HTC U11: Will it make you squeeze your wallet?

A good buy if you want a smartphone with a brilliant camera and audio output, says Khalid Anzar.

Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC's latest, the "squeezable" HTC U11, appears to have all qualities of the flagship breed -- many innovations in a compact body.

In the premium segment, the phone offers top-of-the line specifications and innovative features like the HTC Edge Sense, USonic and BoomSound.

But can it compete with the likes of Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+, LG G6, and Sony Xperia XZ Premium? Let's find out.

Design and display

It is the first time since the M7 series that HTC is moving from metal to 3D glass for both front and back.

The Gorilla Glass 5 covers the device, supported by a metal frame.

The phone, however, disappoints with huge bezels on top and bottom.

On the rear, the smartphone's new "liquid surface" is a fingerprint magnet.

The phone has a 5.5-inch super LCD 5 screen of quad-HD (1440 x 2560) resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio that delivers a consistent performance.

Hardware and software

The phone is a real powerhouse for technical innards: Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, Adreno 540 GPU and Snapdragon X16 LTE modem with LTE speed up to 1 Gbps.

The device has a massive 128 GB internal storage, a 6 GB RAM and supports UFS version 2.1, expandable up to 2 TB using microSD.

In a first, the U11 can be operated using squeeze-based interactions. It uses an array of pressure-sensitive sensors that recognise "squeeze" actions to deliver app-specific features.

Camera

The smartphone sports a 12MP, f/1.7 aperture rear camera with phase detection autofocus, optical image stabilisation and dual-LED flash.

The 16 MP front camera is perfect for selfies.

The rear camera is much ahead of competition, and does well in recording 4K videos.

Audio

The BoomSound speakers are louder than the previous generation.

In this set-up, the front earpiece works as a tweeter and the base is handled by a dedicated speaker mounted at the bottom.

For audio routed through wired handsets, the quality is equally amazing — courtesy HTC USonic headphones. 

Verdict

HTC U11 is a perfect choice if you are looking for a premium smartphone with brilliant camera performance, incredible audio output and a consistent performance .

At ₹51,990, it seems fairly competitively for its league.