HTC’s last true flagship device was the HTC 10 which launched last Aprill, and for 2017 they launched the U Ultra earlier this year. But it had an extra large price an awkward design and no real home run features. Well, HTC is back again and has just unveiled the U11 there 2017 flagship device.
The prominent feature is Edge Sense, which provides the end user with a new way to interact with the device. By squeezing the sides of the phone to talk a photo, access a favorite application, or talk with The Google Assistant. You can even squeeze the phone to call up Amazon’s Alexa. By having a pressure sensitive frame to the device, you eliminate the need for dedicated buttons, as you can customize the experience with the software. HTC was quick to note that you can access Edge Sense even if your hands are covered, allowing you to use it in different situations.
Edge Sense is built into a very shiny phone, one that could be used as a mirror– This is courtesy of the liquid glass surface. This means you HTC U11 won’t just be one color, but depending on how the light hits it, that color might change. The U11 is relatively thin at 7.9-millimeters and weighs in at just 169-grams. HTC will offer the device in Sapphire Blue, Brilliant Black, and Amazing Silver.
HTC has packed a 5.5-inch Super LCD Quad HD 2560 X 1440 display onto the U11 with a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 5 for extra durability. Powering the device is a speedy Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 2.45 GHz processor with 4GB of RAM, and this is similar to the setup in the Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus. The HTC U11 is running Android 7.1 Nougat with HTC Sense– The surprise here is that it has both The Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa built-in. Rounding out the software experience is an upgraded version of Sense Companion, which learns from you and provides suggestions in a visual format.
On the back of the HTC U11, you will find a 12MP HTC UltraPixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel camera. HTC is happy to note that it got a 90 rating from DxOMark, which is higher than the Google Pixels 89. I should note that these ratings don’t necessarily tell the full story, so I will wait to provide my full thoughts until I can play around with it. The front of the device has a 16-megapixel camera for selfies, video calling, and Snapchats. HTC has also packed a 3,000mAh battery inside with 64GB of internal storage and microSD card slot for expansion.
The HTC U11 seems like a unique device, and Edge Sense might turn out to be useful. The company has also packed in some sharp specifications, and they might create the shiniest device out there. In the United States, the HTC U11 will be available exclusively from Sprint or as an unlocked device direct from HTC. HTC is saying the U11 will launch in June, but they are kicking off pre-orders now.
From Sprint the HTC U11 will start at $0 down and $29.00 US per month for 24 months or $696 at full retail price. For a limited time, those who pre-order the device will get two Amazon Echo Dots for free.
