[OPINION] The HTC U11 is a very solid and beautiful device, but it won't help much for sales, sadly

[Morty2264]

The G6 seems to be selling quite well, though.

Not as much as Apple or Samsung, but it's putting on a solid show.

Agreed about LG. I was in the mall a few weeks ago and Wireless Wave (Canadian retailer that sells phones from different carriers) had a front-table display with three phones on them. One was the G6, the other was the V20, and the last was the S8 I think. It was nice to see some LG representation! It seems to be getting a lot of good attention lately.

 

[Wildo6882]

I love how everyone says this phone is outdated because it doesn't have tiny bezels like the S8/S8+ or LG G6. You guys realize that both Samsung and LG have their own display operations? HTC does not. They're at the mercy of display suppliers. Do you think LG or Sammy would have offered up their best bezel-less displays? Heck no. And if they did, HTC couldn't have afforded it anyway, or these phones would have retailed over $1k and no one would have bought them. I commend HTC for making a really good looking top of the line flagship with what the capabilities they have in front of them.

 

[Morty2264]

I love how everyone says this phone is outdated because it doesn't have tiny bezels like the S8/S8+ or LG G6. You guys realize that both Samsung and LG have their own display operations? HTC does not. They're at the mercy of display suppliers. Do you think LG or Sammy would have offered up their best bezel-less displays? Heck no. And if they did, HTC couldn't have afforded it anyway, or these phones would have retailed over $1k and no one would have bought them. I commend HTC for making a really good looking top of the line flagship with what the capabilities they have in front of them.

I rather like HTC'S design language. The S8 is too bezel-less for me - I know I'd drop it - but the U11 looks like a really good march for my user needs. I really think this will be my next phone.

 

[Wildo6882]

I rather like HTC'S design language. The S8 is too bezel-less for me - I know I'd drop it - but the U11 looks like a really good march for my user needs. I really think this will be my next phone.

I also hate the glare on the S8 when trying to watch any sort of media.

 

[Morty2264]

I also hate the glare on the S8 when trying to watch any sort of media.

Don't get me wrong, the S8 series is gorgeous and certainly a competitor. I just don't think it would suit my needs... Or my wallet. But yeah, I'm really excited to see how the HTC U11 fares in the wild.

 

[krazyatom]

The argument about US carrier support is completely moot. The US carriers and average consumers are devoted to Apple and Samsung. So even if HTC had massive support from US carriers, consumers would still grab and iPhone or Galaxy. The US market is completely finished and is an Apple/Samsung only race.

Same in Korea. Samsung, apple, LG.

 

[Eggmundo]

Why does HTC now put the nav buttons so low down on the bottom bezel?

 

[James E1]

Why does HTC now put the nav buttons so low down on the bottom bezel?

So that you don't accidentally touch the screen. I wondered about that on the 10 and finally figured it out.

 

[Eggmundo]

So that you don't accidentally touch the screen. I wondered about that on the 10 and finally figured it out.

Hmm possibly. My theory was that they didn't want the home button to look to similar to Samsung's!

 

[Morty2264]

Eggmundo and James, both of your theories are valid and interesting!

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

I love how everyone says this phone is outdated because it doesn't have tiny bezels like the S8/S8+ or LG G6. You guys realize that both Samsung and LG have their own display operations? HTC does not. They're at the mercy of display suppliers. Do you think LG or Sammy would have offered up their best bezel-less displays? Heck no. And if they did, HTC couldn't have afforded it anyway, or these phones would have retailed over $1k and no one would have bought them. I commend HTC for making a really good looking top of the line flagship with what the capabilities they have in front of them.

That is true, HTC don't make their own displays, however they do have the ability to purchase those displays from either LG or Samsung as you said, but I don't believe it would have caused the phones to retail for close to $1k. The S8/G6 don't retail for that much and they have those displays in them. LG/Samsung display sell screen panels to their mobile divisions, just as they would to an outside company. There are reports Apple has secured a giant (70+ million) order of OLED panels for their Galaxy S8 and something about Google wanting OLED panels from LG (possibly for the Pixel 2), so HTC could have ordered these panels if they were so inclined.

I think a big issue the U11 has is that side by side against the S8 and G6, I do think it looks dated and I think the general consumer would also think that. While $650 US is cheaper than what you pay for the S8, it's still in the ballpark and the phone on a plan would be similar to the S8, so I think it would be easy for the consumer to choose the phone that looks more beautiful and has a recognised brand name like "Samsung Galaxy".

I'm not trashing the U11. I think the back of the phone is beautiful, bold, and extremely interesting. I really love the colours they're experimenting with (particularly the dark blue and the red colours). I think the phone on a whole looks like an extremely compelling device, but we all know HTC's financial situation prevents them from being able to market and advertise these phones aggressively, and I think this year they're a bit behind the ball in displays. Not the quality of the display, just the bezel size of it.

 

[digitalbreak]

That is true, HTC don't make their own displays, however they do have the ability to purchase those displays from either LG or Samsung as you said, but I don't believe it would have caused the phones to retail for close to $1k. The S8/G6 don't retail for that much and they have those displays in them. LG/Samsung display sell screen panels to their mobile divisions, just as they would to an outside company. There are reports Apple has secured a giant (70+ million) order of OLED panels for their Galaxy S8 and something about Google wanting OLED panels from LG (possibly for the Pixel 2), so HTC could have ordered these panels if they were so inclined.

I think a big issue the U11 has is that side by side against the S8 and G6, I do think it looks dated and I think the general consumer would also think that. While $650 US is cheaper than what you pay for the S8, it's still in the ballpark and the phone on a plan would be similar to the S8, so I think it would be easy for the consumer to choose the phone that looks more beautiful and has a recognised brand name like "Samsung Galaxy".

I'm not trashing the U11. I think the back of the phone is beautiful, bold, and extremely interesting. I really love the colours they're experimenting with (particularly the dark blue and the red colours). I think the phone on a whole looks like an extremely compelling device, but we all know HTC's financial situation prevents them from being able to market and advertise these phones aggressively, and I think this year they're a bit behind the ball in displays. Not the quality of the display, just the bezel size of it.

I used the HTC U11 at the HTC Meetup and never once felt the bezels looked bad. The front bezels are black and helps in the design aspect.

I don't believe anyone looking at the U11 would say the design is outdated. Pictures may deceive people but once they see one in person, I am sure they will have a different opinion.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

I used the HTC U11 at the HTC Meetup and never once felt the bezels looked bad. The front bezels are black and helps in the design aspect.

I don't believe anyone looking at the U11 would say the design is outdated. Pictures may deceive people but once they see one in person, I am sure they will have a different opinion.

Maybe, but I think at a store with the S8 and U11 next to each other, I'd imagine the majority of customers would prefer the look of the face of the S8 more than the U11.

The back might be a completely different story, but I imagine smaller font bezels is more attractive than bigger font bezels.

And I know about bezels - I'm currently using a Pixel XL and comparing that to my partner's Galaxy S8+, the Pixel looks like a dinosaur tbh.

 

[Wildo6882]

That is true, HTC don't make their own displays, however they do have the ability to purchase those displays from either LG or Samsung as you said, but I don't believe it would have caused the phones to retail for close to $1k. The S8/G6 don't retail for that much and they have those displays in them. LG/Samsung display sell screen panels to their mobile divisions, just as they would to an outside company. There are reports Apple has secured a giant (70+ million) order of OLED panels for their Galaxy S8 and something about Google wanting OLED panels from LG (possibly for the Pixel 2), so HTC could have ordered these panels if they were so inclined.

I think a big issue the U11 has is that side by side against the S8 and G6, I do think it looks dated and I think the general consumer would also think that. While $650 US is cheaper than what you pay for the S8, it's still in the ballpark and the phone on a plan would be similar to the S8, so I think it would be easy for the consumer to choose the phone that looks more beautiful and has a recognised brand name like "Samsung Galaxy".

I'm not trashing the U11. I think the back of the phone is beautiful, bold, and extremely interesting. I really love the colours they're experimenting with (particularly the dark blue and the red colours). I think the phone on a whole looks like an extremely compelling device, but we all know HTC's financial situation prevents them from being able to market and advertise these phones aggressively, and I think this year they're a bit behind the ball in displays. Not the quality of the display, just the bezel size of it.

If not $1k, it still would have been considerably higher than the $650 they're charging now. Which would have absolutely priced them out of the market. They have to make a phone that can compete on specs and price. Not price themselves out. Just to keep up with the Joneses.

 

[manishpandey01]

Really it is less trending in India. Don't know why people are less interested in HTC while its build quality, processing, camera quality in awesome.

 

[Stevenmc8602]

Why does everyone forget about the speaker and other audio enhancements HTC include that also would've been sacrificed or dampened if they would've went the new ratio

 

[Kilrahi]

Why does everyone forget about the speaker and other audio enhancements HTC include that also would've been sacrificed or dampened if they would've went the new ratio

This is one of the core reasons I've always liked HTC. I fell in love with the M8 for this very reason, and was looking forward to the 11.

Unfortunately, I think most people don't believe audio quality is a big deal. For those of us who do, like me, the removal of the headphone jack was a buzz kill.

I finally went with the S8. It's audio MIGHT be slightly less impressive (hard to know - often people are rating loudness and not musical quality) but it is rated for hi fi and can handle up to 32 bit . . . AND it has a headphone jack.

 

[I Can Be Your Hero]

Why does everyone forget about the speaker and other audio enhancements HTC include that also would've been sacrificed or dampened if they would've went the new ratio

Personally, I'd be glad to sacrifice the speakers if it meant a screen like the G6 or S8.

 

[flyingkytez]

DISCLAIMER: Whatever you're about to read is solely and wholly the personal opinion of the writer and does not reflect the thoughts of the AC volunteers team, editors and Android Central as a whole.

View attachment 260227So, the HTC U11 is now official, and it seems to confirm whatever leaked out not too long ago, featuring the same glossy design from the U Ultra and U Play, along with the expected top-tier internal hardware, along with the lack of a headphone jack in favor of USonic and HTC's new Edge Sense feature.

Personally, I think the HTC U11 is a very solid device. I still don't think USonic is that good to justify replacing a ubiquitous open standard with something that's a little more proprietary and while Edge Sense is neat, I personally feel that it would have been more useful if HTC also added stuff more akin to the Nokia McLaren, where the phone can sense the way it is held and uses that info to improve the device's core functionality, such as making auto-rotate more reliable by detecting the way you're holding the device. Aside from the 2 sore points, I think HTC made a solid device that quite a number of people would be happy to own.

Sadly, that number isn't a lot of people in the general sense.

View attachment 260228
I think it's pretty clear that HTC's situation is still quite dire. The company's start to 2017 was pretty bad, with the U Ultra receiving no more than a lukewarm reception owing to its high price and was also cited as an example of "poor use of space" by YouTuber Marques Brownlee, which went viral pretty quickly. Its smaller cousin, the U Play, also didn't receive a welcoming reception, which perhaps led to the company's revenues dropping 9.3% compared to the same quarter last year.

While the U11 doesn't solve all of the flops the U Ultra had, the phone does at least make up for some of that by utilizing a more efficient processor, which coupled with the slightly smaller display and lack of a secondary ticker should make for solid battery life, along with an improved camera with a similar image sensor to the Galaxy S8 along with improved audio recording, which takes advantage of the device's microphones to enable 360-degree audio recording.

View attachment 260229
The biggest sin that the U11 solves, however, is the price. Unlike the U Ultra, which sold for an exorbitant $750, the U11 retails for $649 on HTC's store as an unlocked device, and if you get the $50 coupon, it drops to $599, making it a much better value proposition than HTC's bigger phone at launch.

So you might be asking, why did I put such a title? Sadly, even if HTC gets the price logically right, people will still flock over to buy the equivalent Samsung or Apple flagship, or maybe even LG's G6 despite the older hardware.

View attachment 260237
I could say that perhaps the larger bezels on the HTC U11 would make it look dated in comparison to the S8 or G6, which both have slimmer bezels, or maybe that the inclusion of the headphone jack on both devices would make them more appealing, but honestly, I don't think those are the prime reasons. Really, the prime reason is carrier support.

The aforementioned devices sans the U11 are sold on most, if not all of the major carriers in the USA. However, the U11 is only available on Sprint or Verizon as a carrier or unlocked, with AT&T and T-Mobile left out in terms of carrier deals (though unlocked versions will work). That's really the problem here as many folks in the US buy their phones from a carrier, usually as part of a monthly payment plan and/or as part of an upgrade program such as T-Mobile JUMP!. I think that's the biggest hurdle for the HTC U11, at least in the United States. Being unable to leverage deals on all major US networks is quite a setback.

View attachment 260239
Perhaps HTC is able to carve a niche for themselves not unlike OnePlus with the 3 and 3T, something which I do hope happens. But in terms of targeting the mainstream, I think the U11, as solid as it is, won't make much of a difference to HTC's bottom line. I do hope that I am wrong, but lately, it seems to be a vicious cycle.

HTC shooting themselves in the foot. HTC A9 = wannabe iPhone clone. HTC U Ultra = wannabe V20 and Samsung Galaxy phone. They've lost their identity. The HTC10 was the last good phone from them. They removing the headphone jack was the worst idea. NOT EVERYONE WANTS TO USE BLUETOOTH HEADPHONES! Geez, and who cares if it looks shiney! Nearly everyone uses a case so you can't really see the back of the phone! Give us what Android users want: good camera (dual cameras hopefully), good battery (removable hopefully), micro SD, good audio, nice screen, etc. I used to be a huge HTC fan way back in the early Android days. Their phones were good, now they offer nothing to users.

 

[flyingkytez]

I always been a HTC fan for the sound but getting rid of the 3.5mm headphone jack is the end for me. Yes, I want to be know that if I'm ever out an about with only 5 percent battery that I can still make it home and be listening to music whilst waking. With Bluetooth the poor battery will drain much quicker whilst listening to music.

Absolutely agree. I already wasn't too interested in HTC, but without the headphone jack, it's a guaranteed no. I considered the HTC 10, which was a solid device. Whomever is in charge needs to listen to Android users, we love the headphone jack! If you look in one of their promo videos​ of the some guy plugging in the headphone jack, they covered that part with his hand blocking it.