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HTC U12+ review: Fundamentally flawed
Once a big player in smartphones, HTC is now better known for its Vive VR headsets than anything else. The firm offloaded the team responsible for the Pixel phones to Google earlier this year, shortly before the chief of its smartphone division resigned. Another round of layoffs later, as HTC merged its VR and phone arms together in North America, and you'd think it was kissing the industry goodbye. But according to the company, that's far from the case, though we imagine there'll be a keen eye on the success of the new U12+, the HTC flagship of this year. With plenty of top-tier competition recently unleashed on the public, though, can HTC still hold its own?
HTC’s U11+ is a more elegant reimagining of its predecessor
With the U11, HTC showed it hasn't completely lost its mojo. A pair of great cameras, a playful and premium glass design and pressure-sensitive sides that enable new features proved the company still has what it takes to hang with the big boys. Understandably, HTC is keen to keep riding this wave and leveraging the U11 pedigree to put its phones into more people's hands. That's manifested itself in two new devices: The mid-range U11 Life and a sequel of sorts, the U11+. As with any "plus" handset, you've no doubt deduced what the main upgrade is already. Yep, it's got a larger display, but as a whole, the increase in handset size is practically imperceptible. If anything, the U11+ is just more refined, and that, by design, makes room for a bigger screen. Perhaps, then, it's what the U11 could've, or should've been.
Leaked HTC U11 Plus video reveals a bigger battery and screen
A hands-on video featuring the upcoming HTC U11 Plus has been leaked to Facebook, showing that the flagship phone will be available in a translucent option, as well as black and silver. Evan Bass, who's known for leaking tech specs, also confirmed the translucent option in a tweet. The video has since been taken down, but the inevitable copies still available online show the U11 Plus will have a six-inch display, 4,000 mAh battery and 128GB of storage (other storage options, if any, are yet to be confirmed). A closer look also reveals a coil beneath the shell, which could indicate wireless charging capabilities.
Squeezing your HTC U11 will do a lot more soon
One of my biggest gripes about HTC's U11 is that its Edge Sense gimmick -- which lets you squeeze the phone to activate shortcuts -- didn't actually let you do very much. Well, that's about to change. The company is going to push a software update tonight that adds new default actions for Edge Sense and (more importantly) the ability to create your own shortcuts for any app installed on your phone.
HTC U11 review: More than just gimmicks
Even die-hard fans have been ready to write off HTC for years now, and I can't blame them. The company's phones have fluctuated between greatness and mediocrity, while its competitors have improved by leaps and bounds. So, what's a company in a kind of existential peril supposed to do? Well, making a phone like the new U11, for starters. It's shiny, laden with gimmicks, and -- spoiler alert -- the whole thing falls short of perfect for a few reasons. Even so, HTC has gotten enough right in this ostentatious package that you should definitely start (or restart) paying attention.
