Hot on the heels of Samsung’s Galaxy S8 series’ release, Taiwanese tech giant HTC has unveiled its latest flagship smartphone, the HTC U11 – featuring a camera system that’s technically the best yet tested by the independent DxOMark’s labs.

The 12-mega-pixel rear camera has a wider aperture than its predecessor, the rather under-the-radar HTC 10, matching the Samsung S8 at f/1.7. This should make for better performance in low-light situations and the potential for nicer looking bokeh.

Using an updated processor, auto-HDR boost aims to provide quick HDR image capture without the lag that’s normally associated with multiple-shot photography, and HTC is also promising multi-axis optical image stabilisation and a speedy autofocus of 0.3 seconds. Users looking for more control over their images will also be able to take settings into their own hands manually, as well as shoot in raw formats.

As is becoming industry-standard, video recording will be in qualities up to 4K and there’s an option for full HD 120fps shooting for slow-motion shots.

On the other side of the screen, the HTC U11’s front-facing camera features a 16MP system with f/2 lens, and comes with an ‘UltraPixel’ mode that’s meant to improve low-light performance. Video recorded from the front camera will be in 1080p full HD.

With a test score of 90, the HTC U11 camera technically knocks the Google Pixel (which had a score of 89) off its top spot to become DxOMark’s highest-scoring smartphone, though it should be noted that with a tiny difference of only 1 point, any improvements could be seen as marginal.

Aside from the camera, other key features of the HTC U11 include:

  • Android version 7.1 at launch, with HTC Sense
  • Edge Sense, a quirky new way of interacting with your phone – via ‘squeezing’
  • 5.5″ UHD glass screen
  • 3000mAh battery
  • Qualcomm® Snapdragon 835 Mobile Platform, 64-bit octa-core, up to 2.45GHz
  • 4GB on-board RAM and 64GB storage
  • Access to HTC Sense, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa (where available)

The HTC U11 is scheduled to be available in June this year for £649, in a variety of colours.

And no, there is no 3.5mm headphone jack.

20 years of HTC

As well as announcing the U11, the Taiwanese company are today celebrating the 20th anniversary of HTC. It has released a small timeline of some of their milestones over the last two decades, including being the first manufacturer to include a duo-camera system in a smartphone back in 2014.