It can be said that the HTC U11 Plus was launched at an unfavorable time. People are still very satisfied with the U11 and the end of the year is when users are waiting for something new in the next generation at the beginning of next year, not to mention that other brands have released most of the products. Those things cannot overshadow the greatness of the U11 Plus, but whether users accept it or not is still left open…
Talk a little bit about the biography of the U11 Plus. That is the device that HTC made for Google and should have been named Google Pixel 2 XL, but because Google later switched to partnering with LG, HTC changed a bit to bring this device to market with the name U11 Plus. With this latest phone, HTC shows that they are still trying to do the best without adding any redundant features compared to the U11.
Minimalist design
Compared to other flagships, the U11 Plus is too simple. If you look at it from the front, the HTC U11 Plus looks like a black patch, and there is no highlight; even when the three virtual keys have gone into the screen again, the legendary HTC logo still does not appear below. But sometimes, the attraction comes from the simplest things; the U11 Plus is quieter, much lighter than other flagships.
The back of the U11 Plus black version I have here is made of ceramic, glossy, so when it’s bright outside, this back can reflect your image or change color quite beautifully. Another color version, Translucent Black, allows you to see the magic inside the device. This back is very beautiful, but, indeed, it is not comprehensive, clinging to too many fingerprints, really a lot. You only need to use it for about 5-10 minutes, and when you look back, you will not believe how beautiful it used to be.
Compared to the U11 is that the chassis has been straightened, not curved like the previous life. That may stem from the fact that the U11 Plus has a larger screen, so it needs a firmer grip or because many people have broken the back glass because it is quite slippery. It will be slightly different from the smoothness on the U11, but I appreciate the change rather than criticize it.
Overall, the U11 Plus will be larger than the U11 because of the large screen size of 6 inches, but using the 18: 9 screen ratio makes the device still comfortable in hand, only as big as the regular 5.7-inch machines, nothing special. You should note that the screen border on the U11 Plus is not thin, as shown in the render; the two sides still have a certain thickness. If compared, it is quite similar to the iPhone X border because the screen ratio should force HTC to bring the fingerprint to the back and put the three navigation keys on the screen back. They have faced a lot of criticism for this problem in the past, but thanks to the longer screen, it “helps” somewhat; I will talk more about it below.
The screen has not changed but is still very beautiful.
Many manufacturers, including iPhones that have been loyal to LCD for a long time, have also switched to OLED. Even if you’re a fan of LCD panels, you can’t deny that OLED will be the future. However, there are a few small problems; you can get Apple or LG manufacturers to handle it quite well, especially regarding technology color display.
Back to the U11 Plus, although it still uses the SuperLCD 6 panel, it is still excellent. Personally, in the current Android phone world, only Sony can compare the screen quality with HTC. I think if you hold it in your hand, you can feel it. The screen is a subjective evaluation criterion, so I would say that the U11 Plus has a very beautiful, clear screen, very wide viewing angle, block, and deep color; it is still objective to you.
Regarding the three navigation keys I mentioned above, I still feel comfortable during use, largely thanks to the long screen, making these three keys no longer take up as much space as before. HTC allows you the option to hide automatically, when needed, swipe up, for this is good but not good. It’s good when you see the full screen literally, but swiping up to show it again is sometimes uncomfortable. That’s why I appreciate the pressure-sensitive Home button on the S8/S8+/Note8; for me, Samsung is the company that most harmoniously solves the problem of the touch-sensitive navigation keys and the screen in the long run Android world.
Where’s the dual camera?
When I heard that HTC was about to launch U11 Plus, I thought it would most likely be added with dual cameras, because almost except for conservative Sony, other brands, from cheap to high, from less famous to super products, all have dual cameras. There’s no reason why a device released in late 2017 shouldn’t have one. I’m a person who likes to shoot people, so having a telephoto camera will take better photos than a wide-angle lens.
Since HTC 10, I started to like the HTC camera, experienced the U11 very well, and the U11 Plus is also great. I don’t have the opportunity to use U11; when I use U11 Plus, I understand why so many people praise U11. As I said, I like taking photos of people, so I pay a lot of attention to human skin; U11 Plus makes me very satisfied with this; in many different lighting conditions, human skin color is still very well reproduced. No color is the point I want to talk about next; the color range is very wide, so capturing blue sky scenes looks very good, especially HDR works very well, but for Auto, it is a bit sensitive; sometimes it also turns on without it. I am very satisfied with all the Auto photos. That is, squeeze the border to open the camera, raise it, then squeeze the border again or touch the shutter without interfering with the image parameters. One small note of mine, when squeezing the edge of Edge Sense to take a shot, it will delay slightly; I think this is good, not bad, because when you squeeze it, it will probably vibrate slightly, so delay a little to stabilize.
I’m not good at taking pictures, so I can’t give many in-depth reviews; another friend will talk about it. I only shoot what I like to shoot, a most basic way for ordinary users to see somewhat objectively how the U11 Plus’s camera performs in everyday life, not because of high skill but beautiful photos.
HTC wants to open up a new way of interaction through Edge Sense; this feature I quite like because it is also suitable for natural rather than forced usage. With the U11 Plus, HTC added a rotation to select the app quickly, but I almost only looked it over 1-2 times. I also squeeze the border a lot during use, but after a few tries, I decided to assign it to the task of opening the camera, and then I felt like using it more. The times assigned to open other applications realize later will use it less. Hopefully, HTC will do something to make it more useful; for now, I’m still satisfied with squeezing the bezel to open the camera and take pictures.
In terms of software, U11 Plus is no different from U11; just the icons turn slightly rounded. The HTC Sense interface always provides a smooth experience because HTC is getting less and less customizable, and it’s closer to stock Android; thanks to this, recent HTC devices are getting new Android very soon. But there is one point that I am not satisfied with U11 Plus, but rather, I am not satisfied with Android. Many devices from cheap to high have switched to an 18: 9 screen ratio, but many Android apps are not compatible with this screen, including Youtube, for example.
The performance is probably also undisputed. It is still very strong and fast like the U11. With the current flagship devices’ configuration, it is almost impossible for any game or application to make it difficult. I don’t say work is better or worse between machines, but I will share that there was almost no delay during my time, only when I opened more than ten applications and then I saw a slight lag.
A very outstanding point of U11 Plus with U11 is the 3930 mAh battery; the duration of using this battery makes me extremely satisfied. 4G LTE, Bluetooth, NFC, GPS are always on and also turn on Wi-Fi when entering the house, taking pictures, watching Facebook, and chatting a lot, but not every day I have to charge before 7 p.m. On a day of little use in the morning, it can still last until more than 10 p.m. In general, battery life is a point of no concern in this machine and can also be considered one of the criteria if you want to upgrade from HTC U11.