The Phones Show 312 (Review: HTC U11) By Steve Litchfield

There are numerous superlatives that could be leveled at this, the new HTC? U 11, it's super speeding. It takes superb photos, it's virtually stock Android the display is fabulous, and it's a great mirror. The back of the U 11 itself is effectively mirrored reflecting colors and details from whatever is in front of it, which- and this makes the unadorned phone stand out in a crowd. Even it's just a lady opposite you on the tube checking. Our hair, looks okay, and I have to start with the looks, because it's the aspect of the U 11 design. That screams look at me, whether you want to phone this draw attention to itself to another matter entirely, especially if you're out in public a lot.

For example, you might admire a wonderful 24, karat gold ornament to a watch, but either when I wear it out in the real world. Apart from special occasions. The finishes are also all your phobic and slippery, though the rounded corners of the U 11 in furnace to at least ensure that it's a good fit in the hand. So you may be able to get away with using this naked, which is just as well as there is precisely zero point in HTC putting in the effort to finish the UL over like this and super glossy mirrored glass and you, the buyer, covering it immediately in a thick protective CPU case. HTC does include a clear plastic bumper in the box, which is a nice touch and gives a compromised encasing.

The U, 11 and I. Think it's a glass showing through also in the Box are notable is a pair of headphones, something which flagship phones don't normally have in 2017. The idea is that usually you'd use your own quality headphones. A choice with any phone, except that you can't is HTC, does audio totally differently to just about everything in the phone world. There's no 3.5 millimeter on Jack. You can't even get traditional analog audio out through the USB type-c connector.

Instead, audio is able to digital form, IES data and then a deck in the supplied. HTC. U sonic headphones converts this digital information to analog waveforms for the speaker, drivers in each earbud, which all works well enough. In the theory that the issue is obvious, you're limited to just this one, headset or rare third party compatible the sonic earbud drivers are okay, and the active noise cancellation works well, but they're, not exactly top-end hi-fi, whatever HTC's marketing might suggest in terms of mapping your ear ultrasonically. So for best results you only have to plug in the decent headphones of your choice.

Using it's a 3.5 milk. It's a standard, Genoa HTC into the supplied ear by HTC, USB type-c dongle, which also contains a DAC digital to analog converter. But it's not that high quality in any way. You've then got the extra bulk and what you do if you also need to charge the new 11. At the same time, pundits have been going over just this sort of issues with the Apple iPhone 7 range appeared and while some are you phone users have now adapted to a lightning and Bluetooth world.

There has been no such acceptance in the Android world where things from different manufacturers are supposed to bolt together an awful lot more staying with audio. Let's carry on with the speakers. I use the plural, but it's just only HTC 10, a single loudspeaker down the bottom into which is piped, the right-hand stereo channel and a traditional small earpiece up top into which is piped, left-hand, stereo channel. The result is a very poor. Stereo effect is very scraper, is jean-michel.

Barre seems far to next. We volume by the way it's loud enough, that there's an imbalance mix, and it sounds funny and there's lots of frustration around listening to audiobooks or podcasts or take any speakerphone call. These are perfectly fine, but let's have none of this stereo boom zone marked until age. These think required. HD see if you want true stereo with proper speakers, then look at the MDX on 7 or Google Nexus 6p, or any one of a number of Sony Xperia flagships, not to mention the iPhone 7 range again now to the positioning of the capacitive controls and home button and sensor, there's a 17 millimeter bezel on the bottom of the HTC mm and 17 millimeters.

Now this is the mission itself. Plenty of phones have now its bezels, though the s8 and g6 have started to trend towards slim edges and the U 11 is no worse than say. The only phone here and the use of capacitive controls does have the usual advantage. You never lose screen real estate to virtual on-screen controls so well. The bezel is large, is not totally pointless and certainly not unprecedented.

However, the controls and the home sensor are all in the bottom half of the bezel leaving a good 7 millimeters of glass. It does absolutely nothing and with nothing behind it in terms of display, did HTC originally plan to put in a 18 by 95, put 8 inch display and then well change their minds. Perhaps the components weren't ready in bulk. Perhaps the design was changed, the latter stages of production, but by then the control and sensors position was fixed, with the resulting lack of symmetry and poor design that we see in the new 11 today, and it's not only cosmetic many of the time you'll stab at the square of black mesh to the left of the home sets intending to go back and nothing will happen because you press too high. Instead, you have to remember to aim with a lower section 2.

So for the recent apps control, the screen itself is excellent. You might expect from HTC they nailed great LCD panels a long time ago and that's what is HD 5.5, inches and perfect in many ways. Internally, the U 11 has screaming specifications. The very latest snapdragon 835 chipsets for Ram 64, gig of story organized with UFS 2.17, future-proof and very fast, is micros expansion to the best of all worlds. In terms of memory of all kinds, anecdotally, the level isn't quite as screamingly fast as the 1 + 5.

Removing phone show 311 and powered by the same chip, so HTC Sense UI is clearly putting its over into some degree, but the U 11 is easily fast enough for the most hardened Android user, although not obviously visible I was pleased to see that all the ports and microphones and buttons are sealed. You 11 is rated at IP 67 for water and dust, it's hard to class the U 11 as durables as the massive curved stress glass on back and front, but at least you don't have to worry about dropping the phone in the bath or using it in the pouring rain, and so the single biggest marketing points, the U 11 justice, with the 1 + 5 instantly its imaging here implemented with a single camera. There are very good 1 in 1 over 2.5 inch sensor with 1.4 micron pixel, the 12 megapixel in 4:3, with an air February, 7, aperture, lens and o is backed up by multi frame technology. HDR boosts essentially the same idea as Google's HDR+ system of the Nexus and pixel devices. All of it should produce stunning images, happily they're, generally excellent, with superb detail.

In all low levels and conditions, I've got results right up with the Google Pixel range. In my test, the? U 11 is only bettered really by the windows running Lucia 950xl here and that's as a zone issues in terms of end-of-life status and ecosystem making me you 11, probably the best performing actively sold camera phone on the market right now the iPhone 7 plus has the edge when you do a lot of zooming for obvious reasons. But overall you 11 does a fabulous job. Focusing is super quick thanks to a Samsung style, full sensor, phase detection, photo system, video captures up to 4k and quite superb, with the IS working a treat to keep the frame stable without any software tricks needed audio is captured in stereo from four microphones and with a 3d trick whereby the front ones are accentuated when you zoom in audio from the senior zooming in on event, compliance a simple idea and well done. The 11 also boasts what it calls edge sense with pressure sensors under the left and right edges of the phone quite low down.

The idea is that you squeeze the phone in order to trigger an action or an application with advance long squeezes. If you really want to get fancy and predictably, it's something of a gimmick in day to day life, which is not to say it's not worth having, as err of Europe, came in very handy to trigger a screenshot. Let's try that a game with agent sets the torch, it's a gimmick, but it's a useful gift, II think of it as an added extra, rather than the feature which will take the world by storm, since you eye isn't much change from previous HTC flagship, so it's at least based on Android 7.1.1 here with the June security updates from Google's. It's been up-to-date in that regard, so light skinned, there's not much bloat compared to the likes of Samsung's latest offerings. So here you get the traditional blink fees, pains combining news and social content.

It's work very well, there's always something interesting when I swipe left to take a look, Plus sense, companion, an assistant that helpfully suggests tips every so often, perhaps a restaurant. You might like to try a nearby or a reminder to charge your phone, not exactly rocket science I'd rather HTC just included the official Google Assistant. Instead, as it is, you get the Google screen, search plus a Google search widget with voice on the main home screen in terms of bundled software. It's limited to the news: Republic news, aggregator usual Facebook properties, the Under Armour wearables and Fitness companion, app plus the very important VR companion, effectively a mini app store of VR, apps and material. However, it's worth noting that you and Evan it doesn't mean Google's daydream, VR standard, because the LCD screen technology can't cope with the refresh speeds needed, so you get VR, but not the core Google VS, as it were in short, there's nothing too horrendously and nothing that needs disabling out of the box.

Unlocking the HTC is fast with the front mounted sensor. It does seem that the tides turning away from back mounted sensors that you can't access when the phone's less on our desk, certainly being able to touch the sensor with a finger at any point to see the full time date where that notification is a nice facility. There's no always-on view here of any time, which is another disappointment after they's, not here in an LG, showed that the always-on glance screen can be done with LCD technology by having the backlight in a low-power mode. Battery light is acceptable with 3000 William hours of battery little on the small side for such a large phone. It has to be said that HTC does get some credit for including Qualcomm quick charge.

Three point naught circuitry and a suitable charge in the box. So it's easy to get topped up in record time. Think 40% in half an hour time for a verdict, though. For me, the old troubling, mirror finish of the new 11 is tasteless. The sort of chrome mirroring used on cheap plastic edges to make them look more expensive.

Yes, you know, and I know that HTC has quote layers highly refractive precious minerals, but the effect certainly won't. Please everyone. The styling woes are compounded by the over large by 2017 standards, bezels and the oddly asymmetrical sensor and control positioning, plus the controversial and totally unnecessary removal of a 3.5 mm headphone jack. It all adds up to a flagship smartphone that pushes all of my buttons in the wrong direction. However, inside the bling is a hugely powerful phone right up there for general UI speed and imaging prowess with the very best of the Android world.

Right now you do pay extra for the HTC name, the unfortunately needed to be bundled USB type-c deck gadgets, the waterproofing, the quick charge through charger, even the clear protective case, all explaining the current high price that I do note in many markets, HTC offers discounts throughout the years and do watch out for these. If shiny is your bag, it's not light in there, however good the camera is you.

Source : Steve Litchfield