Between having to settle for a pair of merely average flagships and seeing the company's profits tank, HTC fans have had a rough time in recent years. As it turns out, though, HTC might have the cure for those woes (and no, I'm not just talking about the Vive). Though the surprise was spoiled, the company pulled back the curtain on its new HTC 10 smartphone today, and you know what? It feels like the HTC phone I've wanted for years. It's been interesting to watch HTC's product strategy over the past couple of years. As Apple and Samsung have eaten up the majority of market share and mind share, the firm has tried to find its niche by focusing its product line more tightly - putting its effort into very few products, such as a premium smartphone and its recently released virtual-reality headset. So how does the HTC 10 stack up to the competition? A full opinion will follow once review units are sent out, but HTC's announcement gives us the basics. HTC has always been a little nutty about audio, but the once-standard stereo front-facing speakers are still gone. Instead, the new BoomSound Hi-Fi system has a woofer in the bottom of the phone and a tweeter up top, so high and low frequencies come from above and below. I loved those silly stereo speakers and this new, mono approach isn't as eye-opening. Still, sound is loud and crisp -- which is more than I can say about most phone speakers. Beyond that, the M10 upscales all audio to 24-bit quality, which should sound good on the included hi-res certified earbuds. And since all our ears are different (mine are terrible), HTC devised a test that defines your "personal audio profile." Once set up, most phone audio is tuned to your preferences. Oh, and HTC is licensing Airplay from Apple to stream audio to even more hardware. How's that for keeping an open mind? The 10's software feels remarkably clean as well, particularly its Sense interface. Long story short, it feels closer to stock Android than ever before. HTC's little touches haven't completely vanished, though: BlinkFeed is still there waiting for you, and the location-based app suggestion widget is around too, though not on by default. And just like on the A9 and M9, you can install custom themes in case HTC's aren't to your liking. This time, there's also a "freestyle" theme that breaks away from the traditional app grid. The one freestyle theme available gives you a beach background to play with, and the stickers you add (think: sunglasses, picture frames, boats and so on) can set to launch apps when tapped. It's not for me, but my little cousin sort of squealed when she saw it, so maybe HTC is onto something here. More importantly, HTC also killed some of its homebrew applications in favor of existing Google apps. At last, you're not stuck figuring out which preloaded email app is worth using. In at least one case, this working relationship led to a shift in Google's systems: Google Photos now supports RAW images since HTC's Photos app got the axe. Price The HTC 10 has a recommended price of $699 (roughly Rs. 46,500); pricing plans at carriers may vary. Preorders start Tuesday, and the phone will be on shelves in early May, the company says. Then there are the little things. Like many high-end Android devices, the 10 uses USB Type-C to charge. (JBL is also working with HTC on a pair of high-res earbuds that connect through that port.) The fingerprint scanner is also seriously fast and rarely pesters me about trying again. So far, so good.
I'm trying not to be too hopeful here; my testing isn't done yet and it's possible the 10 will lose some of its sheen. Still, the fact that I have to actively manage my expectations is a pretty good sign: It's been years since an HTC phone got me this excited. Our full review is coming soon, so hang in there while we figure out if this is the One you've been waiting for. |
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