Design & Display: Out of the world looks
The smartphone rear body is made of highly refractive precious minerals across that produce vivid colors that transform with light. The smartphone is crafted to impress with Optical Spectrum Hybrid Deposition and the smartphone is very slim and has 3D glass on both front and back, making it very beautiful and attractive.
HTC U11 has a 5.5" 3D glass screen that reproduce pictures that feel real to the eyes. The smartphone seems bezel-free with a 71.4% screen-to-body ratio and produces a pixel density 534 PPI with a Super LCD5 capacitive touchscreen display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection from any accidental falls.
HTC has made a new cutting edge technology to make interactions more seamless with their Edge Sense. A technology that transforms fundamental gesture into a completely new and revolutionary interaction with user and phone. Edge Sense lets the phone take photos, launching apps and more just with a simple squeeze feedback.
The major attraction of the HTC U11 launch will be the Edge Sense, that will let users interact with the smartphone with a simple squeeze.
Camera: The best camera ever
HTC has done a very good job at the primary camera. The U11 sports a Dual-pixel PDAF rear cam with a large sensor which makes it stand out from other leading smartphones in the market. The camera is equipped with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) and comes with a 12 Megapixel 1/2.55 inch sensor coupled with a f/1.75 lens.
While looking at the Front camera, the HTC U11 comes with a 16 MP, f/2.0 for selfies even in low light. and records video at 1080p and the primary camera records video at 2160p@30fps and 1080p@30/120fps.
The HTC U11 primary camera has achieved an incredible DxOMark 90 score, making it the highest rated smartphone ever in DxOMark history. DxOMark owned by DxO Labs is a website that provides image quality ratings for standalone cameras, lenses, and camera-equipped mobile devices. DxOMark data has been used to plot the progress of sensor image quality and low-light sensitivity versus price over the years, as well as the impact of sensor size and resolution. With a DxOMark 90 score, HTC U11 will have all the swag against the competitors in this premium segment.
Processor: A Wildfire inside a small package.
HTC U11 gets its fire from Qualcomm MSM8998 Snapdragon 835 processor with Adreno 540 GPU. This Octa-core processor is far superior to the previous processors made by Qualcomm. Snapdragon 835 provides more performance and saves power consumption up to 25%. The processor supports real-life VR and AR experience and showcases phenomenal mobile performance. HTC provides 4GB to 6 GB of RAM to make the smartphone usage smoother and have a comes with 64 GB/4 GB RAM or 128 GB/6 GB RAM variants to choose from.
The smartphone comes with single and dual-SIM variants. In single SIM variant, the U11 have a dedicated microSD which supports memory expansions up to 256 GB, while in the dual SIM model it has a hybrid slot that supports expansion up to 256 GB.
OS & Other Specifications
HTC U11 runs on Android 7.1 Nougat on top of HTC Sense UI, which has an HTC Sense Companion that is smarter enough to notify any appointments or meetings and notify the user of the move.
The smartphone has a front-mounted fingerprint scanner for added protection and have basic features like accelerometer, gyro, proximity, compass and supports fast battery charging using the Quick Charge 3.0 technology. The U11 features omni-directional microphones with their new Acoustic Focus technology that produces 3 Dimensional audio recording with utmost quality. The U11 is backed by a non-removable Li-Ion 3000 mAh battery.
Price & Availability
HTC U11 have two internal variants, the single and dual SIM models, but only the dual sim model with 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant will only be available in India.
The price of the HTC U11 starts at EUR 749 which is roughly Rs. 53,000 for Europe and in the US it’s priced at $749 which is approximately Rs. 48,000. In India, the smartphone will be priced around 53000 INR and is available in various shades; Amazing Silver, Sapphire Blue, Brilliant Black, Ice White, and Solar Red.
Verdict:
With the release of U11, HTC is aiming at the premium segment where players like Apple, Google, and Samsung are running the show. The U11 will compete with devices like iPhone 7, Google Pixel, Samsung S7 Edge and the Samsung S8. HTC has always kept their brand value even at times when the smartphone market have witnessed a rivalry in the budget friendly and mid-tier market where companies like Redmi, Mi, Lenovo, and others showcased smartphone with more spec on less money.
HTC is looking for something big with their new premium smartphones and while concentrating only on the premium smartphone segment, the company will have room for more innovations in design and technology. And with all the new premium features and brilliant design, the HTC U11 will be a cornerstone for all the success HTC will witness in the upcoming years.
