HTC 10 Owners: First Impressions, Initial Reviews Thread

[bhatech]

Poor HTC works to remove duplicate redundant apps from device, people complain for that as well. If there are too many apps then bloat, if they try to remove then they disappoint another set of users. I guess the OEMs just can't win.

 

[cdd543]

My take on the 10 after a few days.

Solid build and very understated. It has nice weight to it in my opinion. Performance seems on par with other flagships in actual use-- at least compared to the 6P, s7e, ip6s+.

I don't like the capacitive buttons as they seem to have a tiny sweet spot or something.

Camera seems good though trailing the s7e as all have said.

Boom sound is no more--volume is terrible on the speakers. My m7 and m8 laugh at these speakers. I need to load some flac files to test the dac properly, but music sounds tremendous with decent headphones.

My biggest gripe is the screen--just find it too dim in bright sun--nevermind the fact that you can't even see the screen in portrait mode with a pair of smith shades I own.

I appreciate the light skin and fluid performance. Only lag I've seen is in apps like tapatalk and chrome--and it's really bad in chrome. Seems to be a little less navigational lag compared to TW on the s7e as I see lag there in their core apps.

Intangibles:
Something about this phone just doesn't seem special to me--pretty spot on the reviews that said it does everything pretty well, but... It's solid. I also feel that I would like to pay $499 for this phone. Oh well--Maybe if I hadn't been using some of the other current flagships, I'd have been more impressed, but that's how it feels after a few days. Maybe it'll grow on me.

Oh and one more thing for HTC--all those apps that allegedly help you transfer data like htc transfer and htc sync. They suck and don't work well. All I wanted to do was transfer sms, but they couldn't accomplish that from iPhone(doesn't work with iOS 9) or s7e(just broken). Of course, on their website they show a nice video showing how easy it is... That little extra bit of polish like samsung has with smartswitch makes for a much nicer transition. I was able to use a regular android app to get them from the s7e, but I wasted 45 minutes trying to use htc's poor tools.

 

[Bpschoon81]

Received my Carbon Gray HTC 10 on Friday.

Quick intro - I had the HTC One M7 for Verizon for almost 3 years, decided to skip the M8 and M9 because of negative reviews and personal preference. So this past November 2015 I bought the HTC One A9 despite the harsh criticism and to be honest I really liked it.

Seeing the fantastic reviews about the HTC 10, I didn't hesitate one bit to pre-order it. Upon receiving the device, I was able to transfer 95% of the content from the A9 over seamlessly. Everything about the device is great - it is super fast, display is sharp and crisp, the UI is smooth, etc.

However, there are some things that are really frustrating me right now and giving me second thoughts.

1.) LCD Panel: The LCD panel has a really bad viewing angle, giving it this pinkish, pale white hue. Anyone who uses the Twilight app or f.lux app will know what I'm talking about. After scoring some sites, I noted some reviewers mentioning this as well. I don't know if this is a defect or if this is meant to go away after a while. StilsonCanyon commented in the "Should you upgrade to the HTC 10 from the HTC One M9?" thread that "it is caused by a UV activated glue that is used to bond the screen and the LCD panel. I ran my 10 on full brightness in Vivid mode and the tint is no longer present (it's been 3 days)." I never had this problem on my M7 nor on the A9. Matter of fact, I really liked the A9's AMOLED display even though there are better AMOLEDs out there. Nonetheless, this is my biggest issue right now and it really bothers me when I look at the phone (from an angle) whilst sitting at my desk. I've tried tweaking the Vivid and sRBG settings and brightness but to no avail.

2.) Capacitive Button Placement - maybe I'm just really used to the A9's on-screen buttons but I find it difficult sometimes to accurately hit the capacitive buttons on the 10. They seem too low on the device and a little too precise to the touch (not enough range for error).

3.) Camera - I spent about 20 minutes yesterday with the camera and kept getting the "laser auto focus blocked" message. This was regardless of having the case on or off. Also, the camera had a difficult time focusing on close up objects and overall was not taking very good pictures.
Note - I updated the software today and hope that this addresses the camera issues

4.) WiFi connectivity issues - The 10 is having trouble holding a connection to my WiFi signal. The update today did help somewhat but not entirely.

5.) SD Card support - the 10 doesn't seem to support my SanDisk SD card and let me use it as internal storage (the A9 supported it and allowed me to use it as internal).

6.) BoomSound Speakers - absolutely loved the M7's BoomSound speakers and loathed the A9's single firing, it is a sheer toss-up here. It is sort of reminiscent of the M7's speakers but at the same time not quite.

7.) Heat issue - whilst using the camera and other apps, I noticed that the phone got very warm which I know is typical of metal phones but not something that I observed with the M7 or the A9 to this degree.

So these are just some of my griping issues and I hope there is some resolve to it. Otherwise I will have to return it for a replacement or go back to using the A9.

Please comment on what you think might help.

Thanks.

I'm in the same boat. Thinking about returning this and using my A9 until the new nexus comes out. Even though the A9 is only 1080, I think the screen is actually better

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Bpschoon81]

My Ray Bans are polarized and I can't see the screen at all in vertical orientation.

Same. My Ray Bans weren't cheap and I can't see the screen vertically through them

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[Ronnie Brewer]

Re: HTC 10 owners first impressions/review thread

i love it. I have owned nearly every flagship in the past 3 years and a few nice budget phones. So when I say that I believe its the best all around device out as of today, I am comparing it with a lot of hands experience with many many other nice devices. The HTC 10 does not have one flaw and it excels at most important parts of an excellent phone. The display is better than most amoleds, the battery is solid and can not be killed in a day, the charging is really fast, and the sound is truly the best I have ever heard on a phone. The build is solid and its built like a tank.. I will keep this one. I think am finished looking for the perfect device...

 

[Gdwheel]

Something about this phone just doesn't seem special to me--pretty spot on the reviews that said it does everything pretty well, but... It's solid. I also feel that I would like to pay $499 for this phone. Oh well--Maybe if I hadn't been using some of the other current flagships, I'd have been more impressed, but that's how it feels after a few days. Maybe it'll grow on me.

This is my issue with the phone. Is it bad? No, definitely not. Does it do anything better than the other flagship phones? I guess that depends on what is important to you. The size, build, light UI, battery life and audio seem to be its strong suits. It is very fast and easy to use. The screen is okay. Wifi is bad, but I think this is a problem with the chip. The G5 has the same chip and has the exact same wifi issues. I have both and they function the same. Unfortunately, that may mean that the issues cannot be fixed with a software update. The newest update did not do much to help.

The camera, even after the update, is not very good. It is slow, the photos are soft and in low light it it is awful compared to the S7 and the G5 (understanding that they are the best phone cameras available). The laser auto focus does not work very well in low light even after the update.

My biggest gripe is with all of the HTC stock apps. They are all awful. They have not been updated in many years and are well behind the competition. If you do not need any of the stock apps, this is not an issue, but for those that do, they are disappointing. I use Nova launcher on all of my phones and have them set up the same, so they function the same, with the exceptions of many of the things noted above.

I, too, question whether I can justify the price of this phone and may have to return it. I will continue to use it and see. Again, there is nothing wrong with it, and would be a huge upgrade from most phones (especially anything HTC has put out previously), but not compared to what others are offering and what is likely coming later this year. Just my two cents for anyone who may be considering these phones and to those who are perfectly happy with the 10, that is what is really important. Enjoy it.

 

[Buzzkillington32]

So far I have mixed feelings about the HTC 10. I received it on Monday and I am currently having issues where the battery percentage is stuck at 100%. I have tried a couple options to fix this and contacted HTC support about it. Currently waiting for them to get back to me on what I need to do. It is a real downer because my first impressions of the phone, was that it is a great device.

 

[richard dillon1]

Anyone noticed a small gap on the left hand side of the screen

 

[radgatt]

Anyone noticed a small gap on the left hand side of the screen

Small gap in what way? Separating the bezel from the screen to see possible internals? Or small gap where dust/debris can get into?

 

[richard dillon1]

Small gap in what way? Separating the bezel from the screen to see possible internals? Or small gap where dust/debris can get into?

Dust and debri can't get in but I just noticed it while straining my eyes to look

 

[ab304945]

Re: S7 Edge to HTC 10 - First Impressions are mixed.

I have both phones sitting in front of me, so I'll just give you guys the real review.

SPEED:
The HTC 10 is like a Ferrari compared to my S7E, which is just interface lag and can have huge lag spikes in general around day to day usage. Tap something in the menu, wait 1 second for it to respond. Samsung is lag city while the HTC 10 rarely hiccups.

In processor intensive tasks, like website loading or games, they are basically the same.

Fingerprint sensor is 100% faster than S7E.

HOWEVER, the Camera is SLOW. Like slower to focus, slower to capture, and slower shot to shot. Ugh?

DISPLAY:

It's dimmer, maybe 50% dimmer. That's not a deal breaker, but the viewing angles may be. This is an IPS display but almost seems like a PVA display in color and brightness loss when viewed even slightly off angle. Disturbing.

Colors are good and fine. Screen has a pink tint but is fairly even. Sadly, this feels like a significant cost cutting measure by HTC.

Also, I have a spec of dust in one corner on my display. Oh well.

OTHER?

Camera is adequate, not concerned. More annoyed that is slower than I'm used to in the iPhone 6S and S7/S6

HEAT - this thing is 4 degrees Celsius hotter than the S7Edge. CPU-Z reports battery temp at 40C during heavy load, while my S7E caps around 36C and sometimes goes to 38C while charging.

BUILD is AWESOME, IN hand feel is WAY better, size is honestly PERFECT.

SPEAKER SOUND is GOOD, while S7 Edge I would say S7E speaker is POOR.

Reception seems about the same, maybe slightly worse than S7E. Sitting next to each on Verizon network.

Am I keeping this phone? I thought for sure I would. It cost me $550 + $20upgrade + tax. I really wish the display was more useable off center (this could be an issue using it as navigation in the car). The phone runs a lot hotter than the S7 Edge (idles @ 32C, while the S7 idles at 24C-26C). It's got a smaller battery. But it is 1000% smoother and faster in day to day usage.

It's definitely not perfect, and the camera speed and display quality is definitely more disappointing than I thought it would be.

Maybe you had it set up wrong.

My fingerprint scanner is insanely fast. It literally unlocks with my fingerprint 1 second or less.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[janice257]

I have my HTC 10 now a week and i'm glad i've waited for it. My last phone was the htc one m7 and it still works so i expect the 10 will also be at my side for a long time. One thing i love is the battery life that is longer now and the phone doesn't overheat like the m7. The fingerprint scanner works fine, shortcuts also wipe down twice for camera, double tap takes the phone out of standby, swipe up for unlock, left is home screen, right is blink feed. I'm still getting used to the phone i see a lot of new good things but my last one was a M7 so i'm not sure if the models before the 10 and after M7 had some of the samen features. One thing that they could do is enable wireless charging, but that isn't a problem the phone charges fast and the sound is amazing! theater modus and music modus the headphones that come with it are more amazing, the big headphones are nothing compared to the htc headphone, i can't listen it on the highest volume because i don't want to damage my hearing. Camera is nice and i like that you can put 2T SD in it but yeah still have to wait till that is available. I like the phone, not dissapointed at al and if the HTC 10 also works fine after years like my M7 than i made a good choice

 

[mcdonsco]

Re: HTC 10 owners first impressions/review thread

Those who have the phone should toss on some polarized glasses and then look at the screen, while you're still in your return period.

 

[lindseybp]

Had mine for about a week. Great phone. Yeah polarized sunglasses could be an issue for some but not a deal breaker for me. Just too much else great with this phone.

Posted via the Android Central App

 

[mcdonsco]

I was thinking the same thing because I really like the phone and usually with the polarized lenses it's in landscape mode, which is annoying, but not an immediate deal breaker, but with the HTC 10 it's in portrait mode, check it out.

I first put my glasses on when I had the phone in landscape mode and thought "awesome, it works fine!" And then right as I was about to take my glasses off I turned it back to portrait and it went black.

 

[richard dillon1]

Anyone seeing any gaps between screen and body

 

[jinzen]

Re: S7 Edge to HTC 10 - First Impressions are mixed.

Maybe you had it set up wrong.

My fingerprint scanner is insanely fast. It literally unlocks with my fingerprint 1 second or less.

Posted via the Android Central App

You've never see an iPhone scanner that unlocks in milliseconds. The S7 Edge is SLOW and unreliable in comparison. 1 second is 100 times longer than 10ms.

 

[robsw]

I've had the phone now for a couple of days and, I'm sad to say, just requested a return authorization. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone - everything positive that I've read about the camera, build quality, speed, etc. is true. I bought it because my Nexus 6P is just too damn big to carry around in my pocket all the time, the reviews were good to great and I loved my Nexus One and my M7. There have been just a few things that bug me enough to return it:

1. Purely a matter of preference, but I like the AMOLED better than the LCD.
2. The green/amber only LED is annoying. I color code contacts so that I can tell who I have texts, etc. from without turning on the screen in meetings. Not an option with the 10.
3. Bluetooth issues with my car - unlike the four other phones I've had with this car, the 10 won't sync contacts. It will show the last several calls, but only as numbers, not names. Apparently this has been a problem with several HTCs and particularly German cars. I finally solved it, mostly, by installing the Google dialer and contacts APKs from APK Mirror. Now the contacts appear, but there are random, weird duplicates. Must be something unique to the HTC dialer/people apps.
4. When I use voice typing over bluetooth, the audio in the car doesn't pause, unlike with 3 of the last four phones I've had.
5. Shockingly, I've gotten so used to the screen size of the 6P that the 5.2" screen seems unnaturally small! I'm sure I would get back used to it over time.

Most or all of these are personal preferences or things that are particular to my situation and are not meant as general criticisms of the phone. Thinking of getting an unlocked S7 Edge to get the bigger screen with less physical size than the 6P.

 

[richard dillon1]

I've had the phone now for a couple of days and, I'm sad to say, just requested a return authorization. Don't get me wrong, it's a great phone - everything positive that I've read about the camera, build quality, speed, etc. is true. I bought it because my Nexus 6P is just too damn big to carry around in my pocket all the time, the reviews were good to great and I loved my Nexus One and my M7. There have been just a few things that bug me enough to return it:

1. Purely a matter of preference, but I like the AMOLED better than the LCD.
2. The green/amber only LED is annoying. I color code contacts so that I can tell who I have texts, etc. from without turning on the screen in meetings. Not an option with the 10.
3. Bluetooth issues with my car - unlike the four other phones I've had with this car, the 10 won't sync contacts. It will show the last several calls, but only as numbers, not names. Apparently this has been a problem with several HTCs and particularly German cars. I finally solved it, mostly, by installing the Google dialer and contacts APKs from APK Mirror. Now the contacts appear, but there are random, weird duplicates. Must be something unique to the HTC dialer/people apps.
4. When I use voice typing over bluetooth, the audio in the car doesn't pause, unlike with 3 of the last four phones I've had.
5. Shockingly, I've gotten so used to the screen size of the 6P that the 5.2" screen seems unnaturally small! I'm sure I would get back used to it over time.

Most or all of these are personal preferences or things that are particular to my situation and are not meant as general criticisms of the phone. Thinking of getting an unlocked S7 Edge to get the bigger screen with less physical size than the 6P.

These are things you were aware of before buying so why get it

 

[joewoo]

The only thing I don't like is the home button being capacitive ... I press it by accident all the time.. Great everything else