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HTC U11 - flagship gets dialled to eleven!

HTC has anounced their flagship smartphone for the year 2017 . The new phone , which technically sits as a successor to the HTC 10 and the HTC U ultra launched a few months back . The phone builds on (most of) the shortcomings on the U ultra and is poised to take HTC forwards just as the HTC 10 and A9 did in the previous 2 years .

Design

If you have seen the HTC U ultra , then this phone is probably a bit of a Deja Vu as they both share a similar platform . The phone , designed with flowing edges and a more rounded chassis will probably be more hand friendly ,but like the U Ultra this still does carry that Gorilla glass equipped glass backing(with a 3D effect) so keep your cleaning cloths handy .

Up front , we have the 5.5" 2160x1440p resolution SLCD display which is a step up from the HTC 10 from last year .the front LCD is protected by a sheet of Gorilla Glass 5 and it features a recessed solid state fingerprint scanner , a speaker grille and the 16mp f1.7 front facing camera


Since we already described the curved design , its probably high time we also mention that HTC has kept the physical power and volume button duo without axing them for their new touch/pressure sensitive suite called "Edge Sense" - A touch and pressure based "function keys" series which can be programmed according to the app or function you use  (ex- taking a  photo with the touch of an invisible button) .You would find pressure sensors embedded in the metal frame of the phone ,which you could activate just by " squeezing" it .

With pressure based touch being anounced on the U11 , HTC also had the "courage" to address the biggest elephant in the room -  the 3.5mm headphone jack ! , Sadly we were just kidding , and HTC has once again avoided using this so if you are a on the fly music lover , this may be a cause for concern , but then again there is a USB C port on the bottom , so you can probably get an adapter or select either playing music or hugging a wall outlet a choice from now on .

The new U11 is certified for IP67 dust and water resistance


Hardware and Cameras 

Without skipping the Snapdragon party , the new U11 brings the Snapdragon 835 Soc to the table , this is a 8 core chip with 4x 2.45Ghz cores and 4x1.9 Ghz 64bit Kryo cores with Adreno 540 graphics .

Storage options include 4GB of ram with 64GB as the standard option for select markets and the U.S while other regions get a secret option of 4GB with 128GB and  6GB Ram and 256GB storage as well (microSD included).

Cameras on the U11 include a 12 MP main camera module which is tuned by HTC and has apparently recieved the highest DxOmark score of 90 , which beats the Google Pixel for the best smartphone camera quality . The 12MP 1/2.55 " sensor , coupled with Optical image stability (OIS) and a f1.7 lens set produces spectacular results and is also 4K UHD @30fps and 1080p @ 120fps . The rear sensor is backed by a two tone led flash and a 16MP front facing camera .

Software and Battery life

Running Android 7.1 Nougat , the phone is probably the last major flagship to ship with the operating system as Google IO 2017 is just a day away . But considering that HTC has kept a good update record , this along with its other flagship bretheren - Samsung S8 , Lg G6 ,Sony XZ will be one of the first OEM handsets to recieve Android O once it is available . The battery on the phone is also rated to be good at 336hrs of standby or about a day of usage* , the battery on the phone is a 3000 mAh unit with Qualcomm Quickcharge 3.0 enabled for fast charging via USB C 3.1 .


Pricing and availability 

Priced at $650 unlocked , the phone does sound like a bargain considering that most flagships slowly crept upto the $1000 range .The U11 is cheaper than the U ultra and is also cheaper than other flagships from the top brands . The phone is expected to roll out next week or in June depending on your region .

Via - slashgear , htc, htcsource

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