HTC 10 review: One and only HTC phone that you should buy

HTC makes some amazing phones. There's no denying that. When in doubt, you can always check out the One M7, or any other One-range phone -- save the One M9 and M9+ , which were bad -- for that matter. If you're one on a tight budget, the company has a fair share of mid-level Desire phones that you can go for. HTC's One and Desire phones have always managed to stand out from the crowd on the back of their pleasing looks and polished user interface. No other company gets even close.

HTC was probably one of the first few companies to come out with a phone boasting of a rounded metal back with plastic antenna inserts on the back. And yet, every single time you see an all-metal phone with distinct antenna lines on the rear, you're instantly reminded of the iPhone. Well, the irony! A lot of this has to do with Apple's clever marketing strategies. HTC instead has relied heavily on carriers to promote its phones.

The times they are a-changin'. The company has grown wiser with time. The One A9 was only just the beginning ; the One X9, just a drop in the ocean. HTC was saving the best for the last. Enter HTC 10, HTC's best smartphone to date, and very well, the top contender for the best Android flagship phone of the year.

Design and build quality

All flagship HTC phones have carried the 'One' moniker for as long as, ahem, one can remember. All flagship HTC phones have also carried the 'M' moniker for as long as one can remember. Things are however different this time round.

The company has decided to let go of certain things that were holding it back in the past and for the first time built a flagship phone without the One and M monikers. The phone is now simply
called the HTC 10.

You might say the HTC 10 is just another smartphone with big bulging chamfers. But there's something very out of the ordinary about its ordinary design statement

Naming aside, the HTC 10 isn't all that different from last year's M9+. But that is alright. The M9+ looked beautiful and so does the HTC 10. In fact, unlike the M9+ that was slippery, the HTC 10 stays put in hands. It's safe to say that HTC's new phone hits the Samsung Galaxy S7 and LG G5 straight out of the ball park as far as ergonomics are concerned. It's just that good. The HTC 10 achieves this feat on the back of chamfers: big pointy edges that extend all along the rear of the phone.

HTC might as well have played safe and gone with something more - for the lack of a better word - regular. But honestly, HTC has played it safe for far too long. And it hasn't been helping its case
much. The company gave us the first glimpse into its wild side
when it launched the One A9, a phone that oddly resembled the iPhone. With the HTC 10, it's going for the kill. And no, it doesn't look anything like the iPhone, in case you're wondering.

Also Read: HTC 10 quick review: The chosen one

You might say the HTC 10 is just another smartphone with big bulging chamfers. Take that away, and it's no different from last year's model. In fact, put it next to the Galaxy S7, and the HTC 10 doesn't have enough to make you want to pick it up on the spur of the moment. But, give it a try, and its build quality and subtle no-fuss looks will make you want to hold it some more. It's one of those instances where first impressions don't necessarily mean the end of the world.

It's not as slim and light as the Galaxy S7 and the LG G5, but it's
got just the right weight, and just the right girth... gives you something to hold on to: always a plus.

The front is very reminiscent of the One A9 with an oblong physical home button alongside curved 2.5D curved Gorilla Glass


3.

There's something very out of the ordinary about the HTC 10's ordinary design statement. Especially in the way the buttons just ease firmly into the edges, the grooved texture of the power button that feels confident to click, and the touch-sensitive home button on the front that doubles as a fingerprint scanner. Not to forget, it's super-fast and super responsive. If there's one thing that left me wanting, it has to be the backlit capacitive keys. They feel anaemic. Also, some waterproofing would have gone a long way in making me fall head over heels.

Display

The HTC 10 comes with a 5.2-inch QuadHD Super LCD 5 display with a 1440 x 2560-pixel resolution. Display is fantastic. But then, even last year's M9+ came with a fantastic display. So, what's different? HTC says the 10's new LCD 5 panel is 30 per cent more colourful and 50 per cent more responsive to touch than its predecessor. The difference will be indiscernible to most users, but there is, a difference nonetheless.

HTC seems to have gotten things right as far as colours are concerned. The HTC 10 takes things forward after the One A9. Although, it dumps the AMOLED panel of the One A9 in favour of a more neutral LCD panel, colours look every bit as rich and vibrant as on the former. The phone has excellent viewing angles and outdoor legibility is just spot on. It doesn't get as overboard with colours as the Galaxy S7, but a more neutral palette is all the more soothing to the eyes. The only quibble I do have with the HTC 10 is the lack of an always-on display, something that both the Galaxy S7 and LG G5 have.

Software

The HTC 10 runs Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow-based Sense UI. Sense was already a pretty good user interface. Folks back at HTC have made it even better with its latest iteration.

While Samsung still feels obliged to stuff TouchWiz with some bloat or unwanted
apps, even in its most toned down avatar, HTC has gone ahead and reduced their number to almost a zero.

If that wasn't enough, it has also removed many duplicate apps and instead gone with only stock Android solutions. For instance, Google Photos is your basic gallery app on-board the HTC 10.

By minimising bloat and omitting duplicate apps, HTC has made an already smooth UI, smoother. And it's every bit as customisable. Sense gives you many options to tinker around with the user interface. You get to change themes, icons, tones and more. A new addition to Sense is freestyle layout themes. Freestyle layout themes essentially allows you to place stickers on your home screens. Each sticker can be assigned with a specific widget or function. I didn't find it very useful, but for someone who's into a lot of tailor-made stuff, it's nice to know the option is there.

Performance and battery life

A top-tier Android flagship phone in the year 2016 would be incomplete without Qualcomm's Snapdragon 820 processor. This one's clocked at 2.2GHz - in the HTC 10 -- and coupled with Adreno 530 GPU and 4GB of RAM. It comes with 32GB of internal memory which is further expandable by up to 2TB via microSD card. The single-SIM phone supports 4G LTE connectivity.

A combination of high-end hardware and slick, bloat-free software ensures the HTC 10 runs smooth as butter, and has absolutely no trouble whatsoever in dealing with tasks, both basic and hard-grinding. Graphical games are handled well, with no lag at all, even at maxed out settings. All this, and the HTC 10 still manages to stay cool as a cucumber. The only time that it did get warm - visibly - was while charging, and that's not really a point of concern.

The HTC 10 is an absolute treat for audiophiles. That's right, BoomSound is back with a bang, only this time it's sporting an all new look and feel. HTC has replaced the dual stereo setup of the company's heydays - much to my disappointment -- with a mono speaker out, and opted for a separate tweeter (bottom) and subwoofer (top) each with its own dedicated amplifier. The result, well, it doesn't sound quite as good as it used to, once upon a time, but it also doesn't get any better than it, in this day and age. Let's just say, the Galaxy S7 and the LG G5 (and the iPhone 6S) sound ridiculously quieter in comparison. The HTC 10 doesn't outdo the HTC One M8 though.

×

Also Read: HTC 10 launched in India: Top features, price and everything you need to know

But then, the HTC 10 has an ace up its sleeve. The phone supports Hi-Res Audio and can upscale all (lower-res) audio to 24-bit quality. It also ships with dedicated Hi-Res earphones in the box for the purpose. The Hi-Res Audio + Hi-Res earphones combo is without a doubt the most compelling feature to buy the HTC 10. It's just that good (read, loud).

The HTC 10 is also the first Android smartphone in the world to support Apple's AirPlay wireless audio streaming format out-of-the-box. This means it can stream audio to Apple certified speakers as well as Apple TV.

Phone calls made with the phone are of excellent quality and we did not encounter any odd call drop issues with our review unit.

The HTC 10 is backed by a 3,000mAh battery which is non-removable. For your reference, battery life of the HTC 10 is somewhere in the middle of the Galaxy S7 (max) and the LG G5 (min). You can call it decent, at best. While extreme usage got us close to 13 hours, moderate to light usage got us close to one full day, without breaking a sweat. Most users, with more generalised usage will be able to squeeze out one to one and a half day out of the phone. Also, Qualcomm's Quick Charge 3.0 means the phone charges like a bullet.

Camera

The HTC 10 sports a 12-UltraPixel camera on the rear with F1.8 aperture, laser autofocus, Optical Image Stabilisation and dual-LED flash. The HTC 10 uses the same sensor as the Nexus 5X (and Nexus 6P for that matter) but a different (and brighter lens). HTC's UltraPixel sensor is notorious for allowing more light into the lens, resulting in brighter pictures. This in tandem with OIS should technically entail in the best Android flagship camera phone of the year. Well, it's not. The Galaxy S7 is.

The HTC 10 isn't so much of a bad camera phone - it's pretty good actually - as it is inconsistent. Normally, it would go about clicking pretty detailed photos in varied light conditions (even tricky, and low light) without losing a breath. Then all of a sudden, it would overexpose a shot leaving behind blown out highlights and throwing colours totally off guard.

The HTC 10 compensates for its hit-and-miss rear camera by giving you the best front-facing camera in a high-end phone this year

The camera app has to be the biggest highlight of the HTC 10. It is pretty well-equipped - replete with 4K (with Hi-Res Audio), RAW support and full-on Pro modes - and boasts of the best navigation scheme - with buttons and no text -- I've seen in a flagship smartphone. Also, it's up and running in a jiffy. In fact, the whole thing (including autofocus and shutter speed) works like a speeding bullet.

The HTC 10 compensates for its hit and miss rear camera by giving you the best front-facing camera on-board any high-end flagship this year. The phone has a 5-megapixel camera on the front with f/1.8 aperture, autofocus, Optical Image Stabilisation and a screen flash. Clicks some amazing and detailed selfies, this one. Even in tricky light situations.

Should you buy it?

The HTC 10 is easily the best phone that HTC has built in like forever. The phone has all the bells and whistles of a top-tier flagship, and it's safe to say that it delivers on almost every front as well. It has top-notch build quality, a sharp display with good viewing angles, a fantastic front-facing camera with OIS, flagship-class performance and decent battery life. The star of the show however has to be the phone's bloat-free Sense UI and its Hi-Res Audio prowess. No other phone comes even close to the HTC 10 in this regard.

Is it perfect? No. Is it the best Android flagship phone of the year? Not really. The Samsung Galaxy S7 (and Galaxy S7 Edge) still has my vote - because, well, camera and battery life -- but, that's just my opinion. The HTC 10 gets dangerously close. In fact, if you're willing to give the HTC 10's hit and a miss rear camera the benefit of doubt, there's frankly no compelling reason why you shouldn't go for it, even at a price as high as Rs 52,990.

This is the phone that long-term HTC fans have always wanted, this is the phone that long-term HTC fans have always deserved.