The HTC U11 Plus is a brand new model of the HTC U11 with this season’s must-have: an prolonged display that hardly leaves any encompass cluttering up the entrance. And that’s, for essentially the most half, it.
Nonetheless, a couple of millimetres added to the peak of the HTC U11 Plus have enabled cramming-in a much bigger battery to compensate for the bigger display. Plus a bit of further for good measure.
If HTC’s 2017 line-up by no means appealed, the HTC U11 Plus could not have something new to awake your curiosity. And it arrives simply earlier than the Samsung Galaxy S9, which can properly make a few of its tech appear passé.
These provided the HTC U11 Plus on a contract improve don’t have anything to concern, although. This can be a top-quality telephone with a high-quality digital camera, good show and sensible design.
HTC U11 Plus worth and availability
- Out now
- Prices £699 (round $970/AU$1,215)
The HTC U11 Plus arrived in the beginning of 2018, and is priced to roughly match the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus. SIM-free you may pay £699 within the UK, that is round $970/AU$1,215, however there isn’t any plan to convey the telephone to the US.
This can be a top-end telephone, the type that deserves some analysis and thought earlier than clicking the “checkout” button. Nonetheless, it is not fairly as costly because the iPhone X or Samsung Galaxy Note 8.
Key options
- Excessive-end specs with a high-end worth
- Matches prime telephones of 2017
- Single rear digital camera
The HTC U11 Plus is a well-spec’d telephone, however not one that may declare to have all of it. Subsequent to its Samsung and LG rivals, a dual-lens rear digital camera is the apparent lacking half.
It may’t take the blurry-background pictures that pals may name “arty” on Instagram and Fb.
We’re more likely to see telephones with Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 845 chipset only a few months after the HTC U11 Plus too, set to supply but extra energy and improved effectivity.
The remainder is basically in-place, although. The HTC U11 Plus has a really high-quality rear digital camera, if one that may be a little gradual to shoot, an extra-wide QHD display and 128GB of storage.
HTC specials embrace punchy BoomSound audio system and Edge Sense, which helps you to launch an app by squeezing the HTC U11 Plus’s sides.
Design
- Gorilla Glass 5 and aluminium design
- Slim display encompass
- Rear fingerprint scanner
The HTC U11 Plus has the preferred, most typical design type amongst present ultra-high-end telephones. There’s curved glass on the again, and a band of steel round its sides to hitch the entrance and rear glass panels.
Its look is much less dynamic than the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus, although, which has a curved entrance and much more aggressive chopping of the display encompass. The place it leaves just about zero lifeless house to the left and proper of the show, the HTC U11 Plus truly has barely greater than the cheaper Honor View 10.
As such, regardless of the newer show design, this telephone is a bit of larger and heavier than the HTC U11. Nonetheless, it is solely as unwieldy as among the final era’s 5.5-inch telephones, even with a 6-inch display.
The curved rear glass additionally feels nice. HTC has prioritised easy contours over absolute thinness, because the HTC U11 Plus is comparatively thick for such an expensive telephone at eight.5mm. But it surely makes a pleasing change from all of the abrupt flat-back telephones. HTC calls it a “liquid floor”.
This rear glass is very reflective and is available in darkish blue and the darkish silvery gray we have now right here, though there’s additionally phrase of a translucent mannequin. The usual variants are mirror-like, moderately than having a multi-layered end that performs with gentle.
Like different latest high-end HTCs, the U11 Plus has the Edge Sense characteristic, letting you squeeze the telephone to behave as a shortcut gesture. As customary it launches the digital camera, most likely essentially the most helpful choice for a lot of, however you possibly can set it to fireside up any app you want.
There’s 128GB of storage, matching the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus and LG V30. Except you’re a media or video games hoarder you gained’t have to dump pictures from the HTC U11 Plus for a protracted, very long time.
Probably the most contentious a part of the HTC U11 Plus’s is its lack of a headphone jack.
You do get a pair of USB earphones within the field, and a three.5mm jack adaptor, however when you’ve got a beloved pair of wired headphones, you may wish to take into account the OnePlus 5T or Honor View 10, that are a number of hundred /kilos cheaper and have a three.5mm socket.
Whereas there aren’t any significantly cogent technical arguments for leaving out a headphone jack in a telephone this huge and eight.5mm thick, it most likely does make water resistance simpler to use.
The HTC U11 Plus is rated at IP68, which means it may be submerged in 1.5 metres of water for 30 minutes. IP67, the extra widespread ranking, limits the depth to 1 metre.
There’s additionally a fingerprint scanner, sitting on the again, moderately than the entrance as within the HTC U11. It is fast and dependable, and in contrast to the Samsung Galaxy S8, it doesn’t sit in an ungainly place.
Display
- 6-inch 1440 x 2880 Tremendous LCD6 display
- ‘Cinema’ color
- Barely restricted max brightness
The HTC U11 Plus has a 6-inch 1440 x 2880 LCD display. In the event you’re not used to the resolutions of this new breed of 18:9 side telephone, that is the equal of a 1440 x 2560 display just like the HTC U11’s, with extra vertical pixels to fill within the added house.
HTC calls the display “Tremendous LCD6”, a proprietary tackle the IPS tech we see in most good non-OLED telephones, tablets and laptops. Flip up the brightness and take the U11 Plus right into a darkish room and you may see its black degree is not fairly OLED customary.
Nonetheless, its white tone is clear, and day-to-day you may be hard-pressed to note the distinction distinction between this and an OLED. It is a telephone, not a house cinema.
That mentioned, HTC’s large declare for the show is that it may fulfill the DCI-P3 colour gamut. That is the vary of colours utilized by the movie business, with a lot deeper tones than the sRGB customary screens, telephones and printers are historically measured in opposition to.
You’ll be able to swap between the sRGB and DCI-P3 requirements within the HTC U11 Plus’s settings menu. And, certain sufficient, the DCI mode appears to be like critically saturated. The sRGB mode is readily available for individuals who like a extra relaxed look, which we truly desire right here.
The one grievance: prime brightness doesn’t appear all that top in contrast with different high-end LCD telephones. We did not wrestle to make use of the HTC U11 Plus outdoor, however we have been reviewing from London. It is hardly the sunniest place on Earth, even on brilliant days.