Where Did You Go After HTC 10?

[TrophyNostalgia]

HTC is known for having some financial rough spots lately as a company. And I'm wondering for those of you who have moved to the next phone, what did you get? Did you stick with HTC and the U12+ or have you gone and with another OEM? What do you like or miss in relation to your previous HTC 10?

 

[Larry 609]

I went to the Galaxy S9+ back in June when there was a Best Buy sale offering a few hundred dollars off it. So far, I'm really enjoying it.

Not crazy about the glass exterior (even though I have a case anyway), but it runs smoothly and faster than any phone I've had in the past. The Samsung Experience skin is also so much better in comparison to the cartoony Touchwiz days, which was a huge reason why I never considered them in the past.

I loved the HTC 10, but there are a few little things that make the S9+ seem a bit more of a smoother experience. For example, when I plugged the 10 into my laptop via a USB cord, moving the phone ever so slightly could cause it to disconnect and make me have to unplug and plug the phone in all over. That hasn't happened with the S9+ at all. There's also no slight hissing when I'm playing music via headphones, which I always heard during the more quiet or silent moments between songs with the 10. Maybe something DAC-related there?

There are some software tweaks that I find helpful as well, but might just be attributed to the newer technology that phones have every cycle or two (like telling you when apps are taking up power automatically, etc.).

Truth be told, I don't miss a whole lot about the 10, although Sense was my favorite skin for Android. But after hearing they didn't update it much for the U12, maybe I didn't miss out on much overall? Plus, it's nice having a few things that the later HTC phones were doing without like that headphone jack. In any case, I'm just lucky that moving on from a great phone like the 10 went as seemlessly as it could. I still have the 10 as my back-up device too in case the S9+ breaks at some point, but hopefully I'll still have it running okay in the future!

 

[venommob]

S9...purely for the headphone jack. The U11 would have been my next logical step if the jack had not been excluded. I'd been with HTC since the EVO 4g.

I primarily listen to music as I can listen while working. I root all my devices out of the box, delete all Samsung/ Google bloatware except Google Maps, and install Viper4Android along with apps that I trust.


There is a big difference in music quality coming from the 10, as the 10 was a musical beast. But, SOT sucked (3.5-4 hours SOT).

Now I have great SOT, and a so-so musical experience with the S9. Oh, the irony.

My HTC 10 is still in service (And Still Great) as my cycling buddy due to the smaller form factor.

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

Right now I've been debating between the Google Pixel 3, HTC U12+, and Sony Xperia XZ2. I had an incredibly negative experience with LG. For Samsung, the Galaxy 9+ might happen only if I can guarantee the absence of bloatware. I'm really not drawn to their plastic like phones. As you guys mention it does have the audio jack. But, what I miss is that great metal style that the HTC M8 used to have. Samsung isnt ruled out, it's just not my first choice.

Most important to me are call and audio quality in addition to strong battery life. The only other deal breaker is it has to work with T-Mobile WIFI calling.

Hard to judge when you can't play with most phones in store anymore. Glad to hear you guys had a positive Samsung experience. Maybe I'll try to hunt one down in stores to consider it again.

 

[Saratoga Semper]

Oneplus 5..I love the system wide dark theme.. the reading mode.. the choice of accent colours and the fact that I no longer carry chargers with me whenever am out. I don't really miss the htc 10

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

Oneplus 5..I love the system wide dark theme.. the reading mode.. the choice of accent colours and the fact that I no longer carry chargers with me whenever am out. I don't really miss the htc 10

Yeah I have to charge my HTC 2-3 times a day now. What do you mean by accent colors? Color options in hardware?

 

[Larry 609]

Right now I've been debating between the Google Pixel 3, HTC U12+, and Sony Xperia XZ2. I had an incredibly negative experience with LG. For Samsung, the Galaxy 9+ might happen only if I can guarantee the absence of bloatware. I'm really not drawn to their plastic like phones. As you guys mention it does have the audio jack. But, what I miss is that great metal style that the HTC M8 used to have. Samsung isnt ruled out, it's just not my first choice.

Most important to me are call and audio quality in addition to strong battery life. The only other deal breaker is it has to work with T-Mobile WIFI calling.

Hard to judge when you can't play with most phones in store anymore. Glad to hear you guys had a positive Samsung experience. Maybe I'll try to hunt one down in stores to consider it again.

For me, the "bloatware" issue hasn't been one I've had at all. Once I got the phone, I disabled all the Samsung apps I didn't need to use and they never popped up once afterward. Plus, with how fast phones are and the storage space these days, they might not even be a huge issue anyway. No more so than me disabling the apps on any carrier/non-rooted phone, maybe?

I'd love a phone with a metal-backing too, but I couldn't really find any out there for the newer models. I think with most phones these days, you're going to have some compromises one way or another no matter what you get. Then you just have to weigh what's more important... having a phone with a jack or a highly-rated camera, or a nice skin/Android experience, etc.

Overall though, while I didn't go crazy over it in the store, the S9+ has mostly worked out great for me. If given the chance to get it again after the other models that have just been announced or released, I'd probably still get one.

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

For me, the "bloatware" issue hasn't been one I've had at all. Once I got the phone, I disabled all the Samsung apps I didn't need to use and they never popped up once afterward. Plus, with how fast phones are and the storage space these days, they might not even be a huge issue anyway. No more so than me disabling the apps on any carrier/non-rooted phone, maybe?

I've love a phone with a metal-backing too, but I couldn't really find any out there for the newer models. I think with most phones these days, you're going to have some compromises one way or another no matter what you get. Then you just have to weight what's more important... having a phone with a jack or a highly-related camera, or a nice skin/Android experience, etc.

Overall though, while I didn't go crazy over it in the store, the S9+ has mostly worked out great for me. If given the chance to get it again after the other models that have just been announced or released, I'd probably still get one.

Good to know, I don't root. And, I'd probably come back to the community here to best figure out how to customize the phone. Any chance you've had exposure to the Google Pixel series? How would you compare Samsung to the Pixel devices?

You do have to compromise. I'm not ecstatic about losing the head phone jack but I think all phones will go that route before long.

 

[Larry 609]

I've never owned a Pixel device, but have played with a few at the stores over the years. Honestly, it's hard to make a comparison just on that. But I thought it handled itself okay from the brief looks I got. The minimalist Android experience would probably be a huge draw for people, as would the faster updates (especially in comparison to Samsungs). Enough to get me to consider it over the others? I'm not too sure about that... but again, that's people's priorities there.

The cameras still get hyped on with other websites, even amongst the iPhone crowd. But the lack of a headphone jack would annoy me... which is part of the reason I'm glad to have the S9. The notch isn't something I have to worry about anytime soon, so that's also a non-issue for me. I also enjoy having a micro SD card option on my phone, which the Pixels don't really have. Being reliant on a cloud and (potentially) spotty Internet connection for my music files and pictures is a non-starter for me, really.

As for cameras, the S9 seems to do decent enough (truth be told, I think some photos came out better on the 10, particularly the selfies). And if I need anything more quality-wise, I usually get the point-and-shoot out.

 

[Saratoga Semper]

Text /icons ..quick settings icons.. Volume indicator ..app short cut texts colors in menu

 

[mwake4goten]

S9...purely for the headphone jack. The U11 would have been my next logical step if the jack had not been excluded. I'd been with HTC since the EVO 4g.

I primarily listen to music as I can listen while working. I root all my devices out of the box, delete all Samsung/ Google bloatware except Google Maps, and install Viper4Android along with apps that I trust.


There is a big difference in music quality coming from the 10, as the 10 was a musical beast. But, SOT sucked (3.5-4 hours SOT).

Now I have great SOT, and a so-so musical experience with the S9. Oh, the irony.

My HTC 10 is still in service (And Still Great) as my cycling buddy due to the smaller form factor.

Right now I've been debating between the Google Pixel 3, HTC U12+, and Sony Xperia XZ2. I had an incredibly negative experience with LG. For Samsung, the Galaxy 9+ might happen only if I can guarantee the absence of bloatware. I'm really not drawn to their plastic like phones. As you guys mention it does have the audio jack. But, what I miss is that great metal style that the HTC M8 used to have. Samsung isnt ruled out, it's just not my first choice.

Most important to me are call and audio quality in addition to strong battery life. The only other deal breaker is it has to work with T-Mobile WIFI calling.

Hard to judge when you can't play with most phones in store anymore. Glad to hear you guys had a positive Samsung experience. Maybe I'll try to hunt one down in stores to consider it again.

After years of being smug HTC user I did my research and went over and grabbed a LG V30. If you value sound quality there is no peer. Destroys the HTC phones in terms of sound quality in fact if is a night and day difference.

But HTC 10 has a great build quality feel in the hand, and I love sense. But if I'm honest the V30 is a far better phone, maybe the best underrated phone of 2017.

 

[rothe]

I was looking for a phone with all of these features:

1) A headphone jack
2) small enough for one-handed operation
3) rock solid build quality
3a) a rugged, metal body
3b) no fragile glass on the back
3c) can accept a protective case without impeding edge/squeeze functions
4) minimal bloatware
5) expandable memory
6) optical image stabilization - on both front and rear cameras

I ended up replacing the battery on my HTC 10. Seventy five bucks. It's not a perfect phone. It's just less imperfect than all of the alternatives.

 

[mike146]

went to LG G7 thinQ

DAC, headphone jack were big reasons why.

Only cost 450 at Best buy was another big plus. Do not like Samsung's so this seemed like the logical step. First phone other than HTC, used them since the first Incredible which seems like a lifetime ago. LOL.

 

[BruceCk]

When my HTC 10 stopped showing as 100% after charging (usually around 80%), CPW repaired it in January 18 just before the two years on warranty. They replaced the battery, as well as the screen, as there was a bit unlit on the Clear All LED.

I've avoided using the fast charger at all, as I'm convinced that caused a lot of the battery problems. It's still as good as new, and cheap to run on a SIM only deal. I've been eyeing up a Pixel 3 and others, but not keen on the rounded corners to most screens, or glass backs, or notches! I've still got my old M8 working well as a backup, so there is no real need to change for now, as the HTC 10 still does all I need with plenty of space and speed.

 

[OptimusTarzan]

I've had HTC phones since the HTC Hero, then Evo, Evo 3D, M7, then HTC 10. If it wasn't for my battery slowly going bad, I'd still hang on to my HTC 10 for a year more. It's at 70% capacity health which isn't bad for a 2 year old phone. I was going to replace the battery for $100 but I thought why not put that money into a new phone instead.

I'm still on my 10 but just got a LG V40. I really wanted the HTC u12+ but T-Mobile had a huge Black Friday sale essentially making it free. I didn't activate it yet since I'm backing up all my data first. I love the screen but miss the metal feel and weight of the 10. But the LGs glass back allows for wireless charging, a compromise I can live with.

The LG was the second logical choice for me since I hate Samsung, iPhones and Chinese phones. The HTC 10 was a great phone and I'll miss it.

 

[rothe]

This might be interesting. So far as I can see, it's a flagship-grade Android phone with a cryptocurrency wallet. It looks like the crypto wallet can be ignored just as easily as one could choose to use it, so it boils down to "is it a great phone?" I'm anxious to see some reviews.

Note that it has a headphone jack!

https://lifehacker.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-htcs-exodus-1-the-blockcha-1830836727

 

[pootyash]

I was looking for a phone with all of these features:

1) A headphone jack
2) small enough for one-handed operation
3) rock solid build quality
3a) a rugged, metal body
3b) no fragile glass on the back
3c) can accept a protective case without impeding edge/squeeze functions
4) minimal bloatware
5) expandable memory
6) optical image stabilization - on both front and rear cameras

I ended up replacing the battery on my HTC 10. Seventy five bucks. It's not a perfect phone. It's just less imperfect than all of the alternatives.

My rationale as well. Just replaced the battery. I'll wait til next year to upgrade - here's hoping Pixel 4 will have a headphone jack!

 

[Sonic Sunglasses]

Sorry to dredge up an old thread, but after being a loyal HTC user from the One Max to the 10, I jumped ship to the Samsung Galaxy S10+. HTC's hit-or-miss quality, broken update promises, et cetera made it an easy choice to move on.

 

[mwake4goten]

How do find the Samsung? Is the battery life good? That is my real issue with HTC, they make lovely software and the hardware build is generally good but the battery that they source doesn't seem to be good in my opinion. Both HTC phones ihave had have died because of catastrophic battery failure.

 

[Sonic Sunglasses]

I though my HTC 10's battery was fine until I got my Galaxy S10+. Once the Samsung power manager developed an initial usage profile, the phone has been able to go roughly 2.5 days before absolutely needing to recharge (less than 15% power remaining). I have no regrets at all about jumping on the Galaxy bandwagon.