HTC U11 Life is looking like the first exciting Android One phone

• Quentyn Kennemer
• 7 years ago

Android One Phones are getting better, and they’re going mainstream. It started with the Xiaomi Mi A1 and later on we got the new Moto X4.

They’re fine phones in their own right and bring some premium features to the Android One family (dual cameras!), but HTC just might be coming with the most exciting Android One phone yet: the HTC U11 Life. LlabTooFer had some info to share the specs we’re getting:

• Display: 5.2-inch 1080p
• Chipset: Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset
• Memory: 3GB/32GB or 4GB/64GB RAM/ROM
• Cameras: 16MP Rear Camera, 16MP Front Camera
• Battery: 2,600mAh
• Software: Android 8.0 Oreo
• Features: Edge Sense, USonic Audio, IP67, Fingerprint

All of that is said to be on tap for around $400. That’s not the most value-packed price you’re going to find, especially considering you can find phones with a more powerful chipset for cheaper. But boy does it read off well, and this would be perhaps the only Android One phone that goes beyond the bare essentials when it comes to smartphone features.

And that’s the beauty of it: if you don’t need the extra bits, you’re free to pay for something cheaper that doesn’t have them. But if you want an HTC phone with Edge Sense, Oreo out of the box, a battery efficient workhorse of a chipset, and a respectable display — all under the Android One banner and everything that means (faster updates on a near-stock experience, we hope) — this ought to get you going.