These are the only (smartphone) camera reviews I really trust. No bias, extensive testing and most importantly, somebody who knows what he's talking about. You have so many youtubers who "review" phones but actually have no idea what to look for when taking pictures. Once again nicely done!
DxO mark is a okay enough numerical scoring for those that need it but... We the PocketNow viewers appreciate Real Camera Reviews more, because it pits the device in real life situations that many of us will use the device for. Excellent review Juans (once) again. lol bad joke there.
OBG Jay What DxO reviews is hard to quantify with just a score. People should be reading them in detail and then deciding for themselves if it's what they want. As Juan said, there's no such thing as an objectively best camera.
DxOMark compares phones with RAW-files. Consumers use JPEG (processed). RAW-files leave the professional to the color grading. JPEG's are as is. It's great as it is. The HTC is the best with RAW's, but falls down below with JPEG's.
Clorex Bleach That's not true, they shot in JPEG almost everytime talking about phones, if they did only shot in RAW like the Xperia which don't support it (what a shame), they wouldn't be able to review it
What Juan is really trying to say.... 10:26 - Selfie taken before watching "THE RING" video 10:30 - Selfie taken after watching "THE RING" video YOU WILL BUY IN 7 DAYS!
After Michael Fisher left, I had mixed feelings about Juan, but it turns out he's a really good reviewer and his videos are really enjoyable to watch. The guy's a pro.
Definitely looks like a real solid shooter. HTC has been refining their camera game since the 10, so perhaps they might wanna focus (pun unintended) on the core experience before adding some fun stuff. And no, I don't mean fun as in Snapchat-esque stickers. Eugh.
JuanBagnell 2018 maybe? I hope they go the Huawei approach. That's IMO the most ideal dual camera setup on phones as it looks to benefit most photo-taking scenarios and the zoom sampling is nifty. They'd probably need to do it their own way, though. I don't think Huawei is keen on licensing it out to anyone.
JuanBagnell Well, if you've read Droid_Life, not so great right now. Apparently, the Essential president posted some photos taken on the PH-1 and they were......not good. A heap of noise, too little dynamic range and quite a bit of handshake blur. He took them down later because the internet had a laugh. To put it crudely, it looked as if it came out of a Galaxy S4. I do hope it's the software because I don't see anything wrong with the hardware. It could very well be unfinished software. Essential should really spruce it up for release. I would really hate to see the phone's fatal flaw being its camera, as $400 phone cameras have gotten really good.
Squeeze shooting institutes a delay, so the phone won't be shaking when the shutter actuates. Curious that that wasn't mentioned. Also, curious that there was shake visible at all despite the delay.
JuanBagnell From what I've seen, there's a pretty substantial delay, at least long enough for any shake from squeezing for a shot to mitigate, especially when you know there's a delay and you wait a second for the click. Delay feature should still be mentioned.
There seemed to be a delay when Juan was taking pics of the shelf. About a 1 second to 1/2 second delay. It was still shaky though Juan? Nevermind the night shot, maybe the low light makes a difference.
Tj Javier The delay seemed long enough for daylight and indoor lighting, but at low light, it's not long enough to counter the motion blur caused by the grip change combined with the slower shutter speed.
D13H4RD2L1V3 Yeah I figured. Do you have the phone? It's odd though Juan won't mention this. Makes people think that the grip feature to take a picture is shaky all around.
Mmmm... from this review the camera on the U11 needs an update to fix the over exposed look... I would guess they would update the camera in the first couple weeks most flagships seem to pump some kind of major update the first two or three weeks after the phone is released.
JuanBagnell I had no idea. That's a pretty important detail, considering how much overexposure figures into the review. If you can't pin this, I wish people had the sense to at least give both comments more upvotes. This thread is way down the page.
jonah travisano I wouldn't really say the overexposure thing is a real issue. Until the update lands, you can get by with using spot metering and using the exposure slider.
If all the issues are around exposure why don't you just knock the exposure down a notch and save that camera as the default? Am I simplifying things here? On all my old HTC phones you could have multiple camera settings saved.
Most reviewers (including Pocketnow) ostensibly only review the default mode. But if this is still the case, it ABSOLUTELY should be mentioned, in the same way Juan would mention the excellent manual controls on, say, the LG V20. This is crucial information when the main flaw of the camera is overexposure.
ezakustam As I mentioned, I may be simplifying the issue. As the U11 uses HDR plus it may not be as simple as just knocking the exposure down but it would be nice to know if this is the case.
Looks a a very good shooter, this metering problem is being endemic from HTC since the 10, which I have and sometimes happens when there's much light in the scene. The solution is exactly the same and once you turn touch autoexposure on the problem solves by itself. Luckily the viewfinder on the 10 is "what you see is what you get" so even if you have such option disabled you can notice when the image is going to be overexposed so you can correct the exposure just before taking the picture, wondering if that's also the case on the U11.
Juan Carlos Alpízar u answered the query n i feel the same. It's just that touch auto exposure has to be turned on n u gotta touch the screen to make it evenly balanced. Its not an issue at all n it works perfectly on my HTC 10.
D13H4RD2L1V3 I don't think that should be something you need to do to begin with. Sometimes that extra 1 or 2 seconds you take to adjust the proper exposure makes you lose what you were trying to take in the picture, which is why I switched to the tap to autoexposure and use manual mode when the scene is complicated and the target is still
I feel the part where you try to recover the over exposed picture should not use the same exposure gain if the goal is to see which phone can recover the overblown parts.
This is the Juan of my best site 😅. very reliable and no other sites reviews like Juan. Well done, scores don't matter but Jaun Bagnel's camera review matters.
They seem to have a good setup but I wonder if more polish is still needed on software? Could HTC benefit from an update to help with that exposure issue? Really I'm wondering if we can call this enough to help HTC succeed when at this segment they really could use smarter processing such as that used but the iPhone and Pixel (considering HTC's chosen market segment and desire to complete with such devices)?
whenever a new flagship is released, i always wait for pocketnow to release their real camera, and real audio review. reaaaaaallly good reviews, nice job guys, keep up the good work.
Finally got the chance to test the U11, and it doesn't seem to have 60 FPS in any mode. Since it can do 120, it would have been easy to implement. Why on Earth would HTC skip such a feature that's standard in top selling flagship phones? (Especially when the camera is supposed to be this phone's primary claim to fame?)
I think the LG G6 has this same problem. Pictures always seem too bright outdoors. Not a problem I had with my Nexus 6P, which was exceptional outdoors IMO, and much better at macro shots. At least the U11 seems to be good with macro shots. I know for sure that the LG G6 is not, unless you care to fiddle with manual mode to get the focus somewhat right.
As for today i would say the raw photos taken by this phone are by far the best flagship pictures. Way ahead of samsung,apple, lg and so on. The sheer quality of raw is astonishing
Hello every one, I'm not a phone reviewer or anything like that, I'm just a major HTC fan lol and I just wanted to let whoever reads this know that this HTC U11 is freaking awesome haha!!!! I just got my sapphire blue model a few hours ago and it is absolutely beautiful and it performs excellent lol as a new phone should. I always root for the underdog because I am one lol so let's go HTC!!!
The shot with the dongle hanging out next to the lg ❤ Goes to show they have great filmography. It shows the lack of a 3.5 mm jack without having to say it while also saying that the lg does not share the same problem
Please do the XZ premium camera review and compare it to this camera. I think the XZPs camera is not covered enough by big tech channels. I really want to know your opinion on its camera. Thanks Juan.
Megapickle squeezing not recommended. Nice review as always, it's nice to see HTC getting better in the camera department, a bit of a software tweak is needed here and there maybe.
JuanBagnell I'm still amazed at how well footage from a V20 blended in with that from a Lumix G85. Quite a testament to its beastly content creation credentials
Definitely an improvement over the 10,but not so much that it blows it away. the focusing system is definitely a good addition. any word on the actual sensor used Juan?
Hi Juan, can you please review the camera of XPERIA XZ Premium. Some channel says it has a good camera but I am still not convinced based on my experience with previous Xperia phone. Thanks in advance.
This is one of the best smart phone cameras ever made it still stands the test of time I challenge somebody to buy it in 2022 and put it against whatever your flagship phone is on just regular steel photos I guess I guarantee you it goes told at all with any of the cameras
true, I bought this phone brand new on ebay few days ago. I competes with my iPhone 14 pro. iPhone over thinks the colors, it is no longer a real picture but photoshopped one, too much processing is involved
The camera is awesome. I am enjoying it. It's a great low light shooter. The acoustic focus feature is great too, the only problem is no image stabilization on 4k video recording.
I was going to make my order for the Solar Red here in the UK, but after seeing it can't do 1080p @ 60fps, in addition to a lack of dedicated headphone jack and no wireless charging are really turning me off.
It's ALL about knowing what the pros and cons are. Like, knowing the exposure runs bright, it's so much easier to plan for that RIGHT out of the box. After accounting for that, this phone lands great shots.
JuanBagnell HTC 10 has the same problem, don't understand why they can't fix the exposure. Over all I think you get a lot more detail from this phone over the 10. What is your take on the U11 other than the camera?
Damn :) . what i absolutly love about this channel is, even thou HTC promissed some serious SWAG to any reviewer who praises the U11, Juan takes no prisonners ;)
Nabil Bel Well, it's not really praise. HTC just wanted to counter some statements made just for the sake of hating. I mean that's all well and good, but I think the way it was worded and the notion of free stuff sent out here and there was perhaps a little too far.
JuanBagnell in my country buying htc U11 give more value to money plus it will get fully support from Htc for 3 years still cannot beat Apple 4 years... Hahaaha.
NIXXO- TECH AND GAME REVIEWER I found the exact opposite. Good camera, but if anything, this shows DxoMark is a scam and the HTC 11 is definitely not better than the S8.
Certain situation image quality of S8 is better then U11 , video recording FHD or 4K I will go to S8 .. certain light condition also sometime U11 better , mostly S8 better (every day I compare , see new update from others tech review like PC word and etc ) .. you cannot say DXomark is scam .. you need to open Dxomark website and see why they give 90 to U11.. they prove it with their benchmark criteria ... I really wanna buy S8 but because of so many users of S7 last year complaint about the lagging of S7 after few month and the screen sometime suddenly show i line pink colour @ the LED screen after warranty end .. I will go to HTC U11 ... never hear about HTC 10 users complaint about LCD screen defect or got pink line... also U11 will get support from HTC for 3 years and delivered high quality audio.
I remember 10 years ago when htc used to be the sh*t. The weather app that changed depending on the current weather and the flash light app was the most innovative thing back them...
This is far from perfect. I see at least the S8 and Xperia XZ Premium being better than that, but each phone has something special to boast, and here that is the audio experience - recording audio, playback on speakers and headphones - top notch. You forgot to mention the "audio zoom" feature, which is amazing. Otherwise, I'm looking forward for the ... new Pixel. The current one has one of my favourite cameras, even though I haven't had one.
Awesome review as always, Juan! :) Are you guys planning to review the XZ Premium? I am left with the impression that it is pretty much the fastest phone on the market right now, and also that the camera is really really good, but I can never be sure until I see you guys dissect a phone and put it through it`s paces! :)
Ah that Nokia Lumia 920 shot in the beginning was great I miss that phone it looks so good lol. Anyway solid shooter on the U 11, better than I was expecting! 😋
The problem is whom should you trust? I have seen many reviews, which says HTC is better and other says Samsung is slightly better. Even if you check the side by side picture comparisons, it can be possible that both are taken in different modes and different settings to show one is better than the other. It has become really hard to believe all these reviews now a days. I feel most of these reviewers get paid to say good things about a particular company (HTC or Samsung, applies to both). If you can not trust DXOMark, then how can you trust these review websites??!!! Best is to get the phone and test it yourself. I am a big fan of HTC and would like to support them. With the 30 day return policy, I am willing to give them a shot. Now lets see!!
sudin garai that's kind of the point. there really is no such thing as a winner. there is no best camera, only pros and cons. if you know those, you can pick the best camera FOR YOU, and that's all that matters.
I think they're all so focused on individual pieces of the experience, sometimes it can be difficult to put that all back together and look at a device holistically.
Why when i record video on my htc u 11 in the backround i see some kind of grain. The worst part is when i upload the video on facebook or youtube that grain thing in the backround its even more noticeable and it makes the video look horrible
A good review but what about the new camera settings with Noughat 8 Oreo. Also the unrescuable metering with two stops on manual mode seems a bit drastic but failing to mention that is what happens in real life in manual mode. This can be misconstrued that the meter is faulty. Why bring Samsung into this as a comparison as you can do that on the comparison video. Nothing wrong with bringing that in as Samsung is popular but what you are indicating that Samsung corrects its manual mode when it is used. No doubt Samsung would makes certain adjustment in its auto mode to makes pictures looks more vivid but are those correction be retrieved from the resulting jpeg with computer software. Where as HTC shots is pure and natural and thus it can be corrected if one chooses more uniformly with software on the computer. DxOMark gives HTC U11 a more accurate review. I have not used an Android moible yet, was considering this mobile as it is safer when dropped with the curve screen on Samsung it is hard to protect. I don't like bloatware that is bundled. But overall it is good. Thanks.
I'm still rocking the m8. I have a FM radio built in, I can control my TV and satellite, mY front facing speakers are still the best for music, Netflix, RUclips. I can do bokeh effect photos that people always compliment and HDR that blows peoples mind. friends with iphones sevens always ask what kind of phone do I have when I text the photos. slow motion video been on this phone long before iPhone added. For a phone few years old it still smokes most new phones unless your a basic fb text phone user. I use my phond as a work horse And it works flawless. battery is only issue as it doesn't hold charge as long anymore. no new phones contain this many options anymore so I'll just get another m8 on eBay, 3d photos, 360 degree photos, what more do you want?
Still they could of easily had the same audio quality and still have a headphone jack. The camera is okay, I usually ignore DxOmark anyway! Also I love low light and high data quality
*questions whether I need a third pair of Tones* Thanks for the reply! I liked your point in the review about them being safer for driving and they're probably far better to be on the receiving end than when someone uses the integrated bluetooth system in their car (and sounds like they're 1,000 feet away from the phone).
Not gonna lie, they do look kinda dorky, but they've become some of my faves, especially listening to podcasts out in the air while walking around the house.
Lol i waited for this video and I am 3 days late. :O Your camera revies are the best. For me the camera is one of the most important things on a smartphone, so I love your cameera videos. :D
hi guys, anyone can help me? i buy this phone last week, but when i start to make light trail camere use long expose, i get some probelm with the setting, why it so bright.!
Bobby Roberts need more multi-camera or we need to try another big sensor. other wise we're only going to see evolution over where we were in the Note 4 days.
So... I don't understand. Is the camera good for a person , who very casually takes pics with his phone ( I don't have neither snapchat nor instagram nor any social media . I only takes pics when I see something interesting or when I sightsee ) or not ? I have it preordered , since I didn't want neither a LG G6 nor a Samsung Galaxy S8 , I thought this would be a good phone for me , since I can't wait till the Pixel 2 comes out . Should I cancel my preorder ? I know HTC has a history with poor cameras , and this guy got too technical for me , I don't know shit about picture taking . Need a simple answer ...
pagadqs Juan is not saying the U11 has bad cameras. In fact, he says that it has a "very good" one. What he meant in the wrap up is that it isn't the best, since there were points of improvement.
So...I will probably be fine then ? What about those blown out whites ? This video got me so confused. I was pumped , based on Jaime Rivera's 1 week with the HTC U11 video , now I am turning a little hesitant :(
pagadqs If you want to buy the U11, you would have to consider your priorities. Jaime's video was a general usage review. There you would see how the phone performs day to day. In this video, Juan is focusing on a specific part of the phone, the cameras. For your concern about overexposure, you can always walk those back a few stops in manual mode. But if you don't want to fiddle with that kind of work, you might want to consider something else. But, this all boils down on what you prioritize. Are you willing to forgive slight camera gripes for the overall phone performance? Then go get the U11. If you are considerate of camera capabilities over any other aspects, check whether the shortcomings will bother you. If those aren"t bothersome, then you're still good with the U11. Now, if you can not bear its camera, it's time you consider something else.
Thanks man. You really are helping. I don't need the greatest camera , I guess . I just don't want to pay $684 ( or something of the sort it comes to with taxes ) for a crappy one. I am more concerned with software behavior and battery life . I read that HTC's skin behaves well , and I hope the battery will be OK. But as I said - if you are paying this much, the camera should be at least decent . I currently own a Moto X Pure ( which if it wasn't for the crappy battery and the defective screen I wouldn't even have replaced ) and to be honest I am pretty fine with the pictures it takes . If this HTC takes better ones , and not worse , I think I will be happy . Also , people say the screen gets brights ,which I need ,since I use my phone as a GPS on my motorcycle. My Moto X is barely visible at full brightness at direct sunlight .. I dunno .. It's so hard to pick an android device , there are so many of them .
pagadqs Glad to help. If you're looking for one with good battery life, I think the Mate 9 or P10 Plus is worth a shot. Not to mention that those take amazing photos 😉
Jong Choong Shyr considering the little blue flower is the size of my pinkie nail, it's pretty close to a what a photographer would consider macro. We play a bit loose with phones as their more limited, but explaining the concept of what a true macro shot entails would take longer than we really have to dedicate in a video like this. Generally we use a term like macro on a phone to indicate "as close to minimum focusing distance as we can achieve to maximize the limited depth of field blur from using such a small lens and aperture."
JuanBagnell thanks, cause I used to shoot insects without a lens and call that macro until I watched photography guides. Then I got myself a clip on lens. The irony is that it killed off my interest because phone camera lenses have too high aperture, I have too little field of depth to work with, so frustrating.
Jong Choong Shyr If you'd like and you've got a camera that has a swappable lens, you can rent a macro lens from a camera store and have a go. Macro photography is pretty fun, especially when you can get really close to a subject and see all that tasty tasty detail.
D13H4RD2L1V3 haha, I am just doing it casually and on low budget. I know I have to get a SLR or mirror less to really get into macro. At first I thought that by getting a good camera phone will enable that, I did take some great shots but it needs some cropping and there are many caveats. Then i bought a macro lens clip on and thought it will bring me to greater heights, boy how wrong was I. I'll get that camera when I am better off financially.
Jong Choong Shyr You don't really need the absolute best to start. Start off with something like a Canon Rebel T3i. It's not the greatest but it's a solid starter camera, which should help you grasp the fundamentals of photography. I would recommend practicing using the kit lens. Many of the principles used on phones can work with SLRs, but it's still best to practice because there are some fundamental differences, especially since DSLRs have much shallower DoF even at a slightly wider f-stop. I personally use a Sony a6000. If you can get a deal on one (it's actually great value now if you value stills above all else), it's a terrific mirrorless.
![HTC 10 Review [2017]: The Forgotten Classic](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nX1OY8syaJQ/mqdefault.jpg)
Just the phone i need. Plane simple camera app. Without the childish snapchatfilters etc... This phone is made for grown ups. And not for children.
With the 10 HTC has NAILED the streamlined camera app. That really is a joy to navigate.
wackid Apart from the extremely childish and tacky shiny colours on the back
WGACA I guess we have a kiddo here... 😂😂
ummmm best thing- you're name and profile picture.
I would buy htc u11 just to fix my hair
These are the only (smartphone) camera reviews I really trust. No bias, extensive testing and most importantly, somebody who knows what he's talking about. You have so many youtubers who "review" phones but actually have no idea what to look for when taking pictures. Once again nicely done!
We should be glad to have Juan's Real Camera Reviews! This series provides the best smartphone camera review on the internet. Great Job!
Nicholas glad you enjoyed ☺️
DxO mark is a okay enough numerical scoring for those that need it but...
We the PocketNow viewers appreciate Real Camera Reviews more, because it pits the device in real life situations that many of us will use the device for.
Excellent review Juans (once) again. lol bad joke there.
OBG Jay What DxO reviews is hard to quantify with just a score.
People should be reading them in detail and then deciding for themselves if it's what they want.
As Juan said, there's no such thing as an objectively best camera.
Glad you enjoyed it :-)
DxOMark compares phones with RAW-files. Consumers use JPEG (processed). RAW-files leave the professional to the color grading. JPEG's are as is. It's great as it is. The HTC is the best with RAW's, but falls down below with JPEG's.
Clorex Bleach That's not true, they shot in JPEG almost everytime talking about phones, if they did only shot in RAW like the Xperia which don't support it (what a shame), they wouldn't be able to review it
What Juan is really trying to say....
10:26 - Selfie taken before watching "THE RING" video
10:30 - Selfie taken after watching "THE RING" video
YOU WILL BUY IN 7 DAYS!
Kay Lou HA!
After Michael Fisher left, I had mixed feelings about Juan, but it turns out he's a really good reviewer and his videos are really enjoyable to watch. The guy's a pro.
Always delivering details on what matters the most! Another great review. Thanks!
Nicolas Meza you're very welcome :-)
JuanBagnell lg king of bootloops and lag.
Definitely looks like a real solid shooter. HTC has been refining their camera game since the 10, so perhaps they might wanna focus (pun unintended) on the core experience before adding some fun stuff.
And no, I don't mean fun as in Snapchat-esque stickers. Eugh.
D13H4RD2L1V3 but damn I would love to see HTC take another crack at dual camera.
JuanBagnell 2018 maybe?
I hope they go the Huawei approach. That's IMO the most ideal dual camera setup on phones as it looks to benefit most photo-taking scenarios and the zoom sampling is nifty. They'd probably need to do it their own way, though. I don't think Huawei is keen on licensing it out to anyone.
D13H4RD2L1V3 my fave approach. really curious to see how essential handles it.
JuanBagnell Well, if you've read Droid_Life, not so great right now.
Apparently, the Essential president posted some photos taken on the PH-1 and they were......not good. A heap of noise, too little dynamic range and quite a bit of handshake blur. He took them down later because the internet had a laugh. To put it crudely, it looked as if it came out of a Galaxy S4.
I do hope it's the software because I don't see anything wrong with the hardware. It could very well be unfinished software. Essential should really spruce it up for release. I would really hate to see the phone's fatal flaw being its camera, as $400 phone cameras have gotten really good.
D13H4RD2L1V3 ouch. Yeah. you gotta bring a heavy hitter to the table, especially incurring the cost of doubling camera sensors.
Thank you youtube for recommending this video
Ahmed Mustafa glad RUclips made the recommendation.
the S8 camera is so overrated
Eric V You got that from this review? Cause I got the opposite from it. If any camera is overrated/exposed it's the HTC11.
Every year it's "the best phone HTC has made in years" but nobody buys one.
Anthony Turner advertising. outreach. community.
JuanBagnell I know... I feel so conflicted. On one hand, I really want HTC to make a comeback but know that's unlikely.
Anthony Turner Advertising and marketing is key.
HTC is no stranger to making compelling hardware, but marketing hasn't been their forté.
I've bought HTC every year since the One X
+Anthony Turner because of the headphone jack htc will suck balls this year. Although I think it's a king this year.
Squeeze shooting institutes a delay, so the phone won't be shaking when the shutter actuates. Curious that that wasn't mentioned. Also, curious that there was shake visible at all despite the delay.
I mean, I showed it on camera, the phone isn't magically waiting for a stable shot, it's firing pretty much as soon as you let go.
JuanBagnell From what I've seen, there's a pretty substantial delay, at least long enough for any shake from squeezing for a shot to mitigate, especially when you know there's a delay and you wait a second for the click. Delay feature should still be mentioned.
There seemed to be a delay when Juan was taking pics of the shelf. About a 1 second to 1/2 second delay. It was still shaky though Juan? Nevermind the night shot, maybe the low light makes a difference.
Tj Javier The delay seemed long enough for daylight and indoor lighting, but at low light, it's not long enough to counter the motion blur caused by the grip change combined with the slower shutter speed.
D13H4RD2L1V3 Yeah I figured. Do you have the phone? It's odd though Juan won't mention this. Makes people think that the grip feature to take a picture is shaky all around.
Mmmm... from this review the camera on the U11 needs an update to fix the over exposed look... I would guess they would update the camera in the first couple weeks most flagships seem to pump some kind of major update the first two or three weeks after the phone is released.
jonah travisano if it's like the HTC 10 that timeline sounds about right.
JuanBagnell
I had no idea. That's a pretty important detail, considering how much overexposure figures into the review. If you can't pin this, I wish people had the sense to at least give both comments more upvotes. This thread is way down the page.
jonah travisano I don't think an update is far off. The U11 will likely have more fine-tuning done to its camera software after release.
D13H4RD2L1V3 yeah....I think all the flagship phones drop a update after the phone been out for a little while... Don't see this as a problem.
jonah travisano I wouldn't really say the overexposure thing is a real issue.
Until the update lands, you can get by with using spot metering and using the exposure slider.
If all the issues are around exposure why don't you just knock the exposure down a notch and save that camera as the default? Am I simplifying things here? On all my old HTC phones you could have multiple camera settings saved.
Most reviewers (including Pocketnow) ostensibly only review the default mode. But if this is still the case, it ABSOLUTELY should be mentioned, in the same way Juan would mention the excellent manual controls on, say, the LG V20. This is crucial information when the main flaw of the camera is overexposure.
ezakustam As I mentioned, I may be simplifying the issue. As the U11 uses HDR plus it may not be as simple as just knocking the exposure down but it would be nice to know if this is the case.
ezakustam so you didn't watch the review?
it only over exposed on raw file
hardyman It over exposes on JPEGs as well by default.
The U11 received a 250MB OTA update recently, so maybe it has been addressed.
finally ! the only camera review that can be trusted , great video !
:-)
06:23 OMG that pic is awesome.
Looks a a very good shooter, this metering problem is being endemic from HTC since the 10, which I have and sometimes happens when there's much light in the scene. The solution is exactly the same and once you turn touch autoexposure on the problem solves by itself. Luckily the viewfinder on the 10 is "what you see is what you get" so even if you have such option disabled you can notice when the image is going to be overexposed so you can correct the exposure just before taking the picture, wondering if that's also the case on the U11.
Juan Carlos Alpízar I think people should also be using the exposure slider more often.
i think this problem starts from the M7, making the exposure brighter so that the might images are brighter than most competition
Juan Carlos Alpízar u answered the query n i feel the same. It's just that touch auto exposure has to be turned on n u gotta touch the screen to make it evenly balanced. Its not an issue at all n it works perfectly on my HTC 10.
D13H4RD2L1V3 no sliding only touch the part which is overexposed, as simple as that. Takes half a second only
D13H4RD2L1V3 I don't think that should be something you need to do to begin with. Sometimes that extra 1 or 2 seconds you take to adjust the proper exposure makes you lose what you were trying to take in the picture, which is why I switched to the tap to autoexposure and use manual mode when the scene is complicated and the target is still
I feel the part where you try to recover the over exposed picture should not use the same exposure gain if the goal is to see which phone can recover the overblown parts.
This is the Juan of my best site 😅. very reliable and no other sites reviews like Juan. Well done, scores don't matter but Jaun Bagnel's camera review matters.
:-)
make a camera comparison between s8 and u 11 please i want to make sure which one is better to buy
sheikh Abdullah you can watch our S8 real camera review and compare :-)
sheikh Abdullah high tech traveler made a good comparison you can check it
Ali Alrishawi tnks fr saying i will chck it now
They seem to have a good setup but I wonder if more polish is still needed on software? Could HTC benefit from an update to help with that exposure issue? Really I'm wondering if we can call this enough to help HTC succeed when at this segment they really could use smarter processing such as that used but the iPhone and Pixel (considering HTC's chosen market segment and desire to complete with such devices)?
whenever a new flagship is released, i always wait for pocketnow to release their real camera, and real audio review. reaaaaaallly good reviews, nice job guys, keep up the good work.
Finally got the chance to test the U11, and it doesn't seem to have 60 FPS in any mode. Since it can do 120, it would have been easy to implement. Why on Earth would HTC skip such a feature that's standard in top selling flagship phones? (Especially when the camera is supposed to be this phone's primary claim to fame?)
I think the LG G6 has this same problem. Pictures always seem too bright outdoors. Not a problem I had with my Nexus 6P, which was exceptional outdoors IMO, and much better at macro shots. At least the U11 seems to be good with macro shots. I know for sure that the LG G6 is not, unless you care to fiddle with manual mode to get the focus somewhat right.
Juan on point baby ! No controversial statements no name taking🙄 just a great review !
As for today i would say the raw photos taken by this phone are by far the best flagship pictures. Way ahead of samsung,apple, lg and so on. The sheer quality of raw is astonishing
Hello every one, I'm not a phone reviewer or anything like that, I'm just a major HTC fan lol and I just wanted to let whoever reads this know that this HTC U11 is freaking awesome haha!!!! I just got my sapphire blue model a few hours ago and it is absolutely beautiful and it performs excellent lol as a new phone should. I always root for the underdog because I am one lol so let's go HTC!!!
The shot with the dongle hanging out next to the lg ❤
Goes to show they have great filmography. It shows the lack of a 3.5 mm jack without having to say it while also saying that the lg does not share the same problem
OHHH the mega-pickle!
Erwin Anter yum.
HTC is kosher I'm sure!
Please do the XZ premium camera review and compare it to this camera. I think the XZPs camera is not covered enough by big tech channels. I really want to know your opinion on its camera. Thanks Juan.
Megapickle squeezing not recommended.
Nice review as always, it's nice to see HTC getting better in the camera department, a bit of a software tweak is needed here and there maybe.
HA! Don't go squeezing your megapickles...
Also, did anyone spot the LG V20? Kinda hard to miss as you can see it right on the U11's back as a crystal-clear reflection.
HA! Yeah. Still the camera I turn to most for video.
JuanBagnell I'm still amazed at how well footage from a V20 blended in with that from a Lumix G85.
Quite a testament to its beastly content creation credentials
JuanBagnell
It's still such a tempting phone. But does the EIS ever cause a problem? Do you just shut it off and rely on the OIS?
Definitely an improvement over the 10,but not so much that it blows it away. the focusing system is definitely a good addition. any word on the actual sensor used Juan?
Jason Booth I couldn't confirm it before publishing unfortunately.
Hi Juan, can you please review the camera of XPERIA XZ Premium. Some channel says it has a good camera but I am still not convinced based on my experience with previous Xperia phone. Thanks in advance.
This is one of the best smart phone cameras ever made it still stands the test of time I challenge somebody to buy it in 2022 and put it against whatever your flagship phone is on just regular steel photos I guess I guarantee you it goes told at all with any of the cameras
true, I bought this phone brand new on ebay few days ago. I competes with my iPhone 14 pro. iPhone over thinks the colors, it is no longer a real picture but photoshopped one, too much processing is involved
10:30 when you squeeze your phone, but it slipped out of your hand
The camera is awesome. I am enjoying it. It's a great low light shooter. The acoustic focus feature is great too, the only problem is no image stabilization on 4k video recording.
There is stabilization on 4K video, just hardware not software.
I was going to make my order for the Solar Red here in the UK, but after seeing it can't do 1080p @ 60fps, in addition to a lack of dedicated headphone jack and no wireless charging are really turning me off.
Thanks for the review Juan, I still can't wait for mine to ship. The camera may not be perfect, but which one is?
It's ALL about knowing what the pros and cons are. Like, knowing the exposure runs bright, it's so much easier to plan for that RIGHT out of the box. After accounting for that, this phone lands great shots.
JuanBagnell HTC 10 has the same problem, don't understand why they can't fix the exposure. Over all I think you get a lot more detail from this phone over the 10.
What is your take on the U11 other than the camera?
Damn :) . what i absolutly love about this channel is, even thou HTC promissed some serious SWAG to any reviewer who praises the U11, Juan takes no prisonners ;)
Nabil Bel Well, it's not really praise.
HTC just wanted to counter some statements made just for the sake of hating. I mean that's all well and good, but I think the way it was worded and the notion of free stuff sent out here and there was perhaps a little too far.
Handled VERY inelegantly...
nailed it with the intro!
Felt it needed to be said :-)
who the fvck is the legend 27?
Charles Dareen Delos Reyes ahhahahahahahahahH
Charles Dareen Delos Reyes I am
Hey you forgot to test the Acoustic peaking feature while recording video.
I compare the sample between s8 and htc u11 from gsmarena/phone arena/recombu... I can see most of situation and condition htc u11 better than s8.
Well we also have an S8 real camera review. Compare away.
JuanBagnell in my country buying htc U11 give more value to money plus it will get fully support from Htc for 3 years still cannot beat Apple 4 years... Hahaaha.
NIXXO- TECH AND GAME REVIEWER I found the exact opposite. Good camera, but if anything, this shows DxoMark is a scam and the HTC 11 is definitely not better than the S8.
WGACA It's not really a scam, but the way DxO scores a product shouldn't be taken too literally.
The actual review needs to be read in detail.
Certain situation image quality of S8 is better then U11 , video recording FHD or 4K I will go to S8 .. certain light condition also sometime U11 better , mostly S8 better (every day I compare , see new update from others tech review like PC word and etc ) .. you cannot say DXomark is scam .. you need to open Dxomark website and see why they give 90 to U11.. they prove it with their benchmark criteria ... I really wanna buy S8 but because of so many users of S7 last year complaint about the lagging of S7 after few month and the screen sometime suddenly show i line pink colour @ the LED screen after warranty end .. I will go to HTC U11 ... never hear about HTC 10 users complaint about LCD screen defect or got pink line... also U11 will get support from HTC for 3 years and delivered high quality audio.
I remember 10 years ago when htc used to be the sh*t. The weather app that changed depending on the current weather and the flash light app was the most innovative thing back them...
First!
Pocketnow So what?!
Second! :)
😂😂😂
ayyy where is my fellow negative combatants of HTC Elevate at?
Unite! Let's hate on Juan for the sake of goodies and swags
nice review juan, as always!
No panning section?
This is far from perfect. I see at least the S8 and Xperia XZ Premium being better than that, but each phone has something special to boast, and here that is the audio experience - recording audio, playback on speakers and headphones - top notch. You forgot to mention the "audio zoom" feature, which is amazing. Otherwise, I'm looking forward for the ... new Pixel. The current one has one of my favourite cameras, even though I haven't had one.
Awesome review as always, Juan! :)
Are you guys planning to review the XZ Premium? I am left with the impression that it is pretty much the fastest phone on the market right now, and also that the camera is really really good, but I can never be sure until I see you guys dissect a phone and put it through it`s paces! :)
Was the version of the U11 you tested identical to the final shipping version in terms of firmware updates, etc.?
Came in retail packaging, so I'm pretty sure it was.
I busted up with the selfie using the squeeze😂. Cracked me up
Are there still after the buzz videos? Would love to see this phone on it.
should I buy htc u11 or iphone 7plus or xperia xzp?
If google pixel vs this u11 which camera is better??? Any suggestion?
Anyone know what's the brand and model of the touch pen used in the review? Much appreciated
So how exactly did this phone get the highest dxomark rating ever?
just search U11 vs S8 / iphone 7+. then u'll get how good is U11. I personally dont know why the video maker couldn't take it well.
Ah that Nokia Lumia 920 shot in the beginning was great I miss that phone it looks so good lol. Anyway solid shooter on the U 11, better than I was expecting! 😋
MasteredTheUniverse 920 was a monster, but that was actually a 900 ☺️
JuanBagnell Wow I can't believe I missed that. So out of curiosity I looked on Ebay and found a used Lumia 920 for $37. lol. I need it
OOOooohhh. If it's the cyan one... Yeah....
The problem is whom should you trust? I have seen many reviews, which says HTC is better and other says Samsung is slightly better. Even if you check the side by side picture comparisons, it can be possible that both are taken in different modes and different settings to show one is better than the other. It has become really hard to believe all these reviews now a days. I feel most of these reviewers get paid to say good things about a particular company (HTC or Samsung, applies to both). If you can not trust DXOMark, then how can you trust these review websites??!!!
Best is to get the phone and test it yourself. I am a big fan of HTC and would like to support them. With the 30 day return policy, I am willing to give them a shot. Now lets see!!
sudin garai that's kind of the point. there really is no such thing as a winner. there is no best camera, only pros and cons. if you know those, you can pick the best camera FOR YOU, and that's all that matters.
waiting for the xz premium camera review
why don't manufacturers do this while they are developing new phones
I think they're all so focused on individual pieces of the experience, sometimes it can be difficult to put that all back together and look at a device holistically.
💪 good and balanced review as always Juan.
I'm waiting next htc. I'm always waiting.
Very professional and impartial explanation ... THANK YOU !!
no mention of the lack of 1080p60fps mode?
Yeah. I just didn't think about it much. I honestly have been shooting almost exclusively UHD since the Note 4.
Why when i record video on my htc u 11 in the backround i see some kind of grain. The worst part is when i upload the video on facebook or youtube that grain thing in the backround its even more noticeable and it makes the video look horrible
why just Nobody test that acoustic focus function? that's amazing !!!
Thumbs up. Verry good video. The information was verry accurate and in good order. Carry on the good work. Huge fan.👍
:-)
Juan. which android phone camera gets multi-exposure processing right in HDR?
A good review but what about the new camera settings with Noughat 8 Oreo. Also the unrescuable metering with two stops on manual mode seems a bit drastic but failing to mention that is what happens in real life in manual mode. This can be misconstrued that the meter is faulty. Why bring Samsung into this as a comparison as you can do that on the comparison video. Nothing wrong with bringing that in as Samsung is popular but what you are indicating that Samsung corrects its manual mode when it is used. No doubt Samsung would makes certain adjustment in its auto mode to makes pictures looks more vivid but are those correction be retrieved from the resulting jpeg with computer software. Where as HTC shots is pure and natural and thus it can be corrected if one chooses more uniformly with software on the computer. DxOMark gives HTC U11 a more accurate review. I have not used an Android moible yet, was considering this mobile as it is safer when dropped with the curve screen on Samsung it is hard to protect. I don't like bloatware that is bundled. But overall it is good. Thanks.
Excellent, Juan!
I'm still rocking the m8. I have a FM radio built in, I can control my TV and satellite, mY front facing speakers are still the best for music, Netflix, RUclips. I can do bokeh effect photos that people always compliment and HDR that blows peoples mind. friends with iphones sevens always ask what kind of phone do I have when I text the photos. slow motion video been on this phone long before iPhone added. For a phone few years old it still smokes most new phones unless your a basic fb text phone user. I use my phond as a work horse And it works flawless. battery is only issue as it doesn't hold charge as long anymore. no new phones contain this many options anymore so I'll just get another m8 on eBay, 3d photos, 360 degree photos, what more do you want?
great review as always!
:-)
00:26 - 00:31 I remember those shots you'd use during your reviews. The cameras have gotten better.
What were they by order, if possible?
Still they could of easily had the same audio quality and still have a headphone jack. The camera is okay, I usually ignore DxOmark anyway! Also I love low light and high data quality
+Pocketnow hi pls oneplus 5t, G6, Xz1, U11 who is the best in the photo?
Juan what is a good third party camera app?
What in the world are those massive LG Tones on Juan's neck? I've never seen those before. 5:16 and 5:24
Tone studio. Surround sound speakers built in. Review on the channel.
*questions whether I need a third pair of Tones*
Thanks for the reply! I liked your point in the review about them being safer for driving and they're probably far better to be on the receiving end than when someone uses the integrated bluetooth system in their car (and sounds like they're 1,000 feet away from the phone).
Not gonna lie, they do look kinda dorky, but they've become some of my faves, especially listening to podcasts out in the air while walking around the house.
Lol i waited for this video and I am 3 days late. :O Your camera revies are the best. For me the camera is one of the most important things on a smartphone, so I love your cameera videos. :D
Thank you Juan! I like this camera.
Maria Elena Cabrera you're very welcome :-)
hi guys, anyone can help me? i buy this phone last week, but when i start to make light trail camere use long expose, i get some probelm with the setting, why it so bright.!
Already bought it in silver!!!
Hows your experience is it shoot 4k video
I'm convinced.
I come for your review style and I stay for the megapickles.
terancepickles yum!
@pocketnow where do I buy one of those trashcan trees as seen at the park? 7-ish minute mark
why do I feel like you took every chance you had to take a dig at HTC? it didn't really seem objective to me.
David hunsinger Watch his S8 camera review. He regularly nitpicks on most phone cameras. It's not just HTC.
its not like he's just spitting out of his ass, he actually shows u example, so what more do you want?
D13H4RD2L1V3 fun fact, the last sample in the creepy tunnel montage came from the Note 4 before they replaced the street lamp with a blue bulb.
JuanBagnell Ah, the Note 4.
Possibly one of my favorite all-time Samsung designs.
D13H4RD2L1V3 absolutely. one of the best phones ever made ever.
Do an in deapth camera review on HTC u ultra.
Hi! I would like to know the type and name of the stylus which you use in pointing and tapping on htc u11 screen.
I have both htc 10 and u 11
Compare to both front camera is much better to have selfie in HTC 10
looks like little improvement for smartphone photography this year. I put all my hope on pixel 2.
Bobby Roberts need more multi-camera or we need to try another big sensor. other wise we're only going to see evolution over where we were in the Note 4 days.
iam gonna buy this phone in this week
Camera comparison btwn the u11,s8 ,pixel and iPhone 7 plus
We have reviews for all of them. Compare away.
That ending reminded me of the movie "Kill List" ^^
It seems the P10 and Mate 9 are the best bang for buck when it comes to photos and videos. More so now that Apple will natively support H.265 🤔
awesome camera.. but is it 4k photo size like s8?
Alep Kaneshiro 12.2 megapixels is the approximate picture resolution.
3840x2160 is what you'd get for UHD video.
Excellent review.
So... I don't understand. Is the camera good for a person , who very casually takes pics with his phone ( I don't have neither snapchat nor instagram nor any social media . I only takes pics when I see something interesting or when I sightsee ) or not ? I have it preordered , since I didn't want neither a LG G6 nor a Samsung Galaxy S8 , I thought this would be a good phone for me , since I can't wait till the Pixel 2 comes out . Should I cancel my preorder ? I know HTC has a history with poor cameras , and this guy got too technical for me , I don't know shit about picture taking . Need a simple answer ...
pagadqs Juan is not saying the U11 has bad cameras. In fact, he says that it has a "very good" one. What he meant in the wrap up is that it isn't the best, since there were points of improvement.
So...I will probably be fine then ? What about those blown out whites ? This video got me so confused. I was pumped , based on Jaime Rivera's 1 week with the HTC U11 video , now I am turning a little hesitant :(
pagadqs If you want to buy the U11, you would have to consider your priorities.
Jaime's video was a general usage review. There you would see how the phone performs day to day.
In this video, Juan is focusing on a specific part of the phone, the cameras.
For your concern about overexposure, you can always walk those back a few stops in manual mode. But if you don't want to fiddle with that kind of work, you might want to consider something else.
But, this all boils down on what you prioritize. Are you willing to forgive slight camera gripes for the overall phone performance? Then go get the U11.
If you are considerate of camera capabilities over any other aspects, check whether the shortcomings will bother you. If those aren"t bothersome, then you're still good with the U11.
Now, if you can not bear its camera, it's time you consider something else.
Thanks man. You really are helping. I don't need the greatest camera , I guess . I just don't want to pay $684 ( or something of the sort it comes to with taxes ) for a crappy one. I am more concerned with software behavior and battery life . I read that HTC's skin behaves well , and I hope the battery will be OK. But as I said - if you are paying this much, the camera should be at least decent . I currently own a Moto X Pure ( which if it wasn't for the crappy battery and the defective screen I wouldn't even have replaced ) and to be honest I am pretty fine with the pictures it takes . If this HTC takes better ones , and not worse , I think I will be happy . Also , people say the screen gets brights ,which I need ,since I use my phone as a GPS on my motorcycle. My Moto X is barely visible at full brightness at direct sunlight .. I dunno .. It's so hard to pick an android device , there are so many of them .
pagadqs Glad to help.
If you're looking for one with good battery life, I think the Mate 9 or P10 Plus is worth a shot. Not to mention that those take amazing photos 😉
can you call that macro? I thought it has to be at least 1:1 ratio. Just pondering
Jong Choong Shyr considering the little blue flower is the size of my pinkie nail, it's pretty close to a what a photographer would consider macro. We play a bit loose with phones as their more limited, but explaining the concept of what a true macro shot entails would take longer than we really have to dedicate in a video like this. Generally we use a term like macro on a phone to indicate "as close to minimum focusing distance as we can achieve to maximize the limited depth of field blur from using such a small lens and aperture."
JuanBagnell thanks, cause I used to shoot insects without a lens and call that macro until I watched photography guides. Then I got myself a clip on lens. The irony is that it killed off my interest because phone camera lenses have too high aperture, I have too little field of depth to work with, so frustrating.
Jong Choong Shyr If you'd like and you've got a camera that has a swappable lens, you can rent a macro lens from a camera store and have a go.
Macro photography is pretty fun, especially when you can get really close to a subject and see all that tasty tasty detail.
D13H4RD2L1V3 haha, I am just doing it casually and on low budget. I know I have to get a SLR or mirror less to really get into macro. At first I thought that by getting a good camera phone will enable that, I did take some great shots but it needs some cropping and there are many caveats. Then i bought a macro lens clip on and thought it will bring me to greater heights, boy how wrong was I.
I'll get that camera when I am better off financially.
Jong Choong Shyr You don't really need the absolute best to start.
Start off with something like a Canon Rebel T3i. It's not the greatest but it's a solid starter camera, which should help you grasp the fundamentals of photography.
I would recommend practicing using the kit lens. Many of the principles used on phones can work with SLRs, but it's still best to practice because there are some fundamental differences, especially since DSLRs have much shallower DoF even at a slightly wider f-stop.
I personally use a Sony a6000. If you can get a deal on one (it's actually great value now if you value stills above all else), it's a terrific mirrorless.
htc u 11 the best
Thank you for your review
You're very welcome :-)
Juan.. Do you plan on reviewing the xperia premium?
Carl Price I'm hoping to, but I don't know when we'll get one.