HTC U11 review: Squeeze U

Benchmark performance

HTC made a nice move of utilizing the Snapdragon 835 instead of settling to use last year's chipset like the G6 did. The base version is available with 4GB RAM and 64GB storage, but there will also be a tricked out version with 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage on certain markets.

Given that the U11 is among those using Qualcomm's newest and fastest mobile chipset, we'll be comparing it against the likes of the Galaxy S8 in both Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 and Exynos 8895 flavors, as well as the Xiaomi Mi6, and Sony Xperia XZ Premium, both of which are also on the SD 835.

As for performance tests, let's start with GeekBench 4. In the multi-core test, the Exynos-powered Galaxy S8+ tops the charts, where the Huawei Mate 9 once stood alone before the new Exynos and Qualcomm processors were available, now is a crowded area with scores clocking in neck-and-neck.

Meanwhile, the Snapdragon 821-powered phones are well behind the iPhone 7 Plus, which scored under all the current-gen Exynos, Qualcomm, and HiSilicon chips in the multicore test.

GeekBench 4 (multi-core)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  6338
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  6132
• HTC U11
  6125
• Huawei Mate 9
  6112
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  6106
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  5837
• Huawei P10 Plus
  5821
• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  5664
• OnePlus 3T
  4364
• LG G6
  4209
• Google Pixel XL
  4152

Switching to single-core performance reveals more about these processors. The iPhone 7 Plus' Fusion A10 chip is still unmatched in single-core performance. Meanwhile, the Exynos 8895, SD 835, and HiSilicon Kirin 960 are all quite similar in single-core performance. Remember, these numbers don't mean much as we progress through the other benchmarks - every benchmark is different.

GeekBench 4 (single-core)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  3473
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  2026
• HTC U11
  1993
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  1943
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  1938
• Huawei P10 Plus
  1937
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  1915
• Huawei Mate 9
  1898
• OnePlus 3T
  1890
• LG G6
  1733
• Google Pixel XL
  1507

Here is where graphics change things up. On Basemark X, the international Galaxy S8+ wins the competition. Following behind are the latest three Snadragon 835 devices, though the Galaxy S8+ was more behind than even the OnePlus 3T, which would be due to its 6GB of RAM and an up-tuned Snapdragon 821.

Even the Kirin 960 didn't do as well as others did in graphics, though the difference is almost marginal. The U11 sits right around the performance of the Mi 6 and Xperia XZ Premium.

Basemark X

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  43862
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  38541
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  38507
• HTC U11
  38399
• OnePlus 3T
  36958
• Huawei Mate 9
  36519
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  34951
• Google Pixel XL
  30861
• Huawei P10 Plus
  30602
• LG G6
  30507

GFX Bench takes OpenGL 3.1 and puts raw graphic rendering to the test. Off-screen tests are easier to compare since it levels the playing field to a 1080p resolution while on-screen tests measures the phone's unique performance based on display's native or set display resolution.

In Off-screen tests, the U11 hit higher marks, though the Exynos S8+ was within one score point. Otherwise, you'll see the HTC phone score around the middle of the bag in On-screen tests since the processor has to manipulate significantly more pixels than the Mi 6, iPhone 7 Plus, and Xperia XZ Premium, all of which rendered the on-screen test at 1080p.

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  42
• HTC U11
  41
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  41
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  39
• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  39
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  39
• OnePlus 3T
  33
• Google Pixel XL
  32
• LG G6
  26
• Huawei Mate 9
  22
• Huawei P10 Plus
  19

GFX 3.1 Car scene (1080p offscreen)

Higher is better

• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  25
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  25
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  25
• HTC U11
  24
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  23
• OnePlus 3T
  20
• Google Pixel XL
  19
• LG G6
  16
• Huawei Mate 9
  13
• Huawei P10 Plus
  12

GFX 3.1 Manhattan (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  42
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  41
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  41
• OnePlus 3T
  33
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  23
• Huawei Mate 9
  23
• HTC U11
  19
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  18
• Google Pixel XL
  17
• Huawei P10 Plus
  12
• LG G6
  12

GFX 3.1 Car scene (onscreen)

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi 6
  25
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  25
• OnePlus 3T
  20
• Huawei Mate 9
  14
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  13
• HTC U11
  13
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  12
• Google Pixel XL
  11
• Huawei P10 Plus
  9
• LG G6
  8.5

This next test continues the theme of graphics performance. The U11's Adreno 540 was generally within the other Snapdragon 835 performers of the bunch. The iPhone 7 Plus leads the pack and the Adreno 530 in the Snapdragon 820/821 aren't too far behind the U11.

Basemark ES 3.1 / Metal

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  1517
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  1111
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  861
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  842
• HTC U11
  836
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  817
• Huawei Mate 9
  794
• OnePlus 3T
  641
• Google Pixel XL
  626
• LG G6
  541

Basemark OS II encompasses CPU, GPU, RAM, Web, and OS performance into a single score. The U11 did pretty well in this test scored behind only the Mi 6 and Xperia XZ Premium. The LG G6 scored last, behind the Huawei Mate 9.

Basemark OS II

Higher is better

• Xiaomi Mi 6
  4402
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  4127
• HTC U11
  3877
• Huawei P10 Plus
  3447
• OnePlus 3T
  3328
• Huawei Mate 9
  3280
• LG G6
  2291

Basemark OS II 2.0 includes the iPhone 7 Plus in the chart, which sits right at the top anyway. While the numbers are a bit different, the U11 scored closer to the middle of the pile.

Basemark OS 2.0

Higher is better

• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  3796
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  3547
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  3319
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  3298
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  3174
• HTC U11
  2970
• Huawei P10 Plus
  2940
• OnePlus 3T
  2678
• Huawei Mate 9
  2637
• Google Pixel XL
  2281
• LG G6
  2126

Finally, in the widely popular Antutu 6, the U11 tops the charts, barely scoring past the Mi 6, followed by the iPhone 7 Plus. This makes the HTC U11 the highest-scoring device on Antutu 6.

AnTuTu 6

Higher is better

• HTC U11
  177343
• Xiaomi Mi 6
  177326
• Apple iPhone 7 Plus
  174987
• Samsung Galaxy S8+
  174070
• Samsung Galaxy S8+ (SD 835)
  168133
• OnePlus 3T
  165097
• Sony Xperia XZ Premium
  144223
• LG G6
  143639
• Google Pixel XL
  141186
• Huawei P10 Plus
  126252
• Huawei Mate 9
  122826

Overall performance of the HTC U11 is top-notch just as the high-end chipset would suggest. The UI is fluid and there's zero stutter, no matter how many apps you're using. Loading larger apps like heavy games doesn't even make this thing sweat. On that note, we've experienced no temperature spikes while using this phone at all. The occasional long session of gameplay might, though.