Abstract
- The HTC 10, which was launched in 2016, stays my favourite smartphone of all time.
- The ten is chock-full of design concerns which have since gone extinct within the cell phone panorama.
- Whereas HTC is probably not the identical firm it as soon as was, I might like to sooner or later see a contemporary reboot or non secular successor to the HTC 10.
There are a variety of wonderful smartphones which have gained over my coronary heart all through the years, however one handset particularly stands above the remaining: the HTC 10 from 2016. Launched onto the market as a premium flagship providing, the HTC 10 primarily duked it out with Samsung’s Galaxy S7, LG’s G5, and Apple’s iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 fashions. Whereas these latter telephones stay well-known to at the present time, HTC’s 10 has seemingly pale from the general public consciousness, which I believe is a disgrace.
In some ways, the HTC 10 will be greatest described because the penultimate HTC smartphone. Whereas retaining a lot of the forward-thinking DNA of its legendary HTC One (m7) and One (m8) forebears, it vaulted the Taoyuan, Taiwan-based firm again into the aggressive highlight after a lackluster predecessor within the HTC One (m9) the yr prior.
With the ten, HTC got here weapons blazing: the telephone included all of the high-end specs accessible for the time, a refined software program expertise that revered the consumer, and an exterior {hardware} package deal that appears each bit as good-looking at the moment because it did practically a decade in the past. Lots has modified within the client electronics business within the years since, and regardless of HTC’s retreat from the flagship system house, its 10 stands as a testomony to timeless phone-making experience.
- SoC
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Qualcomm Snapdragon 820
- Show
-
5.2-inch 1440 x 2570 pixel decision Tremendous LCD 5
- RAM
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4GB
- Storage
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32GB, 64GB
- Working System
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Android 6.0.1 (Marshmallow) with HTC Sense
The ten is HTC’s flagship smartphone for 2016, competing instantly with Samsung’s Galaxy S7 throughout the Android house.
They do not make smartphones like they used to
The HTC 10 is every thing the fashionable telephone business is not
When choosing up the HTC 10 in 2025, it is instantly obvious that the product is a relic of a bygone period. That is to not say the telephone feels antiquated — on the contrary, it evokes a way of modernism regardless of its chunky bezels, its bodily navigation keys, and its single rear-facing digital camera module. Externally, the ten holds up fantastically. Its rounded, unibody steel construct, its weighted mass, and its distinctive beveled edge all come collectively in a satisfying method that makes the system appear and feel extremely luxurious.
Philosophically, the HTC 10 is the literal antithesis of contemporary high-end telephone design. Except for the apparent lack of a glass rear panel, the telephone presents now-extinct niceties like a microSD card slot, a notification LED blinker, a high-quality headphone jack with customized DAC and amplifier tech, a selfie digital camera with optical picture stabilization, and a capacitive fingerprint sensor. I respect the smaller dimension of the system (its 5.2-inch display screen appeared huge for the time, however feels compact on reflection), and the clicky, ribbed energy button remains to be probably the most satisfying button I’ve ever pressed on a telephone.
Philosophically, the HTC 10 is the literal antithesis of contemporary high-end telephone design.
That is to not say that the ten was excellent: for its time, the system lacked a couple of options that have been turning into more and more commonplace amongst competing flagships. This features a extra strong IP water and mud resistance score, an always-on OLED show, and Qi wi-fi charging. Alternatively, the ten provided speedier 5 Gbps USB-C switch speeds, extra environment friendly Qualcomm Fast Cost 3.0 charging tech, and stereo audio system earlier than these all turned commonplace business fare.
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HTC Sense was one of the best pores and skin within the recreation
On the time, it made Sense to complement the Android expertise with an overlay
In its heyday, HTC’s Sense overlay atop of Android was best-in-class. ‘Inventory’ Android from Google was nonetheless tough across the edges, and competing software program skins from Samsung and LG have been bloated with out paying thoughts to the overarching consumer expertise. Sense was completely different — it was enticing and but restrained, it averted the pitfall of app and repair duplication we nonetheless see on up to date telephones to at the present time, and it added in considerate additions like screen-tapping gestures, the BlinkFeed information curator, and an Excessive Energy Saving Mode.
The HTC 10 launched with Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow out of the field, and it was supported by means of Android 8.0 Oreo. Its Sense UI stays pleasing to at the present time, although its look has naturally fallen out of visible vogue as time has marched onward. Different Android telephone makers have since stepped up their software program recreation fairly significantly, however for my part, solely Google’s Pixel UX comes near matching the interface craftsmanship of 2016-era HTC Sense.
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The HTC 10 is the top of pre-modern telephone design
HTC’s ‘Quietly Sensible’ design ethos was as soon as an unmatched pressure
At a time when Samsung, LG, and others have been trekking in a single course, HTC was doubling down on the fundamentals with the ten. The telephone mastered all of the necessities, and it supplied an end-user expertise that I believe again on fondly. I miss the times of stable, industrial-feeling steel telephones, and I miss the times of microSD playing cards and high-quality headphone jacks, too.
HTC went on to launch the U11 in 2017, adopted by the U12 Extremely the yr after. These units, which might find yourself being the ultimate flagship HTC choices on a aggressive scale, would succumb to varied business pressures. These U-series merchandise would take away the headphone jack, axe the steel unibody, and lean into gimmicky additions like a squeezable body and a long-forgotten AI Sense Companion characteristic.
HTC has a chance to make steel, wired audio, expandable storage, and even its Sense overlay cool once more.
A lot of HTC’s phone-making expertise was purchased out by Google in 2017, making the fashionable Pixel collection a type of successor line to some extent. Early Pixels, together with the first-generation mannequin, have been actually constructed by HTC. Even with its diminished business prominence in 2025, I might like to see a real non secular successor to the ten make its method onto retailer cabinets. In a sea of bezel-less glass sandwiches, HTC has a chance to make steel, wired audio, expandable storage, and even its Sense overlay cool once more. Whilst you’re at it, why not deliver again the HTC One’s iconic front-firing audio system, too, HTC?
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