HTC has finally unveiled the HTC 10, the company’s latest flagship smartphone that surprisingly drops the ‘One’ from its title, heralding a new era for the Taiwanese manufacturer.
The HTC 10’s all metal, unibody design might not represent a bold leap into a new direction for the company, but it does ensure that HTC’s flagship series continues to offer some of the best-looking devices on the market, with its solid chassis granting it a more premium feel than many of its more popular rivals. It’s also larger than the likes of the iPhone 6 and Samsung Galaxy S7, with it measuring in at a comparatively hefty 45.9 x 71.9 x 9mm.
Its 5.2-inch screen, an upgrade on the M9’s 5-inch display, boasts a QHD resolution, with HTC also proudly claiming that it features the “world’s fastest touchscreen” not just for a smartphone, but for any commercial device. It’s difficult to ascertain just how true this is given that the majority of devices these days have touchscreens with swift response times, though there certainly appears to a notably low level of latency.
HTC is pushing the device’s cameras at the forefront of its promotional material, with the HTC 10 able to take 4K video that combines with the device’s Hi-Res audio to provide an optimal video-making experience. The rear-facing camera is 12MP, with optical image stabilization present in both this camera and its 5MP UltraSelfie camera, making it the first front-facing camera to boast this feature. OIS is fast becoming a major and welcome trend in the mobile space, with it helping users to take higher quality images as a result of the added steadiness it provides.
In terms of battery life, the HTC 10’s battery has a 3000mAh rating, which is pretty typical for current generation smartphones. However, it’s a step up from the 2840mAh battery provided by the M9. Unfortunately, HTC has removed the dual front-facing speakers present in their last flagship handset, with them now being located in the earpiece and the base of the device, though the implementation of the company’s acclaimed BoomSound feature is a welcome improvement. Along with including a BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition in the phone that sees each speaker being given its own individual amp, HTC will also bundle the device with a set of hi-res earphones.
The HTC 10 will run on the Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system, with the company thankfully stating that they will lessen the shovelware that is so prevalent on Android smartphones. There’s also a new Freestyle Layout feature that allows the user to tinker with the look of their device, adding downloadable stickers onto their home screen in order to personalize their phone.
The HTC 10 will be released worldwide at some point in May, with retailers yet to announce an official price point.
