The HTC 10 is a stellar smartphone from the company that brought you the aluminum unibody. Unfortunately, it's not quite the Perfect Ten its name implies – a reality reinforced by T-Mobile's decision to drop the phone from store shelves amid rumors of sluggish sales.
Still, it's hard to escape the conclusion that the HTC 10's shortcomings would be totally forgivable ones ... if only the price were a little lower. The HTC 10 has been on the market for months, MrMobile has used it for much of that time, and you wouldn't stop asking for a review in the comments – so settle in for Michael Fisher's HTC 10 review to learn why it's the best Android phone you're not buying!
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HTC 10 review: The best Android phone you're not buying
I can't buy this phone because me's a real good-looking guy and if I had this phone I'm afraid I would eat marshmallows and lick peanut butter off my toes all day
one of the best smartphones in 2016
http://phoneshut.com/review-one-m10.html
The HTC 10 is a very nice device that isn't getting enough advertising. https://community.sprint.com/baw/community/buzzaboutwireless/phones-and-...
Kathleen Turner is that you you sound so much like Kathleen HTC
It's sad to see HTC come to this point of commercial failure. A lot of people blame Samsung for HTC's failure, and I don't really agree with it.
HTC is missing a lot of key factors (to success) with this year's release.
Please don't get me wrong. HTC 10 is a stellar phone. It's a fact. The 10 has one of best cameras, speakers and music qualities in the market today. It has a beautifully designed metal unibody and its operating software also hits a lot of costumer's sweet spots, thanks to their previous experience with making Nexus products.
However, there are things that HTC 10 did not match with their competitions. Since a lot of people blame Samsung for HTC 10's failure, lets use S7e as an example.
S7e came out about the same time as the 10 and it has generated eye-dropping sale figures since its release. It's been selling so well that a lot of people seemed to forget about how Samsung struggled in the last half decade in their high-end smartphones business. Two years ago, Samsung came out with the S5 and it was a disaster. It was ugly, made out of plastic and it had covers for ports to make it water-resistant. It had a charging port that people rarely uses. It was so bad that Samsung was being mocked at almost every single website reviews and ratings. So what did they do to make their phone great again?
Two years ago, HTC won Samsung hands down with the designs. Two years later, the galaxy is not the ugly phone that it used to be. HTC also kept up with the hardware spec that the Galaxy line always has, but so is every other smartphone company (except Apple).
But here are some things that HTC missed in big time that causes the 10's failure:
My #1 point: Unique supporting features.
This is one of the biggest reasons why people choose Samsung over other android devices nowadays. It has its own unique supporting features. Samsung always wants its costumer to have everything the market is offering. When Apple came out with the payment service, for example, Samsung came out with a better payment method for its own device owner. People mock Samsung for copying Apple's features, but in essence, they are just bringing every features out there to their costumers. This year's Galaxy line supports it's own VR ecosystem (thanks to the collaboration with Oculus). It has it's own smart accessories line, the Gear devices. You may not notice, but every single Gear device that came out in the last 2 years worked closely with their Galaxy products. It includes smartwatches (Gear S & Fit), heatphones (IconX, Level-On, etc.), Speakers (Dobly Atmos sound bars) and 360 camera, and wristbands (charms). Its phone can easily pair with any Samsung TVs, washers, fridges out there. And on top of all that, each of these devices are one of the best among their competitions. On the software side, although it uses Android, it has unique feature that make it's software stand out from others (in good and bad ways). Samsung developed Knox, one of the world most secure mobile solutions. they came out with split screen features that only this year Google started to adopt. Some people don't like the TouchWiz software because of the bloatwares and it's not as fast as the stock Android (which HTC sense UI excels at), but Samsung has been working on their UI to the point a majority of people don't mind (or can put up with) the remaining flaws, especially when they can get so much more perks otherwise.
All these devices and software support makes Samsung Galaxy line the center of a ecosystem that the 10 cannot compare with. Do people actually use all these supporting devices? Of course not. However, when there are 2 similar phones and one of them can support all those features, you know what people will choose.
#2 point: Availability
If my previous point explain why people would more likely choose S7e over 10, then this point explains why people have not choice to choose HTC 10 even if they want to... The HTC 10 availability is absolutely horrible. When I went on phone hunting, I barely see any HTC 10 on display. In the meanwhile, S7e is at the front of each display stores with posters hanging inside and outside of the stores. Samsung reaches deals and reach agreements with carriers out there to make sure their flagship line is in major display and it helps their phone sale in big time. In additional, HTC 10 was not available in all major carriers at launch and it was pulled from some carriers in some regions afterward. All of these availability issues hurt their sales because people don't know that this phone is available for them to choose from.
My #3 point: Advertisement and Localization
Samsung's budget for advertisement is outrages. When their phone is released, they make sure their phone is displayed in major city blocks, tourist attractions, and commercial districts throughout US. It was in the Oscar last year, A$UP Rocky is selling it. It's at Suicide Squad opening. it's in the Rio Olympic games because every single Olympic athletes were holding them. If you want you can even get one with Putin's face on. Their effort in global localization helps them sell their phones in big times. To a lot of people, the S7e is a cultural phenomenon instead of just a phone, which is what HTC 10 is.
My #4 point: Pricing range
The HTC 10 was being sold for round 700$ at launch. However, with this years competitions there are a lot of flagship killer phones that came out to beat down the price range to $400 (ex. OP3, Redmi, Honor 8). These flagship killer phones might only lower Samsung and Apple's flagship sales to certain extend, but they are detrimental to companies like HTC who doesn't have ground to stand on to begin with.
My conclusion:
HTC's fell is not without reasons. I personally would not blame it's competitions for its failure. Samsung did what it was right for them to do to bring them back to the top of the mobile business. I think it's time for HTC to step up it's game to bring something unique and major to the table. I hope HTC learn its lesson from this year's failure and rebuild from ground up. There are still a lot of people still believe in HTC. And I think, with proper executions, HTC can make it back to the top of the market again.
Kinda wish AT&T carried this phone. Not sure if have picked it over the G5, but the HTC 10 is a damn sexy phone.
Funny I never liked HTC sense till I got the 10. The theming makes the difference. Picked one up cheap so not over priced either. Samsung screens and the rest of it just get annoying after awhile. Just my opinion and maybe no one else's.
Haha I love how everyone has to justify that they didn't pay full retail for it. Because even people that like this phone and want to buy it don't want to pay $700. That sums it up in a nutshell. Great phone but not worth the asking price.
Pawn shop down the street has his phone for $129
HTC's biggest problem is brand recognition. 80% or more of consumers don't know about them. The 10 would sell more than the G5 of people knew about it. HTC needs to go on a marketing campaign with commercials. I never seen an HTC commercial.
"Samsung sucked all the air out of the room"
That sums it up. It really does not matter what HTC came out with, as the common person would just buy what is in their face all the time. When HTC had water resistance, no one cared.
When HTC had stereo speakers, no one cared.
When HTC had superb audio quality, few people cared.
Samsung gets water resistance, and NOW it's important.
Axon and a few others get stereo speakers and HTC drops them, and NOW it's important.
Samsung gets superb headphone audio... never mind, no they didn't. But other's are starting to get in the game, and NOW it's important.
I think aside from Samsung sucking the air out of the room and renting large sections of stores while the HTC 10 gets about one square foot of display space, and salespersons actively steering customers away from HTC, and they way we lynch HTC over small things while excusing Samsung (yes, I'm looking at you AC)... all this adds up and stacks things against HTC. Honestly, I own an iPhone 6 and the S7 Edge, and I still use the M8 as a daily driver by choice. The iPhone is hopelessly outclassed by the S7E, and the S7E is notably less smooth than a two year old HTC. I will be ordering the HTC 10, and would order it today if I had not just bought a new car cash a few days ago.
And if you want double standards, look no further than the AC reviews on the M9 and the Mate S: The video samples (and I have them saved) show the M9 capturing video that is sharp enough to count bricks on the buildings across the street and see the bolts holding the sign to the building. The Mate S video looks like it was filmed with an LG flip phone with trees looking like green blobs. What did AC state? They stated that the Mate S video was good, and the M9 video was bad.
Perception is one thing, but when you openly declare that video is better when it obviously looks like crap on a stick, it makes me wonder what's going on.
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Barring the other stuff which I'm not going to get into, most of the time features aren't enough. You know why no one cared about that stuff when HTC did it? No one new about it. HTC never did enough to communicate to people and GET them to care. It's called marketing and HTC has always sucked at it. It doesn't matter if you have the most perfect product in the world and the guy next to you is selling poop-emoji bobbleheads, if that guy is better at communication and marketing, he's gonna get rich, and you're gonna be sitting there, pouting and wondering why people don't just realize that your product is better.
Npaladin-2000, you are right. No one cares if no one knows!
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I'd argue that marketing would not have made much of a difference in HTC's case. Marketing a brand no one cares about or that has very little recognition/value, probably would not be effective. When I saw how the general public and tech community responded to HTC's purchase of their stake in Beats Audio (ridicule and largely overlooked) vs how everyone reacted to Apple's acquisition of Beats Audio (news coverage, articles, praise and admiration, etc), it was pretty clear that for the most part HTC's brand image isn't worth squat and there's little interest in them overall compared to the larger brands.
So the question becomes even if everyone knew about HTC and what they offer, would they still bypass them in favor of other brands? If HTC made the absolute best products, would they still come out on the losing end for market share and sashes? I'd say 9.9/10 they'd be overlooked for something more popular and would still come up short
When they expect its cheap materials Man made out of Tupperware
Brilliant phone, better than Samsung's offerings in my view mainly due to the software.
If HTC development factory can increase the use life of battery. There will more people want to buy it. If they can cut down this shorting rather than update 8,9,10...
Here's the thing: You pick up an HTC 10 with your left hand. You pick up an Axon 7 in your right hand. You immediately forget what's in your left hand. This is the problem. HTC made a relatively generic phone in an effort to expand appeal and pick up more sales. But they did so just before a flood of "flagship killer" $400 phones were released, one of which pretty much picked up where HTC left off with the M9. So now HTC's got what is essentially a OnePlusThree, only $200 more and with goofy screen polarization...oh and no dual SIM capability and less on-board storage.
Who will be the first tech site to come out and say that it's over for HTC and the flagship smartphone market is a wrap (i.e., Apple and Samsung are mostly all the consumers care about). Also, it doesn't matter what HTC prices their devices at, they will not sell. It is impossible. It is my hope that HTC packs their phones with specs of this world and prices their phones at $200 max. Once the sales flop (which they will), I'm curious as to what other theory people will conjure up to explain HTC's inability to remain profitable. No matter what HTC does, it's never good enough and people will still buy an Apple or Samsung product over it all day long. There is no solution for HTC.
$400 seems to be the new sweet spot, and I think even Samsung and Apple will eventually be forced to bow to it.
$400 or $40, it doesn't matter in HTC's case. It will still be a sales failure. So I'm struggling to understand how people think that pricing is what's holding HTC back.
Because they're selling a variant of the OnePlusThree design, with less storage, one less SIM slot, a smaller non-AMOLED screen, and wonky polarization. And for this they're charging $200 more than said OnePlusThree. So yeah, I'd say pricing is a signficant factor.
I'd wager you are dead wrong. The HTC 10 could have been a carbon copy of the Note 7, spec for spec and feature for feature, priced at $200 and STILL it would have been a sales flop. So no, bargain pricing would do absolute squat for HTC, even if the specs and features were the best in history.
Of course you'd wager that. Problem is, you don't back up your argument that Samsung and Apple have already effectively conquered the world. You just keep repeating it.
Not a problem. Backing up my assertion that Apple and Samsung have conquered most market is the easy part. I'm using trending market share numbers, quarterly earnings reports, US carrier sales and customer satisfaction rankings per manufacturer, etc. Would you like for me to give you more granular details or can you get the gist of what I'm referring to when I say that Apple and Samsung have conquered most markets?
Yes, I do want more granular data, including individual model sales breakdown for both Apple and Samsung (who, despite rumours to the contrary, also sell budget devices). I'd also like to know what geographical areas you're referring to specifically since there are a number where neither one even has a presense. I think when you include these factors in your analysis there's reason to believe that there's plenty of room for other manufacturers besides Samsung and Apple, and plenty of niches that neither one fills.
Here you go. I don't think there's any denying that in most markets, it's a wrap and Apple and Samsung rule.
For US carriers Q1 2014, Samsung and Apple dominate at all 4 US carriers.
http://www.counterpointresearch.com/press_release/q12014marketmonitorusa/
For US carriers Q1 2015, Samsung and Apple dominate at all 4 US carriers.
http://www.counterpointresearch.com/press_release/q12015marketmonitorusa/
For the US market between 2014 - 2016 (Apple and Samsung have dominated and none have come close to encroaching on their positions
Comscore July 2014
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Market-Rankings/comScore-Reports-July-...
Apple 42.4%
Samsung 28.4%
Comscore August 2015
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings/comScore-Reports-August-2015-...
Apple 44.1%
Samsung 27.4%
Comscore February 2016
https://www.comscore.com/Insights/Rankings/comScore-Reports-February-201...
Apple 43.9%
Samsung 28.4%
For the European market between 2014 - 2015 Samsung and Apple dominate again.
http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-market-share.jsp
Based on a survey of users from 2014 - 2016
http://www.statista.com/statistics/387227/market-share-of-smartphone-man...
For the global smartphone market Q1 2016, it's the same story where Apple and Samsung are the dominant players
http://www.counterpointresearch.com/globalsmartphonemarket1q16/
"Here you go. I don't think there's any denying that in most markets, it's a wrap and Apple and Samsung rule."
Actually, yes there is lots of denying that, that's where your problem is. I notice you never went anywhere near Asia/Pacific there. Samsung doesn't own it much outside of Korea, and where they do, it's not the Galaxy S or Note lines that are the ones selling. Further, Oppo and Huawei are GROWING, while Samsung and Apple are shrinking. Here's the Q1 2016 smartphone global shipments from your own links:
Global Smartphone shipments share (%) Q1 2016
Samsung - 22.8%
Apple - 14.9%
Huawei - 8.3%
Xiaomi - 4.2%
LG - 3.9%
Oppo - 3.9%
"Others" - 42%
Paints a different picture doesn't it? Samsung only owns 20% of the global market right now when it comes to current sales. Apply is under 15%. That leaves 65% of the global market for everyone else. Lots of room to compete. Thank you for playing the gotcha game.
No, not really. Look at the spread of percentage points between Apple, Samsung, and the rest globally. Look at the percentage points between Apple, Samsung, and the rest in the US and European markets. Also, my comments were in reference to most markets, in particular the ones currently dominated by Apple and Samsung. BTW Samsung is at 22% not 20%. That remaining percentage is being shared and competed for by multiple companies, so overcoming the "others" and overcoming one of the big two is something I'm very curious about seeing how that can happen.
In the same vein, I'm well aware that the Asian markets, China, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, India, etc do not follow that same trend for the most part and would not be included in my talking points. Also the South American, Caribbean, and African markets are not the focus of my comments.
The data I provided for the US (down to the carrier level) and UK markets support my theory, or is that data not valid since you didn't acknowledge it? Why did you not even mention if that information is relevant to my argument?So what's the gotcha here? Was my data outdated, incorrect, or irrelevant for said markets?
Your data isn't even valid to begin with because you're only talking about specific markets and excluding the markets that don't conform to the argument you've already come up with. Dissmissing the Asian markets like you are is basically saying "Well, these markets don't support my argument, so I'm not going to mention them." Essentially you're doing what you accused me of, ignoring inconvenient data, but in this case, I'm not making an argument, and don't need to ignore data. I'm countering YOUR argument. Your data is there, but it doesn't tell the entire story, and the data you left our puts holes in your argument.
Either way, the market percentages you're talking about are nowhere near dominant, and there's a lot of room for competition. Even when you look at the YoY change from Q1 2015 to Q1 2016 you see where mistakes like the Galaxy S6 create an even larger window for competition. I know you're frustrated but it's really not Samsung's fault HTC has failed.
Your data was taken out of context, missing critical pieces, and flat out ignoring markets and figures that didn't support the argument you wanted to make. That's the gotcha.
Ummmmm not seeing where there's any frustration on my end, with the exception of trying to find the logic in some ppl saying that HTC lowering prices, increasing marketing, adding standout features/specs, etc will actually help them much or that there's actually any remote possibility that there's a solution for HTC's situation at all.
As for my argument, from the beginning I've stated most markets where Apple and Samsung dominate, so by default that excludes order markets where that is not the case. But out of curiosity, it looks like Samsung dominates in India (@25%) though slightly downward trend. Their closest competition is Micromax (@14%). Japan is dominated by Apple followed by Sony. Taiwan is dominated by Apple, followed by Samsung. Korea is dominated by Samsung and Apple, though the spread between them and the others isn't as pronounced. China is not dominated by either of the two.
In the markets where Apple and Samsung dominate, which is where I was referring to (US and Europe in particular), no one comes close to them and it is indeed a 2 horse race with no end in sight. So I'm still at a loss of the gotcha?
So essentially what you're saying is that in the markets where Apple and Samsung dominate, Apple and Samsung dominate? Ok, now I get why I wasn't understanding you (and thank God, too). Funny how you consider 14% a dominating number when it's attached to Apple but not Micromax. Anyway, you'll never get it, mostly because you don't want to. Good riddance.
Err ummmmm nope, not what I'm saying at all. I'm saying that in most markets where they (Apple and Samsung) dominate, it's pretty much a wrap and there's no changing that. I'm also saying that pricing will make little difference in HTC's outcome.
As for your uhhh Micromax reference, who on earth said their position wasn't being treated the same? But I'll play along with that one. They are +3% higher than Intex for the INDIA market, while Apple's 14% is +6% higher than Huawei for GLOBAL shipments. So looking at the percentage difference and comparing global shipments to numbers from a specific region, the difference is not only larger but is on a different scale and aren't even comparable.
htc m10...
I would like to know what store shelves it was pulled from. I bought mine from t-mobile. I never saw it on any shelves. I had to ask for it and they had to go in the back to see if they had one.
Exactly my same experience, that alone told me to just unlock the bootloader and install the Unlocked US version firmware on it, I did that 2 days after buying it because I knew T-Mobile won't be updating and will soon abandon it, it seems I was right.
Was unlocking and installing the US version easy? i doubt t-mobile will not update the phone after they sold it.
it may be challenging if you haven't worked with this things before, but if have or you are not afraid of trying it's as easy as follow the written instructions. It will cost you $25 (I don't know if there is another way available) to do the s-off process with the Sunshine App, but if you want to be up to date with your HTC and not relying on carriers it worth every penny. Just go to XDA forums and look for the threads and it will guide you.
About T-Mobile, well it wouldn't be the first time or the last time they do it, but it's not just them, all the US carriers at some point weights if the sales of a device worth the money and resources they need to use for this updates.
Couldn't handle the screen not being bright enough and unable to see it in polarized sunglasses.. I work outside so it was a deal breaker. Do miss the high quality audio though!
Thought that was the one plus 3??
It pretty much is. :)
HTC 10 i think the price has got down from 699$ to 599$...!!!! In S7 became a big competetor...!!! Now Note 7 added in the race and got good reveiws ..!! I think it become a a blow to htc 10 sales..!!!
I think the HTC 10 would have sold better starting at $499 and came down to $399...!!!!
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Yes Many Cool feature in HTc 10...!!!! Fingerprint scanner..!!! But there is no eye scanner.. The spec sheet that i read in gsm arena of htc 10 is fab...!!! and i think the best one among htc 10 i hope so...!!!!
Hopefully the HTC 10's price will drop to a more reasonable value, or current owners start selling their HTC 10's on Swappa. I'm not too hot on getting a G5 and afraid that using no case on an S7 is a no-no.
Good review and commentary. We need more of this reality, instead of the release date rah, rah, marketing "best phone ever!" that we are bombarded with on so many blogs and websites. What has really stepped on the HTC 10 is the imminent release of the Nexus phones manufactured by same. Why would consumers purchase an HTC 10 at $700 when the HTC/Nexus-Nougat goodness will be out in a few weeks?
It's a really underrated device.
The reason why it's not selling in numbers that we think it should actually isn't really down to Samsung. It's down to phones like the OnePlus 3 and Axon 7.
The HTC 10's headline feature (besides audio) is that it is a fast phone that rarely bogs down seriously and is a reliable all-rounder. That is sweet, but the trouble is that a $399 phone like an OP3 already has that trait, and at $699, the 10 doesn't have enough mainstream unique stuff that gets the attention of consumers.
Which is a damn shame, because the phone is one of the best released in 2016, with an excellent build, fast software, great audio and a camera that's actually not too bad in most situations. It just faces intense competition not only from Samsung's S7 lineup but also from budget-busting midrangers like the OnePlus 3 and Axon 7.
The OP3 and Axon7 are not "midrangers." I own the Axon 7 (and the HTC 10, though not for long), and I agree with most of your comment, except for that part. I think we're seeing the flagship segment of the market get redefined, now that people see the actual price tags of these devices and are more concious of them, an Axon 7 at $400 versus an HTC 10 at $600 is significantly more appealing. I think we're going to see a lot more downward price pressure on the "flagship" class devices going forward.
I put those in the "midrange" class due to their relative price group.
However, I do very much agree with you that the flagship segment of the market is being redefined. Yes, there are some compromises in order to reach that price point, but to get around 90+% of the flagship experience for 60% of the price is a big deal, and is why companies like OnePlus are kind of a big deal when it comes to that.
If anything, it pretty much means that if you're going to charge top dollar for your phone, it better have something unique that no other phone offers and also one that people are going to care about.
This year has been an awesome year for that segment. The OnePlus 3 is a very good device, especially for the price, but we also get other options like the ZTE Axon 7, Honor 8, and even the Idol 4S plus a few other "budget-busting" devices.
That should be $700, $600 is the sale price.
Everyone I know that had the M7/M8/M9 experienced problems after a year but before 2 had passed to be eligible for upgrade, most of them experienced camera failure, all of them moved on to Samsung and Motorola phones.
Verizon store I worked at didn't even bother to stock the 10 after poor sales of previous models. Good phone or not, HTC has a damaged reputation.
I haven't seen any posts about HTC One M8 camera failures. Have the people you know been keeping it to themselves?
UPDATE:
Found them. I wonder why that never happened to me?
The problem is Samsung has eaten all Android market share on the high end. I went into best buy yesterday and not only do they have working display models, they have their own freaking section! Go to any phone store and they are marketed first and foremost above any other phone.
Did I see a single HTC 10 on display at Best Buy? Nope! Target? Nope, still displaying the M9 believe it or not.
There's just absolutely no marketing from HTC. They have to get their phones out there in people's hands either by undercutting on price, must have whiz bang features, or heavy marketing - HTC has done none of that.
Their only hope is to be swallowed up by a huge tech company with a decent budget. I don't see that happening any time soon.
I just don't see any other players competing with Samsung in the high end. They need to go after the 300-400 unlocked market.
Hell,I think google should buy them,just don't throw them away like they did Motorola.That would allow them to manufacture their own hardware,whether they wanted to call it Nexus,Google,or HTC,up to them.
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Why bother? Didn't Google lose billions with Motorola?
None of what you suggested will work in HTC's case. They can implement 3x the marketing as Samsung and write their name on the moon, and still the consumers will go right for the iPhone or Galaxy phone. Pricing won't do jack squat for them either. HTC is in a situation that has no escape and the market has reaches a point where no one can compete against Apple or Samsung in most markets.
I'm not talking about saving HTC,I'm talking about google having their own in house manufacturing instead of farming it out to a different company or companies each year.
I just hope Google will buy HTC or at least have a partnership with them using it's marketing machine. Remember, Apple, Sansung and even LG are multi national corporations that have other products to support it's smartphone business and add marketing campaign that will hold them over. What killed HTC was it's marketing and a poor phone choices after the M7 until HTC 10. So until HTC Vive goes online and starts to make an impact on it's bottom line, HTC will be stuck.
I'd love one,but obviously the price is my hangup. Once I reach a certain price point my phone has to do more than perform for me,it has to obviously be superior to any phone around me,and according to an article I read recently,alot've people are thinking twice because of that same reason. It's silly,but at the end of the day I can buy a car somewhere for the same price as these phones. If I pull it out've my pocket I want people see the same quality I do and in a group of iPhone and galaxy users,few are gonna say "whoaaa that's that new HTC". Call me crazy but I wanna feel proud for every penny spent.
I'm not asking this to be rude, but how old are you? It intrigues me that someone would think that way about a phone.
via S7 Active Beast -- Peerless Note 4 -- Beautiful Note 7
Get a Robin, I've never had any phone with that much wow factor. Every time I pull it and use it someone asks what kind of phone is that? I tell them it's an iphone 8, I have connections. No one can tell, people are basically morons.
Michael is spot on, when he says pricing is a problem. On the one hand you've got Samsung dominating the high tier, and on the the other, there are great mid tier phones that significantly undercut it.
I think the mid tier is where HTC needs to aim. Put out a phone that competes with the OP3, and keep doing what they're doing with the software, and they could have a hit.
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They could have priced the 10 like an off contract budget phone and it still would have been ignored in favor of an iPhone or Galaxy. The only way any HTC phone will sell is if it has an Apple or Samsung logo on it. Otherwise, all bets are off and they're doing nothing more than accelerating their inevitable death.
You seem to WANT HTC to go out of business.
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Not a matter of me wanting them out. I do think they'd be better off in diversifying to other markets (generally speaking) in the same manner as they've done in VR market. I'm convinced that the mobile phone market is a battle they can't win and people are focusing on the wrong culprit (pricing, features, specs, standing out, etc.) for HTC's downfall.
I don't know where HTC will end up; pundits have predicted their imminent demise for years...but I voted with my wallet and DID buy it and it's the best phone I've ever owned... amazing build quality, very smooth operation, great screen, decent battery life, very fast charging, good camera, clean "almost-Google" skin, expandable/adoptable storage, and absolutely incredible audio. I paid $550 on Big Red's payment plan and I think it's worth every penny. Other than audio not a single feature blows me away but as a complete package I think it's pretty hard to beat.
And Dustinman, careful of generalizations. I owned three HTC's in a row (my last one being the M7) prior to detouring to Moto for one cycle, my 10 experience has been very very good and I'm very happy to be back with HTC. Before the 10, my M7 was the best phone I've ever owned; and it's now been dethroned.
Seems like everyone that gets the 10 at a discounted price loves it. Would you love it equally had you paid $700?
I know several people who used to own HTC devices, they don't any more, myself included. The problem is HTC has made some big mistakes in their flagship lineup over the years, I know of no other smartphone manufacture who has a worse reputation then HTC(Motorola included). No one I know who owned an HTC would recommend HTC. It's one thing to be an unknown brand or an overpriced brand or a cheap brand, but to be a hated brand, that's not good when trying to pitch sales of $600+ devices. Even the M9 is junk, at least the one I have that goes in to car mode everywhere, all the time. I can't imagine the HTC 10 being of any higher quality.
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I agree, the HTC One (M7) got me to switch to android from iPhone and I absolutely loved that phone but they seemed to quickly abandoned it (never got the newer version of Sense) and then seemed to keep making the same phone over and over again with slight tweeks to the design. I switched from HTC to Samsung and haven't looked back, but do wish HTC could recapture that M7 essence again (with a far superior camera lol)
When looking at the Galaxy phones since the S3, they've all had very similar design language, with the edge variants being an exception. Apple does the exact same thing with their iPhones. Samsung and Apple are ok when they do it, but HTC seems to get hammered for it all the time. But the fact still remains that HTC can't reverse their downfall.
I think I would buy this over the S7 if they were the only two, and I didn't mind overpaying.
I liked the A9 but the lower spec UK model is still expensive here. The HTC 10 has got the more complete package, audio, finish, and strangely I prefer the way font is displayed. (Call me crazy, but not right now). There should be a 64gb model for the £569 here.
I want excess money to throw at some devices, but right now flagship prices don't make sense compared to mid price phones.
One of the guys I work with returned his 10 phone and got a 7 Edge. He claimed the HTC 10 had poor battery performance...
Compared to the larger s7 edge that is true but compared to its equivalent sized phone, the regular s7, it is better battery wise.
via S7 Active Beast -- Peerless Note 4 -- Beautiful Note 7
Phone isn't really that good though, not in today's market. The best thing about it is the metal unibody and the audio.
Ultimately, I think the op3 is better. Its basically what HTC should have released, along with their audio.
The phone is great. In today's market, it's seen as boring because it doesn't have all the gimmicks of other devices.
Posted via the Android Central App on HTC 10
Even if it did have more gimmicks, HTC would be hammered for having features that aren't that useful, that's likely never be used, or are too "gimmicky". So HTC is damned either way.
I really wanted to buy this phone when it came out, but t-mobile made it difficult by not committing to it. They didn't have any stock in stores, and still don't. They didn't even have a floor model on launch day, and employees weren't even really trained on it. The only option was to have the store order it and then wait for it to be shipped before I even saw it in person. Meanwhile I got suckered into the GS7e and now the Note 7. I seem to be more sensitive to Samsung's software sluggishness than most, but they always have the best cameras and screens and that's something that matters to me, so I'm willing to put up with the software jitters. For now.
Exactly, I was in the same boat. I was all ready to pull the trigger on one of these for my wife to replace her crappy Samsung S6 on the JUMP! program. But they dragged their feet making it available, so after dealing with that for a while, we decided to just see if she could stick with her S6 until her contract for the phone was up and buy her something unlocked. However the issues she was having started to get worse, so we decided to go ahead and make the Jump to the HTC 10 for the second time. But then we find out that it has been completely pulled from T-Mobile and is no longer even being offered anymore as an option. So now the only somewhat decent phones that they offer are iPhones and Samsungs. Which after she has had a constant stream of crappy Samsung phones, and having no desire to own an iPhone what so ever, didn't leave us with many options.
Long story short we still have like 8 months of payments left on her S6 but I went ahead and bought her a Nexbit Robin when they went on sale on Amazon the other day just so she would at least still have a fully functioning phone for now. Once the S6 is paid off we will probably sell it cheap and pick up a new nexus phone for her and then sell the Robin.
In the US market and its carrier stores, it's almost reduced to the point where there are only two options for smartphone purchases, Apple or Samsung. I saw the same thing in Verizon stores and Best Buy. I think HTC is wasting time and resources in the US market. Seems most people only care about owning an iPhone or Galaxy. They've achieved status symbol levels of popularity and there's no undoing that, so what would HTC gain by continuing their presence in the US market.... Nothing.
Where are they going to go? China? India? Average phone prices there are like $70. You try selling a non Apple or Samsung phone in those places for $600 or more and let me know how that works out.
This. In short, HTC is done.
That's because there's better phones out there.
*cough*Note 7*cough*
Fantastic review as always, I really wanted to like this phone but the camera performance just wasn't there for me. Maybe next year.
I'm gonna buy it... As soon as Google sticks some nougat on it, and a "G" on the back... I'm all in....
I see what you did there.
via S7 Active Beast -- Peerless Note 4 -- Beautiful Note 7
Same. ;-)
HTC10 has had $100 off here for last month but im set on a phone that supports daydreamVR.
Htc phones price to high ,and there ads suck.but there phones are really really good. Sammy phones arent as good.but there ads are on point lol
Posted via the Android Central App
Except for the camera and display, of course. Which are really important to most people. It's the most expensive phone but not one single thing about it is the best. And that's a problem. Either they need to be 90% as good as the top phones and prices 10% below them to reflect it, or keep pricing as though they're the best and put out a device that reflects that.
Next time,make the unlocked version compatible with verizon,instead of Verizon users being forced to purchase the carrier branded version filled with their garbage and waiting on the carrier for updates,and only having the unattractive(IMO)silver color available.Really like that graphite color.Oh well,good luck HTC.
Posted via the Android Central App
That incompatibility of the unlocked version had nothing to do with HTC. That was all Verizon.
Wrong.As a matter of fact,any OEM can submit phones to Verizon for verification on Verizon's network,at a cost.I believe HTC envisioned greater possible sales as a carrier branded phone in verizon stores and online. Like I said,doesn't matter,end result the same.
Posted via the Android Central App
Wrong. You think Verizon would verify unlocked phones on their network and relinquish all of the revenue that comes with their carrier-branded units? Think again.
Seriously? Many unlocked phones work with Verizon, including the Nexus 5X and 6P.
Have you ever heard of the moto x pure,nexus 6,nexus 6p,nexus 5x,moto g4.Yeah,it's done.You need to to educate yourself before spouting off.
Posted via the Android Central App
Also the unlocked US versions of the galaxy s7/edge with the Snapdragon chipset.along with the iphone,which you can purchase directly from apple.
Verizon also has a new category on their website called-get ready for it-BRING YOUR OWN DEVICE.
Posted via the Android Central App
Which,oddly enough,doesn't show up on my phone when I open Verizonwireless.com,but it does show up on my tablet when I open the same site.i suppose that has to do with optimal viewing for a mobile friendly site.
No, it's just that they don't really want people finding it. You're right in that they have to offer the chance for verification at a cost, I believe due to the Band 13 rules they had to follow. What you fail to understand is that Verizon can charge as much as they want for the verification, and the verification criteria are up to Verizon's discretion. So they can be selective.
See the above list,if a company wants it,they can do it.No failure in understanding that.
We were talking specifically about a Verizon branded phone and Verizon allowing the unlocked version of that phone to be activated on its network. Tell me which of the moto x pure, nexus 6, 6p, 5x and G4 that you listed has a Verizon-specific branded version? Oh yeah, none. Verizon's track record with this is horrible with the S7 and iphone being exceptions because of their immense popularity.
You need to increase your reading comprehension before spouting off.
Whatever floats your boat butthurt.Pick one the many unlocked phones listed,and HTC could have chosen that route as well.Took you quite a while to come up with that stupid angle.Have a super day.
That will do very little to help overall sales, so few people care about that that it is hardly (if even) worth mentioning.
I mentioned it for me,not mankind in general,obviously.Expressing an opinion,welcome to it.
Posted via the Android Central App
Also,it would definitely hardly be worth your commenting on,right?
i feel like this plug for HTC comes suspiciously after they were slammed over the nexus on this very site. and this very sites employees tried in vain to excuse every one of their mistakes in the comment section. #bezellife
A review is a plug?
Lol @ plug.
Actually, he's been meaning to complete this review for a while now.
If it was priced cheaper I would have considered.
Awesome performance presentation. Needs something to hold your interest beyond that. I got bored and returned it.
Like what? Sounds like you just want a fun toy.
Read the post below mine. He nails it.
The sad part is that I got rid of mine after I placed the order for the Axon 7, and what is sad is that the Axon 7 is a good as the HTC 10 in every single thing the HTC is good (build and sound) and then some, this great stereo speakers blow away the HTC 10 attempt to simulate stereo speakers and this DAC and Dolby Atmos sounds equal or I dare to say even better than HTC's Boomsound.
I even like the build on the Axon more than the HTC. It's metal is a great and this body to screen ratio and overall dimensions are second to just the S7 edge.
Performance, no difference, same processor, memory and other components, but this screen, man, Samsung Amoled are just killing it. Unlocked, dual Sim card or a SIM card and SD card, fingerprint on the back is relative but it's damn great and fast without vibration for successful recognition, it just vibrates when it doesn't recognize it, as it's only logical to me.
Best warranty with their Passport 2.0 and 2 free years of Screen repairs, water damage and a bunch of other stuff.
Best part, $399, bought it on Newegg and I sold the free Monster DJ headphones I received for $80, so I really paid $320 for this, great, great phone that I just love to use, best purchase I've made in a long time, it's so good that I haven't even touch my S7 edge since I receive it, when I had the HTC 10 I was switching phones with my S7 edge every 3 or 4 days just to keep me interested and not get bored.
So, HTC 10, very good phone, but just another good phone nothing outstanding, and the only things it exceed, there are some other phones now that are even better and $300 cheaper.
I dare back and for sure HTC 10 headphone output is better than Axon 7. Both have quality output but overall Amp is more powerful on 10. Axon 7 only reason I am not liking it cuz of software. Which make it feels Chinese phone. Notification thing is most annoying. Camera is not comparable to 10. Display for sure Axon 7 is better and that stereo speakers are awesome too. I am pretty sure I am gonna get Nougat on 10 before on my Axon 7 grey. Axon 7 real win is it's price. That's why we can forgive it's camera in low light situation, or that software skin.
Don't have the HTC 10 to do a direct comparison, but I got rid of the 10 about 2 weeks ago so I still have fresh in my mind the sound output and to me, once you set Dolby ATMOS accordingly, I can't say HTC 10 headphone output is better, the same at most, but I'm still amazed at the sound output on the Axon, and my co-worker and me (both had the HTC 10 just before the Axon) agreed that this one sound a little better.
But like everything, better or not is simple preferences, if you say that HTC is better, then no problem, both sounds amazing, and that exactly is my point, if you can't decide which one is better or even if one is better than the other but you need to really try hard to choose, then the cheaper one is the better deal, basically the same, a lot cheaper.
Camera...no doubt that the HTC 10 is better, I knew that coming into this phone, I still have the best phone camera available with my S7 edge, but if in manual mode the photos are a lot better then, that's proof that with some software updates it can get a lot better. ZTE techs have been greatly involved in people suggestions and complaints, take a look at their official forum and you will see that a lot of the so called software issues are already noted and promised to be taken care of, if they manage to get the pictures a lot better with software adjustments, and the other little annoyance, then the Axon will be definitely the best deal and biggest surprise of 2016 and one of the best phones you can buy and at this price, simply the best.
Just take a look at this recent review video posted by Pocketnow, go to the 6:00 mark, and you will see that what I mentioned here was not off, according to this guy, and his more scientifically test he agreed to what my friend and me concluded, the Axon 10 sounds better and louder than the HTC 10 via headphones. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTsg7EyYKFM
If we consider user experience than OnePlus 3 is best phone IMO instead of Axon 7. Axon have upper hand on Audio and display. But OnePlus 3 have upper hand in software and camera. Display on paper seems better on Axon 7 but OnePlus 3 have wonderful bright display too. OnePlus 3 feels like more developer friendly phone than Axon 7. I have 2 HTC 10 and I regret selling OnePlus 3. IMHO OnePlus 3 looks even better than Axon. OnePlus 3 is also great phone to brag lol for its 6GB RAM. And only phone that beats Note 7 and S7 edge in performance is OnePlus 3.
That's your opinion, not mine, I bought and sold my OnePlus 3 in about 1 week, nothing to drag me from my Galaxy S7 edge, I had the OnePlus One and I liked that phone a lot, it had something than the 3 didn't have for me, so i sold it quickly so I didn't lose money in the process, then I got the HTC 10, and after selling it, I bought the Axon 7, and so far it has been my daily driver for the past 9 days and I haven't even looked at my S7 edge again, one thing that neither the OnePlus 3 nor the HTC 10 could do.
My first 2016 phone was S7 edge it was great phone for sure, but after using for full week I made it my secondary phone and put my SIM back in Nexus 6p. I bought S7 edge for battery and I was not seeing any great difference in battery. User experience for me was already great on 6p than S7.. Display was only brighter but 6p was no slouch and I sold my S7 edge after 18days and no single regret. I have HTC 10 is not planning to selling it yet cuz I think this satisfy me most. I love its dialer, sound and feel. I had Oneplus 3 along with 10 and I liked Oneplus 3 better than S7 edge. now just got my Axon 7 trying to like it. only software is coming in my way to like it. I care less for camera(Even best camera I think is on 6p) sound and display on Axon 7 is really awesome. but software is my first priority thing. at least Axon should fix that lock screen bell thing.
Put Nova Launcher on it, it doesn't fix everything but it helps a lot with dealing with the Axon 7. And I'm pretty sure the bell will be killed with fire in the next update.
Using Sense home launcher I like it better so many themese and best of all I can arrange icons and so easy to remember where to look for an app.
HTC fails because they can't get out of their own way. Is it a good phone? Sure. Is it better than the Galaxy lineup this year? Not even close. They either need to swing for the fences or go the opposite route and produce cheaper devices. Their new Nexii will go a long way towards telling how good they could make a phone at a budget price. Problem is, are they even financially in a spot to start trying to undercut other devices price wise? I'd guess not.
Posted via the Android Central App
Yet again, Sammy fans claiming they have the best. I don't care what forum you read or what article is about Sammy fans must always come in to claim dominance. I really do not even understand why. If same is that good, then why not let the phones disk for themselves. Some of the most important aspects of cell phones is fast updates and smooth running software and Samsung always gets in its own way when it comes to both. HTC, iPhone, and Nexus do not. There's nothing worse than watching your phone stutter tryna to complete ordinary operations and I am willing to bet the Note 7 will be no different after a month or so of regular usage.
Would you have preferred me saying the iPhone or Nexus lineup is better, too? Saying the Galaxy phones this year are better isn't exactly news and it's directly related to how poorly HTC is doing with the sales numbers on the 10. Sorry if that bothers you.
Posted via the Android Central App
I dislike Samsung, i don't buy their products, last phone of theirs I had was an omnia a hundred or so years ago.
The S7/note 7 line are the best phones on the market, they blow the HTC 10 out of the water. Try using one, the phones disk for themselves.
Posted via the Android Central App
Hahahaha +1
Posted via the Android Central App
How exactly does the S7 blow the M10 out of the water? Because of the water resistance or camera? I don't think that puts it in the blowout category. Especially when factoring in HTC's superior, more consistent performance optimizations, offering what's just downright faster day to day performance with the same hardware. (I'm comparing the 820 devices only)
Just stop. You won't find one reviewer or reliable site that says the 10 is better than the S7. That's just rubbish. And this is all subjective to opinion anyway
"If same is that good, then why not let the phones disk for themselves."
It does, which is one of the reasons why the HTC 10 is getting trounced.
+1
Posted via the Android Central App
I was going to add something but decided you guys already disked on my behalf...
Posted via the Android Central App
I am no Samsung fan, but I just bought the Note 7 after many Nexus, Moto, and OnePlus phones. I love stock type phones, and I've tweaked the Note 7 to be as stockish as possible. Performance is great and the feel of the device is superb. The bright screen eats battery at an alarming rate though. I won't be returning mine!
Well I did buy this phone, and yeah, it's an excellent phone.
Agree with the points as to why people won't buy it. It's price, and the competition. But I have both the HTC 10 and Note 7 and I will be returning the Note 7. It's hardware is superb, but the software performance isn't as good as HTC's and that really bothers me.
I traded in the HTC 10 to get the Note 7 on my JoD plan with T-Mobile and I can understand your sentiment exactly if you don't need the S-Pen and larger screen.
via S7 Active Beast -- Peerless Note 4 -- Beautiful Note 7
The 7s software is a disaster at best. 5 days In and I had to pull the plug on it and return it. Camera and feel of the phone is untouched though
Absolutely nit-picking your comment. Camera on the Galaxy models are top notch. I personally do not give them credit for the feel of their phones, because they were designed to be used with a case. Yes, they are dust and water proof, but the back glass can not stand up to even the shortest of drops.
Might be jumping the gun on the return. I doubt I'll get the Note 7 but the performance is so stellar on my S7 Edge I believe the Note will be fixed with an update. Samsung has finally gotten it right. Doubt they'll let the new Note fall through the cracks.
I hope they will have more future recognition coz of the new nexus phones... Lets keep our fingers crossed that they will be any good...
They'll be more than good. They'll be the best android handsets of 2016. Much like the 6P was last year
Wouldn't doubt that
I might be over exaggerating just a little...lol
Finally!
Finally?
Posted via the Android Central App
MrMobile has been taking nice pictures with this phone for a while now and I have even seen it sometimes in his other videos. So many people have been asking him when he will release the review for it, so the finally is because he finally did.
Ouuuuuu, gotcha!
Posted via the Android Central App
The Rock Has come back to AC
Lol, don't know about that xd
"What kind of phone do you use?"
"I use a-"
"IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT KIND OF PHONE YOU USE."
..help this company. I see what you did there.