HTC U11 review: A squeezable camera that's better than the Google Pixel

If the reports are true and Google does end up buying HTC's mobile division the future is looking bright. Google Pixel's (a late 2016 release) camera is unmatched by all 2017 flagship launches bar one. That is HTC's U11, their follow-up to last year's HTC 10.

This one is pretty different from its predecessor. It's got an all-glass back and no headphone jack (some may argue that wireless/Type-C headphones don't live up to the sound quality of regular wired headphones, but I disagree). It's a phone that supports not just its own Sense Companion AI but also Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

HTC used to be accessible to all, especially when the HTC One M7 released. Nowadays it is in the niche category of true flagship smartphones and competes against the likes of Samsung Galaxy S8, LG G6, Google Pixel, iPhone 7 and others that cost a pretty penny.

Does the HTC U11 live up to its claim of being a true flagship smartphone with a world-class rear camera? Read on to find out.

Specifications

Some care, most don't. I'll quickly list the specifications and get that out of the way. HTC U11 comes with a beautiful 5.5-inch Quad HD display (2560x1440 pixels) and encased by Corning Gorilla Glass 5. Under the hood, there is Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, 6GB RAM, 128GB storage, 3,000 mAh battery.

The rear camera is a 12-megapixel (HTC UltraPixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel) shooter. The front camera is a basic 16-megapixel shooter. It comes with Android Nougat 7.1 out of the box and has its own Sense UI layered on top.

Design & Display

This is one flashy, fingerprint magnet of a smartphone. The glossy back lends itself to smudges and the shininess is a nice replacement for a mirror. The SIM tray sits at the top while the volume rockers and power button on the right. The fingerprint scanner on the bottom front doubles up as a home button.

The device has a unibody design with eight pressure sensors hidden in the lower sides of the device - they are there for one to be able to "squeeze" to active the Edge Sense features and apps. The design, compared to other 2017 flagships, feels dated. There are those fat bezels on the top and bottom.

The curved edges offer a great grip. It feels super comfortable in the hand and makes you want to squeeze the device constantly. The display is bright with good colours but as it is an LCD, it pales in comparison to the Galaxy S8 and other flagships. Maybe an AMOLED on the next HTC U device will make all the difference. HTC's legendary build quality is also seen in the U11. It's a rock solid phone that is hard to break. THe phone is water resistant.

The phone, at 9.1mm peak thickness, is quite chunky for a 2017 smartphone.

The most important and likeable feature of the design is the placement of the fingerprint scanner. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy S8's horrible placement right next to the camera on the rear, is placed right below the display on the bottom and is super fast and accurate.

Another thing to note is, like the iPhone 7, there is no headphone jack. Ditch all your regular wired headphones as the Type-C headphones included with the device provide for far superior audio quality. Plus those wireless headphones you've bought for your morning job will work just swell with this device.

There is a USB Type-C charging point and that is another good inclusion from the team at HTC.

Performance, software & battery life

HTC U11 uses the latest Snapdragon 835 processor and that ensures that there is a hardly any lag when multitasking, playing games, watching videos or taking HDR photos. Even 4K video recording is relatively smooth. Best of all, the phone doesn't heat up except while charging. So one doesn't have to worry about any battery issues with this device.

HTC U11 is among the few flagships now available with the top of the line Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor. This is the sort of phone that can achieve everything a smartphone user these days wants to do, and that is a lot. So from high-end gaming to simple multitasking and 4K video recording, this is a phone that can do it all. The phone stays cool with anything that you do, and that is a something the Qualcomm processor has been able to nail this time. This also means the phone does not have serious battery issues.

At one point I had 23 tabs open, twelve apps - two of which were FIFA Mobile and Need For Speed - and I was watching an HD video and the phone wasn't getting bogged down for even a couple of seconds.

I got above average battery life out of this device despite my semi-to-heavy day-to-day usage. I easily got 24 hours of battery life out of this device and it was only the next morning that I would have to charge my device. The U11 uses Quick Charge 3.0 and charges in just about 75-80 minutes.

The software is where I was slightly disappointed. It runs a customised version of Android called Sense and it based on Android 7.1.1. Sense has a few refinements and tweaks but those didn't seem particularly useful or impressive to me. Sense Companion, HTC's smart assistant performed well below what I've experienced with Google Assistant. It's trying to be a duplicate but fails.

The phone's software can learn from your daily habits and optimise the performance accordingly. These reminders about recharging, cleaning junk and reclaiming memory and calendar appointments were pretty useful.

Camera

The non-dual-camera setup on the HTC U11 is better than all other smartphone cameras out there. HTC has gone from having one of the worst cameras ever on the first HTC One (with that smartphone they introduced the Ultrapixel technology) to the HTC U11 having the best camera for 2017 (I haven't tried LG's V30 yet). In three photos, I'll show you just how good this camera is. No matter what the lighting is.

No need to say more. The photos sum it up. These are serious DSLR quality photos.

Final thoughts

Due to middling flagships in the past, you may have not even given HTC a thought. Change your mind straight away and give the HTC U11 some serious thought. This is a phone worthy of being a flagship. The only thing missing is the edge-to-edge display and a gorgeous OLED display, but under the hood, it's got everything you'd expect and more.

The USP is the camera and that gives this smartphone some serious edge over the competition. At Rs 51,990 on Amazon India, the 6GB + 128GB variant is a tad bit expensive, but in light of other more expensive flagships (read Samsung Galaxy S8), this phone is serious value. Wait for a discount - as the phone has been seen as cheap as Rs 45,000 - and pick it up instead of a DSLR. It's pocket-able and fits comfortably. If you do pick it up, don't forget to buy a sturdy case as this phone isn't shatter proof at any rate.

I'm not sold on the display and I am not happy about the dated design but that camera has blown me away like no other. The gimmicky "squeeze" features work relatively well and they are more a fun addition than being truly useful.

HTC has done a brilliant job with the U11 compared to its predecessors but it just needs to go that one extra step to be considered the flagship of all flagships. HTC phones haven't been doing well in the market as of late but there is potential for the U12 smartphone to be the king of all smartphones in 2018. Glimpses of it have been seen with the U11 and I hope HTC continues on the right path.