Polls

Which shiny beast would you buy: Samsung Galaxy S8+ or HTC U11?

by Preslav Kateliev / Jul 24, 2017, 9:12 AM

HTC's newest flagship is certainly going off on a different tangent than the HTC 10's heading. While 2016 HTC said "let's make a solid, basic, no-nonsense metal phone", this year's decision was more in line with "Go shiny and try a different gimmick!". Not necessarily bad, experimenting keeps this industry from going stale, and we certainly appreciate the super-shiny liquid finishes on the HTC U11 phones. But that squeeze feature? Eeeehhh...

On the other hand, we've got the Samsung Galaxy S8+ — another shiny flagship that tried to... expand borders. Sammy's phones have that super-long display with a ratio of 18.5:9. Additionally, they have that dedicated Bixby button, which some might say is just as annoying and nonsensical as a squeeze feature.

So, yeah, both phones have their positives and their “meh”s, but if you had to choose one — which one would you buy?

Would you buy a Galaxy S8+ or an HTC U11?

Galaxy squad here!

51.06%

Team 11! That's HTC U11

48.94%

Options

45 Comments

1. libra89

Posts: 2167; Member since: Apr 15, 2016

The U11 for sure. I prefer flat screens.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:14 AM 1

3. kiko007

Posts: 7400; Member since: Feb 17, 2016

Agreed on both fronts.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:17 AM 1

10. GreenMan

Posts: 2688; Member since: Nov 09, 2015

Loads of bloat on both phones... In Samsung there's Bixby AND Google Assistant... And TONS of dual-apps... Thankfully, my S6 is blessfully 'deprived' of most bloatware but at the expense of Micro-SD slot... In HTC, there's Alexa and Google Assistant... And if that's not enough, HTC's own virtual assistant is in tow too...! Oh well, G'Day!™

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:26 AM 0

15. Borh77

Posts: 14; Member since: Oct 25, 2012

On the HTC, you can inactivate HTC companion. You can't inactivate Bixby on the Galaxy.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:33 AM 0

16. trojan_horse

Posts: 5868; Member since: May 06, 2016

"You can't inactivate Bixby on the Galaxy." What the hell? You can definitely deactivate Bixby on the Galaxy S8. 1. Go to Settings. 2.Tap onApplications. 3.Select All Applications. 4.Browse and tap on the Bixby application. 5. Select the Disable option, a new message will pop up saying “Disabling built-in apps, may cause errors in other apps”, tap Disable and that's it!

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:41 AM 1

18. trojan_horse

And if you want to completely turn off Bixby: 1. Press the home screen for several seconds. 2. Then swipe left side and tap the toggle to turn off Bixby. 3. Next, go back to the home screen and you’ll be finished. Anyone who owns a Galaxy S8 would know that Bixby can be inactivated.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:45 AM 0

22. MINDoSOUL

Posts: 321; Member since: Feb 28, 2014

I don't own a S8 but from what i saw Bixby can be an edge/advantage especially if you combine it with Google voice. The advantage of Bixby is phone voice navigation(offline) you don't have to touch your phone to access any application/settings/sub menus anything related to phone navigation which Google voice sucks at. The edge of Google voice is search as we all know it. So far everyone is bashing Bixby except this review https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67PsQAqwoyI and i totally agree with him. *Team Sammy for the first time after the introduction of S8 infinity design.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 10:06 AM 1

27. TechieXP1969

Posts: 14967; Member since: Sep 25, 2013

Because the only fools bashing Bixby are fools who don't own the phone. I don't like voice assistants in general. But I did set up Bixby to try it. What I do like about it, is the commands just sound like normal talking and not like commends in general. Much like Cortana! And yes being able to open ANY app and navigate the phone entire phone with voice is cool for someone who could be handicapped

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 11:10 AM 0

39. amats69

Posts: 1527; Member since: Nov 12, 2012

"Because the only fools bashing Bixby are fools who don't own the phone." LOL. please dont try to wash ur hands here. What those "fools" are doing, U are doing also to other oems except samsung.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 4:48 PM 1

38. ebilcake

Posts: 1207; Member since: Jul 16, 2016

Or just kill off the three Bixby apps using package disabler, this would be my choice because you can disable to load more well your at it, about 30 disabled on my Galaxy S8+, so much rubbish on these phones.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 4:05 PM 0

26. TechieXP1969

People who don't own the phone, try to tell people what their phone can or can't do. Such dummies!

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 11:07 AM 0

32. kiko007

And you're not projecting right now?

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 11:52 AM 1

40. amats69

Look who's talking! LMAO

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 4:49 PM 1

42. darkkjedii

Posts: 30720; Member since: Feb 05, 2011

You shoulda did some research, before posting that. See posts 16&18.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 4:57 PM 0

2. surethom

Posts: 1561; Member since: Mar 04, 2009

Much prefer flat screens but Super-shiny liquid finishes make the HTC look cheap & basic, a more Matt finish would make the phone look more high end.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:15 AM 0

6. trojan_horse

S8+ over U11 anyday, regardless of the color variant.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:19 AM 0

12. rubyonrails3

Posts: 368; Member since: Oct 01, 2014

I am coming from S8+ to U11 and I bought 2 S8+ first in orchard grey then sold it and bought in S8+, I thought S8+ is awesome until I bought U11 and I am loving it and sold S8+ after few days cuz I stopped using it. S8 camera is main reason i sold it and other is it's performance. If I have to buy again I'll still buy U11 thinking to buy U11 solar red now

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:32 AM 0

19. trojan_horse

"I am coming from S8+ to U11' That's the beauty of the Android ecosystem. There's something for everyone. Enjoy your U11, bruh... Meanwhile I rock my S8+.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:50 AM 1

4. g2a5b0e unregistered

It's funny how the current poll results are super close, but the Galaxy probably outsells HTC's flagship 10 or more to 1 every year. Clearly a lot of people who have no intention of buying either device are voting here. Although the poll does say "would" so I guess they're not necessarily lying.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:17 AM 0

7. jellmoo

Posts: 2526; Member since: Oct 31, 2011

Aside from typical Samsung dominance, availability comes into play as well. The U11 just isn't as widely available as the S8+.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:20 AM 0

11. trojan_horse

"The U11 just isn't as widely available as the S8+." Because there is much less demand for the U11. HTC just can't producing the U11 beyond the amount of consumers demand just for the sake of worldwide availability, because they'll be basically throwing cash away.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:29 AM 1

17. jellmoo

To a degree, sure. But I also mean that they have a way weaker supply chain and ties to brick and mortar stores, which hurts. In Canada, for example, it's only available directly through HTC and not through any carriers. Impact on the Canadian market is therefor pretty much nil.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:41 AM 0

34. tani24

Posts: 51; Member since: Feb 24, 2015

So true!

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 2:12 PM 0

14. rubyonrails3

Out selling is different then poll. Cuz this poll is taken by people who know about Mobile but in real world people choose what's famous which they see in ads tv.

29. ph00ny

Posts: 1978; Member since: May 26, 2011

Based on the number of trolls and the way these "journalists" write their articles, i would think they knew anything about mobile

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 11:36 AM 0

5. jellmoo

To be fair, in Canada (at least), there's a $200+ price difference, so it isn't exactly apples to apples here.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:19 AM 1

8. strbckboy

Posts: 20; Member since: Jul 13, 2016

I have both, and prefer the HTC U11. It’s just a smoother, better overall experience.

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:21 AM 0

9. AgentZero

Posts: 314; Member since: Aug 16, 2014

U11 everyday , the curved screen and the s**t software is a deal breaker for me

posted on Jul 24, 2017, 9:23 AM 1

13. Plasticsh1t

Posts: 3088; Member since: Sep 01, 2014

"But that squeeze feature? Eeeehhh..." what's wrong with that? It's a brilliant and an innovative idea that stands out against the crowd and makes the phone looks cleaner without hideous buttons like the Bixby button. IPhonearena at its best.