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HTC has had a rocky couple of years, with last year’s premium HTC One M9 not quite receiving the love that the Taiwanese phone company might have hoped for. Folks have been going wild for the HTC Vive, a virtual reality headset that hooks into a high-end PC, but HTC’s not out of the smartphone game yet. The HTC 10 is positioned as its premium play in the 2016 smartphone market.
Handset | Geekbench 3 Single Core (higher is better) | Geekbench 3 Multi Core (higher is better) |
---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | 2169 | 6446 |
Samsung Galaxy S7 | 2156 | 6240 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ | 1492 | 4893 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge | 1324 | 4626 |
Google Nexus 6P | 1251 | 4597 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 | 1347 | 4569 |
Apple iPhone SE | 2538 | 4455 |
Apple iPhone 6S | 2540 | 4410 |
Apple iPhone 6S Plus | 2491 | 4391 |
HTC 10 | 1942 | 4191 |
Sony Xperia Z5 | 1358 | 4134 |
LG G4 | 1190 | 3313 |
Google Nexus 5X | 1188 | 3198 |
It’s a similar story in 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited, where the HTC 10 sits in the middle of the pack:
Handset | 3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result |
---|---|
Apple iPhone SE | 29276 |
Samsung Galaxy S7 | 28903 |
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | 28402 |
Apple iPhone 6s | 28171 |
HTC 10 | 27392 |
Google Nexus 6P | 24703 |
Sony Xperia Z5 | 19197 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus | 17981 |
Benchmarks aren’t the be-all and end-all, and in observational tests the HTC 10 isn’t a slouch, but if you’re spending premium money it’s worth considering the HTC 10 against competitor devices. These aren't bad scores, but for what Qualcomm talks up the Snapdragon 820 as being capable of, they're not groundbreaking either.
Handset | Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration | Geekbench 3 Battery Score |
---|---|---|
Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge | 11:55:00 | 7150 |
Samsung Galaxy S7 | 10:01:20 | 6013 |
Samsung Galaxy Note 5 | 9:18:00 | 5580 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ | 8:24:10 | 5041 |
Apple iPhone 6S Plus | 7:48:10 | 4681 |
Google Nexus 5X | 7:14:20 | 4062 |
HTC 10 | 6:54:30 | 4145 |
Samsung Galaxy S6 | 6:51:30 | 4115 |
Google Nexus 6P | 6:39:20 | 3754 |
Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 | 5:42:00 | 2276 |
Sony Xperia Z5 | 5:41:30 | 3414 |
LG G4 | 5:27:50 | 3224 |
BlackBerry PRIV | 5:25:40 | 3256 |
Huawei P8 Lite | 4:39:40 | 2768 |
Apple iPhone SE | 4:27:10 | 2671 |
Apple iPhone 6s | 3:52:10 | 2321 |
Premium phones in 2016 have to sell themselves on their style, and it’s hard not to appreciate the work that’s gone into producing the HTC 10. Without a doubt, style is its best selling point, and as always it’s a good idea if feasible to get a little hands-on time to sort out if it’s a style and fit that works best for you.
Ultimately what HTC’s made here is a very fine phone, but one in a market of premium devices that compete just as well, and in many cases better than it does. HTC’s relatively premium pricing opens up everything but the Samsung Galaxy S7, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge and most variants of the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus to you if you’re buying upfront, although contract pricing is largely in line with other premium handsets, at which point it’s largely a matter of personal taste again.
The HTC 10 is no longer available from local retailers, and no Aussie telcos are currently offering the handset as part of their contract plans. If you're set on picking up the handset, you can still import it through overseas retailers like eBay and Amazon.
Device | HTC 10 |
---|---|
Screen size | 5.2in |
Storage | 32GB |
Weight | 161g |
Processor | Snapdragon 820 |
Rear camera | 12MP |
Front camera | 5MP |
Battery | 3,000mAh |
Resolution | 1440 x 2560 pixels |
Display density | 564ppi |
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