For a while now, HTC has been in a somewhat similar situation as Samsung before the Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge release. The Taiwanese company’s previous smartphones were fairly disappointing, and as a result other manufacturers were biting out of HTC’s once solid mobile market share. Improvements had to be made, and it looks like they were.
After 1 year behind closed doors, HTC finally unveiled the flagship everyone was buzzing about lately. Named simply HTC 10 – no ‘M’, ‘One’, or other nonsense, the device has everything you would want from a top tier high-end device. It doesn’t necessarily blow you away with something new, but rather impresses with tuned-up features, a very fast screen, attention to detail, and a clean design that makes it stand-out in a time when that’s increasingly harder to do. As the company says, customer feedback was very important in the production process, and it seems that’s exactly what influenced this device the most, since the major improvements targeted the camera, battery life, and performance.
Design
We’re used to great looking HTC phones, but the HTC 10 might take the cake. The look and the fill are somewhat similar, because the design is a combination of the M series with the A9. The company’s description of the flagship’s design keeps going on about light and sculpting, but we will take a simplified approach for the characterization. The logo and the speakers were eliminated from the full glass front side of the device, so there’s nothing to distract you from the screen. The metal unibody has chamfered edges all around, which help with the grip, and give a distinctive look to the back side of the smartphone.
The capacity keys are placed on either side of the home button – also a fingerprint scanner. The sensor recognizes your finger from almost any angle.
Though slightly heavier than other recently launched flagships, you get a sense toughness when holding the phone, the kind of toughness that could even get the device through some bumps and drops without any critical damage. According to the Taiwanese company, HTC 10 was subjected to over 168 hours of extreme temperature tests, ranging from a freezing –20°C to a scorching 60°C; and over 10,000 drop, bend, scratch and corrosion tests.
The HTC 10 is available in Topaz Gold, Carbon Grey, Camellia Red and Glacier Silver.
Camera
For some HTC fans, it might all come down to the camera, since previous versions had such disappointing cameras. Even the company acknowledged that this area required serious improvements. The good news is that the new camera is great, and it can compete with any smartphone camera available on the market.
With the world’s first optically stabilized, larger aperture ƒ/1.8 lenses on both the front and rear cameras, new larger sensors, 12 million of our new generation UltraPixels (1.55µm per pixel), faster laser autofocus powering the main camera and a wide angle lens and screen flash on the front UltraSelfie™ camera, this smartphone delivers brilliantly sharp, low light and high–resolution photos whether behind or in front of the lens.
The launch time is blink-of-an-eye fast – only 0.6 seconds. The 2nd generation laser autofocus is quick enough to even work in burst mode. All the settings are also conveniently located at your fingertips with Pro Mode still offering advanced options for more experienced photographers, including RAW format functionality. “Boasting a DxOMark score of 88*, this is one of the highest camera quality scores of any smartphone to date and is the result of tens of thousands of hours spent fine tuning each element to deliver world–class photos and videos,” said HTC officials.
Audio and video
We have to agree that at first glance, has one of the best displays available on the market today. HTC 10 combines vivid 4K video with the world’s first stereo, 24–bit, Hi–Res audio recording — capturing 256 times more detail than standard recordings, across twice the frequency range.
We have mentioned before that the speakers were removed from the front side of the device. Instead, the sound comes from a tweeter in the earpiece, and a bass speaker at the base of the handset. Supposedly, this shouldn’t affect overall sound quality. But if there is something we can trust HTC with, it’s the audio quality.
The Taiwanese company has always been ahead of the competition when it comes to sound, and this time is no exception. The HTC 10 is certified for Hi–Res audio. A headphone amp that delivers two times the power of a conventional headphone amp, the ability to upscale from 16–bit to 24–bit audio and high performance digital to analogue conversion combine beautifully to produce ten times lower distortion than other devices on the market.
One of the most exciting audio features of the HTC 10 is the new Personal Audio Profile system. Based on the fact that everyone hears things differently, this system enables you to create your very own audio profile. It dynamically adjusts specific sound frequencies to each ear, making for the best sound experience possible for each user.
Performance
I must admit that the device’s speed is very impressive. Everything launches fast, and the colorful screen responds perfectly to every gentle touch. “Whilst the HTC 10 nails it on the hardware, we have also delivered what we believe to be best–in–class software by focusing on getting the fundamentals right,” mentioned company officials. “With apps that launch twice as fast and that perform to the highest standard and a next generation quad HD display that is 30% more colorful, creating a true cinematic feel, and that is 50% more responsive to touch than its predecessor, even the smallest and fastest of finger movements track perfectly.”
The fingerprint scanner – which unlocks in a lightning fast 0.2 seconds, has been algorithmically designed to recognize you faster and more accurately over time.The HTC 10 boasts the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon processor with enhanced 4G LTE. Each device also comes with Boost+ which is designed to make your phone faster, to consume less power and to provide effective security and applications management features. This includes smart boost, which automatically optimizes your memory; a game battery booster, which uses less battery during gameplay; and a new PowerBotics system, which auto detects and shuts down apps that use excessive power – improving battery life by 30% and delivering up to two days charge. Not only does Boost+ optimize performance, making it easier to launch apps, but its App Lock function also adds a new layer of security by enabling you to lock any app you choose, whilst App Manager provides an instant fix for when an app isn’t behaving.
The HTC 10 also includes the latest in–box quick charge 3.0 Rapid Charger with improved thermal management that can charge the battery up to 50% in just 30 minutes – ideal for people who find their phone running low on juice before the end of the working day.
Battery life should be significantly improved, and could last up to two days. However, according to officials battery life may vary based on cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configurations, phone usage, and many other factors. Further tests are needed at this point to reveal the actual battery life.
HTC’s new device reduces the number of duplicative and pre–loaded apps and bloatware and integrating the best of both HTC and Google. This means that you will no longer get multiple options that are pretty much the same when opening a photo for example.
Another great feature is HTC’s specially created new Freestyle Layout. You no longer have an on–screen grid that dictates the layout, instead you can get creative by dragging icons, stickers and widgets anywhere you like. Layer them, group them, link stickers to apps or get rid of screen icons altogether, the choice is yours. The latest version of HTC Themes also provides you with access to thousands of professional looking themes that each come with their own icons, backgrounds and sounds so you can customize your phone based on your own personal style. Watch demo.
Availability
The HTC 10 will come in two variants with different Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ processors to cater for different market needs. They will both offer the same design, audio, camera and display, with a similar software experience and battery life. In the U.S., the HTC 10 will come with the Snapdragon 820 processor.
In the U.S., HTC 10 will be available across multiple wireless providers including Verizon Wireless, Sprint and T–Mobile, which will announce colors, availability and pricing. In addition, HTC will be offering an Unlocked edition on www.HTC.com, which will be compatible with AT&T and T–Mobile networks and will be available for pre–orders beginning with April 12, and shipping in early May. The Unlocked edition from HTC.com comes in Glacier Silver and Carbon Gray, and costs $699. It also comes with UH OH Protection, which includes one replacement at no charge within the first 12 months of ownership for a cracked screen or water damage.
