For Super Fans: The HTC U11+ with a 6-inch display, 3930 mAh and IP68
by Ian Cutress on November 2, 2017 6:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Smartphones
- HTC
- Android
- DCI-P3
- HTC U11
- Squeeze
- U11
- Edge Sense
Today HTC is expanding its U11 series from one member into three, with the introduction of the U11 life and the U11+. The two new parts are designed to sit above and below the current standard U11 model, with the U11 life aiming at a more price competitive ‘lifestyle’ market, while the U11+ (U11-plus) sits at the top of the pile and is being touted for HTC super-fans who want a little bit more from their U11.
The HTC U11+: Bigger Display, More Battery
So where the U11 life has a few reduced features to bring down the price, the U11+ puts in more of the premium. Over the original U11 it moves up from a 5.5-inch 16:9 2560x1440 SLCD5 display to a 6.0-inch 18:9 2880x1440 SLCD6 display, as well as increasing the environmental resistance rating from IP67 to IP68. The battery also gets a sizeable boost from 3000 mAh to 3930 mAh, which HTC is quoting for an additional 4 hours of video playback and an additional four hours of LTE data use.
With the original HTC U11, we were told that it was color calibrated out of the factory, although we were not told to what degree. For the U11+, we are told that it supports HDR10 and DCI-P3, although we were not told how much of the color space the display covers (we did ask, waiting to hear back). HDR10 will be officially supported by the end of the year – the hardware is capable but the software is still catching up. We asked about the official brightness of the display, how that compares to the 1000 nit ideal for HDR10, although that data wasn’t immediately available. We compared the U11+ and U11 life side-by-side at maximum brightness, and it was clear the U11 life was brighter, which was an interesting result.
The U11+ retains the same storage configurations (6/128 and 4/64) with support for a microSD card, and retains the connectivity: 802.11ac, USB 3.0 (5 Gbps) Type-C, and support for Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0. The SoC is the same with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, and the cameras are still the 12MP UltraPixel 3 with OIS+EIS, f/1.7 and HDR Boost with support for 120fps video at 1080p. The front-facing camera has a change, down from a 16MP to a wide-angle 8MP version but with a f/2.0 aperture and an 85º field-of-view. Other features of the U11+ include the HTC USonic audio and 24-bit wireless audio support. The U11+ will ship with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa where supported, and Edge Sense as the headline feature.
Edge Sense gets a slightly different implementation, this time opening up the HTC Sense Companion from the main screen to give an overlay for quick access to all the common apps.
The U11+ will be shipping with Android 8 as standard, and will only be available in Ceramic Black to begin with. We were shown a prototype for a Translucent Black color that they have been considering, which shows off the NFC coil and some minor details around the camera (if you look hard enough).
We were quoted a price of £699 for the UK on the Ceramic Black model with 6 GB DRAM and 128GB of storage, which will also be available throughout the EU. A 4/64 model will also be available in Asia. No details were given about a US release, although at that UK price (which includes 20% tax), it will likely be around $770.
HTC U11 Family | ||||||
HTC U11 life | HTC U11 | HTC U11+ | ||||
SoC | Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 4 x A53 @ 2.2 GHz 4 x A53 @ 1.8 GHz Adreno 508 |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 4x Kryo 280 Perf @ 2.45 GHz 4x Kryo 280 Eff @ 1.90 GHz Adreno 540 @ 653 MHz |
||||
Display | 5.2-inch SLCD 1920x1080 |
5.5-inch SLCD5 2560x1440 |
6.0-inch SLCD6 2880x1440 |
|||
Dimensions | 149.9 x 72.9 x 8.1 mm 142 grams |
153.9 x 75.9 x 7.9 mm 169 grams |
158.5 x 74.9 x 8.5 mm 188 grams |
|||
Waterproof | Yes (IP67) | Yes (IP67) | Yes (IP68) | |||
RAM | 3 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 6 GB | 4 GB | 6 GB |
NAND | 32 GB | 64 GB | 64 GB UFS 2.1 |
128 GB UFS 2.1 |
64 GB UFS 2.1 |
128 GB UFS 2.1 |
MicroSD | Yes | Yes | Yes | |||
Rear Camera | 16MP, f/2.0 | 12MP "UltraPixel 3" OIS, f/1.7, 1.4µm pixels |
||||
Front Camera | 16MP, f/2.0 | 16MP | 8MP, f/2.0, 85º wide angle |
|||
Battery | 2600 mAh non-replaceable |
3000 mAh non-replaceable |
3930 mAh non-replaceable |
|||
Modem | Qualcomm X12 (Integrated) Category 11 LTE |
Qualcomm X16 (Integrated) 2G / 3G / 4G LTE |
||||
LTE Bands | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 66 | 1, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 17, 20, 28 (U11+), 32 38, 39, 40, 41 |
||||
SIM Size | 1 x NanoSIM | 1x or 2x NanoSIM | ||||
Wireless | 802.11ac, BT4.2, NFC GPS / GLONASS / BDS |
802.11ac, BT 4.2, NFC, GPS / GLONASS |
||||
Connectivity | USB 2.0 Type-C | USB 3.0 (5 Gbps), Type-C, Quick Charge 3.0 | ||||
3.5mm TRRS | No | No | No | |||
Launch OS | Android 7.0 w/ HTC Sense (US) Android 8.0 w/ AndroidOne (RoW) |
Android 7.1 with HTC Sense | Android 8.0 with HTC Sense | |||
Cost | From £349 (~$385) | 4 + 64GB: £649 | From £699 (~$770) |
31 Comments
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GreenMeters - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
So what did HTC do here? Changed ratio, so 6-inch is a lie. Lousy, fragile material. Idiotic lack of head phone jack. Nothing about this phone is a "plus".goatfajitas - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Larger screen, smaller bezels, best in class battery capacity, SD support, and in case you missed it, headphone jacks are kind of going away. Get right with it.negusp - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
People like you need to fuck off. The use of the headphone jack costs almost nothing in R&D and production costs.The V30/S8(s) all have headphone jacks, water resistance, and significantly more features. Not to mention a far superior design.
goatfajitas - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Neckbeards... LOL."People like you need to fuck off."
Yes some phones still have it, and you can buy them, but how long do you think Samsung is still going to support it? The S9, the S10? It's old tech and going extinct whether you like it or not. And even still, they come with an adaptor so if you are still using wired headphones you are fine. FFS, get a grip
Lolimaster - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
In what universe the jack is old tech. It's simply one of those technology that are basically ageless because nothing is better per se. Like digital terrestrial HD tv signals using the same airwaves as the old analog low res broadcasts providing the best quality for HD signals.Different to diskettes or optical media which has been superseeded by more practical technology.
goatfajitas - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Fair enough... But the fact remains that there are alot of people that dont listen to music at all on thier phones and alot more than do listen to music, but wirelessly. And again, there is an adaptor for those that still use a headphone jack. I am just saying its going away, like a physical KB on a phone. In a few years no-one will be using it.lmcd - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
I'd go the other way. There are a lot of people who never use anything beyond the mono earpiece speaker. A much higher percentage are using headphone jacks.eek2121 - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Not every manufacturer follows those trends. My LG V30 is a fantastic phone and it has a headphone jack along with an enhanced DAC that provides an amazing listening experience.GreenMeters - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
Narrower screen. And Galaxy S's and Notes have jacks, LGs too, so no, they're only going away on devices from idiotic, consumer-hostile manufacturers.goatfajitas - Thursday, November 2, 2017 - link
okedokee... But the fact is most people dont use headphone jack that much. We have wireless headphones now and bluetooth... also worth noting, alot of people dont listen to music at all on their phones. I dont use headphones. When I listen to music on my phone, its in my car via BT. IF I did decide to listen with headphones, there is a dongle. Why the outrage? its like 30 year old tech