). Lets hope that the high resolution of the front camera (16MP) along with the image stacking technology will be able to make up for those.
The U11s camera interface is quite simple. Everything is organized into a drawer of modes and settings on the left. If it doesnt make sense at first, imagine that this drawer is the hamburger menu of an y other app.
When the drawer is hidden, you have shortcuts to the essentials: flash toggle, HDR toggle, Gallery shortcut, Video mode, and Front camera.
Camera viewfinder • Drawer with modes and settings
Theres a Pro mode for those who want more control over the camera. It comes with adjustment sliders for white balance, exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed, and focus. Unfortunately, there is no option to take photos in RAW format. HTC claims the majority of consumers dont use this feature anyway.
Pro camera controls • Save up to 3 manual settings
The Drawer will also show you additional options for whichever mode you select. The camera app offers a dedicated video viewfinder so youll see both 3D audio and Acoustic Focus options. Well get to these in the video section below.
We can almost overlook the absence of RAW, but it is signifficantly harder to swallow the fac that HTCs camera app does not offer the ability to change the frame rates that video is recorded in. The drawer only gives you the option to change the resolution. There is also no way to toggle video stabilization on and off. HTC took a bunch of these advanced options out to keep the interface simple. If you were expecting to record anything in 60 frames, or get rid of the severe field of view cropping and slight jitter while shooting 1080p from a tripod, youll be disappointed.
Video viewfinder • More video options in drawer
Settings
Image quality
Before we get into detail about HTC U11 camera, we have a detailed comparison to the Galaxy S8+ in a dedicated article so make sure you check that out if you havent already.
Shots taken with the U11 look great. Colors are well represented but not oversaturated, dynamic range is excellent and the exposure is metered very well in situations with contrasting light. HDR Auto greatly helps in this regard, although it didnt always spring into action automatically when it was needed, so we found ourselves toggling it manually from time to time.
HTC U11 sample shots
Similarly to the Google Pixel, the U11 uses an HDR algorithm called "HDR Boost". Whenever you have HDR or HDR Auto mode enabled, the camera constantly snaps images in its buffer and analyzes them even before you press the shutter button. If the scene needs any correction in light, these frames will be stacked up to produce an image which has noise reduced, shadows filled, and highlights recovered, all while keeping a natural look.
As chance would have it, the weather has been particularly cloudy these past few days, so most of our newer samples lend themselves well to an HDR treatment. We have to say, the results are quite good.
HDR Off • HDR On • HDR Off • HDR On • HDR Off • HDR On
HDR Off • HDR On • HDR Off • HDR On • HDR Off • HDR On
Even in these sub-optimal conditions, the HTC U11 handled itself well. Images show great edge to edge sharpness and there is plenty of detail to go around.
Were really happy to report that images produced with the U11s camera look clean, well exposed, and color toning is almost always spot-on.
HTC U11 samples
For further pixel-peeping, here are a few links to our photo compare tool and its extensive library of devices.
HTC U11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. Huawei P10 Plus in our photo compare tool
Like we already mentioned, the 16MP front facing camera on the U11 lacks the convenient autofocus feature of its HTC 10 predecessor. It also sits behind a dimmer f/2.0 lens. Either could easily be considered a downgrade, which doesnt exactly look good on a brochure, so HTC is focusing on the higher MP count.
HTC U11 selfie samples
To be fair, the levels of resolve detail are really great. And while the autofocus feature is a sore absence, the selfie snapper seems to be properly tuned to focus at an average arms length.
HTC U11 front camera focus
As far as additional selfie features go, HTC only offers a beautification slider. There are no fancy stickers or any other similar "teenage bait", like on the Samsung Galaxy S8, for example. The beauty filter is rather toned-down as well.
Beauty filter off • Beauty filter medium • Beauty filter high
Video Recording
Once again, it is kind of hard to accept that HTCs 2017 flagship offer is limited to 30fps video capture, regardless of resolution. Still, we cant really scold the 4K samples we captured with the U11 in any other aspect. They are really sharp with great colors and plenty of detail. Throw in the blazing fast Dual Pixel autofocus and the Samsung Galaxy S8 parallel practically surfaces by itself. As we mentioned in our dedicated shootout, the pair of flagships are really neck to neck this department.
1080p video pack a serious punch as well. Just like 4K samples, which keep a pretty steady bitrate of aroud 54 Mbps, FullHD ones hover very slightly around the formidable 20 Mbps mark. Detail is plenty as well.
You can download a 2160p (10s~66MB) and a 1080p (10s~20MB) sample for closer inspecion too.
We also did try how the new Acoustic focus works. If you zoom in while recording a video, the sound recording will also adjust the gain so the sound coming from your subject is clearer and easier to hear even if there is a lot of ambient noise. The usefulness of the feature will largely depend on whether you are used to zooming while recording video, but if you are, we can confirm it works quite well and just as advertised.
Last, but not least, we have the HTC U11 in out 4K and 1080p video compare tools for all your examination needs.
HTC U11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. Huawei P10 Plus in our 4K video compare tool
HTC U11 vs. Samsung Galaxy S8 vs. Huawei P10 Plus in our 1080p video compare tool
Final words
The U11 marks a new chapter for HTC. Its sleek and shiny new design along with top-notch audio should be enough to sway over some Galaxy customers who are tired of poorly optimized software and slow Android updates. The HTC U11s camera is every bit as good as the Galaxy S8s - in fact, we find them to be identical in most aspects. This could shape up to be a really great year for HTC.
< img class="inline-image" src="http://ift.tt/2sdbPJS" height="546" width="728" alt="HTC U11 review" />The HTC U11 has the total package: a nice display, excellent camera, an out-of-the-box audio experience that surpasses anything on the market right now, all wrapped in a very attractive package thats priced the same as the entry-level iPhone 7 and lower than the 5.8-inch Galaxy S8. Sure, its missing a 3.5mm headphone jack, but the bundled earbuds with active noise cancelling represent a justified tradeoff.
Even if HTC is trying to squeeze in a bit too many superfluous features, that doesnt change the fact you still have a great all-around smartphone with or without Edge Sense.
The HTC U11 is definitely one of the nicest looking devices out there. Well, if youre looking at it from the back, as the front doesnt really do much to stand out. If it werent for the oblong-shaped fingerprint sensor, you might even mistake it for a Plus-sized iPhone.
HTC U11 key test findings
- New Liquid Design language raises questions about durability coming from metal unibody designs. Regardless, phone feels hefty and sturdy, yet seriously slippery. Both front and rear are made of Gorilla Glass 5.
- The 5.5-inch QHD Super LCD 5 display isnt the easiest to use on a bright sunny day. Contrast ratio is high and color rendering can be quite accurate. Whites generally appear cooler on the U11s display.
- Fingerprint scanner doubles as the home button alongside capacitive navigation keys.
- Battery life scored a respectable 73h of endurance. Talk web and video times were pretty good, but what suppressed the score was the U11s above average power draw in standby.
- Android Nougat 7.1.1 layered with Sense UI is leaner than ever. Theme engine is centered on customization of the phones appearance. Redundant, pre-installed apps are kept to a mini mum.
- Edge sense is new, but doesnt offer anything extraordinary. A programmable button can do the same thing.
- TouchPal keyboard offers a lot of options and customization. While it gets the job done well, it may be too much for some.
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 tops charts in both CPU and GPU performance. Performance is excellent with zero stutter and in line with other devices with the same chipset.
- Boom Sound speakers are louder and clearer than ever before and scored "Very Good" in our loudness test. Excellent range of sound and no distortion even on highest volume. Music mode focuses on loudness while Theater mode tunes for immersive sound.
- Loud and accurate audio output with external amp while connecting headphones took a hit to audio crosstalk. Included USonic earbuds via USB-C sound as good as $200+ noise cancelling earbuds.
- Still images from the camera look excellent in color accuracy, white balance, and exposure. HDR Boost balances all three quite well.
- Although the selfie cam got a bit of a downgrade, it still pulls through with good exposures and great resolved details in its 16MP images. HDR Boost also found its way to the front camera.
- 4K videos are sharp and clean, 1080p is well stabilized with OIS and EIS as well. There is no 60fps recording mode for any resolution.
While not all audiophiles may be satisfied with using a 3.5mm jack dongle, they will surely enjoy the high quality sound of Boom Sound. The active noise cancelling USonic earbuds that can tune to anyones ear canals should please anyone who loves their music in full and rich sound.
If you arent about HTCs Sense and frequent updates are more important to you, then look no further than the (HTC-made) Google Pixel XL. While its priced higher and offers no memory expansion, youd get updates directly from Google with a camera thats comparable to the HTC U11s along with consistently great battery life.
Google Pixel XL
If you want something more from your camera experience, like a dual-camera, you might want to see the iPhone 7 Plus. Its got an excellent all-around camera and iPhones unmatched Portrait Mode. Though given its price and how long theres left before the newest iPhone (fall 2017), you might want to wait it out.
Apple iPhone 7 Plus
Youll get a very comparable camera with the S8, not to mention the S8s gorgeous infinity display with brighter sunlight performance and Samsungs bells and whistles crammed in. Unfortunately, Samsungs UI still slows down on a small number of power-users a few weeks in, despite the Snapdragon 835 on the North American model.
Galaxy S8
While Xiaomi doesnt make it to many markets outside of China, the Xiaomi Mi 6 is the way to get the power of the Snapdragon 835 on the cheaper side; Well, thats only if you manage to get one directly from China. Its a different take on premium-meets-affordability.
Xiaomi Mi 6
While the OnePlus 3T is effectively sold out, youll surely be able to snag one for significantly lower than the U11. It offers a great camera, comparable battery life, and a near-stock Android experience with a large developer community if flashing ROMs is your cup of tea. Otherwise you should wait for the OnePlus 5 which is expected to have a compelling package for at least $100, or more, cheaper than the HTC U11s $650 retail price.
OnePlus 3T
If a wide- angle camera excites you more than a top-notch camera, the LG G6 might be the one for you. Its also IP67 water resistant and is even able to handle seawater. Sure LG is using last years chipset, but its consistent battery life, full vision display, and inclusion of a 3.5mm headphone jack might be worth taking a look at.
LG G6
As humans we like shiny things, so if HTC wants to call customers attention in the carrier store, it should be placing these phones on display with the back glass facing the showroom. Its color options are enough to get people saying "What is that? Its pretty!" Unfortunately, Sprint will be the only carrier to sell it in the US, though youll be able to get one unlocked from HTC and will work on Verizon.
The U11 is a literally a reflection of you. Its customizable and its various value-added services can be tailored to anyo ne. Heck, even its earbuds are tailored to your ears. The HTC U11 isnt the most expensive flagship out there, but its a pricey sum for your wallet to swallow nonetheless, though one that is worth every penny.
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