The HTC 10: Some great features and less bloatware could help it compete with Apple and Samsung

[midian182]

HTC has finally unveiled its flagship smartphone, the HTC 10, and while it may not outshine the Apple and Samsung devices it’s competing against, early impressions state the phone is a compelling addition to the high-end market and the best the company has produced in years.

The rumors that the HTC 10 would feature similar specs to most of this year’s flagship smartphones have turned out to be accurate. It comes with a 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 quad-core processor clocked at 2.2 Ghz, 1440p display, 4 GB of RAM, 32GB or 64GB of storage, an SD card slot, fingerprint sensor, and Android Marshmallow 6.01.

HTC had been promoting several of the device’s features before the release, including its battery life, camera, and audio qualities, and it appears that these really are the HTC 10’s standout areas.

In the all-important area of power, the HTC 10 comes with a 3000mAh battery that the company claims lasts 48 hours for “everyday usage” thanks to optimizing techniques like the screen dynamically changing its refresh rate based on the kind of app that you're using. There’s no wireless charging, but a combination of Quick Charge 3.0 and USB Type-C will juice a battery to the halfway point in under 30 minutes. Unfortunately, like most smartphones these days, the battery is non-removable.

The HTC 10 comes with “the world’s first optically stabilized, larger aperture f/1.8 lenses” on both the front and rear cameras. The rear snapper has a 12MP Ultrapixel sensor that features large 1.55µm pixels, a dual-tone LED flash, a swift laser autofocus system, and 4K video recording. The 5MP front camera, meanwhile, has a wide-angle lens and screen flash, making it a good choice for selfie fans. RAW format is supported, and the camera app has a claimed launch time of 0.6 seconds.

It appears that the HTC 10 would be the perfect phone for audiophiles. The seperate tweeter and woofer built into the earpiece and the bottom of the device are said to produce an amazing stereo BoomSound experience. There’s also a number of other audio features, including 4K video that can be shot with 24-bit 96KHz audio, a headphone jack with an amp that provides two times the power of a conventional headphone amp, the ability to upscale from 16-bit to 24-bit audio, and digital to analog conversion.

HTC says the smartphone’s QHD 564 PPI screen covers 92-percent of the NTSC color gamut and is 30 percent more colorful and 50 percent more responsive to touch than its predecessor.

Combine all this with the chamfered-edged aluminum unibody, reduced bloatware, and numerous other features, and it looks as if the HTC 10 really could be a viable high-end alternative to what Apple and Samsung have to offer.

Pre-orders for the HTC 10 in Carbon Grey and Glacier Silver start today for $699, and will ship in early May.

Here are the HTC 10’s full specs:

• Display: 5.2-inch, Quad HD (2560 x 1440 pixels), super LCD 5
• CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
• Platform: Android 6.0 with HTC Sense
• Memory: 4GB RAM, 32GB/64GB storage expandable up to 2TB via microSD
• Rear Camera: 12MP (HTC UltraPixel 2), laser autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), f/1.8 aperture, Pro mode, Auto-HDR, Zoe Capture, hyperlapse, 12X Slow motion mode, 4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio
• Front Camera: 5MP (1.34MICROm pixels), autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), f/1.8 aperture with ultra wide-angle lens, Live Makeup, Auto-HDR
• Sound: HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition, Dolby Audio, Personal Audio Profile, Hi-Res Audio Certified, Hi-Res Audio Earphones, Three microphones with noise cancellation, Hi-Res Audio Stereo Recording
• Connection: USB Type-C
• SIM card: Nano SIM
• Connectivity: NFC, BT 4.2, Wi-Fi@: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
• Sensors: Fingerprint Sensor, Sensor Hub
• Battery: 3000 mAh

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/64423-htc-10-great-features-less-bloatware-could-help.html

 

[Teko03]

My HTC One M7 needs to be replaced --- I'm interested in the HTC 10, but not at the $700 price point. I'll wait for prices to be reduced or look at another device.

 

[lripplinger]

Nice they kept the aluminum body like my M8 has. I still really like my M8, and will continue to use it. I hope my phone gets android 6.0.

 

[Burty117]

Is it water proof? It doesn't say anywhere that it is but also doesn't say it categorically isn't.
Even if it isn't, this is a fantastic phone in nearly every department, If I was looking for a new phone right now, this would definitely be on my list.

 

[Badelhas]

Nice they kept the aluminum body like my M8 has. I still really like my M8, and will continue to use it. I hope my phone gets android 6.0.

Mine has got Android 6.0 more than a month ago and it´s great but its the international unlocked version. You should have get it long ago also, I believe. Is yours from a stupid Carrier?

 

[Badelhas]

Is it water proof? It doesn't say anywhere that it is but also doesn't say it categorically isn't.
Even if it isn't, this is a fantastic phone in nearly every department, If I was looking for a new phone right now, this would definitely be on my list.

Is it water proof? It doesn't say anywhere that it is but also doesn't say it categorically isn't.
Even if it isn't, this is a fantastic phone in nearly every department, If I was looking for a new phone right now, this would definitely be on my list.

It´s not water proof nor is it water resistant: http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-10-water-resistant

But seems like the HTC 10 it´s a great phone. But I still really really like my M8, dont feel the need to upgrade to be honest. Looking foward for a proper comparison between the two.

 

[Jibberish18]

My HTC One M7 needs to be replaced --- I'm interested in the HTC 10, but not at the $700 price point. I'll wait for prices to be reduced or look at another device.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I understand this phone uses premium materials but the hell if I'm going to pay $700 for it. I'd rather just pay $400'ish on something like a Moto X Pure or LG G4 and call it a day. Of course you could do a 2 year contract my carriers are beginning to shy away from this.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

My HTC One M7 needs to be replaced --- I'm interested in the HTC 10, but not at the $700 price point. I'll wait for prices to be reduced or look at another device.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I understand this phone uses premium materials but the hell if I'm going to pay $700 for it. I'd rather just pay $400'ish on something like a Moto X Pure or LG G4 and call it a day. Of course you could do a 2 year contract my carriers are beginning to shy away from this.

Agreed it looks like a great phone. Good speakers are underrated in my opinion. You don't realize how much you appreciate them until you use a phone with them. We've all seen someone with an iPhone or Galaxy want to show you a video on their phone and they have to cup their hand in a certain shape to amplify the sound- ha, or put the phone in a bowl.

I went from an M7 to an LG G4. My M7 had that issue with the camera where it washed out red, but my G4 has been perfect. There's no faster charging than a battery swap and LG's camera is awesome too. The G4 is probably the best flagship phone value you can get. It's much cheaper than HTC or Samsung or Apple.

 

[robb213]

Again, the sudden bandwagon for WQHD on ~7 inch devices is irritating me. Wonder if it would've dropped the price by maybe $50 or so if it was 1080P.

Nice they kept the aluminum body like my M8 has. I still really like my M8, and will continue to use it. I hope my phone gets android 6.0.

Mine has got Android 6.0 more than a month ago and it´s great but its the international unlocked version. You should have get it long ago also, I believe. Is yours from a stupid Carrier?

I'm with Verizon and got it last month. I believe it was Sprint or AT&T that hasn't gotten it yet.

So far 6.0 has been a POS on my M8. Doze never kicks in after hours of being left alone, and the OS has been sucking my battery dry. Sometimes in the morning I'll unplug my phone to use it, so it'll drop maybe 1% in that minute or so. I'll leave it in my nightstand for the next 6 hours, and when I come back to grab it I'll already have lost up to 30% of my charge. It's always my luck that the last or near last OS update for any phone I've ever owned brings forward some massive bug.

 

[Jibberish18]

My HTC One M7 needs to be replaced --- I'm interested in the HTC 10, but not at the $700 price point. I'll wait for prices to be reduced or look at another device.

You took the words right out of my mouth. I understand this phone uses premium materials but the hell if I'm going to pay $700 for it. I'd rather just pay $400'ish on something like a Moto X Pure or LG G4 and call it a day. Of course you could do a 2 year contract my carriers are beginning to shy away from this.

Agreed it looks like a great phone. Good speakers are underrated in my opinion. You don't realize how much you appreciate them until you use a phone with them. We've all seen someone with an iPhone or Galaxy want to show you a video on their phone and they have to cup their hand in a certain shape to amplify the sound- ha, or put the phone in a bowl.

I went from an M7 to an LG G4. My M7 had that issue with the camera where it washed out red, but my G4 has been perfect. There's no faster charging than a battery swap and LG's camera is awesome too. The G4 is probably the best flagship phone value you can get. It's much cheaper than HTC or Samsung or Apple.

I did forget to add that the HTC 10 is a GREAT looking phone. And thank you for sharing your experience with the LG G4. Honestly if I had to choose between that or the Moto X Pure I think I'd get the Pure just because of a few features that are important to me. Otherwise the G4 seems to be the more premium phone AND you can swap batteries. Seriously great feature.

 

[lripplinger]

Mine has got Android 6.0 more than a month ago and it´s great but its the international unlocked version. You should have get it long ago also, I believe. Is yours from a stupid Carrier?

Yeah, could be my local carrier. I may never get 6.0 if that is the case.

 

[lripplinger]

Again, the sudden bandwagon for WQHD on ~7 inch devices is irritating me. Wonder if it would've dropped the price by maybe $50 or so if it was 1080P.


I'm with Verizon and got it last month. I believe it was Sprint or AT&T that hasn't gotten it yet.

So far 6.0 has been a POS on my M8. Doze never kicks in after hours of being left alone, and the OS has been sucking my battery dry. Sometimes in the morning I'll unplug my phone to use it, so it'll drop maybe 1% in that minute or so. I'll leave it in my nightstand for the next 6 hours, and when I come back to grab it I'll already have lost up to 30% of my charge. It's always my luck that the last or near last OS update for any phone I've ever owned brings forward some massive bug.

Good to hear about user experience with 6.0 on the M8. I haven't received it on mine yet. Could be my local carrier is why I don't have it yet, or may never get it. Sounds like maybe it is a good thing that I might not get it then.

 

[pan1c]

This article doesn't mention the support for Apple Airplay.

 

[9Nails]

This looks like a strong competitor to the Samsung Galaxy S7 (non-Edge version). But HTC needs to lower the price beneath the S7 to compete or it will be walked past by casual observers who shop price.

 

[9Nails]

It´s not water proof nor is it water resistant: http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-10-water-resistant

But seems like the HTC 10 it´s a great phone. But I still really really like my M8, dont feel the need to upgrade to be honest. Looking foward for a proper comparison between the two.

I killed my HTC One M8 in a mishap with a so called "dry bag" and a river. So water resistance was high on my list for a new phone. I really miss that M8, it was/is the best phone I've had. Good battery life, felt great in the hand, smooth performance all around, good camera and superb stereo speakers.

 

[robb213]

Good to hear about user experience with 6.0 on the M8. I haven't received it on mine yet. Could be my local carrier is why I don't have it yet, or may never get it. Sounds like maybe it is a good thing that I might not get it then.

It's hit or miss as always, so I'd say just go for it when the opportunity arises. Verizon probably dicked around with something on their end I bet.

 

[lripplinger]

It's hit or miss as always, so I'd say just go for it when the opportunity arises. Verizon probably dicked around with something on their end I bet.

If I even get the update. I suppose it all depends on Silverstar (my local carrier, whom I believe uses Verizon's towers to get us LTE).

 

[Shaitan]

- no user replaceable battery
- no IP67
- almost impossible to repair
- huge price
- small size
Sorry.... not for me.