HTC puts a new squeeze into smartphones with U11

HTC on Tuesday unveiled its U11 smartphone, coming with a feature that will let you "squeeze" the most out of it.

Unveiled in Dubai during a live-stream event from Taipei on Tuesday, the Taiwanese tech firm's new device comes with Edge Sense; its frame is pressure-sensitive, which allows a user to squeeze or press on the sides to perform certain tasks, such as unlocking the phone, taking pictures and other actions. Holding a squeeze longer will also trigger other specific tasks.

The feature can be calibrated within the U11's settings, which can be adjusted to suit a user's force when squeezing.

The new phone will also feature Amazon's Alexa voice assistant, joining Google Assistant in providing a smarter experience. Alexa, however, will only be available in specific regions.

It also has the first smartphone camera to achieve the highest-ever rating from DxOMark, with a score of 90.

HTC says more apps will be able to take advantage of Edge Sense in the near future, and they are collaborating with developers regarding this, as well as makers of protective cases to ensure these adhere to the Edge Sense's specifications.

"Innovation is alive. we're back on the road to innovation," Darren Sng, HTC's vice-president and head of global product marketing, said in an exclusive media pre-briefing in Dubai recently.

The rapid changes in technology "only ignited a whole new bunch of users", and that "we are still at the very beginning of what we can do", he added.

The U11 is HTC's latest attempt to gain lost ground in the smartphone arena. The company's most successful device, the HTC One M7, was launched in 2013.

The U11 also boasts of Qualcomm's latest processor, the Snapdragon 835, joining the likes of the Sharp Aquos R, Xiaomi Mi6, OnePlus 5, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and Samsung Galaxy S8 and S8+ as the only devices so far to parade the new chip.

The device will come in two RAM/storage configurations - 4GB/64GB and 6GB/128GB. As a nod to the importance of the UAE and the region to its strategy, HTC also announced that the higher-end model will be the one to be made available here, one of select markets where it will be sold. HTC ditched the 3.5mm audio jack in favour of a USB Type-C port; the device will ship with an adapter for this.

Other features include 12MP and 16MP main and front cameras, fast charging and HTC's audio technologies, USonic and BoomSound.

The phone will be available on shelves starting next week, initially in select regions. It will be priced at Dh2,599. Pre-bookings will be available in the UAE, with gifts awaiting early buyers.

Source: Khaleej Times