Handset launches are coming thick and fast and the latest is a familiar phone with a different name; the HTC 10.
Yes HTC fans, the One is no more. HTC have instead opted for simplifying their flagship handset to HTC 10. Here is what this year’s flagship brings to the table.
HTC 10 design
Unibody. It’s as standard as a camera these days. Oh and chamfered. Chamfered is essential. The HTC 10 ticks both boxes with a gorgeous design, blending together glass and metal seamlessly. The manufacturer has finally included a fingerprint sensor on a flagship handset (as we don’t consider the A9 to be flagship).
For HTC, this design is evolutionary, especially as they move away from the widely popular front-facing speakers. The design might also confirm that all handsets are working towards similar designs as the difference between the HTC 10, Samsung Galaxy S7 and iPhone 6s are few and far between.
HTC 10 display
Anything you can do I can do better, is what HTC sing when standing beside Samsung. The HTC 10 boasts a 5.2-inch screen, a whole 0.1 bigger than their competitor’s flagship. Even if you visit the HTC site, you won’t find much space dedicated to display as a feature, but they do claim it to be as vivid as the AMOLED screens seen in Samsung handsets.
HTC 10 camera
A rear facing 12MP camera aligns the HTC 10 to many of it’s competitors, also going after low-light quality similar to the Samsung Galaxy S7. In a growing trend, it’s not really about the amount of pixels but the size of them. HTC describe the camera as being 12 Ultrapixels due to the 1.55um size, allowing more light in. Echoing efforts in the much loved HTC One M7.
As we are an ever increasingly narcissistic society, HTC have also packed the front of the phone with a 5MP camera.
HTC 10 audio
Having owned a HTC One M7 and One M8, I personally loved front facing speakers. They make watching on the go and listening to media around the home so much better. Alas, they are no more, but all is not lost.
The HTC 10 has one treble speaker in the ear piece while the bass is pumped out through a speaker in the base of the handset.
HTC claim to have engineered the handset for audiophiles with certified Hi-Res audio. Whether or not you will noticed the level of improvements or not remains to be seen, but in terms of audio, few will come close to the HTC 10 for quality.
HTC 10 battery
Now this is where HTC claim to have knocked the ball out of the park. Usually the words ‘two days battery life’ are muttered under breath just prior to a conversation being swiftly moved on. Pride of place on the HTC site right now are those words, and while there is an asterix, it looks like they are some what confident of these applying to most users.
Fast charging is also included, allowing the device to reach a 50% charge within 30 minutes when using the fast charger.
HTC 10 Ireland pricing
At €749 direct from HTC as a SIM free handset, the latest flagship borrows the price tag from its competitors. You won’t be picking this up on any contract in Ireland for free, with the lowest upfront likely to be €49 on Vodafone Red Extra Super. On the average tariffs such as Vodafone Red and Three Unlimited Flex Max, you are likely to pay around €120.
The verdict
All in all, the HTC 10 looks like a substantial change from the One M9. This was badly needed as the similarity between the One M8 and M9 was a major bone of contention for many.
The HTC 10 packs in everything that you would expect from a flagship phone, and perhaps only suffers from a general difficulty that the smartphone market is currently experience. It’s hard to wow people, myself included, but when you consider what is packed into the gorgeous looking phone, you have to admit it’s pretty awesome.