Professional Reviews

[Hadron]

So far have been very positive:

AndroidPit: https://www.androidpit.com/htc-u11-review
AndroidCentral: http://www.androidcentral.com/htc-u11?utm_medium=superfeature&utm_campaign=navigation&utm_source=ac
PhoneArena: http://www.phonearena.com/reviews/HTC-U11-Review_id4361
DigitalTrends: https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/htc-u11-review/
Stuff: https://www.stuff.tv/htc/u11/review


Feel free to add more as you come across them.

 

[El Presidente]

Stuff - https://www.stuff.tv/htc/u11/review

Anything you've read so far make you think about getting this over the S8?

 

[Hadron]

Everything I've read, plus comments from people who have had test units and compared with the s8, says it's technically a better phone (better sound, better sustained performance, smoother UI out of the box, and as someone who doesn't like exaggerated colours and over-processed images a slightly better camera). I also keep my phones for a while, so am more comfortable with the better longevity of LCD over AMOLED.

BUT it's a phablet, and too wide for me to use one-handed (I tried a dummy for size this morning). Whereas the S8 fits my hand very well - I can even reach the much-derided fingerprint sensor easily. And that's a huge factor, and very hard to overlook: in day to day usage the S8 will be much more comfortable for me.

So that's my problem: I'd definitely choose the HTC if it was a bit narrower, but it isn't. I'd consider the G6 as a compromise: better size than the HTC, more robust build than the Samsung, and I find flat screens more practical. But only 32GB storage feels restrictive when Samsung, HTC and Sony are all packing 64. Especially as I prefer to keep phones a long time, so have to consider what storage requirements will be in a few years. Hence, probably not.

 

[El Presidente]

Digital Trends - https://www.digitaltrends.com/cell-phone-reviews/htc-u11-review/

So far, reviews seem pretty positive.

I was pretty much set on the S8+, but the reviews for this have made me think twice. Also had a play with the XZ Premium in the EE Shop and it's potentially an option.

 

[Hadron]

The more I think about it the more I think that the size is a deal-breaker for me. Sure I can use software to work around some of the ergonomic problems (e.g. floating on-screen buttons that are easier to reach one-handed), but at the end of the day do I really want to buy a phone and then spend my time working around the size? Especially since this year, after a long period when the industry trend was simply for phones to keep getting larger, we're finally seeing some new and more compact designs appearing, so if my battery holds up long enough there's a decent chance of finding something that suits me better.

Of course what that something else might be I don't yet know. I still have different reservations about the S8 and G6. The Essential phone is close to perfect in size for me, but if it ever comes to the UK it's also a riskier proposition in other respects. Maybe Pixel 2 will be an option, though Google's traditional indifference to audio and battery life bother me a bit. The XZ Premium is also too big for me, but maybe Sony's Autumn lineup will contain something that suits me better. But for now I think I'm back to keeping my old phone going a little longer, because nothing currently available feels quite right for me.