What Is It? – When it comes to smartphones, Google’s Android operating system is clearly the winner, with almost 85% of the market (Apple’s iOS is under 15%, with Windows and BlackBerry phones less than 1% together). But which Android phone? There are so many makers and models in all price ranges. HTC was once a big name in smartphones, but a couple of clunkers dropped their business way down. They have returned to the high end market with the HTC 10, a sleek new model that they say takes into account what users told them they wanted added or improved. The HTC 10 has a beautifully-made aluminum body, curved to be easily held, with a Gorilla Glass front. It comes with a quad-core processor and 4 GB of RAM, plus about 20 GB more of onboard storage. A microSD card can be added for up to 2 TB of additional storage. There are of course both front and rear facing cameras, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and other connectivity, and a USB-C port for both charging and transferring data. HTC says the battery life is up to 2 days and the unit can be quick-charged to 50% in just 30 minutes. It comes with the latest Android Marshmallow operating system, and weighs just under 6 ounces. It boasts of hi-fi sound, in both playback and recording (3 microphones with noise cancellation).
Is It 50+ Friendly? – The HTC 10 is a smartphone for any age user.
Frustration Factor? – I had no problems with the HTC 10 – although you can find reviews elsewhere claiming issues with the battery life, touchscreen, display color, and Wi-Fi. The HTC 10 does sound good but the speakers now fire from the bottom, while in previous models they had front facing stereo speakers. Not really frustrating, but different, is that to go from page to page of apps you swipe up and down (when the phone is held vertically), rather than the more common left and right.
Is It Worth The Money? – HTC clearly wants this smartphone to be a competitor to the well-praised Samsung Galaxy S7, and to me it is a worthy adversary, and head-to-head each has its own advantages. They are also similarly priced – generally over $600 – whether purchased unlocked or on a carrier’s installment plan. The HTC 10 is available unlocked for $630 at Amazon.com.
Here’s a short promotional video that shows off the HTC 10:
The post HTC 10 Smartphone – Coming Back At The High End appeared first on Tech50+.