Additionally, the new Sense UI's user interface is pretty close to stock Android. Not only does the phone provide a quick app-launch experience and slick animations, but multitasking is a breeze too - all thanks to the 6GB RAM onboard. Even though HTC’s Sense UI has a noticeable amount of bloatware, there’s no hint of the smartphone struggling to keep up with the activities. With a custom UI (Sense, based on Android's Nougat 7.1.1), the U11 sails through almost any task it is given. One can expand the storage up to 256GB via a hybrid microSD card slot - we still wonder who will fill it to its brim! There’s the flagship Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 beast powering the U11 and is supported by a massive 6GB of RAM along with 128 GB of storage. Since the U11 was meant to compete with the big boys, HTC has accumulated the best hardware it could find in the market for the U11. Thanks to the distant placement away from the bottom of the display and into the chin. The fingerprint sensor, which doubles as the home button, is placed conveniently - you can never hit it accidentally while using an app. The U11 does look a tad boring, but isn't as bad either - it surely is a good looking smartphone, but doesn’t fit in with its rivals in the aesthetics department. There are smartphones with bezels (like the one on the OnePlus 5) that don’t look boring. However, in a world where smartphones are working towards reducing the display bezels, the U11 feels like a smartphone from 2014s. It also has wide viewing angles, which is convenient while watching content in a group. The display produces crisp images with high contrasts and natural colours. To compliment the rear panel’s presence, HTC has crammed in an equally impressive display - a 5.5-inch Super LCD5 display with 1440 x 2560 pixels packed with a density of 534ppi, and protected by a 3D Gorilla Glass 5 adding to the overall looks. The only thing you would find missing is the 3.5mm headphone jack, which is soon becoming a norm in this category. However, the best bit about the U11’s build is its waterproofing - it gets IP67 certification, which means taking out this baby in the rains is no more a matter of worry. And the buttons have a high tactility too. HTC's craftsmanship is also visible on the sides, especially with the uniquely-shaped speaker grille and the cleverly placed antenna bands. We liked this reflective glass finish on the U11 as it makes the phone distinct in a sea of understated glass-body smartphones out there in the market. This though depends on an individual’s taste - some will like the highly reflective finish of the rear panel whereas others could find it pretty loud. The unit we had was ‘Amazing Silver’ (it's actually light blue), which showed various tints of light blue under different lighting conditions. However, the rear panel looks better than the former, especially with the ridge around the camera. This is the same glass used on the U Ultra launched earlier this year. HTC has gone to great depths for designing the rear panel on the U11 with a glass made from Optical Spectrum Hybrid Deposition. But that doesn’t mean the U11 is boring to look at. HTC has instead opted to stay classic - retain the old-school smartphone look. In 2017, if you have to design a flagship smartphone, you have to follow the trend of incorporating slim-bezels, better displays and great looking designs on your best offering. So, is it just another revamped version of its predecessors or worthy of its title - quietly brilliant? Let’s find out. During its launch, HTC marked the U11 aside from the competition with their new ‘ Edge Sense’ feature along with a great camera sensor. And now, in a world dominated by Samsung’s piece-de-resistance Galaxy S-series and the budget-heroes from OnePlus, the Taiwanese smartphone giant hopes to make a comeback with their latest offering - the HTC U11. Times have moved on since the HTC One M7 and other players have taken HTC’s mantle of bringing in better and innovative Android smartphones. (However, the HTC Desire was also one of the best, unforgettable smartphones where developers would swear by it.) As years rolled by, HTC evolved into a recognisable name in the world of smartphones, claiming one of the best Android phones in history to their name - HTC One M7. It provided the perfect platform to debut the Android OS and provide a tough competition to the iPhone. When HTC launched the Dream back in 2008, it quietly started a revolution in the world of mobile phones.
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