In 2015, HTC released the HTC One M9 smartphone, which was praised for its design, but criticized for being too similar to its predecessor, the HTC One. To address the shortcomings of the M9, HTC released another new phone that year with a new design and hardware: the HTC One A9. The design of the HTC 10 is something of a mix of the M9 and the A9.
Specifications
Hardware
The HTC 10 features an aluminum body with a unibody design. The dual front-facing audio speakers from previous HTC smartphones have been removed. The phone still has 2 speakers; however, one is on the top bezel, while the other is on the bottom edge of the phone. The HTC 10 also includes a fingerprint sensor under the 5.2-inch 1440x2560 Gorilla Glass 3 screen. The internals of the HTC 10 are similar to its contemporary flagships. The HTC 10 includes the quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820processor and 4 GB RAM and Adreno 530integrated graphics. The HTC 10 also features USB-C and Qualcomm QuickCharge 3.0. The HTC 10 features a dedicated DAC provided by Qualcomm. The HTC 10 has the first optically stabilized front camera in mobile phones.
Software
The HTC 10 runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the HTC Sense 8.0 skin. HTC updated unlocked handsets to Android 7.0 Nougat on November 25, 2016. The unlocked HTC 10 received the Android 8.0 Oreo update in early 2018.
Reception
The HTC 10 received generally positive reviews. In its review of the phone, CNET gave the device a 4 out of 5, supporting the design of the phone, the "brilliant audio quality", and the customizable user interface, while criticizing the phone's camera and battery life. The Verge gave the device a similar 8.0 out of 10, but viewed some aspects of the phone differently: it considered the device's "reliable battery", sound, software, and "fast performance" to be its strengths, while criticizing the HTC 10's "boring design", camera, and price. On the audio quality front, due to its inclusion of a dedicated DAC, Android Central praised the audio of the HTC 10 when using headphones connected to the headphone jack, saying of the experience, "Spoiler: it sounds good. Damn good"
