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Samsung has been hogging the limelight around the world. The Galaxy S8 has had so much success that current numbers suggest that the device has sold more than 10 million units around the world. Now HTC plans to spoil Samsung’s party with their very own flagship phone – the HTC U11. But does HTC’s offering really have what it takes to topple the S8? Here’s a quick specs to specs shootout between the HTC U11 and the Samsung Galaxy S8.
Designed by the Best
One thing I guess we all can agree with is that the S8 has the best design amongst smartphones out there. It combines metal and glass elegantly to offer a unique and beautiful-looking smartphone. The HTC U11 has also gone all glossy with it’s “liquid surface” design which does look good, but not as good as the S8.
In the display department the S8 has a slight upper edge just because of the extra number of pixels it’s pushing out. The S8 display stands at 5.8-inch with a resolution of 2960x1440 pixels pumping 570 ppi (pixels per inch) . The U11 flaunts a 5.5-inch Quad HD screen with 534 ppi. On the basis of the 2:1 aspect ratio and edgeless display feature, the S8 takes the lead in the display department.
Powerful Performers
There is nothing to separate both performance wise. Both the phones come with top of the line processors. Whereas the S8 is powered by an Exynos 8895 processor coupled with 4GB RAM, the HTC U11 comes with the latest Snapdragon 835 processor with 4GB RAM. There is also a 6GB RAM variant for the U11, but it is only available in the US. Storage options are plenty in both. Both come with 64GB storage which is expandable up to 256GB via microSD card. Both devices run Android Nougat.
The S8 and the U11 compete neck and neck specifications wise, so it’s very tough to pick an outright winner here.
No Dual Lens, but Still Very Good Cameras
It was surprising when Samsung didn’t incorporate a dual-camera on the S8, but when we saw the results it gave us, only one thought came across our mind: “Who needs a dual camera?”. The HTC U11 also comes with a 12-megapixel single lens rear camera unit and HTC are touting it to be a really good camera phone. Selfie wise the Samsung S8 comes with an 8-megapixel shooter while the U11 is a serious selfie phone with a 16-megapixel front camera. We are really excited to get our hands on the U11 to test its camera. A camera shootout coming soon.
Phones That Won’t Die Easily
Today, you see phones coming with battery packs in excess of 4,000mAh, but both the HTC U11 and the S8 come with 3,000mAh non-removable battery. It doesn’t look like much but again that’s the best you can accommodate. The Galaxy S8 offers wireless charging and that’s a big plus. There is no such feature in the HTC U11 although that’s not a deal breaker.
Worth a Buy?
The Samsung Galaxy S8 is a tried and tested device. The fact that more than 10 million units of the device have been sold around the world already is testament that the phone is worth its price tag of Rs 57,900. HTC has released the price for the U11 in the international market at 749 US dollars which is roughly Rs 48,000. By the time the phone comes to India we can expect it to hit the 55k mark and for that price it’s in direct competition with the S8. We can’t say right now whether it is a worthy bargain but surely it is a good contender against the Galaxy S8.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)