The HTC U11 has already proven its mettle in the flagship space of the smartphone segment. The company has now decided to build on its success and release a more appropriately-sized package for the masses while still retaining the appeal of the original U11, with the new U11 Life.
According to reports, the new phone will be a mid-ranger that will be slightly smaller than its older sibling. The phone’s codename has been dubbed “Ocean Life” internally and will feature a 5.2-inch 1080p display. The phone will share multiple similarities with the U11 as well, such as the water-proof IP67 certification and will also be without a headphone jack. Buyers will still be able to get the much-acclaimed USonic headphones with noise cancellation included in the box. To make up for the lack of a headphone jack as well, the company also includes Bluetooth 5.0 for better wireless communication.
With regard to specifications, the phone will come packing the Snapdragon 630 SoC, which will be a notch lower than the U11 flagship, but will still provide reliable performance as Qualcomm’s mid-range chipsets are proving to be quite the power-houses of late. There is no confirmation on the amount of RAM that will be available on the phone, but it seems likely that a 4GB RAM configuration will make do on the phone. The phone will feature at least 32GB of internal storage with expandability of up to 2TB via microSD card. The most important feature that the new U11 Life will retain from its flagship sibling is Edge Sense, which will add a unique element to the feature-set of the phone and set it apart from the competition.
On the front, the phone will feature thick bezels on the top and bottom, which do not conform to the flagships standard set by so many phones this year. Having said that, the phone gets to have its fingerprint sensor up front, below the display. Just like the U11, the phone will feature a front-facing 16MP camera. At the rear, the optics will also be a 16MP camera with phase-detection and auto-focus. Considering the overall feature-set and design language, it will be no less than what the original U11 was, albeit at a more affordable package.
The phone is expected to release later this year. As far as availability is concerned, it has been confirmed that the phone will be sold through T-Mobile, but whether there will be an unlocked version globally, is yet to be seen.
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