What us the HTC U11+?
The HTC U11+ is a 0.5 upgrade to the company’s previous flagship, the HTC U11. It’s a minor refresh akin to OnePlus’ upgrade of the OnePlus 5 to the OnePlus 5T.
It offers updates to the U11’s design and hardware, including an improved screen and larger battery. If it was released half a year ago, it would have been one of 2017’s best handsets – and even now it remains a solid choice that will meet most buyers’ needs. But into 2018, with the threat of next-generation handsets, it feels a little late in the game.
HTC U11+ – Design
At first glance, the U11+ doesn’t look like a huge departure from the U11. The only obvious difference between the two is that the U11+ is slightly taller and thinner than its predecessor and has a significantly smaller bezel. But unless you hold the two back to back, you’re unlikely to notice the changes.
Both phones have the same ‘Liquid Surface’ design that debuted on HTC’s previous U Play and U Ultra handsets. It replaces the unibody metal design for which HTC was well known, with a combination of metal and glass.
While I can see from an engineering perspective the reason HTC has opted to make such a move – metal bodies and antennas don’t play well together and are a faff to make work – I’m still not completely sold on the new look for variety of reasons.
For starters, although the black unit I tested looked super-swish out of the box, within minutes of picking it up, the rear of the devices was covered in smudges and fairly grubbly-looking.
In addition, the glass back feels like it’s been bolted on to the metal frame. This makes the U11+ fairly cumbersome in the hand compared to other top-end, mixed-material phones such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 and iPhone X.
I’m also not a fan of the fact the U11+ is lacking a 3.5mm jack, although this is a grumble I have with pretty much every modern flagship – damn you, Apple, for starting this trend.
However, outside of these niggles, the U11+ does tick all the right boxes. Round the back you’ll find a fingerprint scanner that proved accurate and reliable throughout testing. The USB Type-C port at the device’s bottom offers decent charge and data transfer speeds, and the inclusion of a microSD card slot makes it quick and easy to expand the U11+’s healthy 128GB of built-in storage.
Audio and recording quality, too, remain key selling points for the U11+. Like the original U11, the U11+ features 24-bit Hi-Res Audio support, HTC BoomSound speakers and four omnidirectional microphones for voice recognition and recording.
As before, the BoomSound speakers are a cut above those included in most phones, making movie-watching and listening to podcasts a significantly more pleasant experience. But I still wouldn’t want to use them to listen to music as at max volumes since they can take on an acidic quality. The only handset to offer better audio is the Razer Phone.
The four omnidirectional mics remain as impressive as ever, and ensure the U11+ is excellent at recognising and enacting voice commands – which is handy, since it’s one of the only handsets to feature built-in support for both Alexa and Google Assistant. In addition, thanks to the reappearance of HTC’s Edge Sense feature, the assistant can be activated by squeezing the phone – as seen in the U11 and Google Pixel 2.
Build quality of the U11+ is solid. Despite being a dirt magnet, the phone is fairly rugged for a glass-backed handset. After a week using the U11+ as my main phone – without the included case, but which I recommend most people use – the phone remains scratch-free, even after an accidental encounter with a hardwood floor. The IP68 certification translates to a reasonable degree of water-resistance, although you wouldn’t want to go diving with it in tow.
HTC U11+ – Screen
HTC has loaded the U11+ with a sizable 6-inch Quad HD+ display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. The screen is an upgrade on the regular U11’s 5.5-inch, quad-HD display in a number of ways – and I’m seriously impressed that HTC has managed to load such a big panel into the device without having to radically increase its overall size.
The screen remains LCD, rather than OLED, which means black levels aren’t quite as deep as seen on competing handsets such as the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Google Pixel 2. However, whites are noticeably cleaner and colours are well represented.
Unlike the Google Pixel 2 XL, which had a horribly calibrated OLED screen, colours on the U11+ look vibrant without being overcooked, and I didn’t see a noticeable shift to any side of the RGB spectrum. Top-notch maximum brightness levels also mean the screen offers contrast, despite the less inky blacks.
The resolution bump is good, but being honest, I didn’t notice a difference until I placed the U11+ and U11 side by side and spent more time than I’d like staring at the two screens. At this size, anything above FHD is going to look sharp and crisp.
HTC says it the display will be HDR10-enabled through a software update later in the year, but at the time of review, it wasn’t available.
HTC U11+ – Software
The U11+ comes preloaded with the latest Android 8.0 Oreo version of Google’s OS, overlaid with HTC Sense. I’ve never been a fan of custom Android skins, since they often unnecessarily load phones with bloatware, make useless UI changes, and delay how quickly the phone can receive software updates.
Fortunately – and for the most part – these aren’t issues on the U11+. Bloatware has been kept to a minimum and, outside of contacts and email, I didn’t spot any duplicate applications. Excluding additional settings for the U11+’s BoomSound speakers and the USB-C ANC headphones it comes with, the Settings menu is pretty close to stock Android.
My only quibble is with Sense UI’s BlinkFeed service. BlinkFeed is a news and social media aggregation page that can be accessed by swiping left from the phone’s main homescreen. When it first arrived on the original HTC One many moons ago, it was actually quite useful, offering users a one-stop shop for all their alerts and news. Over the years, however, it’s gradually become less useful.
A lack of significant UI updates, alongside improvements to Android’s native notifications system mean BlinkFeed is, for the most part, a superfluous addition to the OS;and one that increases battery drain. Most users will either ignore it, or be annoyed by it. Personally, I fall into the latter category, and I can’t help but feel HTC should either overhaul the feature or ditch it.
HTC U11+ – Performance
The U11+ comes preloaded with the latest Android 8.0 Oreo version of Google’s OS, overlaid with HTC Sense. I’ve never been a fan of custom Android skins, since they often unnecessarily load phones with bloatware, make useless UI changes, and delay how quickly the phone can receive software updates.
Fortunately – and for the most part – these aren’t issues on the U11+. Bloatware has been kept to a minimum and, outside of contacts and email, I didn’t spot any duplicate applications. Excluding additional settings for the U11+’s BoomSound speakers and the USB-C ANC headphones it comes with, the Settings menu is pretty close to stock Android.
My only quibble is with Sense UI’s BlinkFeed service. BlinkFeed is a news and social media aggregation page that can be accessed by swiping left from the phone’s main homescreen. When it first arrived on the original HTC One many moons ago, it was actually quite useful, offering users a one-stop shop for all their alerts and news. Over the years, however, it’s gradually become less useful.
HTC U11+ – Performance
The U11+ runs using the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU as its predecessor, but features a slightly more robust 6GB of RAM.
Although all eyes are now on Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 845 CPU, which is set to run on 2018’s next-generation handsets, the 835 is still a competent bit of silicon that’s more than powerful enough.
Next to all the 835-powered phones I’ve tested, the U11+ offers great performance. Apps open in milliseconds and the phone powers through demanding tasks such as 3D gaming stutter- and chug-free.
The phone’s synthetic benchmark scores mirrored my real-world findings, with its Geekbench 4 1933 single-core and 6775 multi-core scores putting it just above the regular U11. You can see how the U11+ compares to the U11 and Galaxy S8 in the table below.
Phone Geekbench 4 single-core Geekbench 4 multi-core U11+ 1933 6775 U11 1904 6363 Galaxy S8 2013 6659
The U11+ runs using the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 CPU as its predecessor, but features a slightly more robust 6GB of RAM.
Although all eyes are now on Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 845 CPU, which is set to run on 2018’s next-generation handsets, the 835 is still a competent bit of silicon that’s more than powerful enough.
Although all eyes are now on Qualcomm’s newer Snapdragon 845 CPU, which is set to run on 2018’s next-generation handsets, the 835 is still a competent bit of silicon that’s more than powerful enough.
Next to all the 835-powered phones I’ve tested, the U11+ offers great performance. Apps open in milliseconds and the phone powers through demanding tasks such as 3D gaming stutter- and chug-free.
The phone’s synthetic benchmark scores mirrored my real-world findings, with its Geekbench 4 1933 single-core and 6775 multi-core scores putting it just above the regular U11. You can see how the U11+ compares to the U11 and Galaxy S8 in the table below.
| Phone | Geekbench 4 single-core | Geekbench 4 multi-core |
| U11+ | 1933 | 6775 |
| U11 | 1904 | 6363 |
| Galaxy S8 | 2013 | 6659 |
HTC U11+ – Camera
The U11’s camera tech was one of its key selling points. This remains the case on the U11+, which comes with a 12-megapixel “Ultrapixel 3” rear camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation) and an 8-megapixel front snapper.
The Ultrapixel tech works in exactly the same way as past HTC phones, increasing the size of pixel captured to improve low-light performance and improve processing speeds.
In regular light, the rear camera is excellent and offers wonderfully fast shutter and focus speeds. The end results universally looked crisp and were blissfully blur-free when shooting in good lighting. Unlike Ultrapixel photos from past phones, they also weren’t overexposed, instead looking suitably realistic for sharing on social media. Contrast levels and colours are also capably handled, by mobile standards, and never look over-processed or saturated.
Noise does creep in at low light if you take photos using the auto setting, but you’ll struggle to find a phone where this isn’t an issue. A set of easy-to-use manual controls also mean you can still achieve decent low-light shots, if you know what you’re doing.
Video recording is solid, albeit shaky, if you don’t use a tripod. Recorded audio quality is also a cut above most phones thanks to the U11+’s atypical mic setup.
The front camera is more than good enough for selfies and video calls, although performance does drop in low light fairly quickly.
You can see sample photos taken on the U11+ below.
The U11’s camera tech was one of its key selling points. This remains the case on the U11+, which comes with a 12-megapixel “Ultrapixel 3” rear camera with OIS (optical image stabilisation) and an 8-megapixel front snapper.
The Ultrapixel tech works in exactly the same way as past HTC phones, increasing the size of pixel captured to improve low-light performance and improve processing speeds.
In regular light, the rear camera is excellent and offers wonderfully fast shutter and focus speeds. The end results universally looked crisp and were blissfully blur-free when shooting in good lighting. Unlike Ultrapixel photos from past phones, they also weren’t overexposed, instead looking suitably realistic for sharing on social media. Contrast levels and colours are also capably handled, by mobile standards, and never look over-processed or saturated.
Noise does creep in at low light if you take photos using the auto setting, but you’ll struggle to find a phone where this isn’t an issue. A set of easy-to-use manual controls also mean you can still achieve decent low-light shots, if you know what you’re doing.
Video recording is solid, albeit shaky, if you don’t use a tripod. Recorded audio quality is also a cut above most phones thanks to the U11+’s atypical mic setup.
The front camera is more than good enough for selfies and video calls, although performance does drop in low light fairly quickly.
You can see sample photos taken on the U11+ below.
You can see sample photos taken on the U11+ below.
HTC U11+ – Battery life
Battery life is the second area in which the U11+ seriously improves on the U11. HTC’s upped the U11+’s battery capacity to 3930mAh, which is a marked improvement on the original’s 3000mAh cell.
This capacity puts the U11+ just shy of the Razer Phone and Huawei Mate 10 Pro, whose huge 4000mAh power packs are about as big as you can get on a mainstream phone.
With real-world use, the difference in stamina between the U11+ and U11 is immediately noticeable. Using the U11+ as my primary work and personal phone, the handset managed to last between one and two days from a single charge.
Regular use entailed listening to music on the morning and evening commute, making and taking calls through the day, responding to messages on WhatsApp, constantly checking my social media and email feeds, and watching a few YouTube videos before bed.
The original U11 offered distinctly average battery life by comparison. Although it initially survived a day and a half, within a month of use its battery dropped to around a day’s use.
Like all phones, more intensive processes put a bigger drain on the battery. Streaming video with the brightness at around 60%, the U11+ lost between 10-11% of its battery per hour – which is pretty decent for a phone of this size.
Playing intensive 3D games the U11+’s performance was similarly solid, with the handset losing around 17-22% of its battery per hour.
Battery life is the second area in which the U11+ seriously improves on the U11. HTC’s upped the U11+’s battery capacity to 3930mAh, which is a marked improvement on the original’s 3000mAh cell.
This capacity puts the U11+ just shy of the Razer Phone and Huawei Mate 10 Pro, whose huge 4000mAh power packs are about as big as you can get on a mainstream phone.
Regular use entailed listening to music on the morning and evening commute, making and taking calls through the day, responding to messages on WhatsApp, constantly checking my social media and email feeds, and watching a few YouTube videos before bed.
The original U11 offered distinctly average battery life by comparison. Although it initially survived a day and a half, within a month of use its battery dropped to around a day’s use.
Like all phones, more intensive processes put a bigger drain on the battery. Streaming video with the brightness at around 60%, the U11+ lost between 10-11% of its battery per hour – which is pretty decent for a phone of this size.
Playing intensive 3D games the U11+’s performance was similarly solid, with the handset losing around 17-22% of its battery per hour.
Why buy the HTC U11+?
Offering brilliant screen quality, decent performance and an above-average camera, the U11+ is an excellent handset – and one of the best available right now. It’s also a good £100 cheaper than its closest rival, the Google Pixel 2 XL. But with 2018’s next wave of flagships set to arrive in a matter of months, it feels a little late to market.
Unless you absolutely need a new phone right now, and money is no object, most people would be better off waiting for the new arrivals.
Offering brilliant screen quality, decent performance and an above-average camera, the U11+ is an excellent handset – and one of the best available right now. It’s also a good £100 cheaper than its closest rival, the Google Pixel 2 XL. But with 2018’s next wave of flagships set to arrive in a matter of months, it feels a little late to market.
Unless you absolutely need a new phone right now, and money is no object, most people would be better off waiting for the new arrivals.
Verdict
A great phone that’s late to the game.
i need comment please
A great phone that’s late to the game.
i need comment please
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