The season for summer holidays is almost upon us, which is why now is the perfect time to get prepped for all the fun about to come.
And really, does any fun actually count anymore unless gorgeous, glossy photos and snappy videos are posted to all your social media accounts? You know all your friends want to see what you are up to every minute of that luxurious island stay, so make sure they are satisfied with the best possible imagery. There is officially no need to drag around a heavy SLR camera anymore: phone cameras have reached a perfectionistic peak with the HTC 10.
Audiophiles will also be beyond pleased with the HTC 10. The phone produces some of the best sound we have heard to date from a mobile device, whether the ear buds are plugged in or not.
To start, let’s discuss the camera: It features a 12-megapixel sensor with f/1.8 aperture, optical image stabilization and laser autofocus. Selfie Kings and Queens take note! The wide-angle lens allows users to capture about 20 percent more area in a selfie photo, which will hopefully do away with those terrible selfie sticks forever. The front-facing 5MP features OIS, which is a great touch, especially for those who like to vlog their vacas. It also features HD audio recording abilities as well, making it an ideal choice for video-calling (make them jelly in real time) or like to use phones in their YouTube vids.
Expect excellent point-and-shoot results across the board and get ready for some pretty glorious night photos, as the phone’s low-light performance is gorgeous with minimal noise and plenty of detail. Getting in close is also a breeze for the HTC 10. When macro zooming, there is a lovely, shallow depth of field (blurred background) that makes for more cinematic and dramatic images.
One unique aspect is that the HTC allows your to access to RAW files, which will make professional shooters very happy. The control you have over the final edited photo will go far beyond that you can get with “processing” done by the phone itself.
We all know that music, audiobooks and the like are super-important when traveling. This phone has BoomSound, which means that the tunes flow through dual audio speakers sound loud, clear, and not at all tinny. Music through the earbuds also sounds amazing; the bass is deep without rattling teeth and the clarity allowed us to easily hear nuances over the roar of jet engines and ocean alike.
Undoubtedly, the audio quality is one of the strongest features of this phone. Apple users will be pleased as well: HTC 10 comes with Apple’s AirPlay streaming standard. That means you can stream audio from the handset to an Apple TV and other devices compatible with Apple’s WiFi audio standard, which generally offers better sound quality than Bluetooth.
The 10 runs Google’s Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system with HTC’s Sense user interface skinned on top. HTC has gone for a deeper integration with Google, meaning the only web browser you see is Chrome, the only music player you have is Play Music and the only gallery you have is Google Photos. There are some welcomed software goodies though. HTC’s signature BlinkFeed gives you a feed of your news and social networks. And Themes lets you customize parts of your interface like the layout, wallpaper and app design. The cool thing about some of these themes is that any grid lines don’t restrict their home screens, so you can place apps and widgets anywhere.
There seem to be wildly varying experiences with battery life on the HTC 10, but we could easily go a full day of moderate to heavy typical usage on a single charge. The HTC 10 also charges up very quickly with the Quick Charge 3.0 included charger and USB Type-C cable.
In all, this is a great phone to take with you in your big (or small) getaways. Now get out there and show us all the fun you’re having!
