HTC U11 hands on review

If you're an HTC fan – good news. HTC has brought you a cell phone screen replacement that, in many ways, is as good as you could hope for.

It's got a hugely impressive spec list, unique design, innovation in the form of squeezable sides and a great camera, and since launch it's got that little bit better, thanks to the addition of Amazon Alexa.

The latest processor buzzes along rapidly inside a phone that's neither too big nor overly compact, and the interface is as slick as anything HTC has ever made.

In fact, if you're a fan of HTC above all other phone manufacturers, you can probably skip this whole review and just buy the thing (although we suggest you read the bit about the ‘squeezable’ Edge Sense element, as that takes a bit of getting used to) and just wait feverishly at the front door, waiting for your HTC U11 to arrive.

However, for everyone else, things are a bit more complicated. Yes, HTC has pretty much nailed the spec list, but it's doing so for a rather high price – and one which pits it against some strong alternative options.

It's launching into a world where Samsung and LG have come up with beautiful screen designs, and Sony has wheeled out the big guns to bring a 4K screen and superb slow motion video to the Xperia XZ Premium.

HTC, in comparison, hasn't really done a huge amount different to previous years, but it’s largely got things right. So could this still be the ETS for you?HTC U11 SPECS

HTC U11 price

In the UK, the HTC U11 is coming for a cost of £649 SIM free, which is among the higher prices on the market. It's a bit cheaper on contract - under £30 a month with some decent upfront payments - but that still makes it more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy S8.

In the US, it's $649 unlocked from HTC, or it's a Sprint exclusive for $29 per month (with no upfront payment).

In Australia, it's AU$999 for the unlocked phone, and from around AU$59 per month if you want it on contract.

That's pretty expensive, even though it offers some of the top spec around - so you'll need to be sure you're into what HTC is offering before you pay those higher prices.

Design

The design of the HTC U11 is something that takes a little getting used to – but it's worth taking the time to do so. Holding it in the hand for the first time is a little underwhelming, as the polished Gorilla Glass is so light that it feels a little plasticky in the hand.

The bulbous nature isn't as exciting or feel as premium as the metal build on last year's HTC 10, but don't let that bother you. After a few days you'll get used to the way it feels – and the HTC U11's chassis is well built and solid.

Aesthetically, the U11 appeals in a way we've not seen with many phones. The Liquid Surface design manages to offer two colors at once, with the 'Amazing Silver' and ‘Brilliant Black’ models we tested looking more blue/purple and black/green respectively, depending on the way you hold them.

What is the next iPhone ?

Yesterday's iPhone X event saw Tim Cook uttering Steve Jobs' famous words, "one more thing" to a crowd of industry influencers, journalists from around the globe and souped up Apple employees whooping and hollering.

 

It was the third time Cook has quoted those three little words (previously he used them to introduce Apple Watch and Apple Music) and the device that followed may have changed iPhones forever.

 

What came next was, for me, by far the biggest surprise of the entire show. That surprise wasn't the spec, design or features of the iPhone X - that has been leaked consistently throughout the last year - but it was the way Cook pronounced its name.

 

Instead of calling it the iPhone X, Cook said "iPhone 10". He said, "This is iPhone Ten. It’s the biggest leap forward since the original lg g4 model number ."

 

Phil Schiller later walked on stage and said it the exact same way. This isn't an interchangeably title - Apple wants you to pronounce it 'iPhone Ten'.

 

Apple's decision to go with 'iPhone X' as the written name makes sense as X is the roman numeral for 10, but I was taken aback by Apple's choice to say the number rather than the letter.

 

That dates the iPhone X pretty quickly. Apple has seemingly skipped over the iPhone 9, and instead we have a range that includes an iPhone 6S, iPhone 7, iPhone 8 and iPhone 10, and that's without mentioning the iPhone SE or the Plus variants.

 

 

Just call it iPhone

 

I'm not suggesting there won't be another iPhone - of course there will be - I just don't think Apple will release a device called iPhone 9 in 2018, or ever in fact.

 

The rumors, hype and hyperbole of the next 12 months will likely refer to the phone as the iPhone 9, but maybe Apple will decide to just call it 'iPhone' instead.

 

We've seen Apple subtract the numbers before and it set the precedent earlier this year when it launched the iPad 9.7, rather than calling it the iPad Air 3.

 

 

The company has made two iPad Pro models with 12.9-inch screens as well, but the second wasn't called the iPad Pro 2.

 

Instead Apple opted to call the second gen model iPad Pro 12.9, and if it makes another in the future it'll likely be called the same thing.

 

So what if Apple adopted this for the iPhone range? You could have the iPhone X sequel phone as the device just called iPhone.

 

You can keep your Plus and maybe even introduce an SE (or perhaps a better name than Special Edition) model around the iPhone name, but you drop the need for numbers altogether.

 

There's always the chance it could go down the iPhone 11 route, but that would also still feel a little strange, considering the 8 and the 10 launched together.

 

Maybe a skip and a jump

 

The truth is the new phone will likely be known as the iPhone X, and Apple may well struggle to persuade people to refer to it verbally as the 'iPhone ten'.

 

The vast majority of people who will be buying the phone won't hear how Cook or Schiller referred to it on stage.

 

When it's plastered all over billboards, websites and even in retail stores people will come to know this device as the iPhone X.

 

Whether we'll be set to see an iPhone 9, iPhone 11 or just an iphone 6 wifi antenna remains to be seen, but I have a hunch it'll be the later when September 2018 rolls around.

iPhone X release date, price and features

Brace yourself for the iPhone X price and release date that Apple announced on Tuesday. It costs more than any prior iPhone and ships later than expected.The good news is that's the only bad news. Apple claims the iPhone X, which is pronounced 'iPhone 10', is worth your money and the extra wait time. This is the 10th anniversary iphone 6 screen price and it's making big changes for 2017.We already have our first take on it in our hands-on iPhone X review, which will give you insight into how it looks and feels. The screen is stunning in person.

 

 

The iPhone X wasn't the only smartphone announced by Apple CEO Tim Cook this week. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus were unveiled at the Steve Jobs Theater on Apple's new campus, too.That said, the iPhone X is the flagship phone you really want. It takes Apple's ten-year-old smartphone design in a bold new direction. It also leaves behind the familiar physical home button and tried-and-true fingerprint sensor.Is it worth the extremely high iPhone X price? What are the big features you need to know about? We have all of your iPhone X answers right here.iPhone X release date

 

The iPhone X is launching on Friday, November 3, Apple announced today, and that's a lot later than the usual September launch date for new how much to replace iphone 6 screen .

 

It's a month-and-a half delay from what we're used to. The iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will ship right on time on September 22. Can you wait for the iPhone X?iPhone X pre-orders start later, too: Friday, October 27. The delays are due to its new OLED screen, supplied by Samsung, being in short supply. Expect iPhone X to be out of stock on launch day and until Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Xiaomi's bezel-less Mi Mix 2 will dazzle you

The tiny-bezel look is in. Edge-to-edge screens have dazzled us recently on the Essential Phone and Samsung's Galaxy Note 8, and Xiaomi's Mi Mix 2 is another all-display jaw dropper.

 

Announced on Monday, the Mi Mix 2 is the Chinese company's new flagship lcd screen replacement . It runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor (the powerhouse chipset inside the Note 8 and S8) and has a 5.99-inch, 2,080x1,080-pixel resolution display. That screen is smaller than last year -- the original Mi Mix had a 6.4-inch display -- and it's lacking dual cameras, with a lone 12-megapixel shooter on the back. But there's no denying the device's beauty.

 

 

The original Mi Mix was a concept phone. It lacked a front speaker, replacing it with a cantilever ceramic piezoelectric actuator that turned the whole phone into a speaker. The Mix 2 compromises with an actual speaker that plays sound from a tiny slit that sits at the edge of the display.

 

The sound quality is surprisingly good. I've given the phone a spin over the past few days and didn't notice any issues with the speaker. Best of all, the phone doesn't vibrate like the original when you make a call.

 

The whole concept of the Mix series is to focus on the display, but surprisingly the Mix 2 isn't all screen. The front 5-megapixel camera sits on a small chin at the bottom. The phone is a little bit shorter than the first Mix so when you hold it, you feel like you're seeing more screen.

 

Like the original, the phone creates the almost magical impression that there's nothing between the display and the real world. It's like Samsung's Galaxy S8 and Note 8 phones. But the Mix sells it better with hardly any space at the top -- even with the inclusion of a speaker slit.

 

Quick specs

 

Besides a smaller display, the Mix 2 now sports metal sides instead of the ceramic material in the original Mix. For one thing, it's a lot easier to manufacture -- Xiaomi said it takes seven days to compress and bake the ceramic body with no assurance that it will be the right size when it's finished, so using metal sides allows the company to make more of the Mix 2. But if you want the whole ceramic experience, a special edition white model is available.

 

That said, the phone still has a ceramic back that's scratch resistant, so you don't have to worry about tiny nicks to the phone, but the downside is that it's a crazy fingerprint magnet and can easily crack if it takes a knock.

 

The Mix 2 is Xiaomi's most expensive phone, just as the Mix was. The base 6GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage model costs 3,299 yuan, which converts to about $535, £405 or AU$665. There are configurations with more storage that cost more (128GB, 256GB), with the most expensive special edition priced at 4,699 yuan, which converts to $720, £545 or AU$895.

 

As with most Xiaomi phones, the Mix 2 will be sold in China first before rolling out to the rest of its global markets. It won't be released in the US, UK or Australia, but you'll be able to get one from an online reseller. That will take some work, though. You'll need to root and install a version of Xiaomi's MIUI operating system that has Google Play services. But the screen repair will have working 4G LTE everywhere in the world, including in the US.

iPhone 8, iPhone X leaks about specs, price and rumors

<P>Just days ahead of the big event scheduled for September 12, an apparent major leak has revealed a handful of intriguing new details about the trio of phones it's expected to introduce, while confirming a number of long-rumored features.</P>
<CENTER><IMG border=1 alt=ios-11-ipad-multitasking-and-control-center src="https://tu9srvbirvvtmjqky25lddiuy2jzaxn0yxrpyy5jb200.g00.cnet.com/g00/2_d3d3LmNuZXQuY29t_/TU9SRVBIRVVTMjQkaHR0cHM6Ly9jbmV0Mi5jYnNpc3RhdGljLmNvbS9pbWcvYWY0cnRzMGs5UklMMFlWTGZzUW0xVjhqeENzPS8zNzB4MC8yMDE3LzA2LzIzLzZmZWI0MjBhLTNmYTMtNGYzOS04NjRlLWI3ZGExNTlkYWY5NS9pb3MtMTEtaXBhZC1tdWx0aXRhc2tpbmctYW5kLWNvbnRyb2wtY2VudGVyLmdpZj9pMTBjLm1hcmsuaW1hZ2UudHlwZQ%3D%3D_$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$/$" width=370 height=208></CENTER>
<P>In a near replay of July's HomePod firmware leak, which sharpened our knowledge of new features like the virtual home button, a gesture-based UI and facial recognition technology, an apparent leak of the "golden master" of iOS 11 hit the internet.</P>
<P>Planned or not, the advance look at iOS 11 delivered a slew of juicy new morsels, not the least of which are indications that Apple has named the new flagship the iPhone X -- possibly referring to the 10th anniversary of the historic device -- while the other two will be called the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus. Apparently, this year there's just too much new stuff for a conventional "S" update.</P>
<P>But that's not all: we've got fresh insight into the new user interface, the role of the side button and something called "Animojis."</P>
<P>We'll have to wait until Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. PT, for all of the official details; Apple did not respond to our inquiries. But in the interim, we've got a pretty clear view of what we think we'll see with the new <A href="https://www.etradesupply.com/blog/how-to-fix-phone-gets-hot-and-battery-drains-fast/">phone getting hot</A> , in addition to the Apple Watch 3 and 4K Apple TV box we expect to see. And though the big day is nearly here, there's plenty of time for more news to break. So stay tuned here to track all the new rumors in real time.</P>
<P>iPhone X/iPhone 8 specs we might see:</P>
<P>Three new phones including two LCD models and an all-new OLED flagship</P>
<P>Curved, edge-to-edge display with True Tone technology and/or Ion-X glass</P>
<P>Virtual home button</P>
<P>Facial recognition alternative to Touch ID</P>
<P>"Wireless" charging (i.e. inductive charging) and/or faster USB-C charging</P>
<P>Dual-lens camera, possibly in a vertical configuration</P>
<P>AR capabilities featuring rear-facing 3D laser for enhanced depth perception</P>
<P>Support for the Apple Pencil</P>
<P>Stainless steel and glass body with a new "side button"</P>
<P>Limited colors with an outside chance of a reflective, mirror-like finish</P>
<P>Upgraded storage and memory, possibly starting at 64GB and 3GB of RAM</P>
<P>Intel or Qualcomm modem</P>
<P>iOS 11 featuring a gesture-based user interface and animated emojis ("Animojis")</P>
<P>Enhanced water resistance or waterproofing</P>
<P>Higher quality earpiece for louder, clearer audio</P>
<P>Apple's next-generation processor (the A10X or A11)</P>
<P>Priced between $1,000 and $1,200 in the US, available in limited quantities to start (international pricing doesn't typically convert directly, but would be roughly £760 to £910 or AU$1255 to AU$1,490)</P>
<P>Announcement and release date</P>
<CENTER><IMG border=1 alt=screen-shot-2017-08-31-at-12-08-13-pm src="https://www.cnet.com/products/apple-iphone-8/preview/" width=270 height=309></CENTER>
<P>Enlarge Image</P>
<P>Apple</P>
<P>On Sept. 12, at 10 a.m. PT, the company will hold its inaugural event at the Steve Jobs Theater at its newly built headquarters in Cupertino, California. The official invitation, distributed to media on Aug. 31, followed tech blog Mac4Ever's report (later corroborated by the Wall Street Journal and TechCrunch) that Apple would bring out new phones at an event on Sept. 12.</P>
<P>Despite months of reports about potential postponement and even panic, we presume that Apple will deliver a plentiful supply of the two LCD models soon after the announcement. TechCrunch reports that Apple would likely take pre-orders on Friday, Sept. 15 and release some <A href="https://www.etradesupply.com/blog/how-to-disassemble-the-lg-g5-to-replace-cracked-screen/">lg g5 screen replacement</A> on Friday, Sept. 22. On Thursday, the Wall Street Journal reported that the OLED model may be more difficult to come by, at least initially, with its store release delayed by a month or more.</P>