Why it matters to you
If true, HTC’s eagerness to support its shiny new flagship with new features immediately after release is good news for owners.
The HTC U11 has already proved to be a modest success for the Taiwan-based smartphone manufacturer, which has had a bit of a rough go of it over the past several years as it struggled to compete with the latest from Apple, Samsung, and, oddly enough, Google’s Pixel line. Although the company is responsible for building the Pixel, its own HTC-branded products have received considerably less attention — though the U11 could be turning that tide somewhat.
Now, a new report from XDA Developers claims HTC has a few notable enhancements waiting in the wings for U11 owners. Some of these are more sweeping and significant than others but, either way, HTC is adding crucial functionality to its new high-end handset outside of typical Android system updates. That said, the rumors come from one of XDA’s forum members — a supposed “HTC insider” — so take these suggestions with the requisite level of caution.
Anyway, the most noteworthy addition looks to concern the camera. While we found the U11’s camera to be capable and fast in our review, some have reported lag in the app and shutter. A new update that has made its way to international models intended to fix the issue should arrive for users in the United States and the United Kingdom shortly. However, on top of that, HTC is also said to be bringing a 1080p60 video recording mode to customers in the future.
The HTC U11, like many smartphones, can record at full-HD resolution — but only at 30 FPS. Higher-end devices support a 60 FPS mode for smoother video and the U11 could hopefully join them with an upcoming feature update.
Another tweak is related to the color calibration of HTC U11’s display. HTC reportedly intends to tone down the saturation a bit, bringing the panel closer to the industry-standard sRGB spec. However, if you would rather keep the ultra-vibrant colors, you can choose to leave them on, as the update will only provide a switch in the settings menu. Many other phones already do this as well, like Sony’s Xperia line, which offers several different viewing modes and post-processing on colors depending on user preference.
There is no word on when exactly we can expect to see these updates drop. We reached out to HTC for clarification. Since this is an unofficial report, it is possible they will never show up, or be modified before release. Watch this space to keep up-to-date as details emerge.
Conversely, if you own another HTC device, the HTC 10, One A9, One M9, and Bolt have all received Nougat at this point. You can check our handy guide for more details. The company also keeps a constantly updated list of the most recent Android versions for all its devices, along with convenient download links.