HTC U11+ review

HTC U11+ and Snapdragon 835

The HTC U11+ is powered by the Qualcomm's current flagship chip - the Snapdragon 835 (8x Kryo CPU, Adreno 540 GPU). This means HTC has done everything it can do to ensure the U11+ is powerful and we don't expect any surprises. The mainstream version of the U11+ has 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, though there is a limited model with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage available in some markets.

Let's start benchmarking with GeekBench 4. No matter if it's a single or multi-core test, the HTC U11+ is on par with the latest flagship flock, Android that is. While the two Mates and the Note8 have inhouse developed chips, their performance is still equal to the Snapdragon's. Apple's processors remain unmatched for yet another generation.

GeekBench 4.1 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  4256
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus
  4232
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  1987
• OnePlus 5T
  1960
• HTC U11+
  1939
• Razer Phone
  1931
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  1924
• HTC U11
  1919
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  1915
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  1902
• LG V30
  1901
• Huawei Mate 10
  1882
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  1862
• Google Pixel XL
  1582

GeekBench 4.1 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  10215
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus
  10037
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  6784
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  6783
• Razer Phone
  6728
• OnePlus 5T
  6701
• HTC U11+
  6654
• Huawei Mate 10
  6625
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  6590
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  6428
• HTC U11
  6393
• LG V30
  6365
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  6234
• Google Pixel XL
  4113

The raw graphic performance turned out the same as the rest of the 2017 droids - read top notch.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  25
• Razer Phone
  25
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  25
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  25
• HTC U11+
  25
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  25
• HTC U11
  24
• OnePlus 5T
  24
• LG V30
  24
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  22
• Huawei Mate 10
  21
• Sony Xperia XZs
  20
• Google Pixel XL
  19

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  40890
• Huawei Mate 10
  40809
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  40232
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  39143
• OnePlus 5T
  38656
• HTC U11
  38399
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  38349
• HTC U11+
  38315
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  37211
• LG V30
  36704
• Sony Xperia XZs
  33815
• Google Pixel XL
  30861

The HTC U11+ has a high-res widescreen, which should cripple the performance if compared to phones with Full HD screens and the similar GPU, say OnePlus 5T or Xperia XZs. Still, the U11+ stands equal to the other high-res flagships and that's enough to render it flagship-grade.

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  24
• OnePlus 5T
  22
• Sony Xperia XZs
  21
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  21
• Razer Phone
  15
• Huawei Mate 10
  13
• HTC U11+
  13
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  13
• LG V30
  13
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  13
• HTC U11
  13
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  13
• Google Pixel XL
  11

The U11+ once again returned a competitive score on the BaseMark ES 3.1 test.

Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 8 Plus
  1644
• Apple iPhone X
  1385
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  1268
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  1183
• Huawei Mate 10
  1142
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  875
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  874
• Razer Phone
  868
• LG V30
  860
• OnePlus 5T
  856
• HTC U11+
  851
• HTC U11
  836
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  739
• Google Pixel XL
  626
• Sony Xperia XZs
  623

BaseMark OS II encompasses CPU, GPU, RAM, Web, and OS performance into a single score. The U11+ did pretty well in this test, though scored a little behind the One Plus 5T and Mi Mix 2 (both with 1080p screens).

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone X
  4708
• OnePlus 5T
  3632
• Apple iPhone 8 Plus
  3601
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  3578
• Razer Phone
  3492
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  3425
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  3424
• Huawei Mate 10
  3415
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  3379
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  3333
• HTC U11+
  3257
• HTC U11
  2970
• LG V30
  2705
• Sony Xperia XZs
  2386
• Google Pixel XL
  2281

Finally, in the popular Antutu 6, the U11+ topped the chart, and almost matched the iPhones at the top. This makes the HTC U11+ the highest-scoring Android device on Antutu 6.

AnTuTu 6

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 8 Plus
  188766
• Apple iPhone X
  185147
• HTC U11+
  180195
• OnePlus 5T
  179790
• Razer Phone
  179357
• Huawei Mate 10 Pro
  178510
• HTC U11
  177343
• Huawei Mate 10
  175426
• Samsung Galaxy Note8 (SD 835)
  175153
• LG V30
  174330
• Samsung Galaxy Note8
  172425
• Google Pixel 2 XL
  170407
• Xiaomi Mi Mix 2
  160319
• Google Pixel XL
  141186
• Sony Xperia XZs
  133574

The overall performance of the HTC U11+ is top-notch just as the high-end chipset would suggest. The UI is fluid and there are zero stutters, no matter how many apps you're using. Larger apps like heavy games don't even make the U11+ sweat.

We noticed the U11+ gets slightly warm under peak pressure, but nowhere near hot. In fact, despite the glass design, HTC managed to keep the U11+ reasonably cool with just a minor throttling we saw in some benchmark scores. We guess the dim screen is helping, too.