TAIPEI, May 16 — The Taiwanese company HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the U11, which is expected to be launched in June at an unlocked price of US$649 (RM2,804).
The latest HTC smartphone is a water-resistant glass design with a 5.5-inch screen (1,440 x 2,560 pixels) which the manufacturer says can take bright, colorful photos even in full sunlight. It runs Android 7.0 and HTC's own Sense UI skin, and has 64GB of storage (expandable with a microSD card) and 4 GB of RAM. The device also has a choice of digital assistants: the HTC Sense Companion, as well as Google Assistant, and even Amazon Alexa in certain countries (the US, the UK and Germany).
What makes HTC's U11 stand out from the competition is its new HTC Edge Sense technology, which gives the phone pressure-sensitive edges. This customisable feature enables users to take photos, open an email or automatically launch a specific app or game. And you can operate the phone while wearing gloves.
This new device also excels on the camera front. Its main camera has already been given the highest score in history (90/100) by DxO Labs' DxOMark website, which is the benchmark for image quality rating, just ahead of the Google Pixel (89/100), the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Sony Xperia X Perf (88/100). It features a multi-axis optical stabilisation system combined with extra-fast autofocus whatever the lighting conditions. Selfie fans are also well catered for, with a 16MP front camera.
The U11 is shipped with a HTC Usonic headset along with a USB-C adapter with a built-in DAC which provides compatibility with other devices and an optimum audio performance.
The struggling Taiwanese phonemaker needs to convince consumers with this new phone, which, while innovative, does not incorporate the very popular edge-to-edge screen technology. — AFP-Relaxnews
