The unveiling of the new HTC 10 phone earlier this week looks to give the company a boost in the highly competitive mobile segment dominated by Samsung and Apple. Under the slogan of the “Power of 10,” the company seems to be saying this is the perfect phone.
The flagship phones of HTC have been coming short, but as the intro for the HTC said in the unveiling April 12, 2016, the changes in the new phone were made after listening to its customers.
The New HTC 10
If there is one thing HTC always had going for it, it was the design. Whether it was using metal or the curved back, it was ahead of all other manufacturers, including the iPhone, before everyone came around.
The new HTC 10 still has the beautiful design, but with a new chamfered contour and dual-textured finish sculpted from a single metal in the back and a solid slab of glass in the front, nothing else. This solid design has been subjected to 168 hours of extreme temperature tests, ranging from a freezing -20°C (-4°F) to a scorching 60°C (140° F), as well as more than 10,000 drop, scratch and corrosion tests, which will hopefully make cases a thing of the past.
The display is a 5.2-inch next-generation 2K LCD, which the company says is 30 percent more colorful and 50 percent more responsive. The fingerprint security features unlock the phone in just 0.2 seconds.
Once the device is on, HTC Freestyle Layout gets rid of the on-screen grid that greatly limits the way you use your space. With this user interface you can drag, layer, link and even get rid of icons, stickers and widgets anywhere on the screen. You are finally free to really customize the way your phone looks when you turn it on.
The camera and audio capability were highlighted during the presentation. According to HTC, the new camera has the world’s first optical image stabilization (OIS) system with larger aperture f/1.8 lenses for the front and back cameras.
The back camera delivers up to 136 percent more light using the HTC new generation UltraPixel sensor, providing 12 million UltraPixels (1.55um per UltraPixel). And when you are ready to shoot a video, you can do so in 4K with the world’s first stereo 24-bit Hi-Res audio recording in a smartphone, again according to HTC.
The new HTC 10 has certified Hi-Res audio capable of capturing 256 times more detail than standard recordings. The earphones have also been optimized to take advantage of this technology. They feature an 8µm thin aerospace-grade polymer diaphragm and 70 percent oversized drivers to deliver sound across twice the frequency range.
Last, but not least, is the battery, which has been improved to keep going for up to two days with normal use. The company says this was achieved with its new PowerBotics system, which enhances hardware and software efficiency, resulting in 30 percent longer battery life. And when you are ready to charge, the quick charger can give you 50 percent in 30 minutes, which is enough for a full day according to the new specs.
Here is a broader overview of the HTC 10:
- Dimensions and Weight: 145.9 x 71.9 x 3.0 – 9.0 mm, 161g
- 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 with 1.55 ?m pixel ), laser autofocus, Optical Image Stabilization (OIS), f/1.8 aperture, fual tone LED flash, face detection, continuous shooting up to 8 fps, Pro mode, Auto-HDR, Zoe Capture, hyperlapse, 12X Slow motion mode, 4K video recording with Hi-Res Audio
- Front Camera: 5MP (1.34 ?m pixels), Autofocus, BSI sensor, Optical Image Stabilisation (OIS)ƒ/1.8 aperture and 23mm focal length (86° wide angle), Live make-up, Auto selfie (smile selfie, still selfie), self timer up to 10 seconds, Auto-HDR and Full HD 1080p video recording
- Sound: HTC BoomSound HiFi 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 Ports: 3.5 mm stereo audio jack, USB 3.1 Gen 1, Type-C, Capacitive keys
- SIM card: Nano SIM
- Connectivity: NFC, BT 4.2, WiFi@: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz)
- Sensors: ambient light sensor, magnetic sensor, fingerprint sensor and sensor Hub
- Battery: 3000 mAh
- Colors: Carbon Grey, Glacier Silver, Topaz Gold, and Camellia Red
The new HTC 10 is going to be taking on the Galaxy S7, LG G5 and the iPhone 7 when it starts shipping later this month. At that time, you’ll find the HTC 10 on the top shelf next to the others, carrying a price tag of $699.99.
Images: HTC
Lola
Have to wait and see to experience the phone before making a final decision but I have to agree that the audio aspect of the phone is one of the things that sells for me. Knowing HTC, they had a good track record when it comes to audio quality when it comes to their phones. Sad to see the front facing stereo speakers go but let’s see how this new approach would be like. [link removed] Looks and all, seems great but not all that much comparing to other flagship phones. The large battery and the stuff they tweaked with that to claim to last 2 days is a great plus as some smart phones would not even last you a day.
Michael Guta
Hi Lola,
The company really emphasized the audio capabilities of this phone, and based on some hands on review I saw online it seems to have delivered. And like you said, a two day battery life is a great selling point for many users. Let us know how you like it if you decide to buy this phone.
Aira Bongco
I have not personally tried HTC 10 to really assess its camera and other functionalities. But it looks good. My only trouble is that mobile gadgets usually claim that they have good cameras when that is rarely the case when you try it out.
Michael Guta
Hi Aira,
Based on hands on reviews of the camera from CNET and Techradar, they were not that impressed with it, although they said it was an improvement over the M9.