VERDICT
It's a hard phone to rate on first impressions – HTC has put all the right bits in here, but I felt the same way with the One M9. However, the brand seems to have addressed the foibles and appears genuinely excited by the new 10.
PROS:
- Amazing audio
- Great design
- Battery improved
CONS:
- Camera not impressive
- Boomsound not great
- Slight bugs still in system
The HTC 10 is a phone that's the product of years of learning, which is why the company has created a phone that's big on design, strong on camera and brings a very user-friendly interface into the mix.
The phone from 2014, the One M8 , was one of the greatest phones ever made, one that I'll still dust off from time to time now just to get a feel for it once more - and while the brand lost its way last year the latest model seems to be the product of a lot of key learnings.
HTC 10 review
This time around, things were going to be different. For the all-new HTC 10 I was told that the brand took things back to basics, made the changes it needed to and focused heavily on making the phone usable and a pleasure to mess around with as before.
And the good news is the HTC 10 impresses, offering the right improvements to the design and battery - although you'll need to read on to see if you agree that the interface is improved. HTC has always made a good Android overlay, but more and more people are preferring the simplicity of stock Android... so is what HTC's done a good move?
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Let's take a look at what the phone looks like on paper. It's got an all-metal body,thankfully doesn't go down the same iPhone-a-like design as the One A9 from 2015, and doesn't just stuff in tech for the sake of having a higher spec.
Google Photos
One of the other changes brought to the party on the HTC 10 is the removal of the gallery app in favor of Google Photos, the cloud-based service that has been quietly growing in popularity.
Its arrival on the 10 has divided opinion, with some hating the service, others loving the fact that you've got free local and online storage for your snaps, and much easier sorting through thanks to Google's frankly scary recognition ability.
(Seriously, fire up the app and search for the brand of car you own - if you've ever taken pictures of it, you'll be a bit freaked out...)
I like it a lot though, especially as I now have all my photos available as I hop from phone to phone through the reviewing year. If you're someone that takes pictures from a number of sources, it's nice to have them all in there - although if you want to keep the quality, it's worth thinking about paying to use the service for some more storage.
HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
Click here for the full res shot (Raw-enhanced)
HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC 10 review
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HTC has proven time and again that it knows how to make a great smartphone, and with the HTC 10 it's got a device that has all the right bits underneath another thoughtful design - with a couple of genuine high points inside too.
HTC 10 review
But is this phone going to be enough for the brand? Is a handset that has the latest chipset, 32GB of onboard memory with expandable storage, powerful audio and camera abilities enough to keep being a thorn in the side of Samsung and Apple... and maybe start creeping up on them in the future?
We liked
I'll always be a fan of the way that HTC puts its phones together, because it simply doesn't seem to compromise on build quality or effort. Despite not being totally in love with the heft of the device, or the massive chamfered edges, there's no doubt it looks unique and that's a very important thing to have in today's phones.
The camera has been upgraded too, and while you'll really need to work at the photos to get something brilliant, the opportunity is there. Combine that with expandable memory that can be turned into internal storage through Android's Adoptable Storage feature and you've got something excellent to play with.
The real win here comes from the audio though - the HTC 10 can play nearly any file and play it incredibly well. The Hi-Res audio compatibility is welcomed, if a little redundant still, the upscaling seems to offer genuine improvement to even the dullest Spotify track and the bundled headphones feel rather high-quality indeed (in some markets - sadly not all in the US and Canada get them).
The battery life on the HTC 10 is definitely improved and it'll last the day nicely for most scenarios, but if the screen is on it can fall a little too fast to feel 'safe' before you head out to the bars in the evening.
We disliked
There's not actually a lot to dislike on the HTC 10 - the keyboard, for instance, isn't the best any more, but that can be upgraded easily by downloading one of the many great free options on Google Play.
I'm not in love with the shape of the phone, as I've mentioned, and many others I've spoke to have felt the same way. However, I've met people that love the edges and the unique look, so it's hard to criticise that too much.
HTC 10 review
It's a similar story with the camera: HTC has let itself down here by not making it instantly as good at snapping as the Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, but it's still a capable photo machine that should get better with time - and you can still take some utterly amazing pictures with it.
The loss of the iconic dual BoomSound speakers from previous models is hard for me, and while I appreciate what HTC is trying to do by splitting them up, for me the sound quality isn't good enough.
Verdict
The HTC 10: a phone that promised so much but only partly delivers. As you can see above, I can't really criticise it too much as it's hit the marks that a top smartphone should: loads of power, upgraded battery, improved camera and changed design.
And that's happened, so it's a big tick from me on that front. But there's nothing here that really impresses, that you'd show off to your friends down the pub. With the One, it was a simple case of shoving the phone in their hands and watching them look at it in quiet awe (and hoping they'd give it back).
The One M8 had the same impressive ability to be fondled, but it combined it with better sound output and innovative pictures - it was one of the best phones ever made.
The HTC 10 doesn't do anything wrong, and if you bought it you'd want for very little throughout your time with it, as it's very capable indeed and has all the excellent design DNA slathered through from HTC.
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