The HTC 10 Is A Serious Competitor to iPhone 6S and Galaxy S7

Did you know that HTC was the first Android phone maker in the world? Quite an honor for a company which has declined quickly into the background over the past couple of years. That’s where the new HTC 10 steps in, a phone aiming to bring back HTC’s glory days during Android’s inception.

So what’s changed?

One of the most-striking changes on the HTC 10 is the surface itself, which was important since it forms the basis of first impressions. There are chamfered edges around the 5.2” Quad HD Super LCD 5 Display (which is 30% brighter), as well as steeper edges towards the back for a better grip.

It borrows slightly from past HTC designs, but while the last flagship, One M9, looked majorly like the One (M8) (and the A9, don’t fool yourself, like a Chinese iPhone knockoff), the HTC 10 brings some much needed changes to the table.

The physical capacitive keys are back, as is the home button, which also incorporates a fingerprint scanner. At the top you’ll also find a more prominent selfie camera, which is understandable if you consider its optical image stabilization.

So here it is; the aluminum design isn’t groundbreaking and maybe not even the best looking (that’s entirely subjective, we understand), but it is still hard to argue that it is not better than it used to be.

htc-10-global-carbon-gray-phone-listing

Sound matters

Another hardware change comes in the form of newer BoomSound Hi-Fi audio system. They now comprise a tweeter (at the top, for higher frequencies) and a woofer (at the bottom, for lower frequencies) which allows for a more seamless face.

All the audio on the phone is upscaled to 24-bit with a high quality DAC, which will sound great with better quality headphones. A new Personal Audio Profile System will automatically adjust all music files to cater to your preferences.

The headphone amp captures twice the amount of standard amps and ten times lesser distortion than competing devices. The new bundled pair also have an 8 µm aerospace polymer diaphragm 70 percent oversized drivers.

Apple Airplay support, on Android

For the first time on a Google device, you get official AirPlay support. There are ways to get it on Android through unofficial means from third-party apps, but to get it directly from Apple is still a major deal.

This functionality will allow you to stream audio from Apple TV and supporting speakers, a functionality which will continue to evolve as Apple updates its specifications. If anything, this is one of the biggest distinguishing features compared to other flagships.

Fret not, it is still fast

While HTC’s phones have always been rather brisk, the HTC 10 ups the ante with an Snapdragon 820 processor, with 4 GB RAM and 32/64 GB storage. All of them still support 2 TB memory cards.

That should be more than enough to push the 5.2” 1440p display through the most exhausting of games. A 3,000 mAh battery can be found onboard, with the ability to charge to within 50 percent of its capacity in just 30 minutes.

The camera here is a 12 MP UltraPixel sensor with large 1.55µm pixels, f/1.8, OIS and laser autofocus. 12-bit RAW, 4K video with 24-bit audio and LED Flash are also there. As told earlier, there’s a 5 MP OIS selfie camera too.

Software tweaks are in place

The HTC 10 runs on Android 6.0 Marshmallow, which is stockier than before. Blinkfeed and other customizations are also there. There’s a new freestyle theme which does away with traditional app grids and places stickers in their place for accessing apps.

HTC’s customizations aren’t one of our favourites, but this time it might have finally nailed them.

Extravagance costs

Of course, the phone doesn’t come cheap. At $699 for the 32 GB model, it is easily more expensive than the Galaxy S7. HTC’s devices are obviously never considered to be cheaper than their counterparts, as was clear in the case of the One A9 but at least you won’t have any buyer’s remorse after your purchase.

HTC 10 Specifications:

  • CPU: 2.15 Ghz dual-core Kryo plus 1.6 Ghz dual-core Kryo
  • GPU: Adreno 530
  • Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
  • OS: Android 6.0 Marshmallow with Sense UI
  • Supported Networks: 2G, 3G, 4G LTE
  • Design: Aluminum with chamfered edges
  • Display: 5.2” Super LCD 5 with 1440p resolution (2560 x 1440)
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 4
  • Memory: RAM: 4 GB / Internal: 32/64 GB
  • Card slot: yes, up to 2 TB
  • Camera: Primary: 12 MP, OIS, f/1.8, 2nd-gen laser autofocus, 1.55µm pixels / Secondary: 5 MP OIS
  • 4K video recording, LED Flash, RAW capture
  • Connectivity: USB Type-C
  • Battery: 3,000 mAh with Quick Charge 3.0
  • Price: $699 (approx. Rs. 73,ooo)

Image Credits: Official HTC Press Shots


  • Nice looking phone but I don’t think so that iUsers will think about this or any Samsung galaxy phone, they will wait for the iPhone 7 which is going to be announced in September.

    • Yup.
      I dont know why but IOS just has a generally better feel to it .
      Android seems quite gimmicky in front of it.
      But yeah, no one can demy that android phones offer the most customization options with even official allowances to root from some manufacturers!

      • Yup
        I don’t compare iOS with android they both are different, iOS is the most secure and reliable operating system on the planet, I also use android but love my iDevice

        • Secure , sure. Reliable? Uhm, yeah, unless you jailbreak it like me ?.
          But my most favourite fact about the iPhone is that it can be jailbroken (or rooted in android-equivalent terms) without much of a hassle. Just disable the passcode, plug it into the computer and press jailbreak! Just like that.

          • Secure??? You guys definitely need to read how seriously Apple takes its security bugs.
            Easy jailbreaking is also a proof of poor security BTW. Same goes for easy rooting.

            • Well, its isnt exactly “easy” to jailbreak the iphone especially considering the fact that sometimes it has even took months for the jailbreaking teams to crack the software! I still remember that painful wait for an ios 7 JB which took 3 months for just source code! Not even exploits with it!

              • It has become easier since iOS 8 (maybe since 7). If you check the security issues that have arisen since then you’ll be shocked I’m sure. Over the past year, iOS and Macs have had the most number of “lethal” exploits and Apple has been noticably slow at fixing the holes.
                You must have seen the recent iPhone videos on social media where users bypassed screen lock via Siri. Even Siri got a new security flaw a few weeeks ago. iOS 9.3 faced a huge security flaw soon after its release.
                And one the incidents I remember from Last year is this http://propakistani.pk/2015/06/23/apple-osx-and-ios-zero-day-flaws-exposed/.
                Security has been a major headache as most companies don’t care and Apple is one of the worst offenders here.

  • S7 edge is better. bigger battery, camera is same as HTC 10. i don’t mind about sound quality.

  • s7 edge or lg g5 cant b compared to this over price device :) no arguments plz, respect everyone’s point of view

  • Whole Specs thing is good and all but in this crowded market, companies have to do something different to stand out and staying in the game. HTC keeps on repeating it self which is bad just like what happened to Sony. Samsung is leading the android market, no doubt. LG always have something new to throw. Huawei is growing through their unique thinking. Sorry to say, but future is not looking good for HTC mobiles.

  • why do my comments on propakistani mostly go kabooom! whenever i contradict them or point towards mistake ???

  • So sad we cannot buy these phones in Pakistan as htc,lg,lenovo, Motorola, xiaomi etc r not selling phones officially in Pakistan

  • its a FEATURE rich phone , considering the monstrous processing power its backed by and the lavish camera specs it flaunts !
    sadly , its too expensive :/

    nonetheless a very good phone feature wise … reviews will determine its true grit , tho.

  • Ok, you do have a point there.
    Instead of arguing on and on about security ( which I , to be honest, don’t care about even the slightest ,hence the jailbreaking) I would gladly accept my defeat :)

  • Its been 2 years since I even remember holding my iphone so i probably do not know much about its current state at all.


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