Today was the announcement day that HTC's been teasing, and as expected, the company took the wraps off of a new high-end smartphone.
The HTC U11+ features a 6-inch 2800x1440 Super LCD 6 screen with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Not only is the U11+'s screen larger than the one found on the U11 that debuted earlier this year, but it's also got slimmer bezels that surround the screen.
Another thing that's bigger with the HTC U11+ is its battery. The U11+ is packing a 3,930mAh battery, which is considerably larger than the 3,000mAh battery included with the U11.
HTC's U11+ is also packing a 12-megapixel UltraPixel 3 camera on its backside, complete with 1.4μm pixel, UltraSpeed autofocus, optical image stabilization, f/1.7 aperture, and dual LED flash. There's a fingerprint reader below that camera, and around front is an 8-megapixel camera with f/2.0 aperture and an 85-degree field of view.
HTC has equipped the U11+ with a Snapdragon 835 processor as well as a microSD card slot, NFC, USB Type-C, and IP68 water resistance. When it comes to RAM and storage, there are two versions of the U11+: one with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, and one with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Android 8.0 Oreo comes preloaded on the HTC U11+ along with HTC's custom Sense user interface. HTC has also included its Edge Sense feature, which lets you squeeze the sides of the phone to do things like launch the camera app and take a photo.
The HTC U11+ will be sold in a trio of color options, including a translucent version that lets you see the internals of the device.
Pre-orders for the HTC U11+ begin in the U.K. on November 20th, with pricing set at £699 ($916 USD). Select European markets will also get the U11+ at a price of €799. Unfortunately, HTC has no plans to bring the U11+ to the U.S.
The HTC U11+ looks like a solid improvement over the U11. While it doesn't have an all-screen design, its bezels are smaller than those on the U11, which should make it a bit easier to hold. The U11+'s bigger battery is another big improvement over the U11, and the fact that it comes with Android 8.0 preloaded means that buyers will get a taste of Oreo before just about every other non-Pixel and non-Nexus device owner.
What do you think of the HTC U11+?
