HTC U11 review

The most noticeable feature of the HTC U11 is its liquid-glass surface. It changes colour depending on how light falls on it. Though, it also makes it prone to fingerprints and smudges.

The HTC U11 has a Super LCD 5 screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, which offers a sharp 590 pixels-per-inch. It has with Gorilla Glass 5 protection up front.

With the aim of stealing a little market share from the likes of Apple, Samsung and LG, Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC has launched its premium smartphone U11, the redefined and updated version of the previous launch HTC U Ultra. U Ultra was one of the most perfectly crafted smartphones but could not win the trust of customers. U 11 is HTC's second attempt in 2017 to woo its fans. DESIGN & DISPLAY The most noticeable feature of the HTC U11 is its liquid-glass surface. It changes colour depending on how light falls on it. Though, it also makes it prone to fingerprints and smudges. The rear panel is crafted using Optical Spectrum Hybrid Deposition layer. Hold it up and you’ll appreciate the phone’s symmetrical construction that will make you fall in love with the device. The HTC U11 has a Super LCD 5 screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels, which offers a sharp 590 pixels-per-inch. It has with Gorilla Glass 5 protection up front. The display has great viewing angles and is perfectly visible even in direct sunlight. It's as crisp and vibrant as you'll expect from HTC's flagship devices. The power button and the volume rockers are placed on the right side of the smartphone. The hybrid SIM Tray is situated at the top. A Type-C USB port is placed alongside a speaker unit at the bottom. At the back, we get HTC branding, along with the primary camera module. The speaker features at the bottom along with the primary microphone. Under the screen is the physical home button with integrated fingerprint scanner which is usually fast and responsive. HTC U11 is available in Silver and Black colours. It's also the world’s first smartphone with a new 'squeeze' technology, HTC Edge Sense, which gives the ability to activate advanced touch for enhanced functionality. CAMERA The new HTC U11 has a 12 megapixel rear camera with Ultra Pixel 3 technology and Ultra Speed autofocus allowing you to take good pictures. Using the rear camera you can capture brilliant photos. The U11 takes incredible photos in both daylight and low light conditions. It's capable taking sharp images in low light and even outperforms Samsung's Galaxy S8 at times. The new HTC U11 has a 12 megapixel rear camera with Ultra Pixel 3 technology and Ultra Speed autofocus allowing you to take good pictures. Using the rear camera you can capture brilliant photos. The U11 takes incredible photos in both daylight and low light conditions. It's capable taking sharp images in low light and even outperforms Samsung's Galaxy S8 at times. In our review the smartphone gets the job done most of the times and is able to bring up the details and shadow and preserve the color information. Images appear sharp even after zooming in and the skin tone and colors remain accurate. There's plenty of depth in the images as well. The U11 comes with dual LED flash, enabling you to capture snaps in different lighting conditions. You can also capture 4k video using the rear camera. The HDR mode also works nicely and the focussing of camera is also very quick. The phone also uses HDR boost to bring out the best results. The phone also has Acoustic focus that allows zooming in on the video to target the subject and amplify their specific sounds. Selfie lovers will also love the 16-megapixel front-facing shooter. It also has beauty enhancement and several filters for taking selfies. PERFORMANCE The HTC U11 runs on Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 835 chipset. It comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage which is further expandable via hybrid Dual SIM slot. It boots on HTC’s Sense UI based on the latest Android 7.1. The 6 GB RAM enables you to perform any task or play any game be it of high graphics without the worry of phone letting you down in mid of any task.  In our review, the smartphone offers a commendable and lag free performance. We didn't notice any lag even while playing heavy graphics consuming games with multiple apps running in the background. The smartphone delivers on everyday tasks and even when pushed to its limits. The U11 has an IP67 rating, meaning it is dust, splash and water-resistant up to 1 metre of freshwater for up to 30 minutes and tested under controlled laboratory conditions. You simply squeeze the sides on the bottom half of the phone to click a photo, bring up an app or just to wake up the phone. HTC calls this “Edge Sense” and it can be configured to launch an app, turn on the flashlight, launch Google Assistant, or do other things with either a short or long squeeze. BATTERY The phone is powered by a 3000 mAh battery, that allows you to use the device for a full day with normal use. With heavy usage, you might have to charge the phone by the evening. The phone supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology and charges battery from 10% to 75% in an hour. VERDICT The HTC U11 is a great smartphone. It has a good display, camera, performance, and build quality and useful edge sense pressure-sensitive sides. Going with its high end specs, it offers great show all around. The premium device justifies the price tag of Rs. 51,990 with its amazing features.