HTC 10 Evo review: Hands-on with HTC’s big screen 10

If the HTC 10 Evo looks familiar, that’s because it was launched as the HTC Bolt recently as a Sprint exclusive. Well, it’s exclusive no more, as it lands in the UK under a different name.

The Evo recycles a name used by HTC in the past. There was the HTC Evo 4G, launched in 2010, which at the time was designed to push Sprint’s new WiMAX 4G network. You can see where the idea for the name came from, jumping on the HTC 10 line and presenting much the same look. 

The HTC 10, however, makes some compromises along the way, balancing some important points of progress, with some strange spec choices, resulting in a phone that’s a sub-premium fusion.

HTC 10 Evo: Metal, waterproof, solid

• 153.92 x 77.22 x 8.13mm metal unibody
• IP57 water resistance
• No 3.5mm headphone socket

Carrying HTC’s signature metal build, the Evo is every inch as solid as the HTC 10 launched in the early stages of 2016. There are the serious lines, with deep chamfers front and rear, on a body that’s all aluminium.

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That gives the 153.92 x 77.22 x 8.13mm phone a very solid build. We loved the result on the HTC 10 and that’s replicated here, with a serious feeling in the hand. It’s not as exciting as the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge, but it’s perhaps a little more interesting than the Google Pixel XL, as well as being a dab more conventional.

The big story here is that this is an IP57 rated handset, with HTC claiming it’s the first all-metal handset of this type to make that move. Exactly where that leaves the iPhone 7 we’re not sure – but this is one area that the new 10 Evo outshines the normal HTC 10.

This 10 Evo is flat across the back, rather than curved like the regular 10, with HTC telling us that this is because of the size. Now with a 5.5-inch display, the 10 Evo is a bit more of a handful and the flat back makes it easier to grip.

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Despite being a larger phone, however, weighing some 170g, it still has a camera bump on the rear. It’s a small point, but we’d rather it was flat. You’ll also find that HTC has jumped on the courage bandwagon and removed the 3.5mm headphone socket. That means you’ll be using the USB Type-C socket on the bottom, perhaps a strange play in a device that isn’t hugely skinny, like the Moto Z. 

HTC 10 Evo: Display 

• 5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixels, 534ppi
• Super LCD3 panel

The biggest thing you’ll notice about the HTC 10 Evo is that display. At 5.5-inches, the Evo pushes into big phone territory, matching the likes of the SGS7 edge and Pixel XL, the devices that undoubtedly rule Android at the moment. HTC here also offers Quad HD resolution – 2560 x 1440 pixels – spread across that big display for 534ppi. That means detail across that expanse, but this isn’t a great display overall.

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HTC has opted for a Super LCD panel on the 10 Evo, rather than AMOLED as found in those other big devices we’ve just mentioned. AMOLED is known for offering more punch and vibrancy, and deeper blacks, but HTC has had some great LCD panels in the past. Unfortunately, from what we’ve seen of the HTC 10 Evo so far, this isn’t one of them. 

On the model we’ve been using for the past few days, it doesn’t have the brightness or the richness of the HTC 10, so it struggles to deliver the punch and verve you want from it. That makes the large display a little lifeless – there’s no pop to the colours, there’s a lack of excitement in the tonality. 

You can tweak the temperature of the display slightly, but it doesn’t go far enough to pull the colour tone in the right direction. This could just be a problem on the sample we have, so it’s worth reading around to get a wider opinion of the display before buying. 

HTC 10 Evo: Hardware and performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM
• 32 or 64GB storage, microSD card slot

So far the story of the HTC 10 Evo’s specs has been one of a flagship-level device. That metal body, waterproofing, a huge Quad HD display. However, drill into the hardware at the core of the 10 Evo and the picture starts to change.

The HTC 10 Evo is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset with 3GB of RAM. That was the defacto standard for 2015’s flagships, with the quad-core SD820 powering more recent devices, and the SD821 picking up after that on even newer phones, like the OnePlus 3T.

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Let’s not mess around here: the Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 is a powerful chipset, more than capable of running the latest apps and games and it was perfectly good for the last generation of flagships. But it was also a chipset that was mired in controversy around its thermal management. 

That’s something you immediately notice with the HTC 10 Evo compared to the HTC 10: it runs hotter, it plays hotter, it gets hotter when it charges, which the HTC 10 doesn’t, side by side, the HTC 10 feels like the better device as a result, seeing the 10 Evo slip into that slightly sub-flagship position.

That’s likely to be reflected in the price, although HTC has yet to disclose exactly what that’s going to be. It will only be available through HTC.com as an unlocked device, rather than from a network, so price will very much be key.

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We’re still testing various aspects of the performance and will update once we’ve spent longer with the phone, but a short session playing Real Racing 3 sees the phone warming to the touch, although the performance is perfectly smooth, not something we’d complain about. Day-to-day use has been smooth too. 

One of the advantages you have over some devices is the inclusion of a microSD card slot, with full support for Android’s adoptable storage feature, meaning you should opt for the 32GB model, buy a large card and integrate that storage too, so you have plenty of space.

There’s a fingerprint scanner on the front, flanked by capacitive backlit control buttons. The scanner is nice and fast when unlocking the phone, as well as doubling up as a tap button to take you home.

HTC 10 Evo: Battery performance

• 3200mAh battery
• Quick Charge 2 charger included

We’ve not had the 10 Evo under review for a very long time, so we can’t call out a definitive position on the battery just yet, but with a 3200mAh battery and Quick Charge 2 support, it’s off to a good start.

That’s not the largest battery capacity at this size – the OnePlus 3T is 3400, the Pixel XL is 3450 – but we’ve been impressed with the performance so far. Quick Charge support means it will be juiced up in no time at all and there’s power saving modes that we know are effective from using on other HTC devices.

So far we’ve seen day long performance from this battery, so we’re confident that it’s going to be one of the better handsets out there – but we’ll update as soon as we’ve been using the phone for long enough for a full picture.

HTC 10 Evo: Sweet Nougat software

• Android 7.0 Nougat from the box
• HTC Sense tweaks 

One of the areas where HTC is likely to be praised is in offering an Android 7.0 Nougat device, bettering some rivals who are launching on Marshmallow still. Launching on the latest version of Android’s software, it has been lightly tweaked by HTC Sense.

HTC has been changing less and less of Android in recent times and the result is that the HTC 10 Evo feels like a Nougat phone. There’s still HTC’s BlinkFeed launcher – although you can switch off BlinkFeed if you don’t like it. There’s still a full set of HTC Themes available to customise your device, and the preloading of some key social apps from Facebook, but apart from that, it’s Google’s core apps for most things.

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There’s a range of options to tweak the device, including the ability to opt for large or small display. This will let you have big or smaller icons, the latter meaning you can get more on a screen – we also saw this in the Pixel XL and we really like it.

There’s one area that doesn’t quite work and that’s in the apps drawer. Here you’ll see all your apps, with the option to change the grid size. But even on the denser grid size, there’s so much wasted space if you’ve opted for the “small” display option. The 3 x 4 apps grid is a joke on a phone this size, the 4 x 5 is a little unambitious – you could have an extra row of apps on each screen, for example. Stick to the normal sizing and it all looks fine, but it seems that these two options don’t quite work together yet.

Importantly, things run nice and swiftly around the Evo. This might not be the latest hardware, but there’s a feeling that the software that HTC has put in place, combined with a chipset that’s familiar results in good performance.

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As we’ve said, we’ve not been using the 10 Evo long enough to write definitively about the performance, or to fully test and investigate all aspects of the software, but it’s clear that what you find on the HTC 10 Evo will be what the HTC 10 gets with the update to Nougat soon. 

If you’re an Android fan, it’s a great dab of customisation on the top of Android, it’s not wrenched away visually like Samsung, LG or Huawei, so it maintains a purity, with the launcher being the biggest change. If you don’t like that, you’ve got plenty of options to switch that out for a different experience. 

HTC 10 Evo: Audio prowess

• Hi-Res audio support
• Hi-Res headphones included
• Adaptive audio
• No 3.5mm headphone socket

HTC has been making a lot of noise about audio recently. Some of this comes about as a way of offsetting the move on from the front firing speakers. On the HTC 10, this resulted in BoomSound HiFi, which used the bottom speaker and the ear speaker to create that stereo effect. 

On the HTC 10 Evo you don’t get that feature, audio only plays through the bottom speaker. It isn’t as accomplished as the HTC 10 in that respect and when you’re playing games or watching YouTube, the sound is thinner, less defined and less bassy.

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However, HTC 10 Evo is an accomplished audio device as soon as you plug in the Hi-Res headset that comes in the box. Offering the same design as the HTC 10’s wonderful headset, only using USB Type-C rather than 3.5mm, it offers great in ear performance, and customised to you.

Previous HTC devices have allowed you to tune the headset to your hearing, not using an equaliser, but through a serious of tones and taps so that it knows what you can hear and what might need boosting. On the HTC 10 Evo, this is now automatic. 

This is called “adaptive audio” and you’ll need to use HTC’s headset to make this work. You simply plug it into the phone and your ears, press the button and it tests and sets the levels based on your ears, giving you a personal profile. This can also be updated in different locations to help reduce outside noise, so if you’re on a train or plane, for example, you simply swipe down the notifications and tap to update, which happens in a few seconds.

It’s very clever, meaning that there’s really no compromise. Except, of course, that you don’t have 3.5mm headphones anymore, which might be a problem for some.

With many devices sticking to conventional 3.5mm connections, making the jump to one without might be a barrier. HTC’s bundled in-ear headphones are very good, but if you want to stick to your existing headphones, you’ll either need a new cable or an adapter.

• Best Bluetooth headphones 2016: 10 of the best on/over-ears for wireless listening

HTC 10 Evo: Cameras

• 16MP, f/2.0, PDAF rear camera
• 8MP with panoramic selfie front camera

The HTC 10 Evo has a 16-megapixzel camera on the rear, offering optical image stabilisation, f/2.0 aperture and phase detection autofocus. There’s dual-tone flash, RAW capture is offered through a Pro mode and you get 4K video capture too.

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The regular camera will offer auto HDR, helping level out tricky shots and we’ve found this to be pretty good in the past. The Pro mode gives control over a full range of settings – ISO, shutter speed and focus are useful for deliberately composed photos, for example lower light, where there’s the option to select a 16-second exposure for light trails in the dark and so on. 

There’s also a quick selection option in the Pro mode so you can jump to settings for macro, sport or night with one tap – and tweak as you need it. 

The front camera is an 8-megapixel sensor offering selfie flash and a range of modes for selfies, including panorama and the option for make-up style smearing. 

Both cameras have been fast enough to launch and easy enough to use, but we’re yet to fully assess their performance. We’re still testing this camera combo and we’ll update as soon as we have finished our investigation into its performance. 

First Impressions

The HTC 10 Evo presents a strange combination of specs. On the noe side there’s stellar audio performance, hampered by the lack of a conventional 3.5mm headphone socket, there’s great performance, but with and older chipset that does still seem to get a little warm.

Then you have a big display, packed with detail, but not really very well balanced when it comes to colours, which sells this phone a little short. 

Undoubtedly the HTC 10 Evo is one of the most solidly built handsets on the market. We like that design, as we liked the HTC 10 and the IP57 water resistance brings this handset into competition, taking away that worry about using it in the rain. 

We’re still testing the battery and the camera and we’re still awaiting the price on which so much hangs. The HTC 10 Evo faces tough competition at this size – Samsung, Google, OnePlus – and all these rivals offer advantages – design, performance, price – which the HTC 10 Evo has to overcome to be in contention. 

We’ll update this review once we’ve spent a little more time with this new handset.

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: What’s the difference?

HTC has announced the HTC 10 Evo, adding another beautiful metal unibody smartphone to its portfolio.

The HTC 10 Evo carries many of the same specs as the Sprint-exclusive HTC Bolt, but how does it compare to the flagship HTC 10?

Read on as we run down the specs of these two premium devices.

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Design

• HTC 10 Evo has a flat back, IP57 rating
• HTC 10 has 3.5mm headphone socket

The HTC 10 Evo and the HTC 10 both offer solid, premium, designs with all-metal construction and a lovely chamfered finish at the edges. Both have fingerprint sensors on the front, a large circular camera on the rear and USB Type-C at the bottom.

The HTC 10 Evo has a dual-LED flash positioned above the antenna line on the rear, while the HTC has the dual flash and laser focusing to the right of the camera lens, distinguishing the two devices.

The HTC 10 Evo is also slightly bigger and weighing, measuring 153.9 x 77.2mm and weighing 174g compared to the HTC 10’s 145.9 x 71.9mm body and 161g weight. The HTC 10 Evo has a thickness of 8.3mm, while the HTC 10’s thickest point is 9mm, mostly due to the latter device having a curved design and the former being flat.

The killer difference, however, is that the HTC 10 Evo has an IP57 rating, making it water resistant, something that the HTC 10 can’t claim.

• HTC 10 review
• HTC 10 Evo preview

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Display

• HTC 10 Evo: 5.5-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixels, 534ppi
• HTC 10: 5.2-inch, 2560 x 1440 pixels, 564ppi

The HTC 10 Evo features a 5.5-inch Super LCD 3 display with a Quad HD resolution resulting in a pixel density of 534ppi. It is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass 5 which is said to be better at resisting knocks and tumbles, with a slight curve to the edge.

The HTC 10’s display is slightly smaller than the Evo at 5.2-inches. It opts for a Super LCD 5 display but sticks to the 2560 x 1440 resolution, squeezing a few more pixels in per inch at 564ppi. It too is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass.

The HTC 10 Evo obviously offers more space, but the HTC 10 display looks much better, offering better vibrancy and colour, as well as having a higher pixel density due to its smaller size. Fans of big will go for the Evo, but the 10 

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Camera 

• HTC 10 Evo: 16MP, f/2.0, PDAF, OIS rear; 8MP front
• HTC 10: 12MP, f/1.8, laser AF, OIS rear; 5MP front

The HTC 10 Evo has a 16-megapixel rear camera that offers an aperture of f/2.0 and a 28mm focal length. There is phase detection autofocus on board for 0.3-second focusing, along with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and manual control over most of the settings. 

The HTC 10 has a 12-megapixel rear camera with 1.55µm pixels, an f/1.8 aperture and a 26mm focal length with an 80-degree wide angle. It uses laser autofocus but it too has OIS and manual control, along with RAW capture, like the HTC 10 Evo. 

In terms of front-facing snappers, the HTC 10 Evo has an 8-megapixel sensor with a f/2.4 aperture, 29mm focal length and Auto HDR. The HTC 10 opts for a 5-megapixel camera with 1.34µm pixels, a wider f/1.8 aperture and a 23mm focal length with a 86-degree wide angle. It also has Auto HDR, but it adds OIS too.

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Hardware

• HTC 10 Evo: Qualcomm Snapdragon 810, 3GB RAM, 32GB storage, microSD
• HTC 10: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820, 4GB RAM, 32GB storage, microSD

The HTC 10 Evo has 2015’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage. MicroSD is supported up to 2TB and there is a 3200mAh battery on board too. 

The HTC 10 opts for this year’s Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chip, 4GB of RAM and provides storage options of 32GB or 64GB. Both have expandable storage via microSD up to 2TB and Marshmallow’s Flex storage is supported. There is a 3000mAh battery under the hood. 

Both the HTC 10 Evo and the HTC 10 offer Hi-Res Audio support. The HTC 10 Evo has HTC’s BoomSound Adaptive Audio and comes with BoomSound Adaptive Audio Hi-Res earphones, while the HTC 10 has BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition, Dolby Audio and Hi-Res audio headphones. However, the HTC 10 Evo uses USB Type-C for its headphones, not 3.5mm.

Both devices come with Hi-Res headphones in the box.

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Software

• HTC 10 Evo: Android 7.0 with HTC Sense
• HTC 10: Android 6.0 with HTC Sense

The HTC 10 Evo runs on Android 7.0 with HTC Sense, while the HTC 10 runs on Android 6.0 with HTC Sense, though it will be updated to the latest software fairly soon. 

The HTC Sense bloatware has been significantly refined in comparison to previous devices, offering users a close to pure Android experience with some additional apps, rather than a complete overhaul.

When the HTC 10 is updated, the software experience between these two devices should be almost identical.

• When is Android 7.1 Nougat coming to my phone?

HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: Conclusion 

The HTC 10 Evo and the HTC 10 are pretty similar when it comes to design quality and specifications. The HTC 10 costs £570, while we’re still waiting to here the HTC 10 Evo price.

The HTC 10 is lighter, smaller, has more RAM, a better, sharper, display and better audio options. It also has a wider aperture on both its front and rear cameras, as well as OIS on the front and importantly, a newer, more powerful chipset powering it. 

The HTC 10 Evo on the other hand has a larger battery capacity, a larger screen, higher resolution front and rear cameras (though it’s not all about megapixels) and it runs on the latest software from the box. The Evo offers adaptive audio to automatically tune the headphones to your ears and importantly, offers that IP57 rating.

HTC 10 Evo is metal and waterproof, but may have a dicky ticker

HTC has added another premium handset to its portfolio, with the introduction of the HTC 10 Evo.

Taking the name from the early-2016 flagship, the HTC 10, this new smartphone offers the metal unibody and distinctive metal chamfers of its namesake, but makes a few changes.

It features a 5.5-inch display, with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution, so it’s up there pushing the pixels. It packs in a 16-megapixel rear and 8-megapxiel front camera, offering a full run of pro shooting features, like manual control and RAW capture.

But in a move that might see Monsieur Alfonse crying out for his dicky ticker, sitting at the heart of this phone is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 chipset, with 3GB of RAM. 

That puts the HTC 10 Evo in a strange position, flying with one of 2015’s chipsets and one that drew criticism for running overly hot. That places this phone in a sub-flagship position, with something of a mixed spec sheet.

• HTC 10 Evo vs HTC 10: What’s the difference?

However, adding to the mix are some interesting new details. This is the first HTC unibody phone that also boasts waterproofing with an IP57 rating – presumably a precursor to the HTC Ocean offering the same in 2017.

There’s also some clever advancements on the audio front, offering a system that will automatically tune the bundled Hi-Res headphones to your ears, but there’s not 3.5mm headphone socket, so it’s USB Type-C only. 

Finally, the HTC 10 Evo comes with Android 7.0 Nougat with HTC Sense, making it one of the most up-to-date Android handsets on the software front. 

HTC confirmed to us that it would be sold directly through HTC.com as an unlocked handset, although there’s no word on what the price might actually be.

We’ve already had the chance to spend some time with the HTC 10 Evo, so be sure to read our thoughts on this new handset.

Apple Teases One-Day Black Friday Shopping Event

Apple tonight updated its website with a brand new page teasing a one-day Black Friday shopping event. Apple didn’t offer Black Friday deals last year, opting to allow third-party retailers like Best Buy and Target to offer deals instead.

Friday can’t come soon enough.

Our one-day shopping event will be here before you know it. Come back this Friday to check off everyone on your list.

Last year, Apple SVP of Retail Angela Ahrendts said the company was backing away from Black Friday promotions because “being good to your employees will always be good for your business.”

On its Black Friday website, Apple says that its one-day shopping event will include free shipping on in-stock items ordered by 5 PM. You’ll also be able to take part in the event with the Apple Store app and in-store. Those interested in visiting an Apple retail store on Black Friday will need to check their local Apple store’s extended holiday hours because there will not be uniform opening and closing times.

Apple has also provided easy links to four holiday gift collections curated by the company, including “Apple gifts,” “Music gifts,” “Photography gifts” and “Games & Toys.”

It’s unclear what kind of Black Friday promotion the company will use this year. In the past, Apple has offered gift cards worth variable amounts with the purchase of Apple products. For instance, purchasing a Mac would yield a $100 gift card. However, in its European stores Apple has also opted for more traditional discounts.

Related Roundup: Black Friday
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