HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: What’s the rumoured difference?

HTC is rumoured to be announcing its new flagship for 2017 on 16 May. The new device is known to leakers as the HTC Ocean and more recently, the HTC U 11 and it will succeed the HTC 10 while sitting at the top of the company’s 2017 portfolio.

Here is how the HTC U 11 could compare to the HTC 10, based on the speculation. You can also read how it may compare to the Samsung Galaxy S8 in our separate feature.

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Design

• HTC U 11 rumoured to have touch-sensitive frame
• HTC U 11 should be IP57 water resistant
• 3.5mm headphone jack on HTC 10, not expected for HTC U 11

The HTC 10 features a metal unibody measuring 145.9 x 71.9mm with a curved rear between 3mm and 9mm and a weight of 161g. There is a beautiful chamfered edge on the rear and a physical capacitive button on the front with a built-in fingerprint sensor.

At the bottom of the device, you’ll find a 3.5mm headphone jack, along with USB Type-C. The HTC 10 comes in three colours including gold, silver and carbon grey.

The HTC U 11 is rumoured to be coming with a touch-sensitive squeezable frame, called Edge Sense, that will allow for various features and functions. Leaked images suggest the device will offer a shiny finish and there will be a capacitive button on the front.

According to the rumours, the HTC U 11 will not have a 3.5mm headphone jack, following in the path of the previous U devices, while USB Type-C is pretty much a certainty. No measurements have been detailed as yet but it is thought the HTC U 11 will offer an IP57 water and dust resistance.

• HTC 10 review

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Display

• Larger display expected on HTC U 11
• HTC U 11 could have curved display
• Not clear if HTC U 11 will opt for LCD or AMOLED

The HTC 10 comes with a 5.2-inch Super LCD display with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution for a pixel density of 564ppi. It is a flat screen protected by Corning Gorilla Glass with a curved edge, offering a seamless finish.

The HTC U 11 is rumoured to be coming with a slightly larger 5.5-inch display, though it is not clear whether HTC will opt for AMOLED as it did with the Pixels or whether it will stick to an LCD screen.

The resolution is expected to remain at Quad HD, which would mean its pixel density is slightly softer than the HTC 10 at 534ppi, though it has been claimed the new device will offer a curved display over flat. There has been no detail on whether the HTC U 11 will offer Mobile HDR, like the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8.

• Mobile HDR: Dolby Vision, HDR10 and Mobile HDR Premium explained

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Cameras

• 12MP rear camera reported for HTC U 11, like HTC 10
• Likely to offer many of same features, such as OIS
• Higher resolution front camera expected on HTC U 11

The HTC 10 features a 12-megapixel rear camera with 1.55µm pixels, optical image stabilisation, laser autofocus and an aperture of f/1.8. There is a dual-tone LED flash on board and a number of features including Auto-HDR, face detection and 4K video recording.

The front facing camera of the HTC 10 has a 5-megapixel sensor with 1.34µm pixels, an aperture of f/1.8 like the rear and optical image stabilisation.

There are a couple of different rumours surrounding the cameras of the HTC U 11. Some have claimed the new flagship will offer a 12-megapixel rear camera, coupled with a 16-mgepaixel front camera, while others have claimed a 12-megapixel rear shooter will be partnered with an 8-megapixel front snapper.

We’d expect many of the same features to be on board, such as 4K video recording capabilities and optical image stabilisation. The HTC-built Pixels have excellent cameras so we’d expect the same quality from the new flagship.

• Google Pixel review

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Hardware

• Faster processor expected for HTC U 11
• Could have same RAM and storage
• Both devices should have microSD support and USB Type-C

The HTC 10 features the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset, supported by 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. There is microSD on board for further storage expansion up to 1TB and Android’s Flex Storage feature is supported.

A 3000mAh battery capacity runs the show, charged via USB Type-C as we mentioned previously and there is a 3.5mm headphone jack, as we also said earlier. In terms of audio, the HTC 10 is Hi-Res audio certified and it features HTC’s BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition.

The HTC U 11 is rumoured to be coming with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset and we’d expect at least 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, as well as microSD support. There haven’t been any leaks detailing battery capacity as yet but we would be surprised to see less than 3000mAh.

The 3.5mm headphone jack is expected to be missing from the HTC U 11 as we mentioned, though we’d still expect to see BoomSound Hi-Fi for a great audio experience like the previous flagship.

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Software

• More features expected on HTC U 11
• Edge Sense frame rumoured to offer different way of interacting
• Android with minimal bloatware

The HTC 10 launched on Android Marshmallow with a simplified version of HTC Sense that stripped back a lot of the bloatware for a more refined Android experience.

The HTC U 11 is likely to offer a similar experience to the HTC 10, but with a couple of additional features. Should the Edge Sense frame appear, it will no doubt bring various software functions not available on the old flagship, while there should also be the HTC Sense Companion app.

This app appeared on the previous U devices, launched earlier this year, designed to make your phone more personal using artificial intelligence. We’re also expecting to see full Google Assistant on the new device.

• HTC Sense tips and tricks

HTC U 11 vs HTC 10: Conclusion

As with any flagship successor, the HTC U 11 looks like it will improve in various areas compared to the HTC 10, including design, processor, camera and software.

The leaks suggest the new device will look familiar to HTC’s previous devices, so we’d expect a similar software experience too, though if the touch-sensitive Edge Sense frame does appear, hopefully it will give the HTC U 11 something a little different over its predecessors and its competition.

We will be updating this feature as more leaks appear, as well as when the official specs are announced so don’t go away for too long.

• HTC U Ultra review