HTC has announced their new flagship for this year and it’s looking a lot more promising than last year’s M9. The M9 just didn’t live up to the standard and was quickly snuffed out by other devices like the LG G4, Nexus 6P, Moto X Pure Edition and Note 5. However this year after taking a look side-by-side to the Galaxy S7, the 10 looks like it could be a better choice between the two. That said I would not pick the HTC 10 over the S7 Edge mainly because the Edge has a bigger battery and screen.
Specifications Comparison (in the areas where the HTC 10 excels)
| HTC 10 | Galaxy S7 | |
| Display | 5.2-inch, Quad HD Super LCD 5 (2560 x 1440 pixels, 564 ppi) | S7: 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED (2560 x 1440, 577ppi) |
| Storage | 32GB/64GB storage expandable up to 2TB via microSD | 32/64GB (UFS 2.0) expandable up to 200GB via microSD |
| Camera | Rear: 12MP (1.55μm pixels), laser autofocus, OIS, f/1.8 Front: 5MP (1.34μm pixels), OIS, f/1.8 with ultra wide-angle lens |
Rear: Dual Pixel 12MP, (F1.7), Smart OIS Front: 5MP |
| Audio | HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi Edition, Hi-Res Audio Certified | Single speaker |
| USB Type | USB Type-C, USB 3.0 | Micro USB, USB 2.0 |
| Charging | Quick Charge 3.0 | Quick Charge 2.0 |
| Build Type | Metal body | Glass body |
First impressions of the announcement and coverage was that the HTC 10 didn’t really spark my interest too too much. So far I am really enjoying using the Galaxy S7 Edge and as I mentioned above I would not pick the HTC 10 over the St Edge, but I would consider getting the 10 over the S7.
On paper the HTC 10 seems to actually beat out the S7! Saying that actually surprised me. My expectations of the 10 was not very high at all. Last year HTC seemed to give us old tech, but this year they basically have the latest tech available. The S7/Edge doesn’t give us USB Type-C or Quick Charge 3.0.
Another area the HTC 10 trumps the Galaxy S7 (and even the Edge) is the audio. Being that the GS7/Edge are water resistant, the speaker’s audio quality suffers a bit. HTC set the standard for audio quality with the front facing BoomSound tech a few years ago and I hope the quality is just as good being that the speakers are now placed on the top and bottom of the phone. Either way, I am pretty sure the HTC 10’s audio is going to sound much better compared to the GS7/Edge.
The camera seems to be a bit more promising this year, as HTC has been struggling in this department for a while now. In my opinion Samsung delivers the best cameras, so we will obviously have to see more results out of the HTC camera to determine who’s better. But my main point here is that the camera looks like it’s been improved and if the camera is a deal breaker for you (like it is for me), the HTC 10 might not disappoint this time around.
The build type is definitely a preference of whether you like metal or glass more. Personally, I like the metal builds more. This is another area where HTC lead the pack. They introduced metal builds with flagships a few years ago and everyone seems to have caught up to them now. There’s not a major flagship made out of plastic anymore. At least among Samsung, Motorola (Levono), LG, and Huawei. While I love the fact Samsung ditched plastic, I am in favor of having other premium materials like metal or leather versus glass.
The HTC 10 has the chance to help HTC make a rebound from some suffering years in the industry. I’ve said that HTC needs to hit a home run this year to be in the least bit competitive. I think this year they might have saved themselves.
What do you think? Is HTC making a come back?
On a side note: It’s super interesting that AT&T is not going to sell the HTC 10!
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