HTC U11 officially announced, comes with ‘Edge Sense’ pressure sensitive frame and a 5.5-inch display

HTC has finally revealed its flagship smartphone for 2017, the HTC U11.

The U11’s marquee feature is ‘Edge Sense,’ which gives the user the ability to launch any app on the device, such as Google Assistant, Alexa, Chrome, or even the U11’s messenger app.

The U11’s Edge Sense feature is activated by squeezing the smartphone’s frame. The device includes eight microsensors that are always on. HTC says the feature is extremely sensitive and “always waiting for your command.” Different apps are activated depending on how much force is applied and how long the U11 is squeezed for. Edge Sense also works with gloves and when wet, according to HTC.

The HTC U11 also features an always-on low-power microphone that’s constantly listening for voice commands. It also uses Wake Word technology to wake the device, even while sleeping.

The Taiwanese company’s newest flagship features a 1onm octa-core Snapdragon 835 chipset. The device will also includes 4GB of RAM in Canada and expandable storage.

During HTC’s Brilliant U event, the company announced that the camera featured in the U11 is the highest DXOMark rated phone camera ever.

The U11 features a 12-megapixel Ultrapixel 3 image sensor with a f/1.7 aperture, image stabilization, and dual-pixel autofocus. Furthermore, the device includes a 16-megapixel selfie camera with a f/2.0 aperture and a 150-degree wide angle wise.

The device features 4K video, 3D Audio, 360-degree sound recording and has an acoustic focus that allows the device to zoom in on a specific sound during video recording.

The HTC U11 utilizes second-generation Usonic and uses sonar-based technology to find the best acoustic settings for the user. The device also comes with USonic earbuds that feature a noise-canceling headset. The smartphone also includes Boomsound, though it looks like the speaker is located next to the device’s USB-C port near the top of the device.

The device is IP67 water and dust resistant but HTC “does not encourage you to take your phone in the water.”

Below are all of the HTC U11’s technical specifications.

Specs

HTC U11

HTC U Ultra

Display

5.5-inch Super LCD5 display, 1440 x 2560 pixels, 16:9 aspect ratio

5.7-inch, 2.0 inch secondary display (160x1040)

Processor

Snapdragon 835

Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 2.15GHz quad-core processor

RAM

4GB of RAM

4GB

Storage

64GB, 128GB (expandable up to 256GB)

64GB or 128GB

Dimensions

153.9 x 75.9 x 7.9mm

162.41 x 79.79 x 3.6-7.99mm

Weight

169g

170 grams

Rear Facing Camera

12-megapixel (f/1.7, OIS, AF) dual-LED flash

12MP (HTC UltraPixel™ 2 with 1.55μm pixel) PDAF + Laser focus

Front Facing Camera

16-megapixel (f/2.0)

16MP, with HTC UltraPixel

OS

Android 7.1

Android 7.0 with HTC Sense

Battery

3,000mAh

Non-removable 3000mAh with Quick Charge 3.0

Network Connectivity

GSM / HSPA / LTE

Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz), NFC

Sensors

Fingerprint Sensor, Gyro Sensor, Proximity Sensor, Edge Sensor, Sensor Hub, Motion G-senor, Compass sensor, Ambient light Sensor

NFC, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz), DLNA, Motion G-sensor, Fingerprint sensor

SIM Type

Nano SIM,

Nano SIM

Launch Date

May 16, 2017

March 20, 2017

Misc

Colour: Brilliant Black, Sapphire Blue, Amazing Silver, Solar Red | Edge Sensor, IP67 water/dust resistant, USB Type-C, HTC Ultra Pixel 3 with 1.4μm pixel

USB Type-C

The U11 is set to launch next week in specific regions and early June in the rest of the world. The device will be available in five different colours: ‘Amazing Silver,’ ‘Sapphire Blue,’ ‘Ice White,’ ‘Solar Red’ and ‘Brilliant Black.’

What do you think of HTC’s newest flagship device? Let us know in the comments section.