Harley-Davidson to keep making electric motorbikes after LiveWire
World renowned motorcycle manufacturer Harley-Davidson is still to deliver a consumer edition of its LiveWire electric bike – which we first rode two years ago – yet it is confident enough in the concept that it will develop further all-electric vehicles down the line.
Harley-Davidson has revealed that it will release 100 new motorcycles in the next 10 years and an entire range of electric bikes will be included.
Speaking to Drive, Bill Davidson, vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum also said that plans for a full release for the LiveWire are progressing nicely: “We’re excited about our future. We actually showed a prototype of the electric LiveWire and that project is alive and well,” he explained.
“We don’t know yet when we’re going to introduce it but it is progressing well and we will eventually introduce it.”
The VP is the great grandson of company founder William A Davidson.
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire is, in almost every sense, every bit the growling bike the company is synonymous with. Apart from the sound.
To counteract the fact that electric vehicles make little noise when running – a no-no for most motorbikers let alone Harley-Davidson fans – the company has added a housing that creates a resonance when in operation. That, we discovered in our ride test in 2015, makes the bike sound like a jet engine. Lovely.
Price and exact release date for the LiveWire are still to be determined.
Could a Nintendo Switch Mini be in the works?
The Nintendo Switch has received universal acclaim since its release in March, and even sold more consoles in its first month than it did Wii Us in a year. But even with its success, and the fact it combines portable and home gaming into one machine, Citigroup analysts reckon Nintendo will release a smaller version of the console in 2019.
- Nintendo Switch: Price, specs and everything you need to know
- Nintendo Switch review: Return of the king?
The analysts say that the biggest reason for developing a smaller handheld version of the Switch would be to accommodate to smaller children, who might currently struggle with the size and weight of the regular Switch console.
Writing in an official report, the Citigroup analysts said: “Although the Nintendo Switch can be used as a handheld device, we think smaller children could struggle to use it comfortably in that format due to its size and weight”.
“Accordingly, we think Nintendo will launch a lighter, dedicated handheld version of the Switch, possibly to be called the Switch Mini”.
Nintendo already offers several handheld consoles, including the 2DS, 3DS, 3DS XL and recently released 2DS XL, so you may be wondering why the Japanese gaming giant would need another. It’s possible that the DS series of handheld consoles may eventually come to an end.
- Nintendo 2DS XL vs 2DS vs 3DS vs 3DS XL: What’s the difference?
- Nintendo 2DS XL preview: Lighter, no 3D but still at the top of its game
- Nintendo Switch games: Switch launch titles and games list for 2017 revealed
If the only way of Nintendo releasing a new model is to launch a bigger version of an existing console, then ideas are clearly coming to a standstill. A handheld version of the Switch may reignite sales and offer Nintendo a new avenue to go down.
Citigroup analysts haven’t said how much they think a Switch Mini would sell for, but they think if such a console did exist, it would sell 6.7 million units in its first 12 months through March 2019. They also predict the regular Switch would have sold 25.7 million units by the same time.
Five reasons to download PlayMobo on Android
PlayMobo is one of your best ways to discover new games to play on Google Play. It allows you get recommendations on what to play next, earn daily points for playing games, and even gives you the chance to win numerous giveaways on a regular basis.
Here are five reasons you should download it today.
1. Discover cool games
The PlayMobo app, available from the Google Play store, lets you discover cool new games every day.
The games, which are 100 per cent hand-picked by the apps dedicated editorial team, are reviewed by a human to ensure only the best five games are suggested to you every day.
If you don’t like the daily suggestions, don’t worry. You can search the thousands of great games knowing you are always going to find a winner.
2. Free gift cards and rewards
The more game you play, the more points you earn, and playing games from PlayMobo lets you earn points to redeem what are called featurepoints for awesome rewards and Amazon free gift cards.
Besides Amazon free gift cards, more redeem options such as PayPal cash, steam points, and mgift are all due to be added in the future. Yes, you can actually earn money for playing great games. Cool huh?
3. Gift cards, giveaways and gems
Besides earning points to play games, PlayMobo users also get the chance to win some great prizes with monthly game giveaways and bounty events for the apps users every month.
There is also the chance to win in-game items such as heroes, gems, and diamonds to enhance your gameplay even further.
4. Latest gaming news
The PlayMobo app features the latest gaming news and full coverage on the trending new games hitting the app all the time so you can stay up to date with all the latest news ensuring you don’t miss any hot new titles being released.
5. Game lists
The app also lets you customise your own “game list” just by tapping the follow button for a specific game.
It means you get all the latest gaming news, how-to, gameplay, walkthrough, mgift giveaways, offers, and all the essential information for those games that you mark to follow. Yep, you’ll never miss out again.
How to shoot great video and photos on iPhone, Apple reveals all
Apple has released a series of videos showing how iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users can take better photos and films on their smartphones. And because many of the tips feature the software, they can help owners of older iPhones too – as long as they have iOS 10.
The company has created its own website with how to guides, all in video form. You can also see a few of them below as they are also on YouTube.
There are guides on how to shoot portraits, close-ups, timed selfies and even without a flash.
Some of the features detailed are only available on the iPhone 7 Plus as that has a second lens for better bokeh – the blurred background while the foreground remains sharp. However, all the videos contain interesting tips and tricks.
How to shoot a great portrait on iPhone 7 Plus
How to shoot a close-up on iPhone 7
How to shoot without flash on iPhone 7
How to shoot action on iPhone 7
One thing we would say though is that many of them show how to take videos and photos in portrait, vertical mode. We strongly advise that, if you ever plan to show a home video on a TV that you shoot it horizontally. Otherwise it’ll look poor with massive black bars either side.
It’s something to keep in mind for later down the line. How many times have you seen a vertical video on the news? Too many, we suspect.
Best smartphones 2017: The best phones available to buy today
So, you want to buy a new phone? If you’re looking for the best smartphones, you’ve come to the right place. We will guide you through the hottest mobile phones of the year to save you time when you go to your local phone shop.
We continually update this best smartphones guide to reflect recent launches, recognise price changes, and ensure 2017’s latest devices appear alongside the best of 2016 (and before, if applicable). All the listed devices have been fully reviewed by us.
At the moment we’re in a period of flux with a full refresh of phones about to launch, so this list will be changing a lot over the next weeks and months.
Of course, the most important factor in buying a new device is making sure you have the best smartphone for you. The best for your budget, the features you need, the size that feels right and platform that suits you best.
Our top recommendation…
Here’s our recommendation for the best all round smartphone on the market, right now.
Pocket-lint
1. Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S8 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Buy the Samsung Galaxy S8+ on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Samsung has redefined its flagship handset in the Galaxy S8, offer two sizes of handset with an 18.5:9 display, losing the bezel and offering that premium dual-edge curved design. There’s a long list of things that Samsung gets right in the S8: there’s a pair of great camera, the battery life is good, there’s waterproofing, the latest hardware and the slickest Android skin, fully-featured and pack full of useful functions.
The contentious point falls on the fingerprint scanner, as the location isn’t optimal, but it’s not a deal breaker. The real decision might just come down to how big you want your phone to be, with that tall display meaning your phone doesn’t feel huge, despite the large display. It is expensive, however.
If the price is too much to bear, the then Samsung Galaxy S7 edge comes highly recommended: it offers much of the same – great curved edge display, waterproofing, good battery life and a similar feature set and software experience – but you can buy the Samsung Galaxy S7 edge on Amazon for £200 less than the S8+.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy S8 review, Samsung Galaxy S8+ review
Best of the rest…
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ aren’t for everyone though, and there are plenty of other great smartphones on the market to consider whatever budget you are on. Here are the ones that you should also look at:
Pocket-lint
2. Google Pixel and Pixel XL
Buy the Google Pixel on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Buy the Google Pixel XL on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Google comes out all guns blazing with its Pixel and the larger Pixel XL. Both devices offer the same specs, performance and experience with one difference: screen size. The regular Pixel has a 5-inch Full HD display, while the Pixel XL has a larger 5.5-inch Quad HD display.
Launching with a number of exclusive features, but otherwise a clean version of Android, the Pixel phones have a solid build and a fast and smooth experience. The cameras are superb and the battery life is good, leading to a premium Android experience.
The price is a little high, however, and they lack microSD or waterproofing. They even have a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Read the full review: Google Pixel review, Google Pixel XL review
Pocket-lint
3. Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus
Buy the Apple iPhone 7 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Buy the Apple iPhone 7 Plus on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The Apple iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus don’t offer the overhaul in design that we are used to getting every 2 years, though the larger model offers more new features than its smaller sibling in the form of a zoomed camera and the option for digital bokeh effects. The new flagship iPhones are more refined, offering the removal of the headphone jack in favour of stereo speakers, along with better hidden antennas and waterproofing.
They offer subtle changes to the iPhone 6S, such as a new Home button and glossy or matte black finish options, along with faster and slicker performance, as you would expect. Ultimately, the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus are the best phones that Apple have produced, the premium Apple smartphone experience. If the price is too high, the iPhone 6S offers a similar design and experience for a little less cash.
Read the full review: Apple iPhone 7 review, Apple iPhone 7 Plus review
Pocket-lint
4. LG G6
Buy the LG G6 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
LG knocked it out of the park with its latest flagship smartphone, the G6. The new device offers a build, performance and display that are all up there with the best smartphones available, as well as lightweight software that is easy to customise and a dual camera system that has a lot of versatility.
It’s more expensive than LG devices have been in the past and although its camera and build quality is comparable in quality to the Pixel devices and Galaxy S7 devices, along with its performance, we prefer the software experience and general overall feel of Samsung’s and Google’s options. The LG G6 is a fantastic device though, that is every bit the flagship, even if the new 18:9 display is now outshone by Samsung’s Galaxy S8.
Read the full review: LG G6 review
Pocket-lint
5. OnePlus 3T
Buy the OnePlus 3T on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The OnePlus 3T is one of the best smartphones on the market, especially at its price point. As with its predecessors, the OnePlus 3T offers incredible value for money. It has many of the same features and specifications as smartphones twice its price and when it launched, it was one of the most powerful handsets available.
The all-metal finish is sleek and sturdy, making it feel like a genuinely premium device and the display is fantastic too, even if it isn’t Quad HD resolution. The company may have shied away from the “flagship killer” branding this year, but the OnePlus 3T lays down the marker for what you can get for just over £400.
Read the full review: OnePlus 3T review
Pocket-lint
6. Blackberry KeyOne
Pre-order the BlackBerry KeyOne on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The BlackBerry KeyOne might be something of a surprise entry, with the company struggling to find form with its recent handsets. But just as we rated the BlackBerry Priv, the KeyOne brings something unique to the Android smartphone space with that physical keyboard.
The unique offering is a natural choice for those who loved the BlackBerry if the past, with programmable keyboard shortcuts and plenty of innovation on the top of Android to make this phone stand-out. It’s not the most powerful handset out there, but at the same time, you’re not being asked to pay flagship prices for it either.
Read the full review: BlackBerry KeyOne review
Pocket-lint
7. Motorola Moto G5 Plus
Buy the Motorola Moto G5 Plus on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The Moto G shocked the smartphone world when it launched: so much phone for so little money. The Moto G still dominates this end of the market, bringing features and experiences with a level of quality that many at this level lack. The Moto G5 Plus gives you a lot of phone for your money, with great build, finish and features.
The price is creeping up however, seeing this Plus model now sell for over £200. We’d still say that this is the best in this class of device, however, and if you can’t spend too much on a phone, the Moto G5 Plus does it without feeling budget.
Read the full review: Moto G5 Plus review
Pocket-lint
8. Honor 8 Pro
Buy the Honor 8 Pro on Amazon UK
The Honor 8 Pro isn’t as exciting or as future-facing as some of the 2017 flagship smartphones, including the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8, but it is still a great affordable device. It’s the same size as the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, so it will be a little wide for some, but that size packs in a 5.7-inch Quad HD display and a great battery performance in its sub-7mm build.
The navy blue finish is great and the dual camera setup is good fun too. The EMUI software can be a little heavy-handed and it certainly isn’t as clean as the pure Android experience of Pixel, but at £475, the Honor 8 Pro is a worthy consideration for those that want a big-screen, powerful and long-lasting phone that won’t destroy your bank account.
Read the full review: Honor 8 Pro review
Pocket-lint
9. HTC 10
Buy the HTC 10 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The HTC 10 addresses many of the criticisms of the HTC One M9, focusing on the things that matter in a smartphone, and ditching many of the distractions. The HTC 10 is built to the high quality standard you expect from HTC, and it’s a handset that solid and serious.
The 5.2-inch display packs a Quad HD resolution, power comes from the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4GB of RAM, while there is OIS on both the front and back cameras. The result is power, performance, great design and camera performance, held together with fuss-free software that’s slick, fast and free from bloat.
Read the full review: HTC 10 review
Pocket-lint
10. Apple iPhone SE
Buy the Apple iPhone SE on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Fulfilling the requirements of those looking for a smaller iPhone, the iPhone SE is about as budget as Apple gets. Starting at just over £300, the iPhone SE punches into the mid-range, but the only thing mid-range about this phone is the display size.
The iPhone SE has all the power of the iPhone 6S, giving you speed and power that smaller phones often fail to give you. It’s a full-bore iPhone experience that’s pared with an excellent camera, offering the consistency you expect from Apple. For those after the Apple experience without the hole in their pocket, the iPhone SE is an excellent choice. It’s also one of the best selling iPhones out there.
Read the full review: Apple iPhone SE review
Pocket-lint
11. Huawei P10 and P10 Plus
Buy the Huawei P10 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
Buy the Huawei P10 Plus on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The Huawei P10 and P10 Plus are the latest flagship smartphones to appear from the Chinese manufacturer, with the P10 Plus being our favourite of the two. The larger device is one of the best looking smartphones to come from Huawei to date, while also offering a great battery life, capable dual cameras, plenty of power and storage and mature EMUI software.
The P10 will be the better option for those that want a smaller device, but the P10 Plus is certainly right up there in terms of Android devices. It isn’t perfect, with the screen’s finish picking up fingerprints and the camera software not always excellent, but the P10 Plus is a solid example of a 5.5-inch smartphone.
Read the full review: Huawei P10 review, Huawei P10 Plus review
12. Samsung Galaxy A5
Buy the Samsung Galaxy A5 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
The Samsung Galaxy A5 is an impressive device for a sub-£400 smartphone. It has a solid design and build, coupled with a display and performance that punches well beyond its price point. The A5 is a cheaper version of the S7 but without feeling like a cheaper alternative.
It doesn’t offer the most powerful processor, the most pixel-dense screen or the best camera out there, but it’s a compelling device that is well worthy of consideration if you’re on a budget, or not too fussed about the latest and greatest software.
Read the full review: Samsung Galaxy A5 review
Pocket-lint
13. Honor 8
Buy the Honor 8 on Amazon UK or Amazon US
For a mid-level device, the Honor 8 lays down some solid specification benchmarks for its £370 price. As a day-to-day phone, the design and ability of this mid-ranger are considerable. It’s an upgrade over the previous model that will give plenty of competitors a run for their money.
The battery life could be better, the processor performance lags a little at times and it doesn’t offer the perfect graphics for gaming. That said, there is plenty of merit in the Honor 8, and its biggest problem isn’t actually itself, but the competition it is up against, such as the OnePlus 3T that is only £40 more.
Read the full review: Honor 8 review
Pocket-lint
14. Lenovo P2
Buy the Lenovo P2 on Amazon UK
The biggest complaint in smartphones is battery life. The solution is to have a huge battery. The Lenovo P2 finds itself in a class of its own, a budget handset with a huge battery, so it will last longer than most people will need it to. While the battery is definitely king, the compromise is that the rest of the phone is only ok.
That means you get enough power, a camera that’s ok and an experience that’s ok rather than great. That said, you’ll still be using it at the end of a long weekend, while most flagship phones will have flaked out.
Read the full review: Lenovo P2 review
“Alexa, how many times has the UK won nil points?”: Alexa knows everything about Eurovision
All eyes will be on be on Kyiv, Ukraine this weekend as the annual Eurovision song contest takes places on Saturday 13 May. Amazon Alexa is getting in on the singing action with a special Eurovision skill.
- Amazon Echo: What can Alexa do and what services are compatible?
With the skill installed on an Amazon Echo or Echo Dot, Alexa will be able to impress you with its knowledge of the singing contest. The skill has been developed by the European Broadcasting Union’s Technology and Innovation and Media departments. Only users in the UK, Germany, Austria and America can take advantage of the skill
You will be able to ask Alexa who won Eurovision in any year dating back to 1956 when the competition started, or when the UK last won it – cast your minds back to 1997 and Katrina and the Waves. Alexa will also be able to play you any winning song from 2016 back to 1956 if you’re an Amazon Music Unlimited member, as well as a live stream of the contest on Saturday via the BBC.
Simon Fell, Director of Technology and Innovation, said: “The EBU is always at the forefront of innovation and with the growth of voice-controlled devices such as Amazon Echo we wanted to create a tool that provides added value to our flagship co-production. In time we hope to develop the “skill” to allow users to delve even deeper into the Eurovision Song Contest’s rich history.”
Who will win Eurovision 2017? Spotify could know the answer and it’s a surprise
The final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2017 is being held in Kyiv, Ukraine tomorrow evening – from 8pm BST Saturday 13 May – and, after two thrilling semi-finals shown on the BBC and around Europe in the past week, we now know the 26 finalists who will compete for the ultimate prize.
But who will win?
Bookies are giving Italy the shortest odds on winning, which is surprising perhaps considering the entry includes a dancing gorilla. Eccentric jazz singer Salvador Sobral from Portugal is second favourite to take the crown.
However, Spotify has other ideas. It has created a list of the top 10 songs in this year’s final based on the number of times they have been streamed outside of their originating countries and Italy doesn’t even rate.
Portugal is only ninth on the list.
- “Alexa, how many times has the UK won nil points?”: Alexa knows everything about Eurovision
Instead, Spotify predicts that Austria will win, with young star Nathan Trent singing in similar style to Justin Timberlake, with his performance of Running on Air.
Considering the bookmakers have him at around 250/1, it might well be worth a punt.
Our favourite is actually Croatia’s Jacques Houdek, who sings My Friend partly as a diva, partly as a soprano like Pavarotti. It has to be seen to be believed.
Here though are Spotify’s top 10 songs:
Austria: Nathan Trent – Running on Air
Denmark: Anja Nissen – Where Am I?
Belgium: Blanche – City Lights
Sweden: Robin Bengtsson – I Can’t Go On
Australia: Isaiah – Don’t Come Easy
Poland: Kasia Moś – Flashlight
Norway: JOWST – Grab The Moment
Bulgaria: Kristian Kristov – Beautiful Mess
Portugal: Salvador Sobral – Amar Pelos Dois
Azerbaijan: Dihaj – Skeletons
If you have Spotify account, you can listen to the Eurovision 2017 playlist here.
Why you should consider an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones have been available through the major network providers for a couple of weeks but you can now buy either unlocked and SIM-free.
That means you can pair a shiny, new flagship Samsung phone with any carrier you fancy – even with a Pay As You Go SIM. So here are some great reasons why you should consider an unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+.
Freedom to choose your own price plan
When you buy a handset outright and SIM-free it means it is yours to keep whatever, and you are not restricted to a specific time period on a mobile phone contract.
Many networks offer great monthly SIM-only plans, that are able to be cancelled at any time. The next month you can sign up to another.
This is a great way of finding the best plan for you, whether it be more or less data depending on your usage or if a certain network gives you a great connection in your area.
The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones are also fantastic 4G LTE handsets, so you can try different 4G plans to suit the data speeds you want to achieve.
You can even pair them with a Pay As You Go SIM deal, spending only the amount you want to or can afford each month.
Get the latest version of Android when available
Unlocked phones often get the latest version of Android as soon as it is available. Sometimes, carrier variations mean that a new over-the-air operating system upgrade requires network approval and tweaks, which can delay the process a little. An unlocked smartphone doesn’t have such constraints and will get the super Samsung software as soon as the manufacturer can make it available.
Clean and friendly user interface
Along with the latest version of Android, unlocked Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ handsets come as the manufacturer intended. There are no extra software add-ons networks sometimes require.
What is the Samsung Trade-In Program?
The Samsung Trade-In Program allows customers purchasing a Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ to trade in an eligible device and receive an instant trade-in credit toward the purchase of their new Galaxy Smartphone. Currently, Samsung is only accepting trade-in of the following Samsung Galaxy phones: The Galaxy S6, Galaxy S6 Edge, the Galaxy S6 Edge+, the S7 and S7 Edge+, and the Galaxy Note 5.
Pay using PayPal or PayPal Credit
You can buy either the Samsung Galaxy S8 for a one-off fee of $749.99 on Samsung.com using a credit card – all major types are accepted – or you can pay through PayPal. Alternatively, if you have a PayPal Credit account, you can spread the cost of the new phone.
The same applies to the Samsung Galaxy S8+, which is available from $824.99, also at Samsung.com.
You get an incredible phone
Whether you opt for a Samsung Galaxy S8 or Samsung Galaxy S8+ you are getting one of the very best phones around.
Both feature Samsung’s proprietary Infinity Screen, which offers an expansive display that ranges from edge to edge. The Galaxy S8 has a 5.8-inch display, while the Galaxy S8+ has a 6.2-inch equivalent.
The home button on both phones is invisible, with a dedicated sensor hidden under the bottom of the screen.
The Galaxy S8 and S8+ support Mobile HDR Premium picture technology to give amazing colours and contrast to compatible video. And Samsung’s new voice assistant, Bixby, is available on each handset.
HTC U 11 ‘Ocean’: Release date, specs and rumours
HTC started 2017 with the launch of the HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play. Although the U Ultra has flagship specs, it’s not actually HTC’s flagship device for 2017, with a higher-spec device due to be launched very soon.
So what can we expect from HTC’s next flagship handset? We’re sifting through the rumours to build a picture of HTC’s next superphone.
HTC Ocean: The name
The HTC Ocean first appeared when a video surfaced showing an HTC handset with no physical controls, instead relying solely on gestures, touch and voice. No sooner had Evan Blass shared the HTC Ocean concept video, but another familiar name in HTC leaks joined the party. In isolation, a single leak could be dismissed, but with @LlabTooFeR adding three codenames to the mix, it made things more real.
The Ocean Note launched as the HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play was codenamed Alpine – perhaps one of the other devices on this list, but HTC Ocean still exists.
Just eliminate some questionsHTC U Ultra (Ocean Note) – not 2017 flagshipHTC Ocean Master – cancelledHTC Ocean – presumably 2017 flagship
— LlabTooFeR (@LlabTooFeR) January 14, 2017
Chialin Chang, HTC’s president of smartphone and connected devices business, confirmed in an interview with Engadget that it wouldn’t be called HTC 11. More recently however, VentureBeat claimed sources had said the new device will be called HTC U 11, tying the two names together.
HTC U 11 sort of makes sense, and ties into HTC’s own promotion of the forthcoming launch.
HTC
- HTC U Ultra review: Premium phablet packed with power
- HTC U Play preview: Mid-range specs, but plenty bling
HTC U 11: Touch navigation and a new UI
- Touch sensitive frame
- Sense Edge feature
- AI supported interaction
The original leaked video purports to demonstrate the “Sense Touch” user interface and was discovered on Danelle Vermeulen’s website. Vermeulen is a visual and motion designer, although it is declared that the phone is a concept, raising some doubts as to how much can be drawn from this video in terms of design.
The video suggests that there will be touch-sensitive zones around the phone and demonstrates a heavier use of voice than we might typically go for. Although this looks like a concept, regular leaker Evan Blass took to Twitter again to say that HTC Ocean exists in late 2016.
No. Source: “Ocean is real and alive.” https://t.co/aBUrpNYR5R
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) October 18, 2016
More recently, this Sense Touch UI has seen a second appearance in another video. This appears to be much more professionally produced and is obviously an HTC handset, from the on-screen icons and the 10:08 time on the display, HTC’s signature.
Remember the HTC Ocean? (https://t.co/q5ghm3vQ8Z) pic.twitter.com/GtpqowETjM
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) January 8, 2017
The interesting thing about this second video is that it shows people doing something with the handset, swiping down the edges to scroll through apps. This is said to be thanks to a touch-sensitive frame, according to detail leaks from Venture Beat.
What perhaps pulls the video leak down is that the rear of the phone, seen out of focus in several shots, looks a lot like the HTC One A9, so it’s probably a dummy being used and not too useful from a design point of view.
However, this “edge” feature has appeared again, shared by @evleaks.
Well will you look at that… [via https://t.co/TYCFYN7Jgf%5D pic.twitter.com/LHcljPVcBV
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) February 27, 2017
This leak appears to show a menu option for Edge Sense, suggesting that this is how you’ll control that edge feature. It’s starting to look and feel a lot like the Edge Screen feature offered by Samsung, but here triggered though the touch-sensitive frame.
The invite released by HTC itself also hints at the touch-sensitive frame, with the words “squeeze for the brilliant” at the top and the “u” we mentioned previously with slightly caved in sides. It’s a huge hint at the new technology reported to be coming, as is a tweet with a video also released by HTC at the time of the invite.
@evleaks
HTC U 11: Design
- IP57 rating expected
- Touch-sensitive frame
- Glossy finish reflected
As this is an HTC flagship, we’d fully expect a full metal unibody and the recent launch of the HTC Bolt (Sprint) or HTC 10 Evo (everywhere else) introduces another missing feature and that’s waterproofing. We’d expect HTC flagship to carry an IP57 rating, but we’d also expect it to lose the 3.5mm headphone socket in the process – with the U Ultra and U Play launching without a 3.5mm headphone jack, that’s pretty much guaranteed.
Photo leaks have been few and far between, though Evan Blass did recently tweet a couple of pictures showing what is claimed to be the HTC U 11. It appears to show a glossy finish, a capacitive button on the front and a circular camera lens on the rear with a flash on the left. Blass has also suggested the device will come in five colours.
That first leak of the design also looks a lot like the more recent video mock-up shared by 91 Mobiles which shares the same layout of buttons. Interestingly, 91 Mobiles talks about metal unibody as we’d expect, yet the detail of the video shows a different texture between the sides of the phone and the rear. Like the Blass image, it’s very reflective, looking quite different to HTC’s previous unibody phones.
That might mean that the design is closer to the HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play than it is to the HTC 10.
HTC U 11: Hardware and specs
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 predicted
- 64GB storage + microSD expected
- USB Type-C and no 3.5mm headphone socket
There’s an interview with Chialin Chang, HTC’s head of devices, in which the exec says: “When the next flagship CPU comes, HTC will be one of the very first tier doing that.” That CPU is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835.
The SD835 has been suggested by Venture Beat and the timing fits with Qualcomm’s release schedules. We’ve also seen the leak of what looks like an official spec sheet. This appears to confirm a lot of what we’ve already seen leaked, but it’s worth noting that this is a dual SIM 128GB phone and that might be limited in its release.
This suggests 6GB RAM and 128GB storage with microSD support, but we’re sure there will be a lower-tier device than this too.
Mysmartprice.com
We’ve mentioned USB Type-C already and that’s a certainty. Having developed its excellent USonic Hi-Res USB Type-C headphones and the funky auto-tuning feature, we’d expect this and BoomSound HiFi edition on board. 3D audio recording will be on board thanks to four microphones placed around the device.
So far HTC’s 2017 handsets have placed a fingerprint sensor on the front, as per 2016, and we’d expect the HTC U 11 to be the same.
Pocket-lint
HTC U 11: Display
- 5.5-inch 2560 x 1440 pixels
- Gorilla Glass 5
HTC opted for a 5.2-inch 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution on the HTC 10. There’s a question over whether HTC will opt for LCD; AMOLED was used for the Pixel, and HTC used AMOLED in the One A9 too.
A rumour suggesting details of the display says it will be 5.5-inches, with a 2560 x 1440 pixel resolution. So far, so Pixel XL. With HTC putting that display into Google’s phone, it’s no surprise to see it mentioned again. This is confirmed by the leaked spec sheet above.
The leaked photos suggest that this is going to be a regular aspect, i.e., 16:9 and that it isn’t going to be curved at the edges like the latest Samsung phones, but keep the 2.5D glass that HTC had on the HTC 10.
HTC U 11: Software
- Android Nougat and HTC Sense 9
- Google Assistant
- HTC Sense Companion
- Edge Sense
One thing that’s certain is that HTC’s next flagship will launch with Android Nougat. For the HTC 10 the company took a lighter approach, stripping away a lot of the additional bloat for a cleaner Android experience, turning to stock Android apps rather than duplicating with its own and that’s the software build on the HTC U Ultra and U Play.
We’d expect that to include the full Google Assistant. The talk from that concept video revolves around some of the things that Google Assistant already offers and with HTC Sense Companion, a new app designed to make your phone more personal using AI, all these things fit together nicely.
As menu support for the new Edge Sense feature has already leaked and there’s more established discussion about the touch-sensitive frame, this looks like HTC’s major push on this handset.
- What is Google Assistant, how does it work, and when can you use it?
HTC U 11: Cameras
- 12-megapixel rear camera, 1.55µm pixels, f/1.7
- 16-megapixel front camera with UltraPixel mode expected
With HTC fitting the Google Pixel with a pair of excellent cameras, however, it would be no surprise for HTC to use the same hardware again. That’s suggested in a rumour appearing on Weibo, saying that “HTC 11” will have a 12-megapixel rear camera and 8-megapixel front camera, the same as the Google Pixel, although the U devices opted for a 16-megapixel front camera with a pixel combining UltraPixel mode.
It’s this latter arrangement – 12MP rear and 16MP front – that’s supported by Venture Beat, who also adds that it will have a newer Sony sensor than the HTC U Ultra. The U Ultra camera is good, so the HTC U should be a good performer too.
The leaked spec sheets sees HTC calling it UltraPixel 3, saying it’s a 12-megapixel rear camera with f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation. The front camera appears as 16-megapixels.
HTC U 11: Release date
The HTC U 11 “Ocean” will be announced officially on 16 May 2017 at 7AM London time and 2AM New York time. We’re expecting it to be live streamed, so hopefully you’ll be able to tune in and watch the unveiling of HTC’s newest handset.
HTC through the ages: A brief history of HTC’s Android handsets
HTC, above and beyond any other manufacturer, has done more than its fair share of popularising Android.
HTC was there at the beginning, producing some of the first Android handsets, the first Nexus handset, and launching the first handset that really added refinement to Google’s new mobile operating system.
It’s a company that’s known for two things: design and its Sense user interface that is layered over the top of Android. The company hit it big, moving from OEM (i.e., making phones to order for other people) into a global mobile brand.
- HTC U 11 ‘Ocean’: Release date, specs and rumours
That meteoric rise was followed by fall, bringing us to today’s position where HTC stands as a warning to ambitious rising stars: the tide can turn quickly and when it does, the fall will be a hard one.
But along the way, HTC has delivered some outstanding handsets. Not all fully appreciated in the face of rising competition and wider exposure by other brands like Samsung, this is a brief history of some of HTC’s most significant Android handsets, from the HTC Magic though to the anticipated HTC U 11.
HTC Magic
Vodafone
Having made the first Android handset in 2008 – the T-Mobile G1 – it wasn’t until the HTC Magic appeared in 2009 that HTC had its logo on the back. It took second place to Vodafone on the front and “with Google” on the back, but this is where HTC’s identity as a power in Android really started.
The HTC Magic launched on Android 1.5 Cupcake, while many of us were still trying to get to grips with the sweet treat names, and saw its unveiling at Mobile World Congress 2009. It offered a 3.2-inch display and had a 3.2-megapixel camera. Many of its rival devices weren’t smartphones and those that were mostly offered physical keyboards.
It was a raw Android experience, a slightly bumpy introduction to a full touch world for the Google OS.
HTC Hero
HTC
With the Magic out in the wild, HTC made its big move, launching the most significant handset for both HTC and Android. The HTC Hero took the raw Android experience and added HTC Sense over the top. HTC Sense was loosely derived from much of the work that HTC had been putting into its Windows Phone experience, but in Android it found a natural home.
Sense introduced things like customisation and personality, adding polish to Android that was missing from an OS that still felt rough and experimental. The HTC Hero also reinforced HTC’s passion for design, with a pronounced chin and tactile back, resulting in a lovely handset.
The Hero was essentially just a repackaged HTC Magic, but bumped the camera to 5-megapixels. The HTC Hero launched in London in a fashion that revealed that HTC knew how to have fun.
Google Nexus One
With the calendar rolling forward to 2010, Google made a significant move: it launched the Nexus programme. The Nexus One was built by HTC and it saw Google creating a handset to run on stock Android where all other manufacturers were skinning its operating system.
HTC managed to keep its logo on the back however, and there was a lot of HTC design in the Nexus One. The trackball was lifted from the Hero and the design shows hallmarks of HTC phones that followed, particularly the metal band reaching around the rear, reflected later in the Sensation.
The Nexus One launched on Android 2.1 Eclair and had a 3.7-inch display, and featured capacitive controls rather than physical buttons for navigation. There was a 5-megapixel camera and it came with a microSD card slot.
The Nexus One caught the eye of Philip K Dick’s estate who claimed the name infringed on its intellectual property, while Apple also took HTC to court over the design. Something of a hot potato, but important both for HTC and Android.
HTC worked with Google again on the Nexus 9 tablet, but the Nexus One remains HTC’s only Nexus smartphone so far. Fittingly, it was followed by the Nexus S and Galaxy Nexus, as Samsung began its mighty Android rise.
HTC Desire
HTC
While HTC was enjoying the Nexus limelight, it trumped the Google phone with the launch of the HTC Desire. This swapped the trackball for an optical system instead, leading to a sleeker phone.
The HTC Desire was the flagship at launch, but also saw HTC fragmenting its smartphones into many different lines and models. It was launched alongside the HTC Legend (and next in our gallery), but there was already a hint that HTC was launching too many phones.
Arriving with Android 2.1 Eclair with Sense over the top, the HTC Desire offered power and refinement, with a 3.7-inch display and 5-megapixel camera. It borrowed from the Nexus One design in some areas, but returned to physical navigation keys underneath the display.
The HTC Desire HD followed later in the year, with a larger 4.3-inch display, as well as the Desire Z, which offered a slide-out physical keyboard. The Desire name still survives today as a mid-range category of devices.
HTC Legend
HTC
The HTC Legend was launched alongside the HTC Desire, but was something of an oddity. It was lower powered with a smaller 3.2-inch display, but offered a far more important design. This was the first time that HTC really went to town with metal bodywork.
The results were stunning. The HTC Legend retained an insert in the rear and a removable bottom section, but essentially took the HTC Hero design, slimmed it down and made it a metal unibody. Some saw this as the company trying to design a phone to appeal more to the female market (and we’re not including the HTC Rhyme on this list), but the Legend made its mark, a mark that still ripples through HTC’s handset design today.
HTC Evo 4G and HTC ThunderBolt
GSM Arena
The ascent of 4G sees two handsets sharing this section of HTC’s history. The HTC Evo 4G was launched onto Sprint’s network in the US in 2010. It was close to the Desire HD which launched a few months later globally. Importantly, however, the Evo 4G is credited as being one of the first 4G handsets, sitting on Sprint’s WiMax network.
However, there are those who will argue that that credit should go to 2011’s HTC ThunderBolt, the first LTE handset launched onto Verizon and again a reworking of the Desire HD. At this time, sticking 4G or LTE on the name was an important factor as next-gen networks pushed faster speeds and the entertainment or business benefits that came with them.
But these two devices serve as an illustration of the sort of approach that HTC was taking: it was building smartphones for individual networks, resulting in an explosion of different hardware configurations and ever expanding software offerings.
HTC Sensation XE
HTC
Meanwhile, HTC was looking for adjectives to push its handsets on and Sensation was the flagship for 2011. The regular model launched in Spring, but towards the end of the year HTC launched a more significant version: the Sensation XE. It was this model that saw the first integration of Beats Audio.
The HTC Sensation launched with a 4.3-inch display and introduced a wonderful design with a wide metal band reaching diagonally across the back. It also had a concave edge to the display. HTC’s design panache was unquestionable in the Sensation, but it was the XE that really pushed things forward.
The Sensation XE carried Beats branding and came with iBeats headphones in the box, as well as boosting the hardware slightly over the original version. The Beats integration ran across a number of subsequent handsets before the companies parted ways.
Beats Audio is now a part of Apple.
HTC One X
HTC
In 2012 and towing a very fragmented collection of handsets along behind it, HTC redesigned its flagship positioning. It launched the HTC One branding saying that this was one way of thinking about phones, but then launched the One X, One S and One V in three different positions and confused that message.
The One X was the flagship and offered a polycarbonate unibody design. It launched on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, with Sense 4.0, and came with a 4.7-inch display. To further confuse things, the One X was powered by a quad-core Nvidia chipset, but a separate version known as the One XL carried a Qualcomm dual core chipset and offered LTE connectivity.
The One X was a great handset, again pushing design, but the One branding wasn’t very clear: HTC was telling us what the message was, but was doing something else, namely launching lots of handsets.
HTC One
HTC
With HTC’s One branding getting lost in 2012, it repeated the process in 2013, launching a phone that was actually called the HTC One. This phone, above anything else, showcased a precision of manufacturing and skill in design that’s still aped elsewhere.
Using a metal body, and aiming for a zero-gap construction, the One came with a 4.7-inch full HD display, a quad-core processor and included 4G/LTE as standard. It pushed the latest methods in a number of areas, offering sophistication in build, clarity in naming and bags of power.
The biggest hit was BoomSound. Giving over space for two front-facing speakers, BoomSound universally impressed everyone, out-performing the sound quality of all smartphones at the time and many since. The One also offered Beats tuning for the headphones.
It then introduced the UltraPixel camera. As HTC looked to differentiate, it opted for a 4-megapixel camera, stepping down from the 8-megapixels of previous handsets, and jumping out of the megapixel race against companies like Samsung. It was a gamble that didn’t pay off, with many saying that the camera changes were a mistake.
The HTC One also leaked heavily prior to launch, where the M7 working name fell into common usage, with then CEO Peter Chow filmed chanting “M7” on stage at a company party. The name stuck and is now retrospectively applied.
HTC One (M8)
HTC
With a HTC One handset on the market, HTC moved to officially accept that it couldn’t avoid the M names. It launched the HTC One (M8) throwing the model number into brackets, following heavy leaks where the phone had been identified as the M8, or “mate” adding to confusion.
The One (M8) offered staggering design. It progressed HTC’s unibody to be entirely metal and offered a finish that was unrivalled in its quality, at least until the launch of the iPhone 6 6-months later in 2014. It launched on Android Lollipop with Sense 5.0.
But the One (M8) didn’t stand still on the camera and its most talked about feature was the dual camera on the back. Rather than addressing the criticisms of the M7, it added a second sensor to the UltraPixel camera and offered a range of novelty effects, which didn’t really help the camera’s fight against the Samsung Galaxy S5.
It did step the display up to 5-inches, however, and stuck to a full HD resolution.
HTC One M9
HTC
HTC officially dropped the brackets and launched the One M9 with a flourish, proclaiming a jewellery grade finish for its 2015 handset. It undoubtedly poured more attention into the details than any previous handset, but by this time it felt like the third iteration of the same phone, but progressively losing the impact of the M7 and M8.
In many cases it felt like an incremental update of the One (M8), sticking to a 5-inch full HD display and presenting itself visually in much the same way as the previous handset, so there wasn’t anything hugely noteworthy aside from the refinement in design, which for many went too far.
To make matters worse, the M9 dropped UltraPixel and Duo Camera for a straight 20-megapixel camera as the company jumped back into the megapixel race. But that camera failed to impress critics, seeing HTC stumble.
The M9 no longer felt competitive against rivals, like Samsung’s redesigned S6 edge launched at the same time, that stole headlines for its refreshing design and excellent camera performance. The M9’s position was then questioned with the launch of the One A9, a lower-tier handset with a radically different design, making the M9 feel like the last of a line.
HTC 10
HTC
HTC 10 is a return to form for HTC, with a serious, bold, design that harks back to the M7, but fuses in the modern looks of the One A9. But it drops the One and M branding, for something of a reboot.
There’s a 5.2-inch Quad HD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 chipset with 4GB RAM and 3000mAh battery. There’s a 12-megapixel rear camera with optical image stabilisation, which the front 5MP camera also offers. BoomSound has evolved to BoomSound Hi-Fi, with Hi-Res support across the handset.
The HTC 10 makes a departure from old HTC Sense, with a new lighter version that’s closer to the Android foundation that it sits on. The aim is optimisation, efficiency and reducing bloat. It’s been well received by reviewers, but standing in the face of fierce competition, feel like it’s lost out to Samsung innovation and cheaper rivals like OnePlus.
The future: HTC U 11 ‘Ocean’
@evleaks
HTC’s next flagship handset is thought to be launching on 16 May and it’s thought to be called HTC U 11. It’s been codenamed HTC Ocean and has appeared in a number of high profile leaks, so we already have a good idea about what it might feature.
The standout feature is something called Edge Sense, but this isn’t a copycat Samsung feature, it appears as though the device will be pressure sensitive. This fits with HTC’s social media campaign showing lots of squeezing, suggesting that this will be a phone that offers a new method of interaction.
It’s thought to offer a 5.5-inch Quad HD display, carry the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 chipset for plenty of power, but not feature a 3.5mm headphone socket.
Soon all with be revealed.
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