HTC U11 Life hands-on: Don’t dismiss this phone too quickly

HTC might have flown under the radar compared to its competitors this year, but we at Android Authority have given their latest flagship, the U11, some high marks for its performance and camera capabilities. When we caught wind of a new device from HTC, the hope for an enhanced version of the U11 was indeed fulfilled in the U11 Plus.

HTC was not content with the Plus version however, and the Taiwanese manufacturer also launched the third – and most accessible – member of the U11 family, the HTC U11 Life.

More covarage:

• Everything you need to know about HTC U11 Life
• HTC U11 Life full spec sheet

This affordable new edition might not seem as exciting at first, but it’s definitely worth some attention. Let’s take a closer look at the HTC U11 Life in this hands-on impressions post.

Quick disclosure, I have had the U11 Life for a little bit now, and I was initially prepared to bring you a more casual take on a device that tries to emulate the experience of the flagship original. However, it slowly became obvious that I should give the phone a deeper dive – and that’s because the U11 Life seems to be a success.

Two versions of the HTC U11 Life are going to be available in different parts of the world. The version that I got to handle is the original, HTC edition, that has HTC Sense and all of the additions that the company would normally put in their smartphones.

On the other hand, Kris Carlon got a little bit of time with a version of the HTC U11 Life that is part of the Android One family. That edition, of course, does not use all of the different software additions from HTC and instead has a very lean version of stock Android. That will be the version of the phone available to a global audience, while the non-Android One edition will be available in the US with T-Mobile as a carrier partner.

Two versions: US – HTC/Sense — Global – Android One

Some parts of the U11 Life are obvious downgrades from the original – the shrunken-down size of the phone is mostly due to the smaller screen, a 5.2-inch Full HD resolution screen, sitting across an acrylic body (instead of glass) that really shines and really takes to fingerprints. I actually quite like the blue color of this phone, even if it’s really reflective and gets really smudgy. The size is really nice, though, as one-handed usage is pretty easy on this overall compact device.

Read: Full HTC U11 specifications

It’s nice to have this many options for the squeeze function

And that also helps with Edge Sense, which returns from the original U11 and can be user-programmed for a number of different functions. For example, you can set a short squeeze to launch the camera and take a selfie, set a long squeeze and hold to trigger a voice assistant, or change either of them to open apps and perform other functions. It’s nice to have this many options for the squeeze function, and HTC has recently launched a beta program where squeezes can be used in applications. I have tried to use it a few different times with spotty results – in most cases so far, the phone triggered the global setting and not the in-app shortcut. But I’ll continue testing this moving forward, especially since users can actually program specific taps in pretty much any application to a squeeze or hold. Overall, it’s nice to see the function move from the flagship iteration into the Life version of the U11.

The hardware bits and pieces within are all dialed back a little bit, which is expected on a phone that is supposed to be more affordable. The Snapdragon 630 powers the device, and, so far, it has been able to keep up with my usage that revolves around media consumption and some gaming. The 630 is backed up by 3 GB of RAM and only 32 GB of onboard storage, though a microSD card can be used for more storage.

I have played quite a few games on the HTC U11 Life already, including recent hits like Shadow of War, and I haven’t noticed the phone struggle to keep up. The performance is actually noticeably smooth, which is a feather in the cap for the phone’s specifications and optimization. So far, it doesn’t feel like anyone will be sacrificing very much in the Life.

And the same goes for the battery life, thanks to the 2600 mAh unit inside the U11 Life. It seems that power consumption is relative, as I have gotten the phone to go the distance in my short time with it already. The phone has been able to last for around 4 hours of SoT on average usage, which I thought was pretty impressive – in fact, it was what made me want to continue testing the phone, to make sure that this experience is definitely the norm.

These earphones are definitely above average

Audio has always been a focus – in one way or another – for HTC, and the U11 Life tries to make up for the lack of a headphone jack with a pair of USB Type-C earbuds that are included in the box. These Usonic-compatible earbuds feature Active Noise Canceling, which is triggered in the notification shade and tweaked in the settings. While I might not quite understand what the automatic setting is actually looking for in my ear, the result has been an enjoyable experience. These earphones are definitely above average and provide a full sound that doesn’t muddle out the highs by paying too much attention to the bass and lows. Music and YouTube have been a blast to enjoy thanks to this sound experience.

There is something that we can’t really let slide,

There is something that we can’t really let slide, however – while it’s nice that these HTC earphones are included in the box, there is no adapter so that you can use your own 3.5 mm jack headphones. Instead of putting one in the box, users will have to buy an adapter separately for an extra cost. This is a bit of a bummer, despite the good time that the USonic earbuds provide, and we felt the need to draw attention to what could be a contentious choice by HTC.

A place where HTC wanted to continue the high-end experience as much as possible is in the camera package. In hoping not to compromise on the photography side, HTC put 16MP cameras on both sides of the phone, so that even selfies are taken at a high quality. This seems to be the case so far. The rear camera is different from the 12MP shooter on the original U11, including the move to a f/2.4 aperture on both units. I, personally, have not spent enough time with the original HTC U11, which was regarded as a pretty great camera experience. For that reason, I decided to continue testing the U11 Life camera with one of our original U11s to get a better gauge of HTC’s more affordable offering.

And finally, there is the software, which is the familiar HTC Sense. Some might not like HTC’s take on Android, but it is certainly less in-your-face than other iterations. HTC’s Sense Feed returns as well, collating social media posts in a grid format for easy viewing. Aside from that, a number of features from previous HTC devices return here, like Motion Gestures. You can even theme the interface to your liking, thanks to a pretty powerful theme engine and app.

One of the most interesting additions on the U11 family of phones has been Amazon’s Alexa. The AI assistant makes its way to the U11 Life, and yes, you can program it to one of the Edge Sense squeezes. As an avid Google Assistant user, I’ll be getting a further feel for Alexa as a potential daily voice assistant, and we’ll touch more on that in our full review. It is pretty nice, though, that the choice is there to begin with.

Google Assistant vs Siri vs Bixby vs Amazon Alexa vs Cortana – Best virtual assistant showdown!

For all that HTC is trying to do with this device, the hope that the U11 experience can be had for less money hinges on the price. As we mentioned before, different versions of the U11 Life will be available, with either Android One or HTC’s own software. In almost all cases, the phone will sell for $349, which is a pretty aggressive price for a phone that, so far, has been succeeding in providing a reliable alternative to a flagship phone that doesn’t sacrifice too much.

In the few days that I’ve used the HTC U11 Life as my daily driver thus far, I’ve been a bit surprised at how easily it has handled my everyday tasks and usage. It would be easy to just dismiss it as a lesser version of a sought-after flagship phone. But real world experience with the U11 Life has me thinking a bit harder. And for that reason, we will bring you our full review in the coming days, after we assess the question: Can a near-flagship experience be achieved in a phone that is $349? Stay tuned to find out here at Android Authority and let us know what you think of the HTC U11 Life and the other new phone in the series, the U11 Plus!

Hands on with Redmi Y1: Xiaomi’s maiden selfie-focused smartphone

The Xiaomi juggernaut in the budget and mid-range segment in India is unstoppable, and with each offering, the company sets new benchmarks in terms of value for money offering as well as sales figures.

But unlike other Chinese players like Vivo, Oppo, Gionee, Xiaomi (like me) didn’t really give in to the new-age vanity trend – selfies. Until now, that is. Xiaomi today introduced a Redmi Y series with a focus on front-camera setup, debuting with the Redmi Y1 (and Redmi Y1 Lite).

Here are my initial impressions of the Redmi Y1 after just about two days of usage.

The Redmi Y1 sports a plain vanilla, but functional, design. It’s an all plastic build, with a metallic finish. There’s nothing we’ve not seen before, but it is built nicely with a smooth finish at the back that feels great in the hand.

While the display offers great contrast ratio, it’s not the brightest out there. Also, the lack of sharpness because of 1280 x 720 resolution on a 5.5-inch is a tad disappointing. I was all praise for the HD display on Redmi 4 (one of the best I’ve seen) because the resolution was good enough for the 5-inch screen it packed. But it boasts of Corning Gorilla Glass on top for protection which is a neat addition on a budget smartphone.

Powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 processor paired with 3 GB of RAM (there’s also a higher spec’d variant with 4 GB RAM), the Redmi Y1 chugs along nicely. I’ve not stress-tested it in my limited time with the device, but I don’t believe there would be any problem in everyday performance. The Snapdragon 435 is a pretty snappy chip. There’s 3,080 mAh battery which should be good enough for an entire day of heavy usage because of modest, power-efficient internals.

There’s good enough 32 GB storage on board, which is expandable up to 128 GB with a microSD card. Xiaomi has done away with the hybrid tray for the Redmi Y1 – much to the delight of most users – which would now allow you to use two 4G nano-SIMs as well as a microSD card, all at the same time. Out of the box, the phone had about 23 GB of free memory.

The phone runs MIUI 9 beta out of the box and will receive the upgrade for the stable version later this month. MIUI is one of the better Android skins out there and has a lot of fans.

MIUI 9 brings in faster app launches that makes use of optimized touch feedback, CPU acceleration, and optimized thread scheduling in the background. There’s also better notifications, split screen (like stock Android), icon animations, and smart photo editing. MIUI 9 introduces new features like App Vault and Stickers with improvements to Mi Video, Mi Drop, and Mi Calendar.

The company claims that the latest iteration of MIUI is as fast as stock Android. MIUI, despite its popularity, has often been criticized in the past for being a heavy UI layer that affects overall performance – especially on budget smartphones.

That brings us to the highlight of the Redmi Y1 – the 16-megapixel front camera with soft LED flash, dubbed LED Selfie-light. The few selfies I clicked looked decent, mostly better than what other smartphones in this price segment offer. The color accuracy was a little off sometimes and a bit of grain is evident when zooming in or when observing them on computer. In low light conditions, too much noise creeps in. But overall, it should serve you well for sharing selfies on Facebook or Instagram.

At the back, there’s a 13-megapixel camera with PDAF which does quite well in good light conditions and isn’t unusable in low light as well. I would really need to explore the camera more in diverse settings to make a final judgment.

After building reputation based on value-for-money offerings, Xiaomi has now built a brand that goes beyond the specifications sheet. Redmi Y1 is a testimonial to the fact that the company has its ears on the ground and knows the pulse of the customers – and their requirements.

At ₹8,999 ($140) in India (₹10,999 for the 4 GB + 64 GB variant), the Redmi Y1 looks like a capable phone at first glance. It’s quite basic, apart from the front camera shenanigans, but sometimes that is just good enough in the budget smartphone market. We’ll find out more in our detailed review.

The Morning After: Thursday, November 2nd 2017

Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.

It’s no surprise to see a few new phones from HTC, but what about Razer? The gaming company is ready with a new mobile device that you should really see, and we’re going to explain who the real Wolfenstein II villains are.

Built for gamers, good enough for everyone.Razer Phone hands-on

We finally got a real look at Razer’s $699 Android phone, and it’s living up to the hype. According to Chris Velazco, “If you took a Nextbit Robin, made it bigger and draped the thing in dark anodized aluminum instead of cutesy plastic, you’d basically have the Razer Phone.”

It has a massive 4,000mAh battery, awesome front-facing speakers and an IGZO LCD with a 120Hz refresh rate that’s great for high-res mobile gaming. The Snapdragon 835 CPU and 8GB of RAM inside should provide more than enough power, although there was a little lag on the pre-release models we tried. The phone’s dual-camera and its lack of dust or water resistance were less impressive, but it will be worth a look when it launches on November 17th.

U.HTC tries again with the U11+ and cheaper U11 Life

HTC is following up its latest flagship with a couple of phones that expand the lineup in either direction. The U11+ isn’t headed to the US, but as you’d guess from the name, it’s a bigger version of the U11 with improved Edge Sense features and Android 8.0 Oreo onboard. The smaller (5.2-inch) U11 Life, however, is confirmed for a US debut, and at $349, it should be an intriguing option for smartphone shoppers on a budget.

Now with a proper drum sequencer.GarageBand expands its music-making palette

Apple pushed a major update to its mobile production suite yesterday, and according to Terrence O’Brien, GarageBand 2.3 is all about versatility. Thanks in part to the aptly-named Sound Library, artists can get free instruments and sound packs straight from Apple, while third-party developed add-ons are still restricted to the App Store. It’s free, so you can try to pull together a few tracks on your own and see how it’s improved.

That waitlist isn’t moving much.Tesla is still struggling to mass-produce the Model 3

Tesla dropped its third-quarter earnings report today, which showed it only managed to deliver 222 units of the car. That’s a fraction of the 1,500 it expected to produce in September alone.

Alexa, is this all you’ve got?Amazon Echo Plus review

The Echo Plus is an upgrade over the base model sonically with better bass and high-end, but does it offer enough to justify its $150 price? Maybe not, since its smart hub feature is still very basic and only supports the Zigbee protocol.

Hard hat HoloLens?Microsoft HoloLens is now certified protective eyewear

Microsoft’s augmented reality headset is ready for work. (And 29 new European markets.)

But wait, there’s more…

• The makers of ‘Resogun’ are leaving arcade shooters behind
• Apple TV 4K update will fix its HDR problem
• The real villain in ‘Wolfenstein II’ is a complicit America
• GoPro is finally profitable again
• House Intel Committee releases Russia-backed Facebook election ads
• Apple finally makes it easier to change your registered email

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.

Apple Likely to Retain iPhone X Dual-Lens Camera Design for 2018 iPhones

Apple is likely to retain the all-plastic lens system used in the iPhone X for its 2018 iPhone range, according to respected analyst Ming-Chi Kuo.

In a research note for KGI Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Kuo said he disagrees with market speculation that Apple will implement a 7P (seven-lens plastic) or a 2G3P (two-glass, three plastic) lens design for the rear-facing camera modules in next year’s iPhone line-up.

With its rear camera specs, iPhone X has managed to strike a phenomenal balance between picture quality and form factor design, in our opinion, given how far we’ve come today technologically. Switching from a 6P lens to a 7P lens or a 2G3P hybrid lens, with camera module design largely similar to iPhone X’s, would make for only limited improvements in aperture performance, we believe.

In addition, Kuo believes that moving to a new 7P or hybrid lens design would incur unnecessary risk on the supply of iPhones in 2018, and Apple is unlikely to make any manufacturing choices that could bring about a repeat of the supply constraints related to this year’s iPhone X.

Should Apple retain the 6P lens design on its 2018 iPhones, Kuo thinks Apple supplier Largan can expect slightly higher market share, although its leading market position will likely remain unchanged. The company commands the world’s largest lens capacity, while its prowess in design and assembly can be carried toward upgrades of future generations of 7P lens or hybrid lens.

The iPhone 7 Plus was the first handset to adopt the dual-lens design, which includes a wide angle and a telephoto lens, while the iPhone 8 Plus builds on the improved performance by using a more advanced sensor module. The iPhone X camera basically uses the same design as the iPhone 8 Plus, with the exception of an additional optical image stabilization component for the telephoto lens.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: Ming-Chi KuoBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
Discuss this article in our forums

SpaceX could end the year with the mother of all fireworks

Why it matters to you

SpaceX has been making steady progress with its reusable rocket system and a successful launch of the Falcon Heavy would mark another notable step forward.

SpaceX has been launching and landing its Falcon 9 rocket on such a regular basis recently that the missions hardly make the news these days, a testament to the impressive progress made by Elon Musk’s private space company in recent years.

So now attention is turning to the Falcon Heavy, which Musk says will be “the most powerful operational rocket in the world by a factor of two.” Sporting not one, or two, but three boosters with nine engines each, the Falcon Heavy will have twice the thrust of the next largest rocket at lift-off — equal to about eighteen 747 aircraft — and space enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting its maiden mission. But no one is quite sure when it’ll be.

Earlier this year, SpaceX mentioned November as a possibility, but November is here and the launch has reportedly been delayed due to issues linked to launchpad availability, partly down to SpaceX’s own busy launch manifest with its current Falcon 9 rocket.

Now a new report from NASASpaceflight this week confidently claims SpaceX is planning to launch the Falcon Heavy for the first time “in the late-December time period.” Specifically, it says Musk’s company wants to perform a static test-fire of the boosters in the middle of next month, followed by a launch on December 29.

The report takes into account the length of time it’ll take to convert Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A for the Falcon Heavy, with one rocket launch remaining before the work can begin. In September, Musk said during a presentation in Australia that he hoped the Heavy would launch “toward the end of the year.”

Musk, a man who comes up with ideas of huge ambition like most of us come up with ideas for breakfast, recently teased space fans with an animation showing how the Falcon Heavy launch might look. It shows the extraordinarily powerful rocket leaving the launchpad before the start of various separation steps, and ends with its booster cores landing back on Earth, a maneuver once considered as wildly ambitious but now pretty much perfected by SpaceX. But mindful of the issues experienced with the Falcon 9 over the years, Musk noted that a lot “can go wrong” with the Heavy in its early, complex missions.

A post shared by Elon Musk (@elonmusk) on Aug 4, 2017 at 3:00am PDT

SpaceX’s rocket system, which has been in development since the company’s founding in 2002, is designed to enable the reuse of rockets as part of a plan to dramatically cut the cost of space travel and pave the way for manned missions into deep space.

Fingers crossed SpaceX can get the Heavy off the ground in December — it’d certainly be a spectacular way to end what has been a successful year for the company.

Editor’s Recommendations

• SpaceX teases November launch of ‘world’s most powerful rocket’
• ‘How not to land an orbital rocket booster’ – Elon Musk shares blooper video
• SpaceX sees a payoff from its pioneering work with reusable rockets
• Elon Musk’s latest crazy idea? Rocket-based travel. On Earth
• SpaceX’s slim new spacesuits look straight out of sci-fi

HTC U11 Life specs: 5.2-inch display, 2600mAh battery, and Snapdragon 630

Here’s what HTC can pack into a phone for under $400.

HTC is continuing the U11 brand with the new lower-end U11 Life, but it sure isn’t re-using any of the flagship’s components. With a launch price of $349, the HTC U11 Life is constrained quite a bit in its specs, meaning we’re looking at a few corners shaved here and there — but there are a few other additions that are nice to see in an inexpensive device.

Here’s the full spec sheet for the HTC U11 Life.

HTC U11+ specs: 6-inch LCD, Snapdragon 835 and 3930mAh battery

Snapdragon 835, Oreo, and an enormous battery.

HTC’s new big-screened handset, the U11+, builds upon one of the lesser-known flagships of 2017 and adds a big battery, Android Oreo and a new 18:9 aspect ratio. We’ve got a full hands-on report live now, but if you’d prefer to peruse the spec sheet, that’s exactly what you’ll find down below. Enjoy!

HTC U11 Life review: High style at a low price, with compromises

HTC’s bringing a budget phone back to the U.S., and it’s hoping the U11 name will help it out this time around.

The quick take

The U11 Life is better-looking than most phones at $350, and has nice features like waterproofing, a good screen, and active noice-cancelling headphones in the box. The build quality drops off significantly from the “original” U11, as you’d expect being less than half the price. The daily performance leaves something to be desired, as other phones with the same specs have better speed and fluidity. This will be a great device for many, but it definitely isn’t the U11 experience scaled down proportionately — it’s far more of a give-and-take choice.

The Good

• Beautiful design for this price level
• Built well, even if out of cheaper materials
• Good screen at 1080p resolution
• USonic USB-C earbuds with noise cancellation
• IP67 water-resistance

The Bad

• Performance not befitting the specs
• Camera slow and weak in low light
• No headphone jack or USB-C adapter
• Weak speaker

See at HTC
See at T-Mobile

Looks for less

HTC U11 Life Things you’ll love

For HTC, the U11 was a relative hit. It’s not challenging Samsung for sales figures, but I think it’s doing better than expected. To hopefully parlay some of that good brand awareness in 2017, it’s launching a $350 phone with the same name and type of design to hit an altogether new market. The U11 Life does a pretty great job of bringing the looks and quality of the U11 down to less than half the price.

HTC U11 Life specs

A slice of that U11 style for about half the price.

Setting the U11 Life next to a “proper” U11, it’s tough to tell them apart. The flowing, colorful back, sleek lines and shiny sides meet up with an inky black front with relatively large bezels. It looks far more expensive than it is — and far better than your average “did anyone even think about this design?” look in this price bracket.

But then you pick it up, and realize HTC has done a full recreation of the U11 in plastic. Not cheap plastic, or creaky plastic — well-executed molded plastic. The back is “acrylic,” technically, as HTC will tell you, and that helps it mimic the glass back of the U11 while being substantially cheaper and easier to work with. The phone feels like plastic, it isn’t fooling anyone, but for $350 it’s tough to expect much else. Despite that it feels nice and sturdy, but we can certainly expect that soft plastic to scuff and ding over the course of a couple years in ways that metal and glass wouldn’t.

Instead of higher-end materials, HTC spent the money on components and features. For this budget device, a Snadragon 630 processor, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage (with microSD) and a 1080p display definitely aren’t a given. And the 5.2-inch SuperLCD panel is solid at that, even if it isn’t as bright as the ones found on phones a couple hundred dollars more.

Then you get some extra hardware features also not often found on a cheap device. There’s a good fingerprint sensor on the front, HTC’s “Edge Sense” squeeze function, IP67 water-resistance, a pair of capable 16MP cameras, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0 and a pair of HTC’s USonic active noise-cancelling earbuds in the box. All of these features, aside from the camera components, are shared with the full-priced U11 in an attempt to great some consistency in the lineup. This will make the sales pitch in T-Mobile stores a whole lot easier.

You can actually take some fine photos, with the typical low-light shortcomings.

The U11 Life’s cameras are actually quite good, right on par with what you’d expect at this lower price. You get a 16MP BSI sensor with f/2.0 lens on both the front and back, with the rear camera getting a few extra features like auto focus, HDR, manual mode and 4K video. The rear camera produces surprisingly good photos in daylight, with a good amount of detail and colors that pop. Its HDR mode can get some light and color out of areas where most cheap phones struggle.

But the rear camera has all of its own struggles. Primarily in low light, where it really fights to get a clear shot. Not only is there a good bit of noise, that’s still paired up with slower shutter speeds to give you some blur unless you’re dead-steady with your hands. Typically you’ll get something with the ISO cranked up in order to get a usable photo, but low light shots are obviously the clear shortcoming of the lower-end camera components.

Performance struggles

HTC U11 Life Things you’ll hate

The U11 Life, when it arrives in Europe, will be one of the new crop of slightly higher-end Android One phones. But here in the U.S., it’s just a standard HTC phone with the same Sense software — whether you’re buying from T-Mobile or unlocked. I make the distinction because these lower-end devices often benefit heavily from the light and performant Android One software experience, and this is the U11 Life’s one major shortcoming.

We all expect a $350 phone to have slower performance than the $700+ flagships they look up to — but the U11 Life comes up even short of those lowered expectations. I say that because despite its Snapdragon 630 processor and 3GB of RAM, the phone just doesn’t come close to the performance of the Moto X4 (which I just reviewed) with the same exact specs pushing the same screen size and resolution. Apps are notably slower to load, you get an additional hesitation now and a gain, and sometimes scrolling lags. The camera in particular is slow to open and function.

As I found in my review of the HTC U11, Sense itself is a fine take on Android — and I still feel that way about the interface design on the U11 Life. The only real issue here is the inconsistent and slow performance that just doesn’t line up with the specs.

I wonder if performance has been ratcheted down for battery life reasons, because the U11 Life has done surprisingly well in this respect even though it has just a 2600mAh battery. I was able to push through a full day as I normally do on any other phone and come out with at least 15% at bedtime, which I definitely wouldn’t have expected after the Moto X4 did roughly the same with a 15% larger battery. And one other interesting thing to note on the subject: HTC doesn’t include Quick Charge on the U11 Life, just standard 5V/2A charging.

It’s disappointing to see weaker performance than phones with the exact same specs.

The one big caveat to all of this is the current state of the software. The U11 Life is shipping with Android 7.1.1, but HTC is committing to sending out the Android 8.0 update within 30 days of the launch. Considering the tight release time frame, it makes us wonder if there will be much more optimization for speed and fluidity in that upcoming release. We’d never say to buy a phone based on what performance could be with a future update, but we sure hope Oreo improves the U11 Life’s performance up to the levels where we know these specs can offer.

And then there’s the other wrinkle that the global version of the U11 Life is actually shipping with Android One software. This version will have a cleaner (and presumably consistently faster) take on Android 8.0 not far removed from the Google Pixel 2, with few customizations from HTC. But that model isn’t coming to North America, and this model also isn’t going global — so you can’t cross-shop between the two, you get what you get.

The rest of the handful of issues with the U11 Life are audio-related. It has a single speaker, and it’s pretty weak at that — a far cry from the U11’s rich and loud dual speakers. It also skips out on the headphone jack, which I think is even more of a bad decision on an inexpensive phone where people are even less likely to pony up for expensive Bluetooth headphones. HTC doesn’t include a USB-C to 3.5 mm headphone adapter, either — but for what it’s worth my Essential Phone and Google Pixel 2 adapters worked, and HTC sells ’em for $11.99. But the one bit of respite is HTC including its USonic active noise-cancelling headphones in the box, which are a step up from the headphones with most phones at this price (if you get them at all).

Little slice of flagship

HTC U11 Life Should you buy it?

HTC executed pretty well on its goal of brining the U11 design down to a much lower price point, and also kept many of the hardware features that you don’t typically see down here. It’s an attractive phone with a nice spec sheet, good screen and an average pair of cameras to round it out.

You get a feel of flagship features, but have to take a couple compromises at this price point.

But it’s really easy to question the lackluster and inconsistent performance on a phone that certainly has the spec sheet to do much better, and you wonder if it will continue to be this bad after the Android 8.0 update arrives. If there’s one thing we’ve seen in the past couple of years, it’s that cheap phones don’t have to be slow or stuttery — they can be fast and smooth.

Buying from T-Mobile at what I assume will be a discounted sub-$349 price, the U11 Life stands strong against the rest of the cheap competition that’s filled with compromises and so often misses on many of the core specs and features the U11 Life still has. It’s an easy buy for someone who doesn’t want to spend a lot but still wants a little slice of the flagship experience and is willing to give up on overall performance to get it.

But even at this lower price, and especially at the unlocked price of $349, you wonder why someone would pick up the U11 Life rather than something like a Moto G5 Plus and get better performance. Or hey, even step up just an extra $50 to get the fantastic Moto X4 that is on a higher level in terms of hardware materials, performance and cameras.

See at HTC
See at T-Mobile

HTC U11 Life coming to the U.S. via T-Mobile, globally as Android One model

A return to the the lower price segment by HTC.

After pretty thoroughly leaking ahead of time, HTC has made the new mid-range U11 Life official. The U11 Life takes on much of the styling and features of the U11 flagship launched earlier this year, but scales back materials and specs to meet a $349 price point.

It has a 5.2-inch 1080p SuperLCD screen, and is powered by a Snapdragon 630 processor, 2600mAh battery, 3GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. Despite the drop in specs, the U11 Life keeps IP67 water-resistance, Edge Sense squeezing, a fingerprint sensor and has HTC’s USonic active noise-cancelling earbuds in the box. And yes, that means there’s no headphone jack here.

See at HTC

The body of the U11 Life may look nearly identical to the U11 from a distance, and that’s definitely a good thing, but the frame is plastic rather than metal and the back is an acrylic material instead of curved glass. The cameras are of course of lower quality as well, with 16MP BSI sensors and f/2.0 lenses on back and front, both lacking OIS. Thankfully not many more corners are cut, as this $349 phone still has NFC, Bluetooth 5.0, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and many of the other “nice to have” features so often dropped in lower-end phones.

HTC U11 Life specs

Many people would prefer to have the Android One version, but it just isn’t available here.

Now here’s the interesting part: there are two distinct models of the U11 Life, one for North America and another globally. Internationally, the U11 Life is identical hardware-wise but is one of the new crop of mid-range Android One devices, meaning the U11 Life has a Google-sanctioned version of Android 8.0 with few HTC changes aside from the addition of Edge Sense. Certain markets will also see a bump up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, though it seems like the 3/32GB model will be what most people see.

The North American model is running Android 7.1.1 with HTC’s Sense customizations, and in the U.S. the only carrier you can buy it through is T-Mobile — though thankfully HTC.com is also selling it unlocked (and lacking Verizon and Sprint support, sorry). HTC says it will update the U11 Life to Android 8.0 within 30 days, but don’t expect the interface to change much — this will still be Sense, not Android One.

The U11 Life goes on sale right away from HTC.com in the U.S. for $349, Canada for $449, and on November 3 from T-Mobile. Various nternational markets will also announce availability independently, but pricing is set at £349 in the UK and €349 in Europe.

HTC U11 Life review: High style at a low price, with compromises

See at HTC

Press release:

HTC U11 life: Premium Innovations Without Putting a Squeeze On Your Wallet

Squeezable Edge Sense, Amazing Cameras, Weather-Resistant Design, and USonic Noise Cancelling Earbuds In-Box Deliver Unparalleled Smartphone Value

SEATTLE – Nov. 2, 2017 – Building on the award-winning design and innovation of the flagship HTC U11, HTC today announced the newest member of the “U” family of smartphones, the HTC U11 life. Like its predecessor, the HTC U11 life is designed to reflect “U” – your drive, passion, creativity, and individuality – yet uniquely delivers flagship-quality features and experiences at just a fraction of a flagship’s price.

The HTC U11 life gives you the best innovations from the HTC U11 and more:

• Edge Sense, the next dimension in touch interaction that lets you squeeze HTC U11 life to perform
  your most common useful actions, including Google Assistant.
• Amazing cameras, with Phase Detection Autofocus and HDR Boost on the 16MP main camera for
  faster, clearer photos, and UltraPixel light sensitivity on the 16MP front camera for awesome selfies even in low light. Google Photos is also the default gallery, providing free and unlimited storage of high quality photos and videos.
• Durable, weather-resistant liquid surface design, incorporating an acrylic glass back that stunningly transforms light with every movement you make – even in rain, snow, or dust with IP67 water and dust resistance1.
• HTC USonic earbuds in-box, the most personal listening experience on a smartphone that adapts to your ears, in addition to built-in Active Noise Cancellation.
• Get the latest from Google with Android One – enjoy the newest Android OS update, Android Oreo, right out of the box, bringing you a best-in-class software experience designed by Google.

The HTC U11 life in Sapphire Blue is available in the US and Canada beginning today for just $349 ($449 CAD) at htc.com. It will also be available in T-Mobile stores nationwide and at t-mobile.com beginning Nov. 3.

HTC U11+ hands-on preview: More screen, more battery, translucent body

HTC has a new phone with a giant battery, an 18:9 screen and Android Oreo. But you won’t be able to buy it in the U.S.

2017 has been the year of the 18:9 smartphone. Increasingly, Android phones with “traditional” widescreen displays have started to look seriously old-hat. One notable victim of 16:9 ennui this past year was the HTC U11 — a high-end device that did almost everything really well, but which, from the front, looked remarkably dated next to the latest creations from Samsung. The technology and feature set was all there, but the GS8-like excitement was lacking.

So in a somewhat surprising move, HTC kicks off November with a new flagship phone launch. It’s the Taiwanese company’s biggest smartphone screen to date, in that trendy 18:9 aspect ratio, paired with its biggest battery to date, encased in hardware that finally feels as polished and modern as the One M7 and M8 did back in the glory days.

And yet, being an HTC phone with no current U.S. launch plans and a scaled-back UK presence involving zero British carriers, it’s unclear whether the U11+ will be able to move the needle much, if at all.

Physically, the HTC U11+ is a slimmer, elongated, slightly flattened U11. It’s noticeably taller, a bit less curvy, and slightly easier to hold onto than its forerunner, despite the move to lankier 6-inch, 18:9 chassis.

Around the front, it’s pretty much all screen — a SuperLCD 5 panel that looked phenomenal in the hour or so I got to play with the device. It’s sufficiently bright, punchy and sharp, with a Quad HD+ resolution and colors that appear just as vibrant as the U11’s. And with significantly trimmed bezels compared to that phone, the front face is more forward-looking. It has the look of a standard 2017 flagship, which is good, if not particularly outstanding.

The new svelte bezels also necessitate the relocation of the fingerprint scanner around the back of the phone, where we’ve seen it used time and time again to great effect.

As for the side walls, newly chamfered borders make the U11+ far easier to hold onto than the older model. The feel is more HTC 10 than U11 — at least around the sides.

The back panel, however, is very much in line with HTC’s current design language. The generally well-received “liquid surface” finish returns in a couple of colors. Firstly, there’s an incredibly shiny, almost mirrored black finish. It’s somewhere between the black U11 and Sony’s ridiculously reflective XZ Premium.

The translucent U11+ is a truly unique and undeniably cool piece of hardware.

But the version that really caught our eye was the translucent model, which retains some of the subtle reflectiveness of other U-series phones, while also providing a window into the phone’s internal hardware. The most noticeable feature is the NFC antenna, located right by the HTC logo, and which actually becomes an unconventional design feature. Look more closely, especially around the top of the device, and bits of PCB come into focus around the camera module and mainboard.

It’s nerdy, sure, but it’s one of those rare glimmers of brilliance that reminds us that HTC is still HTC. I had the same feeling about the fiery red U11 when I first saw that back in early May. And while this is far less ostentatious, it’s unique, aesthetically pleasing, and just damn cool. The internals of the phone themselves become points of visual differentiation.

HTC is playing its cards close to its chest in terms of European launch plans for the translucent color variant. I’d imagine Taiwan (and possibly other parts of Asia) would get it at launch, but the safer black model is likely to be more readily available in the West.

The spec sheet is almost a mirror image of the U11’s, with a few small but significant exceptions. The screen size and resolution, naturally, jump to 6 inches at 2880×1440. There’s a way bigger battery, with a capacity of 3930mAh basically guaranteeing all-day use, and even a second day if you’re careful. And the U11+ also boasts Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, augmented by HTC’s Sense software, which has grown one or two new tricks in this latest phone.

Storage and RAM comes in 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB configurations, and this time — finally — the UK will be getting the higher-specced model.

More: HTC U11+ specs

The core of the device remains unchanged from the standard U11 released earlier in 2017.

Key U11 features like Edge Sense — the feature where you can squeeze the phone’s bezels to activate Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, take a photo or perform other actions — also returns, with a minor software overhaul we’ll get to later. Same with BoomSound Hi-Fi — HTC’s on-device audio solution — and HTC USonic, the USB-C-based wired audio package. I’ll still bemoan the lack of a 3.5mm headphone jack, but at least with a larger battery onboard you’re less likely to need to use wired audio and your charger at the same time.

The U11’s excellent “UltraPixel 3” camera makes a return too — that’s a good thing, as it’s easily one of the best Android cameras on the market right now, coming close to the quality we’ve seen from the Google Pixel 2 XL. (Thanks in part to the always-on “HDR Boost,” HTC’s answer to Google’s HDR+.). Meanwhile, the front camera has been downscaled to an 8-megapixel resolution, but with a larger physical sensor, which should improve low-light performance.

We’ll dive deeper into the U11+’s camera in our full review, but first impressions are that little has changed.

The U11+ will be the first phone to run HTC Sense and Android 8.0 Oreo, and HTC’s UI has undergone some small tweaks to bring it in line with the new version of the OS. Some of these are small cosmetic tweaks, like the move to “squircle” (squared circle) icons for many apps in the launcher, or the lighter notification shade and Settings app.

Oreo marks an evolution in Sense’s design, not an overhaul.

There are other, more functional, changes too, most notably the new rotary menu that pops up when you squeeze the phone at the home screen. Two wheels of app and setting shortcuts pop up, and these can be anchored to either side of the display for easier one-handability.

This whole setup is reminiscent of Samsung’s Edge Panels, which is to say it seems like a feature that’ll be occasionally useful, but far from a revolutionary addition.

In a meeting ahead of today’s announcement, HTC noted that the software we were shown wasn’t yet finalized, and we weren’t able to show any of the phone’s software besides the home screen and navigation wheel. In any case, if you’re familiar with the U11’s software, you’ll pretty much know what to expect here. The core Sense apps are still overdue a visual overhaul, and it’s somewhat jarring to see apps that have barely changed since 2014 alongside newer UI elements from Oreo.

The U11+ is competitively priced in the UK, but there’s no word on carriers.

The HTC U11+ feels like a substantial step up from the U11, but many of the changes are admittedly fairly superficial. From the front, it now looks like a phone that belongs on store shelves in 2017. Yet ironically, it’s stuck with a geographically limited release and a lack of carrier support. So even in the select countries it’s coming to, like the UK, you’ll need to buy it from HTC directly. The phone gets a lot right, but HTC’s business challenges are still sizeable obstacles for this handset.

So yeah — the HTC U11+ won’t be coming to the United States anytime soon, but in Europe it’ll sell for £699, which gets you the 6GB/128GB variant. That’s good value for money in the context of some other flagship phones pushing near four figures. Sales begin November 20, and those HTC fans that remain are sure to find plenty to like about the the latest phone from this once-dominant brand. But it’s not clear how this phone will be able to get HTC out of its current financial rut.