Hey there, Alex here.
The HTC U11+ is the first flagship device released in Singapore this year, kicking things
off for 2018.
Except it's not really that new.
The phone was released in a few countries late last year, and the phone is pretty much
just an upgraded version of the U11.
The most obvious change would be the taller 18:9 display to put it more in line with the
competition.
I really like the taller screen here, and it's a mostly good looking panel with enough
customisation options to suit most people's taste.
That is as long as you're not using it under bright light.
It's still usable, but just a little bit dimmer than I prefer.
You also get a few other changes here mostly due to that taller screen.
So software navigation buttons, and the fingerprint sensor is now at the back instead.
All pretty typical stuff.
It's nice that HTC has finally caught up with the trend of taller displays, but they
are still lacking a little in terms of design though.
Due to the thicker bezels, you don't really get that sense of bezel-less-ness that you
get on other devices like the Huawei Mate 10 Pro.
Physically, it's a bit slimmer than the U11, but longer and thicker.
Which actually feels quite nice in hand to me.
Perhaps as a way to counter criticisms that the U11 has a small-ish battery, they went
all out and threw in a humongous 3,930mAh battery inside.
Better battery life is always nice to have, and I could get about a day of heavy use on
the U11+ pretty handily.
Of course this depends on your usage too.
That slimmer profile and the flatter sides, actually improves the usability of the Edge
sense feature.
You know, the one where you squeeze the phone to activate certain features?
This time round you get way more functionality than before.
You can activate a shortcuts panel with a calendar view, or customise it to tap or double
tap a specific area in other apps.
Those are kind of neat I guess, but nothing I would consider really useful.
The way I normally use the phone, means that I have to adjust my grip to squeeze the phone
properly.
So it's not really that convenient to me most of the time.
The only exception is perhaps to launch the camera quickly.
While we're talking software, this is HTC's Sense UI on top on Android Oreo.
HTC's customisations does look pretty okay here, and not too overbearing, but I just
can't help but wish for a bigger refresh.
It's great that I can now swipe up to access the app drawer, and some of the minor tweaks
are pretty handy.
But by and large, this is pretty much the same design language that HTC has been using
for years.
It's just a minor nitpick from me, and not a deal breaker by any means.
The important part, which is the performance is pretty much spot on, and makes the few
bloatware and superfluous features bearable.
Anyway, for things like HTC's newsfeed or their not very useful virtual assistant, you
can always just turn them off.
This level of performance isn't really surprising since it's largely the same generous specifications
as the HTC U11, and really most Android flagship devices from 2017.
So really not much to say here.
It's pretty much the same hardware as the U11 when it comes to the rear camera too.
So as expected the experience is pretty much the same too.
It is able to produce great looking images with great dynamic range in pretty much most
lighting conditions.
The auto HDR mode here works really well.
In low light, sometimes it has the tendency to go for a higher exposure than I think it
should, but with a bit of adjustment, it's easy to keep it in check.
Video recording is again, pretty similar too.
So nice stabilisation, and great audio recording capabilities.
If you record a lot of live performances, the 360 degrees audio capture and Acoustic
focus feature could be useful to you.
For me, not so much.
Interestingly though, the front camera got a reduction in resolution from 16MP on the
U11, to just 8MP on the U11+.
I say just, but 8MP is still plenty enough, and image quality seems decent still.
What you'll find lacking here are some of the more trendy features, like dual cameras
or portrait mode, but those are things that I can probably live without.
This is still an astoundingly good camera that I think most people will be happy with.
But I do have to say though, it's still not quite as good, or as consistent as the
Google Pixel 2 in my opinion.
To sum it all up, the U11+ is definitely a pretty impressive phone.
The upgrades over the U11 are significant.
From the taller display, bigger battery, to smaller things like a slightly better IP68
rating for water and dust resistance.
The design of the phone is still really great, especially that unique translucent option
even though it's not available here.
You still get that great sounding BoomSound speakers, and if you're not fan of using
wireless earphones, the included USonic earbuds are actually pretty good.
If you're thinking about getting a new phone right now, the U11+ is definitely worth your
consideration.
It is a pretty complete package that is just as good or better than competing devices in
some areas.
But I can't help but think that this is a phone that should have been released early
last year, and how the U11 should have been.
In 2018, it's just a little bit late to the game.
Thanks for watching my review of the HTC U11+.
If you liked it, be sure to subscribe to my channel for reviews to come.
Thanks again, and see you guys on the next one.
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