HTC U11

[dangskippy]

Looks like the HTC U is officially being launched mid-may. Super excited. Loved the HTC 10 and Pixel. Just solid awesome phones.

http://amp.androidcentral.com/htc-u-flagship-edge-sense-launching-may-16

 

[epicrayban]

I don't think this will save HTC, but still interested in cool new tech.

Short video teaser of it here: http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/0...lagship-u-may-16th-complete-squeezable-frame/

 

[nviz22]

http://phandroid.com/2017/05/01/htc-u-11-specs/

 

[MRU]

TBH reading the specs it sounds like HTC are the technology equivalent of a man who is overcompensating for his shortcomings by driving the biggest fastest car... Can't help feel as good as those specs are, they are more out of insecurity than actual necessity.

 

[Mark316]

I don't know anyone who bought a HTC that didn't get it solely because it was free on a contract or something of that nature. They are too small a company to do anything truly revolutionary before the competition can, and they aren't cheap enough to steal a serious amount of sales from Samsung or Apple.

They are in a tough spot because it's proven that people are willing to pay a premium for high spec phones, but not many people are looking at HTC in that category. Once they lose the next Pixel contract I'll be surprised if they don't go bankrupt.

 

[epicrayban]

I don't know anyone who bought a HTC that didn't get it solely because it was free on a contract or something of that nature. They are too small a company to do anything truly revolutionary before the competition can, and they aren't cheap enough to steal a serious amount of sales from Samsung or Apple.

They are in a tough spot because it's proven that people are willing to pay a premium for high spec phones, but not many people are looking at HTC in that category. Once they lose the next Pixel contract I'll be surprised if they don't go bankrupt.

I really hope the Pixel 2 doesn't only come with water-resistance because of HTC.

The Pixel 2 really should be full on waterproof like the iPhone/S8.

 

[sk1wbw]

Regardless of anything else, I've been a big advocate for Google to simply buy HTC.

It makes sense to me on multiple levels. They are a struggling company with a lot of expertise but clueless leadership and an inability to compete with Apple and Samsung. They made the Pixel - Google should do it.

Worked out so very well for Motorola, so why not.

 

[nviz22]

TBH reading the specs it sounds like HTC are the technology equivalent of a man who is overcompensating for his shortcomings by driving the biggest fastest car... Can't help feel as good as those specs are, they are more out of insecurity than actual necessity.

HTC should focus on pricing, not specs alone. I agree 6gb isn't necessary, but it's a welcomed edition since the OP3T offers a good experience for a respectable price. HTC isn't a Galaxy or iPhone because it lacks features. LG and HTC could do much better if they priced on a volume basis rather than a margin maximization basis.

 

[MRU]

HTC should focus on pricing, not specs alone. I agree 6gb isn't necessary, but it's a welcomed edition since the OP3T offers a good experience for a respectable price. HTC isn't a Galaxy or iPhone because it lacks features. LG and HTC could do much better if they priced on a volume basis rather than a margin maximization basis.

See that's their problem. They'll throw all the specs at it and then price it accordingly which will be close to S8 pricing and it will essentially fail as anyone spending $800 will buy a Samsung or iPhone.

If they came out with a device with good specs but concentrated on user experience, made their software better, offered a fantastic camera experience and rejuvenate the audio experience and priced the whole package at a tasty $499-599 they would stand a really good chance at getting a fit back onto the game.

A spec war just won't cut it, especially with the likes of Huawei and one plus offering similar specs for considerably less.

The HTC 11 Ultra shows how they are clearly not doing that and are just developing devices that no one really wants.

 

[sk1wbw]

See that's their problem. They'll throw all the specs at it and then price it accordingly which will be close to S8 pricing and it will essentially fail as anyone spending $800 will buy a Samsung or iPhone.

If they came out with a device with good specs but concentrated on user experience, made their software better, offered a fantastic camera experience and rejuvenate the audio experience and priced the whole package at a tasty $499-599 they would stand a really good chance at getting a fit back onto the game.

A spec war just won't cut it, especially with the likes of Huawei and one plus offering similar specs for considerably less.

The HTC 11 Ultra shows how they are clearly not doing that and are just developing devices that no one really wants.

Are you talking about Samsung or HTC?

 

[MRU]

Are you talking about Samsung or HTC?

HTC. That they will throw all the specs at the HTC 11 and then price it around the S8 / iPhone price tag (especially in Europe) and people (the masses) will invariably end up buying the S8/iPhone instead.

HTC should compete on fast software, specific hardware characteristics such as Boomsound (which they have left flagging in recent years) and make great emphasis on getting new versions of Android before others and then price it around the same as OnePlus and Huawei flagships and not Samsung / iPhone prices.

But they won't.

 

[epicrayban]

Agree with MRU. That's a better strategy for them. Plus more and better marketing.

 

[nviz22]

See that's their problem. They'll throw all the specs at it and then price it accordingly which will be close to S8 pricing and it will essentially fail as anyone spending $800 will buy a Samsung or iPhone.

If they came out with a device with good specs but concentrated on user experience, made their software better, offered a fantastic camera experience and rejuvenate the audio experience and priced the whole package at a tasty $499-599 they would stand a really good chance at getting a fit back onto the game.

A spec war just won't cut it, especially with the likes of Huawei and one plus offering similar specs for considerably less.

The HTC 11 Ultra shows how they are clearly not doing that and are just developing devices that no one really wants.

I would say that Huawei and OnePlus offer much better software and hardware even if they hit a $499-$599 range. Considering how metal unibody phones are aplenty even at lower tier pricing points, they need to find a way to sell at $350-$400 doing what you suggested.

The only thing HTC can leverage right now is uh-oh protection. But then again ZTE has the best warranty coverage in the business (2 year one with accidental coverage included) and what does that do for them? It isn't a major selling point.

If HTC offered QHD LCD screen, 4gb RAM, dual 12 MP camera with wide angle lens coverage and the optical zoom feature similar to the iPhone 7 Plus, dual quality speakers, Snapdragon 835, etc with that $400 package, they can win out in major markets such as China.

China is becoming so competitive that Apple needs to release more cheaper products similar to the SE and 5C. If they offered a 4.7" model with top notch specs are low price points, people would buy that over an Android because it's Apple.

 

[sk1wbw]

HTC. That they will throw all the specs at the HTC 11 and then price it around the S8 / iPhone price tag (especially in Europe) and people (the masses) will invariably end up buying the S8/iPhone instead.

HTC should compete on fast software, specific hardware characteristics such as Boomsound (which they have left flagging in recent years) and make great emphasis on getting new versions of Android before others and then price it around the same as OnePlus and Huawei flagships and not Samsung / iPhone prices.

But they won't.

I'm confused. Samsung does this already and people masturbate to the new Galaxy phones.

 

[MRU]

I'm confused. Samsung does this already and people masturbate to the new Galaxy phones.

Why the confusion ? Is it simply not clear based on sales evidence and dwindling interest that HTC can not compete with Samsung & Apple by playing exactly the same game.

They neither have the marketing prowess or the willingness / following of consumers to buy into their brand the same way.

Likewise in the advent of much cheaper Chinese android brands now providing similar specs but for less and with little to separate them from likes of Huawei, Honor or OnePlus perception wise, pricing their device hundreds above those competing devices is again a big mistake.

HTC need to stop thinking Apple, Samsung are their chief competition and actually take on the likes of OP & Huawei instead... because they are the ones sneaking into third, forth, fith place etc.. and pushing HTC further down the list of Android OEMs popularity & sales wise.

HTC are focussed on trying to win a war by fighting the wrong battles.

Honestly I don't understand your confusion on this.

 

[spinedoc77]

Why the confusion ? Is it simply not clear based on sales evidence and dwindling interest that HTC can not compete with Samsung & Apple by playing exactly the same game.

They neither have the marketing prowess or the willingness / following of consumers to buy into their brand the same way.

Likewise in the advent of much cheaper Chinese android brands now providing similar specs but for less and with little to separate them from likes of Huawei, Honor or OnePlus perception wise, pricing their device hundreds above those competing devices is again a big mistake.

HTC need to stop thinking Apple, Samsung are their chief competition and actually take on the likes of OP & Huawei instead... because they are the ones sneaking into third, forth, fith place etc.. and pushing HTC further down the list of Android OEMs popularity & sales wise.

HTC are focussed on trying to win a war by fighting the wrong battles.

Honestly I don't understand your confusion on this.

Perfectly said. This is another failure for HTC waiting to happen, heck look at those bezels in 2017. Yeah it's got killer specs, but who needs killer specs these days in a smartphone past what any middle of the road $100 Chinese phone or $250 western phone can give? I think we've moved past specs a little bit, and the name of the game now is with things like ergonomics, tiny bezels, function bars, etc.

HTC would probably do quite well as a middle of the road phone maker, pricing these out around the $500 mark. I'm sure they would sell a ton, a lot of consumers don't want to spend close to 1k on a phone. I'm honestly surprised HTC hasn't gone bankrupt yet, tough buggers.
[doublepost=1493859699][/doublepost]

Google already tried this with Motorola. The problem with them buying a handset manufacturer is that it alienates the other Android OEM's.

Sometimes I think Fak the oem's, maybe the competition is a good thing. Google needs to become like Apple and make sweet hardware and get that brand loyalty which commands the premium prices. I'd honestly like to see more oem's do their own thing with the OS, heck let's force Samsung to go full force Tizen for example. We need more variety. Although Microsoft tried this approach and seems to be successful at toeing the line between selling their own hardware, and convincing the oem's which buy their OS into making better devices. I just don't think HTC is the company which will inspire anyone to make a better device, their best days are 3+ years behind them.

 

[epicrayban]

Check it out before it's taken down. I mean, if you still care about HTC...

HTC U 11 video leak shows off Edge Sense in action, and more
http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-11-video-leak-shows-off-Edge-Sense-in-action-and-more_id94063


It looks like the real deal.

 

[MRU]

Check it out before it's taken down. I mean, if you still care about HTC...

HTC U 11 video leak shows off Edge Sense in action, and more
http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-11-video-leak-shows-off-Edge-Sense-in-action-and-more_id94063


It looks like the real deal.

Oh god is that it ? Seriously ? That's the secret feature that is going to get HTC out of the quagmire it finds itself in ..... Perplexing to say the least.


At least Sense software itself looked very fast and stripped back again.

But if that's the device itself, it's the HTC Ultra's mirror like glass back which I think looks cheap, and from the front it looks just like a HTC A9

 

[Radon87000]

They didn't bother to even remove the bezels, a standard feature of 2017 smartphones. The phone is DOA

 

[kkh786]

Underwhelming design!

 

[Aneres11]

Apparently the U11's camera has been awarded the highest DxOMark of 90.

Just a shame on the design. High gloss is not my favourite. Whilst it feels nice, and can often be pleasingly grippy with a clammy paw 😛, it looks garbage as soon as a finger is laid on it.

I'm also really not convinced on this display 'feature'.

 

[MRU]

Apparently the U11's camera has been awarded the highest DxOMark of 90.

Just a shame on the design. High gloss is not my favourite. Whilst it feels nice, and can often be pleasingly grippy with a clammy paw 😛, it looks garbage as soon as a finger is laid on it.

I'm also really not convinced on this display 'feature'.

Yeah but HTC 10 was given the top mark previous and real world performance was not reflected in the DxO score. (The camera app itself when tested was full of bugs and had issues that were patched after months and yet DxO seemingly was unaffected by the myriad of issues users were experiencing in real usage).

Indeed it seems manufacturers are actually now approaching DxO much like AnTutu and are artificially adjusting parameters to make devices score better on the DxO benchmark, but again without being reflective of actual real usage. And that's the problem of all benchmarking. Folks hold them up as podium pleasers, ready to accept that if a device scores higher than another it's the best and will mean I have validation on my device of choice. Yet DxO are not infallible as last year's HTC 10 and even Xperia Z5 rankings have proven. Camera's with serious issues and that in real world take ok but not fantastic shots compared to competitors and yet still achieving higher DxO scores. It just doesn't add up.

I think it's time and has been for a couple of years now tbh, to abandon the reliance on DxO to stand as measurement champions and folks need to stop holding them up as they are just an 'artificial' standard and one which has proven time and again to not represent end user experience.

(This is criticism of DxO not necessarily HTC).

 

[Aneres11]

Yeah but HTC 10 was given the top mark previous and real world performance was not reflected in the DxO score. (The camera app itself when tested was full of bugs and had issues that were patched after months and yet DxO seemingly was unaffected by the myriad of issues users were experiencing in real usage).

Indeed it seems manufacturers are actually now approaching DxO much like AnTutu and are artificially adjusting parameters to make devices score better on the DxO benchmark, but again without being reflective of actual real usage. And that's the problem of all benchmarking. Folks hold them up as podium pleasers, ready to accept that if a device scores higher than another it's the best and will mean I have validation on my device of choice. Yet DxO are not infallible as last year's HTC 10 and even Xperia Z5 rankings have proven. Camera's with serious issues and that in real world take ok but not fantastic shots compared to competitors and yet still achieving higher DxO scores. It just doesn't add up.

I think it's time and has been for a couple of years now tbh, to abandon the reliance on DxO to stand as measurement champions and folks need to stop holding them up as they are just an 'artificial' standard and one which has proven time and again to not represent end user experience.

(This is criticism of DxO not necessarily HTC).

I looked like a right idiot at work reading your post then. Nodding furiously in agreement as I read hahaha.

I remember checking out the DxO website for camera reviews and was left scratching my head at their top 10 at the time.
Definitely one to take with a massive pinch of salt.

SONY phone always hold the promise of great cameras, and my XZ was capable of great things (I did love that phone) but there was always too many issues be it very soft edges or aggressive post shot 'fixing' which just made things worse.

I guess the only time DxO got it right was with the Pixel! But anyone could have snapped with that and known it was worthy of the highest scores across the board.

 

[MRU]

I looked like a right idiot at work reading your post then. Nodding furiously in agreement as I read hahaha.

I remember checking out the DxO website for camera reviews and was left scratching my head at their top 10 at the time.
Definitely one to take with a massive pinch of salt.

SONY phone always hold the promise of great cameras, and my XZ was capable of great things (I did love that phone) but there was always too many issues be it very soft edges or aggressive post shot 'fixing' which just made things worse.

I guess the only time DxO got it right was with the Pixel! But anyone could have snapped with that and known it was worthy of the highest scores across the board.

Lol. I am just picturing you bidding whilst co workers are thinking WTF! He he.




Re the HTC 11. Was just watching android authorities preview and I'm still staggered that HTC has the chin (which I'm fine with) but still put the fingerprint scanner and capacitive buttons 2/3 of the way down rather than centered in the chin. It looked aesthetically off with the HTC 10 and still looks f'ugly especially in 2017 environment. Huawei don't have a problem centering it's button on the similar looking from the front P10 and it looks all the better for being centered. I just don't understand what design language HTC are following here.

 

[JaySoul]

Looks like a solid phone! But that front design... No headphone jack.... I dunno.

Thank goodness for Samsung.