OUR VERDICT

HTC has put all the right bits in here, but I felt the same way with the One M9. However, the brand seems to have addressed the foibles and it's easy to get genuinely excited by the HTC 10.

FOR

• Amazing audio
• Great design
• Battery improved

AGAINST

• Camera not impressive
• Boomsound not great
• Slight bugs still in system

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Update: The HTC 10 Android Nougat update is still incoming after being rolled back in some territories - however 'expert' users can flash it in straight away if they're willing to take the risk...

The HTC 10 is a phone that's the product of years of learning, which is why the company has created a phone that's big on design, strong on camera and brings a very user-friendly interface into the mix.

The phone from 2014, the One M8, was one of the greatest phones ever made, one that I'll still dust off from time to time now just to get a feel for it once more - and the latest model seems to be the product of a lot of key learnings from that era.

And the good news is the HTC 10 impresses, offering the right improvements to the design, battery and UI - although you'll need to read on to see if you agree that the interface is improved in the right ways.

• If you want to know what's coming next - here's everything we know about the HTC 11

In terms of design, it's got an all-metal body, thankfully doesn't go down the same iPhone-a-like design as the One A9 from 2015, and doesn't just stuff in tech for the sake of having a higher spec.

HTC 10 price and release date

• Launched in May 2016
• Initially cost £570 / $699
• Price has now dropped to £470 (with promotion) / $599
• UK contracts start around £31 per month for free phone

HTC 10 SPECS

Weight:  161g
Dimensions:  145.9 x 71.9 x 9 mm
OS:  Android 6
Screen size:  5.2-inch
Resolution:  1440x2560
CPU:  Snapdragon 820
RAM:  4GB
Storage:  32/64GB (with microSD)
Battery:  3000mAh
Rear camera:  12MP
Front camera: 5MP 

When it comes to price, the HTC 10 is available for £500 / $599 / AU$1099, which is expensive for a phone that's been out for a while - we did expect this phone to be a little cheaper.

To put that into perspective, the superior Samsung Galaxy S7 is actually a cheaper buy right now.

If you shop around, you can get it for a little cheaper again, but from less well-known retailers - either way though this is still a surprisingly expensive phone.

It's also still a very expensive phone on contract, with the phone not really plummeting in cost in the same way as its peers have. The iPhone isn't that much more, and that's for a newer phone which has the inexplicable Apple Tax appended to it.

Key features

• iPhone-like speed under the finger
• Massively improved sound recording quality
• New multi-directional speakers
• Excellent hi-res headphones in the box
• Strong build quality

One of the most irksome features of the HTC One M9 was…well, there weren't really any features to talk about. The same BoomSound speakers were back, firing audio forwards into your face, and the camera was just a 20MP effort that took some okay pictures; not terrible, but nothing you'd tell your friends about down the local watering hole.

In fact, it was just the design that made it worth checking out at all, that combined with HTC's special sauce.

This year, thankfully, there's a lot more to talk about, starting with the efforts made to improve how the phone feels to use. It's got a much lower latency compared to the earlier models, which means the response under the finger is a lot more impressive.

In fact, the constant chat in our briefing about the phone was about 'tuning', that HTC had gone further than any other brand in making the HTC 10 a phone that will impress the second you glide a finger across the screen.

The screen is also upgraded from the previous model, using Super LCD 5 and boosting the pixel count to QHD resolution, offering 564 pixels per inch, to push up the sharpness significantly.

The camera is dropped in terms of the megapixel count, down to 12MP with a 4:3 resolution (sound at all similar to any other top-end phones on the market?).

HTC tells me this is something actually requested by photographers, and given the brand has put such a big effort into making the camera as good as it could be, it's believable that HTC would listen to such advice.

The 10 has also been given a DxO Mark of 88, which HTC was talking up at launch, but this isn't something the consumer should read too much into - it's more a reflection of potential rather than the photos you'll snap. 

The camera, which supposedly has blink-and-you'll-miss-it autofocus thanks to the second-generation laser autofocus on offer, also comes with 4K video recording combined with 24-bit sound, so you'll get professional-grade videos when you're out at a gig and completely missing the chance to enjoy the artist you paid so much to see.

Talking of the audio, that's the other area HTC's been putting a big effort into. The two front-facing speakers, which looked so iconic on the front of the recent One range, are gone, with two speakers now firing out the high end and bass tones separately.

They also point in different directions using separate amplifiers working in concert to give amazing sound without headphones... or so HTC claims (spoiler alert: they don't).

The headphone element is important though, as HTC has taken the bold step of not only making the HTC 10 Hi-Res Audio Certified, but has also bundled in some high-end headphones with the handset, so everyone has access to the improved tones.

These aren't cheap to make, so it's good to see HTC taking a hit on its margins to give something back to its users. You seeing this, Tim?

And a special word for the interface, which HTC is bragging quite heavily about – and it's anything but heavy. The brand has worked with Google to 'reboot Android' and make something cleaner, more easy to use and upgrade, ridding the phone of pointless duplicated apps in the process.

The aim is for the project to eventually find something that all brands will use, leading to an end of the skins that sit atop LG, Samsung and Sony phones despite them all using the same base software. Will that happen? Would it be a good thing for HTC? Who knows – but it's good that someone's trying.

A Samsung tablet you’ll probably want to own

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is one of two new tablets from Samsung, the other being the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The key feature of both is a stunning Super AMOLED screen with a Retina-standard resolution, a combination that arguably makes the screens on these tablets the best of any tablet on the market.

That screen, combined with improved design and an excellent overall spec, makes the Galaxy Tab S 10.5 a very promising tablet that will be worth serious consideration when it goes on sale in July.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Screen

The Galaxy Tab S 10.5’s screen is its obvious standout feature. While the traditional tendency for Super AMOLED screens to oversaturate colours is still evident, I was immensely impressed by the screen on the Galaxy Tab S 10.5.

The key is Super AMOLED’s vastly superior black level and contrast. Samsung says the screen as a 100,000:1 contrast ratio, which is 100x that of typical LCD displays. And this difference is clear to see even to an untrained eye. Blacks are visibly, definably and unequivocally black.

This isn’t the only benefit, of course. While colours look a little overcooked in places, the overall effect is generally positive. Photos, videos and photos look rich and detailed, and colours really pop from the screen. 



This shot shows the LCD of the Tab 2 10.1 and AMOLED Tab S side-by-side. If anything the Galaxy Tab S overemphasises yellows in this shot, but the general impact of the screen is impressive.

This is also an incredibly sharp screen. Its 2,560 x 1,600 resolution gives the Galaxy Tab 10.5 287 pixels per inch (ppi), which is as high as it really needs to be on a tablet. The small caveat here is this is a PenTile display, a process that makes AMOLED screens appear slightly less sharp than equivalent LCD screens due to the pattern and arrangement of pixels. You can see the slightly coarse pattern this creates if you like very closely, but it’s not really a problem.

Another feature of the screen is what Samsung calls Adaptive Display, which monitors ambient light and adjusts the white balance to compensate. This feels a bit superfluous, though, as do the Cinema and Photo screen modes—the Super AMOLED screen is good enough on its own not to need such ‘enhancements’.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Design

Samsung has made some good design choices with the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It has the same soft-touch ‘dimple’ rear of the Galaxy S5, which works really nicely on a tablet and makes the Tab S 10.5 very pleasant to handle. But it has also added metal. Not fake metal, not faux-leather stitching, honest-to-god real metal.



The curved, metal edges instantly lend the Galaxy Tab 10.5 a classier look and a comfier feel in the hands than older Samsung tablets. As we’ve come to expect from Samsung, it’s a very thin and light tablet, too, weighing in at just 495g and 6.6mm thick. You can comfortably hold the Galaxy Tab 10.5 in one hand.

I’ve seen quite a few Samsung tablets over the years, and this is the first one with a design I really like. This is progress.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Specs and Software

After the great screen and impressive design, the specs merely confirm this is a tablet worth serious consideration. Depending on your region, you’ll get either a Samsung Exynos 5 octo-core processor or a 2.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor. There’s 3GB of RAM, a microSD card slot that supports up to 128GB capacity cards, 802.11ac Wi-Fi and options for 16GB and 32GB of built-in storage. 

The main camera has an 8.1MP sensor with an LED flash, and there’s a 2.1MP front-facing camera. The battery has a 7,900mAh capacity that's good for an impressive 11 hours of video according to Samsung, and you get Bluetooth 4.0 and an IR-blaster – two features common to pretty much all Samsung tablets.



There are one or two interesting software features, too. Like most previous Samsung tablets you have the ability to use two apps at once in split-screen, but SideSync 3.0 add the ability to take calls from your phone on your tablet using Wi-Fi Direct. There are places where Samsung’s software feels a little intrusive and cluttered in comparison to pure Android, but most of these can be removed or simply ignored.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5: Bluetooth Keyboard

In addition to two different case covers, Samsung has also produced an optional Bluetooth keyboard for the Galaxy Tab S 10.5. It’s not the most accomplished tablet keyboard, though. It’s a nice idea and the keyboard looks nice, but this isn’t a serious typing tool.



The two covers meanwhile, the Simple Case (screen only) and Book Cover (front and rear), are quite nice, but the mechanism for attaching them is very fiddly. Instead of magnets, Samsung employs two ‘clicker’ points (like a popper on a jacket) to fix them on. They clip on strongly, but getting them on is fussy, so once the cover is on you’re unlikely to ever take it off again.

First Impressions

One or two small niggles aside, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 is a very promising tablet. The screen looks great and the refined design feels like a meaningful and long overdue step forward for Samsung. I could live without some of the fussier software features, but overall this is an Android tablet worth waiting for.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5 goes on sale in July. The price is still to be confirmed.

Could this be the best Android tablet on the market?

People like small tablets. The Nexus 7 started the trend; the iPad mini proved it wasn’t just an Android thing; and the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 could be the very best ‘small tablet’ around.

Like the iPad mini with Retina display, it favours a slightly larger 8-inch screen (8.4-inch to be precise) to the seven inches of the Nexus 7. And as the LG G Pad 8.3 reminded us, it’s a size that works perfectly for a small tablet. Unlike any of the above, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has a truly stunning Super AMOLED screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Screen

Like its larger sibling, the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, the Tab S 8.4 has a Super AMOLED screen with a super-sharp 2,560 x 1,600 resolution. Of course, on this smaller display it’s even sharper with 359 pixels per inch of screen space. It doesn’t look quite as sharp as the iPad mini’s LCD screen due to the PenTile sub-pixel arrangement, but this is a minor issue.

Another minor issue is the slight tendency to oversaturate colours. This is a common trait among AMOLED screens and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 isn’t immune. But, like the Galaxy S5, it’s far less dramatic than on OLED screens of old, and the benefits of AMOLED far outweigh this weakness.



The benefit is the hugely impressive black level. Put even a good LCD next to this AMOLED screen and the quality and purity of blacks is immediately obvious. Samsung claims a contrast ratio of 100,000:1 (100x more than typical LCDs) and I don’t doubt this figure.

The result is photos and video that really impress with their richness, depth and quality. Web pages benefit, too. It’s an outstanding screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Design

Samsung has upped its game in the design department, too. That’s mainly thanks to the metal, curved edges, which make the Tab S 8.4 look and feel far classier than any Samsung tablet or phone I’ve seen to date.

This difference apart, the Galaxy Tab S is really a very large Galaxy S5. It has the same ‘dimple’ effect rear, and this dovetails very nicely with the new metal trim – the latter is a huge improvement on the nasty plastic accents on the S5. 



This means you also get the S5’s fingerprint scanner, though it's a mixed blessing given how unreliable it proved on that phone – I didn’t have the opportunity to see if it’s any better here.

Size and weight are the Galaxy Tab S 8.4’s true strengths, though. It measures just 6.6mm and weighs just 294g. You can hold it very comfortably in one hand, making it perfect for reading and web browsing on the move.



The two case/cover options are nice, too. The Simple cover covers just the screen, while the Book Cover protects the rear too and offers three different viewing angles. I’m not mad about the ‘clicker’ mechanism for fastening them – it’s basically like a popper on a jacket – as it’s fiddly, but this shouldn’t prove too bothersome unless you feel the need to remove the case often.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4: Specs

This is top-spec tablet. There’s a Snapdragon 800 processor (or a Samsung Exynos 5 in some regions), 3GB of RAM, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0, microSD card support up 128GB and plenty more. That includes an 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash, a 2.1MP front-facing camera, and there will be an LTE version in addition to Wi-Fi only ones.

The fact none of this sounds hugely impressive is merely a mark of how much we take for granted now – the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 has every conceivable feature it needs and it has more than enough processing power on tap to get things done quickly.


Blacks don't get better than OLED blacks

First Impressions

Samsung has produced a very promising tablet in the Galaxy Tab S 8.4. The size is right, the design is right and screen is a stunner. Provided the price is reasonable, this is an Android tablet that can really take the fight to the iPad mini 2.