The rumour mills can rest now. HTC unveiled their U11, the first smart phone with squeeze interaction.
First off, the “squeeze interaction” – named HTC Edge Sense, 8 touch sensors on the side of the phone that allows you to customise what functions it does. You can launch the camera just with a single squeeze of your phone. The squeeze function also allows you to text – squeeze, use voice to text, and send messages on the go. The squeeze gesture can be customise – from email apps, games, or any apps that users choose. There are options for “short squeeze” as well as a “squeeze and hold” as well as integrated with voice command to use the gestures for different functionality. The squeeze function relies on pressure applied on the side of the device, so it can be used with gloves, and cold or wet conditions.
As with the U Ultra, the body of the phone is made with liquid glass surface – fitted with 3D glass on the front and back. The phone is fitted with a 5.5″ Quad HD 3D glass screen with true-to-life colour reproduction and avoids the cropped pictures or distorted colours at the edge that are often an issue on a curved screen. HTC U11 is water-resistant as well, coming with IP 67 dust and water resistance.
First to be powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform, users get an octa core processor. It also sports UFS 2.1 for fast memory performance and Gigabit Class LTE (up to 1Gbps) with the integrated Snapdragon X16 LTE modem for fast music and video downloads – up to 25% faster graphics that the HTC 10. HTC U11 offers 4GB RAM/64GB storage and 6GB RAM/128GB storage options. Yes there is a fingerprint sensor too.
The phone comes with HTC USonic with Active Noise Cancellation, reducing disruption and distractions. USonic earbuds map your inner ear with an advanced sonar-like technology and then adapt the sound profile to your unique biology. HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition speakers got an upgrade as well, to deliver more loudness and better Dynamic Range Audio. The phone also comes with four omni-directional microphones with Acoustic Focus technology, giving 3D audio recording. The phone ships with USB-C to 3.5mm adapter with a built-in DAC to make compatible with other (regular) earphones.
Boasting to have achieved highest ever rating for a smartphone camera for both photo and video by independent metric DxOMark, the camera has multi-axis optical stabilisation system. The rear camera is 12MP HTC UltraPixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel with F1.7 aperture. It sports Auto HDR Boost and Temporal Noise Reduction automatically uses information from the previous and next frames to remove unwanted noise and deliver clear video. The HTC U 11 comes with full sensor auto-focus for faster performance. The front camera comes in 16MP F2.0 aperture, with UltraPixel light sensitivity and HDR Boost and noise reduction capabilities as per the rear camera.
HTC U11 comes with HTC Sense Companion and runs the latest version of Android, so it also includes Google Assistant. HTC U11 is also the first smartphone on the market to feature hands-free wake word access to Amazon Alexa. The Alexa voice service is currently available to customers in the United States, U.K., and Germany.
The HTC U11, available in Amazing Silver, Sapphire Blue, Brilliant Black, Ice White, and Solar Red. HTC U 11 will be available in certain region starting next week, with Malaysia coming later in June. Pricing will be revealed on a later date.
(Although we heard it’s coming 2 June, with a price tag of RM 2999.)
