My impressions/review of the phone, in small episodes

[devsk]

I have been putting out information about U11+ in hamdir's thread for couple of days. I thought may be I should collate all the information and create a thread. So, here it is. Note that I am going to keep adding stuff as I use the phone everyday to point out the good the bad and the ugly. Go ahead and ask questions. If its possible for me, I will try to answer.

Quick update
Very quick update folks....

I got the amazing silver in my hands now. Been fiddling with options etc. for last 30 mins.

It a thing of beauty, let me tell you that first and foremost!! Amazing silver is really a shiny light blue colour. I love it!

Indoors, its brighter than my HTC 10 Tianma display. By how much? I don't know but its uncomfortably high for me at max. I won't use it at anywhere close to max. May be around 50%. Can't compare outdoor in direct sunlight until tomorrow. Will update again.

The weight is not a concern for me, its a little bit more than my 10 but not by much. The screen is gorgeous and much better than 10!!

The FP scanner is a little bit of a problem for me because I am not used to the rear scanner. I am finding it odd to pick the phone to use it. But I knew this going in. So, some mental recalibration is necessary. I can see OCD types hating this aspect, but I am fine with it.

Couple of more quick updates:

1. Speakers are much better than HTC 10. Louder and clearer. You would be very pleased to hear these if you upgrade from HTC 10. Just saw the infinity war trailer on it and listened through Thriller....
2. Lowest screen brightness gets very low. Good for night time, in-dark browsing. Much lower than HTC 10.
3. The screen gets much blacker than HTC10 in "day dream" or "always on" mode in the complete darkness, which may help with battery if you are thinking of keeping AOD on always. The "light bleed" associated with LCD panels is still there through. In fact, its little uneven compared to HTC 10. On HTC 10, you can clearly see that the whole screen is lit up but only the text is brighter. On U11+, the lower left part of the screen is almost complete black whereas the right side shows more light bleed. I don't know if its a defect in my unit or its just something impossible to achieve during LCD panel manufacturing. Not perfection but not a big deal for me.

The default is not AOD but it is turn on the dimly lit display when you pick up the phone.

Double tap to wake works (someone asked earlier). On display button let's you put it to sleep in case you don't want to press power button to lock/put it sleep.

So far, thrilled to get this phone. I hope we work out TWRP really quick, root and I can move to this phone as my daily driver.

GSMArena got the battery life wrong on this phone or they tested a different phone. I have been setting up, installing apps, syncing email accounts and generally fiddling with this phone for past 3-4 hours with 1h40m of SOT (screen brightness at 50% with Auto on, my typical setting for HTC 10) and it has consumed about 16% of battery. Haven't got that kind of battery life from any phone I have used or seen anybody else use in practical terms (I don't believe in artificial benchmarks). I think there is nothing to worry about battery life on this phone. This will last even the big time users through the day (10-12 hour day) easily.

One thing i notice is that its idling very well when turned off. My HTC 10 did not do that very well. So, the wifi chip seems to have been fixed up.

Note that its running 8.0.0 with Oct 1st patch. So, this has to still get the 8.1.1 release, which potentially should improve things.

Its still morning here in bay area and not afternoon sunny yet. But with the morning sun behind me, I can clearly say that U11+ is better than my HTC10. With HTC camera app, I looked through a chain of balconies shaded by trees, and sun behind me, to see how far each screen shows me. Side by side, I could see more detail and farther in U11+. This is highly unscientific but the brightness in sunlight is an upgrade from HTC10 Tianma to U11+. I will try to get some photos of the two phones' camera app in sunlight later in the day.

I think brightness jump is not huge from HTC 10, but its big enough for me to say I feel more comfortable taking photos/videos outdoors. Note that Camera sensor may also be playing a role in this. HTC 10 has a smaller f/1.8 aperture. So, more testing may be needed on the screen brightness in general. But practically speaking, I browsed around and I had no trouble reading text with sun behind me, falling directly on the phone. That's good for me, 500 nits or not.

I tried with both Auto brightness enabled and disabled, at max brightness. Results are same.

Someone asked about the FP gestures earlier. I did not find any settings for them and moving the finger around on FP in any direction or double tapping it, does not do anything. So, no gestures on FP, yet.

Someone had asked for 4G/LTE support in the US. At least in the area I am in (bay area, CA), the coverage is same as what I got in HTC 10 on T Mobile.

Regarding the wifi, its much better than HTC 10. I compared side by side and HTC10 needed to be closer to the router by about 10 feet to be able to do speedtest from the point where I could speedtest on U11+ and still get full 90Mbps download speed. U11+ has an excellent wifi range and throughput. I get around -71dBm (signal strength) from my router at a spot where my HTC10 gives me -83dBm. At that spot, U11+ maxes out the internet traffic, whereas 10 is limited to about 45Mbps. So, anyone with HTC 10 will appreciate the huge jump in performance of wifi.

Also, the idling issue found with HTC 10's wifi is not there in U11+. It does not eat through battery while idling on wifi.

Couple of more inputs:

1. I went to work with the phone but unfortunately I did not have the other phones with me to click the photos in bright sunlight but I can tell you, the screen has no problems in the sun. It is very bright and very usable for me. Unless you have a defective unit, the brightness of the screen should not be a concern at all. My experience is only HTC 10 vs U11+, and I am loving the brightness upgrade.

2. Usage with my sunglasses. I can not use HTC 10 in portrait mode with my sunglasses on. It goes complete dark. I did not have any issues with U11+ in both portrait and landscape orientations. Am I thrilled to wear my sunglasses in the car again? HELL YEAH!!!

Sound wise, nothing so far has beat my M7 for in ear quality. If the U11+ proves a worthy successor in that area as well, my M7 may sit in the desk drawer for the first time in over 4 years!!!

Make your M7 a cosy bed in that drawer because its going in there for sure and for a long time.... U11+ is big upgrade (from M7 and 10, both of which I own) in sound department, both the speakers and the USB-C headphone jack, through the bundled earbuds. I have found the bundled USB-C earbuds to be of very high quality. I usually throw away packaged earbuds because they usually fall off from my ear but these fit in my ear very well. And boy they block the noise!!! I have no complaints about the missing 3.5mm jack.

 

[aaatoel]

Thanks a lot for all these info. Looking forward to receiving my unit as well and start testing! I have high hopes for this one and I believe I will not be disappointed.

 

[paatha13]

Thanks for all very detailed and useful things mentions.

It’s positive that more and more people having the device and the general impression is in very good level at all aspects despite all that crap GSM arena mention with their tragic review.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[lebigmac]

Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.

 

[PhilipTS]

Thank you for all this info.
I Pre-Ordered one but I was skeptical with THE BAD review that I read.
I was thinking of canceling my order but now I just can't wait to get my hands on it

 

[devsk]

Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.

Honestly, I don't use this feature anymore. In fact, with casting feature working so well (AC wifi) and its so very convenient compared to the wire, casting gets used most of the time. I used to do this but I never bothered to buy the USB-C cable with my HTC 10.

May be I will try this again. Try some gaming on the big TV screen, fun fun fun!!

 

[lebigmac]

screen casting with chromecast or similar technologies always has a noticeable lag of 1-2 seconds. With direct cable connection there is no lag.

 

[detritu5]

Did you hook it up to the TV yet? I wonder why nobody does that. It's a very useful feature that not many modern smartphones offer unfortunately.
I wish HTC would advertise this special feature a bit more... It's underrated and underreported.

What do you want to know?? I did it. But is like mirror screen

Not have desktop mode like Mate 10

 

[lebigmac]

What do you want to know?? I did it. But is like mirror screen

Not have desktop mode like Mate 10

How is the video and audio quality? Is it real-time or is there any noticeable lag?
And what cable did you use? Thanks.

 

[paatha13]

So can you please describe us the AOD(always on display)feature how it works with HTC.
Does it have the same customization option as with Samsung or LG(v30)with variety of clock or colors option,image background support,music control(play-pause-forward) and if support notifications from any kind app.

Also when receiving notification and hit it on the screen does it open directly the specific app or not.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

 

[e_georgia]

AptX HD and LDAC and display

I have been putting out information about U11+ in hamdir's thread for couple of days. I thought may be I should collate all the information and create a thread. So, here it is. Note that I am going to keep adding stuff as I use the phone everyday to point out the good the bad and the ugly. Go ahead and ask questions. If its possible for me, I will try to answer.

hi, i have two question
first i'd be appreciated if you tell us how is the bluetooth headphone quality on u11+ ? beacuse i know u11+ has AptX HD and LDAC
and my second question is about the display
is the display quality, color range, black colors, ... near amoled display ?

 

[devsk]

So can you please describe us the AOD(always on display)feature how it works with HTC.
Does it have the same customization option as with Samsung or LG(v30)with variety of clock or colors option,image background support,music control(play-pause-forward) and if support notifications from any kind app.

Also when receiving notification and hit it on the screen does it open directly the specific app or not.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro

AOD on HTC U11+, in my opinion, leaves a lot to be desired. Few observations:

1. It only has two modes: a. show dimly lit clock/lock screen when picked up, b. always on mode, which is fixed 24/7 or on a time schedule. It lacks the mode "show dimly lit clock/lock screen when notifications arrive and repeat every 5 mins until cancelled".

2. Always On mode is a hog. Nearly 2% per hour idling. Not very useful. Its darker than any LCD I have seen before but it still show most of the display in complete darkness.

It does not provide any customization in either mode. You get 4 types of clock and that's about it. It shows apps (including music app) and their notifications with icons on small area and clicking takes to the app after unlock.

 

[devsk]

hi, i have two question
first i'd be appreciated if you tell us how is the bluetooth headphone quality on u11+ ? beacuse i know u11+ has AptX HD and LDAC
and my second question is about the display
is the display quality, color range, black colors, ... near amoled display ?

I don't have bluetooth headsets to test this sorry.

But the display is the best LCD I have seen. It can not be equal to amoled in terms of blacks, but its the closest that an LCD has come in terms of blacks. I think the LCD technology does not allow this any better compared to amoled in terms of blacks. The contrast is amazing and the brightness is very very good. The usage in direct sunlight is very comfortable.

Unless you want to knit pick (like always on display has slight light bleed, which is the result of them trying too hard to emulate "black"), you won't have any issues with this display.

 

[devsk]

How is the video and audio quality? Is it real-time or is there any noticeable lag?
And what cable did you use? Thanks.

I specifically bought the HDMI->USB-C cable from Amazon for $19 (one of the most expensive cables I have bought) and tested it. It works great. No lags in the video (my TV is 1080p). The sound through my sound system sounded great.

The link to cable: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B075JGM4W8

 

[devsk]

Idle drain is very minimal

It looks like wifi draining the battery when idling that was seen and documented by me on HTC10, is gone on U11+. I left the sync ON, data and wifi ON overnight. And I lost 2% battery in about 10 hours. This is how it should be.

Very very pleased with the battery and the phone overall. For me, this phone gets almost everything right. It will get better once I get hold of root on it.

 

[e_georgia]

I don't have bluetooth headsets to test this sorry.

But the display is the best LCD I have seen. It can not be equal to amoled in terms of blacks, but its the closest that an LCD has come in terms of blacks. I think the LCD technology does not allow this any better compared to amoled in terms of blacks. The contrast is amazing and the brightness is very very good. The usage in direct sunlight is very comfortable.

Unless you want to knit pick (like always on display has slight light bleed, which is the result of them trying too hard to emulate "black"), you won't have any issues with this display.

how about the audio quality of headphones ?

 

[iad77]

Does the phone get hot with brightness on max? Or during heavy downloading of Apps or charging?

How long does a full charge take?

Are you using a case / cover? Noticed any scratches on the back?

Does YouTube allow you to stretch to full screen?

Thanks!

Sent from my LG-H815 using Tapatalk

 

[johninsf]

Great feedback on this device. Thanks for doing this @devsk

I am in SF also. I have been seriously torn about buying a international no warranty phone. I jumped to the LG V30, purchased from B & H then cancelled the order a couple days ago.

However, I ordered the U11+ last night from Amazon - NGP Store USA. They get decent reviews but have a really strict return policy. I tried the U11 earlier this year but returned it. The U11+ had all the U11 was missing + more. [emoji3]

-- Who did you buy from and did you entertain buying a warranty? If so, from who.

-- Cases seem to be limited. Do you purchase one?

Thanks.

 

[devsk]

Great feedback on this device. Thanks for doing this @devsk

I am in SF also. I have been seriously torn about buying a international no warranty phone. I jumped to the LG V30, purchased from B & H then cancelled the order a couple days ago.

However, I ordered the U11+ last night from Amazon - NGP Store USA. They get decent reviews but have a really strict return policy. I tried the U11 earlier this year but returned it. The U11+ had all the U11 was missing + more. [emoji3]

-- Who did you buy from and did you entertain buying a warranty? If so, from who.

-- Cases seem to be limited. Do you purchase one?

Thanks.

Thanks. I bought it off of amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B077PJXZFK

I did not buy a warranty. I took a chance and its been fine so far. The quality of the device and manufacturing is very very high. I am very pleased with the whole experience. Do not believe anybody who disses this device. It checks pretty much every box I had. Biggest thing is Treble. I expect to run well supported AOSP on this thing.

I am using the bundled transparent case and I am fine with it. Its minimal and it shows off the amazing silver very well.

 

[devsk]

Does the phone get hot with brightness on max? Or during heavy downloading of Apps or charging?

This phone does not get hot under any circumstances (brightness or extended play). I have it in the bundled minimal case, and I played racing games for extended periods of time (connected to my TV using a USB-C to HDMI adapter). It drove the TV's 1080p display without any delay and with great sound! It felt warm after an hour of play but I would qualify that a lukewarm. My HTC 10 definitely gets much warmer than U11+. So, its an upgrade for me.

How long does a full charge take?

I never measured this from 0 to 100%. I am not worried about this though. All I can tell you is it charges very fast.

Are you using a case / cover? Noticed any scratches on the back?

I am using the bundled minimal case. Its transparent and shows off amazing silver well.

Does YouTube allow you to stretch to full screen?

It depends on the video's aspect ratio. For example, Inifinity War Trailer filled the screen but apple sway ad did not. It does not stretch in general and I think that's the right thing to do. I would not like videos with a different native aspect ratio than 2:1 to stretch and show all stretched faces etc.