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The HTC U11 is finally official and the next flagship from HTC has a lot to offer to any user who is looking for a premium smartphone. While it does come with some of the best specs on the market, such as the Snapdragon 835 processor and a 5.5-inch QHD screen, the best parts about the phone are in the features, most notably, the Edge Sensors which allow you to squeeze the sides of the device to initiate a number of different functions. The most obvious thing to do with these is to use them to open up an application, but the sensors are configurable so users can also set them up to open a shortcut to a specific app feature or to open a shortcut to a system functionality. You can also initiate tasks with them, so depending on how you personally use your phone the Edge Sensors can be pretty versatile. You can also set up multiple actions with the Edge Sensors as there are varying levels of pressure at which a user can squeeze them, as well as how long or short your squeezes are. Taking this all into consideration you can really do a lot with just this one feature of the phone.
Another great feature is the 3D audio that HTC has embedded into the U11 which makes use of the phone’s four microphones. Whenever a user records video, the audio is picked up by all four mics to provide sound that is more like surround sound for a more full and immersive experience. In addition to this, audio is essentially lossless thanks to the Hi-Res audio technology that’s baked in.
One also can’t forget about the HTC Sense Companion which is like Google Now for HTC devices. HTC Sense Companion can do everything from recommending places to eat or visit based on location and it can alert users to when they may need a jacket if the weather is going to be cold or wet. Sense Companion evolves with the user too, so the more you use the device, the better the feature performs, and it can learn how you drain the battery based on usage habits and make a suggestion to bring a charger if it thinks you might have a drained battery before the end of the day. To be sure, the HTC U11 is packed with cool features and although they won’t be perfect for everyone, they’re certainly compelling enough to grab the attention of some consumers.