Design and Build Quality
The HTC U11 is, honestly, a pretty gorgeous phone and it feels like HTC really wanted to show off their premium side. One of the most noticeable things is the glass back , which HTC marketed as “Liquid Surface”. The whole idea is kind of like this, they layered multiple high-refraction minerals so the finish looks vibrant and it can shift in tone based on how the light lands on it. In other words it’s not just “pretty” but it has that eye-catching, slightly mesmerising effect, and yeah it shows up even more when you’re moving the device. It came in a handful of shades including Amazing Silver, Sapphire Blue, Brilliant Black, Ice White, and Solar Red, so there was a color for different moods I guess.
Now the glass back though, it’s not perfect, and it kinda comes with the usual stuff. Sure it looks stunning, but it also collects fingerprints and smudges pretty fast, so if you don’t wipe it now and then, it starts looking a little messy. Also because it’s glass, the phone can feel a bit slippery in the hand, so if you worry about drops, a case becomes sort of necessary rather than optional.
Overall, the build quality on the U11 felt sort of top-tier in my hand. The aluminum frame is basically sandwiched between the front and the back glass panels, and that helps it feel solid, not flimsy, like at all. Another thing though, it was one of the first HTC models to bring IP67 for water and dust resistance. That number, IP67, really means it can handle being under water, like immersion type, up to 1 meter, for like 30 minutes. In my opinion this was kind of a big shift compared with earlier HTC phones, and it kind of placed the U11 more in the same lane as other flagship devices that were doing similar things around that same time.
The HTC U11 comes with a 5.5-inch Super LCD5 display, and it sits at a resolution of 2560 x 1440 pixels (QHD) which sounds normal but still ends up feeling really crisp. You get about 534 PPI , so everything is sharp, clean, and honestly pretty detailed. The Super LCD5 tech from HTC delivered vibrant hues, strong dark tones and pretty good viewing angles too, which makes the whole panel feel nice for video watching, web browsing and even gaming, not just for showing off.
A part that really stood out was the color accuracy. HTC basically let you switch between a more flashy Vivid mode and an sRGB color mode for anyone who wanted calmer, more natural colors instead. On top of that, the display also handled HDR10 content, so compatible movies and TV shows could look better with extra contrast plus richer color, you know the sort of thing people notice right away when it’s done well.
Still, the display wasn’t flawless, there were some issues. First, the U11 had rather big bezels up top and under the display, and by 2017 it was already starting to look a little older, because other brands were going bezel-less quite aggressively, y’know. Also that 16:9 shape aspect ratio was slowly turning into a strange thing, because more phones were shifting into taller thinner layouts like 18:9 or even 19:9 in the meanwhile.
Performance
So, under the hood the HTC U11 ran on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor, which at the time was basically the flagship thing for Android phones. It was an octa core setup and with the Adreno 540 GPU in the mix, it gave really solid performance overall. Whether you were bouncing between apps , messing around with games, or pushing a heavy application, the U11 seemed to take it all in stride , you know, like it wasn’t too bothered.
The phone came in two flavors. There was the model with 4GB of RAM plus 64GB internal storage, and then another one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. Both versions also had a microSD card slot, which let users stretch storage by as much as 2TB, that part was pretty nice. It made sense for people who kept a lot of photos and videos, or who simply installed plenty of apps, and didn’t want to juggle space every other day.
On benchmarks, the HTC U11 did well, usually showing up near the top of the rankings, right there beside other flagship devices from that era. The Snapdragon 835, paired up with a tuned HTC Sense user interface , made the whole experience feel fast yet kind of steady at the same time. So, overall the U11 stayed responsive and handled the hard stuff too without seeming sluggish.
Camera
The camera part has always been something of a huge deal for smartphones, and the HTC U11 kind of kept that reputation going, even if it sounds a little obvious. The U11 showed up with a 12-megapixel UltraPixel 3 rear camera, plus a large f/1.7 aperture, optical image stabilization (OIS) , and dual-pixel phase detection autofocus . Together these bits worked like a smooth team, and they made the U11 feel like one of the best phone cameras around for its time.
A big reason people liked it was how it handled low light, and yes that matters more than most expect. Because of the wide aperture, and the UltraPixel approach , where it uses larger individual pixels for better light grabbing, the U11 could still produce bright photos with good detail even when the lighting was less than friendly. It also did well in daylight, with images that looked sharp, lively, and with solid dynamic range.
HTC didn’t stop there either. The camera app came with a Pro mode, and you can manually tune the settings like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance , kinda like that. It also supported RAW photo capture so photographers, and hobbyists got extra control, plus a bit more freedom later when they edit those images.
Meanwhile the front camera was no slouch. The HTC U11 included a 16-megapixel sensor with an f/2.0 aperture, and HDR Boost support, which helped selfies look better across different lighting scenes. On top of that, it could record 4K video , and it had a Hi-Res audio recording option that relied on the phone’s four microphones to collect clearer audio.
Edge Sense
So one of the more unique things about the HTC U11 was Edge Sense and yeah it let you interact with the phone basically by squeezing its sides . I mean it was a technology built around pressure sensitive sensors tucked into the phone frame, not just some hocus pocus. When you squeezed the device, you could trigger a bunch of actions like opening the camera, taking a screenshot, or jumping straight into a chosen app, without going through all that tapping around
What I found interesting is Edge Sense wasn’t locked in, it could be customized , so you could set different behaviors for a quick squeeze versus a longer squeeze. And the sensitivity itself could be adjusted too, so depending on how hard or how gentle you usually are, it could fit better. At first, a lot of people kinda called it a gimmick, but after a bit, it showed itself as a genuinely handy feature for getting to your common tasks faster, instead of unlocking the phone every time or wandering through menus like it’s a maze.
HTC kept polishing it over time with software updates, adding extra options and making the whole thing feel more flexible. Still though, Edge Sense was kinda polarizing , some users treated it like a must have, while others really rarely used it at all.
Audio Quality
HTC has for a long while been pretty focused on audio quality , and the U11 followed that trend. The phone came with HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition speakers. One speaker sat in the earpiece and the other was in a bottom firing speaker grille. Together, they gave a stereo type effect, and the sound came out loud, crisp, and clear, with a decent balance between bass, mids, and treble.
One of the more noticeable omissions on the U11 was, the 3.5mm headphone jack, or well, its absence. HTC, like a few other manufacturers back then, decided to remove the headphone jack and go with the USB-C port for audio output. And to smooth it over ( kinda ), HTC included a pair of USonic USB-C earbuds in the box. Those came with active noise cancellation and also had the ability to automatically adjust the audio profile based on how the user ear structure is set up.
The U11 also handled Hi-Res audio playback, so it was a decent pick for audiophiles who really liked listening to lossless audio files. On top of that, the phone’s four microphones supported 3D audio recording, which adds yet another sense of depth, especially when you’re making video recordings.
Software
The HTC U11 launched with Android 7.1 Nougat straight out of the box, and it came with HTC’s custom Sense UI on top of that. HTC Sense was pretty known for keeping things neat, and also easy to navigate, it would bring a handful of useful features without drowning the user in too much bloatware, if you know what I mean.
One of the nicer parts of the HTC Sense UI was the HTC Sense Companion. It was basically an AI powered helper meant to share situational details, and a few suggestions that follow daily routines, plus personal preferences. The Sense Companion wasn’t quite as loaded as Google Assistant, but it still had some handy takeaways, like battery-saving recommendations, and reminders to bring an umbrella, based on the weather forecast.
The U11 also worked with Google Assistant right out of the box, so users could sort of toggle between the two virtual helpers. And later on HTC added Amazon Alexa support via a software update, which made the U11 unusual in the best way, since it could juggle multiple AI assistants at the same time
HTC’s effort around software updates was honestly quite strong , with the U11 getting ongoing security fixes and the bigger Android upgrades too. It was eventually pushed to Android 8.0 Oreo then further up to Android 9.0 Pie, so people could still get the newest functions and refinements for a good few years after launch
Battery Life
The HTC U11 came with a 3,000mAh battery , pretty much what you’d expect from a flagship in 2017. Even with the sharp display and a strong processor inside, the U11 held up well, giving dependable battery stamina that typically stretched to a full day under moderate habits. Things like web browsing, social apps and video playback usually landed around 5 to 6 hours of screen time
If someone needed to juice up mid day, the phone supported Quick Charge 3.0. That meant charging from 0% to roughly 50% in about 30 minutes, which felt practical for commuters or anyone constantly moving, and needing that rapid top up without much waiting.
One of the missing features on the U11 was wireless charging and well, it kind of stood out right away. The glass back made it feel like a natural candidate for it, but HTC decided not to add the feature, which honestly was a disappointment for some users. This was especially true because wireless charging was starting to become pretty normal in flagship devices around that time, so yeah, the omission felt a bit off.
Connectivity and Sensors
The HTC U11 had a pretty complete set of connectivity options and sensors, the kind you’d expect from a flagship phone in 2017. It supported 4G LTE with VoLTE, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, and GPS with GLONASS. Having NFC there mattered too, because it enabled contactless payments, stuff like Google Pay, and the Wi‑Fi performance was strong overall, with solid range and stability, not just “ok”, but genuinely dependable.
It also used a USB Type-C port, and that port handled charging, data transfer, and even audio output, especially since there was no 3.5mm headphone jack. The move to USB‑C fit the bigger industry direction, but for some people it was still pretty new. Particularly for anyone who had already collected cables and accessories that stuck to micro-USB or older headphone ports, because suddenly everything was a little inconvenient.
About the sensors, the HTC U11 was well covered. There was a fingerprint sensor tucked into the home button on the front, and it was fast, and reliable. On top of that, you got an accelerometer, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor, compass, and even a barometer. Together these sensors covered the everyday essentials for a bunch of apps and features, including augmented reality experiences, fitness tracking, and more.
Security
The HTC U11 had a few security options, and the fingerprint sensor was the main way for fast, fairly secure unlocking of the phone. Honestly it felt pretty responsive, and it was generally accurate too, only rarely messing up when trying to read the fingerprint you already registered. Plus, you could add more than one fingerprint, so it was easy to unlock even if you used your left hand one time and the other later, nothing overly complicated, just practical.
Beyond the fingerprint sensor, the U11 still offered more familiar protection choices like PIN , pattern, and password. These options basically acted like a secondary wall for people who prefer not to rely on biometric authentication, or just wanted something more traditional for daily use.
The only thing is, the U11 didn’t really have the more advanced biometric routes, like facial recognition or iris scanning, which were starting to show up on some rival devices at the time. Still, the dependable fingerprint sensor helped it hold up and keep solid security features overall.
Software Updates and Longevity
HTC’s history with software updates has been kind of uneven, but the U11 was among the better supported models. Like earlier, the U11 shipped with Android 7.1 Nougat , and then it moved on to Android 8.0 Oreo and Android 9.0 Pie. Each update, brought fresh functionality and improved responsiveness for day to day use and also upgraded security as well. So in the end, the device stayed relevant for quite a few years, not just barely surviving on the basics.
However, the U11 didn’t really get that update to Android 10, and honestly it was a bit disappointing for the folks who wanted ongoing software support. Still, the U11 stayed a capable device anyway , even without the newest Android version, mainly because the hardware was strong and the software felt well optimized, you know , as you’d expect.
HTC Sense UI helped in that long run kinda way too, it was less in your face compared to a few other custom Android skins. It sort of dodged the heavy bloatware thing that tends to build up and slow phones down over time. The Sense UI look was clean and minimalistic, and with regular security patches coming through, the U11 aged pretty gracefully.
Edge Sense and that other extra stuff
Edge Sense was one of those defining features for the HTC U11, and it made the phone stand out against competitors. The idea of squeezing the handset to trigger actions was still novel, but HTC didn’t just stop there. Through later software updates, they kept improving Edge Sense, adding extra features , and making it more configurable.
For instance, HTC brought in an Edge Launcher feature where you could reach favorite apps, contacts, and quick settings with a single squeeze. That small tweak made Edge Sense feel more practical for daily use. HTC also added support for Google Assistant, so you could trigger the assistant with a squeeze, which is pretty nice because it tied the feature into the overall experience more naturally.
Edge Sense was kinda polarizing, you know like some people thought it was absolutely indispensable, and others called it some sort of gimmick. Still it was obvious that HTC was really committed to pushing past the usual limits of smartphone interaction, so in a way Edge Sense was also a proof, of sorts, that they were trying out new ideas.
Price and Value for Money
When the HTC U11 went on sale , it was priced in a way that felt sort of competitive for a flagship device, so it kind of positioned itself as an alternative to those big name high end options from Samsung, Apple and Google. The starting setup , with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage , landed around $649 in the U.S , while the more premium variant with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage was a bit higher.
For its premium build, strong day to day performance, and camera that was genuinely impressive, the U11 seemed like a solid value when it first launched. It ended up being a serious contender in the crowded flagship market, and it appealed to people who wanted a top tier phone, but also kinda wanted those unusual extras like Edge Sense .
Over time though, once the price of the U11 came down and newer handsets started showing up, it became even more tempting for anyone who wanted a capable smartphone but didn’t want to spend too much. Between the sharp high resolution screen, dependable battery endurance, and the regular software updates, the U11 stayed relevant for a while, even as the whole smartphone world kept changing.
Conclusion
The HTC U11 was this flagship smartphone that sort of, managed to blend innovative features premium design and strong performance into one pretty convincing package. It had standout stuff like the Liquid Surface design and Edge Sense, which kind of helped it stand out in that already crowded market. And yeah, the camera was among the best around at the time, especially when it came to low-light shooting, while the audio abilities kept going with HTC’s usual track record of excellence here.
Still, it wasnt completely flawless. The big bezels were a frequent gripe and the lack of a headphone jack really didn’t help, plus the overall reception felt weaker partly because HTC had this declining brand presence in general. Even so, the U11 still feels like a real proof point for HTC’s capacity to innovate and deliver high-quality devices, even when the competition is intense and everywhere.
If you’re the type who enjoys uncommon features and that premium, careful craftsmanship vibe then the HTC U11 stays as a memorable device, one that showed the best of what HTC could do during its era as a leading smartphone manufacturer.
HTC U11 – Factory Unlocked Phone – Solar Red: Buy it now
HTC U11 – Factory Unlocked Phone – Sapphire Blue: Buy it now
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HTC U11 128GB Dual SIM MODEL – Factory Unlocked Phone – International Version – GSM ONLY, NO WARRANTY in the US (Amazing Silver): Buy it now
Tech Reviewer & Product Analyst
Định Bia has spent over 10 years testing consumer electronics with a focus on smart technology. He work as a product advisor at Biareview where he helped customers find the right devices for their needs. He personally tests every product featured on this site using a consistent evaluation framework covering quality, durability, and value. All reviews are based on experience, not influenced by the manufacturer.