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Brand new HTC U11 did to the Google Pixel what the Galaxy S8 couldn’t

Updated May 16th, 2017 10:25AM EDT
HTC U11 vs. Google Pixel vs. Galaxy S8 DxOMark
Image: Zach Epstein, BGR

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There’s a brand new Galaxy S8 rival in town you should be aware of, the HTC U11 that was launched only a few hours ago. The new flagship handset has top hardware and a bunch of interesting tricks that aren’t available on other devices. And it looks like the HTC U11 is able to outperform the Google Pixel in a way its biggest Android rival couldn’t.

According to DxOMark, the HTC U11 got 90 points in its thorough camera performance review, which is a score that managed to top the former leader.

Google Pixel retained that top spot for a few months now with 89 points. Not even the Galaxy S8, which launched just a few weeks ago, was able to top Google’s Pixel. Samsung’s new phone reached “just” 88 points, matching the score of the HTC 10, Galaxy S7 and Sony Xperia X. Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus has 86 points in DxOMark’s rankings.

The photography site concludes that the HTC U11 is the best smartphone camera it has ever tested. And that’s hardly a surprise considering that HTC’s former flagships topped the site’s ranking — HTC is the company that makes the Google Pixel for Google.

“Not only is the HTC U11 the highest-scoring phone we’ve ever tested, it’s the highest-scoring in both still image quality and video quality, beating out the Google Pixel by 1 point in each,” DxOMark says in its review. “Those who want to shoot and share their photos will particularly appreciate the vibrant colors and bright exposures of the HTC U11. Similarly, effective autofocus and stabilization will help both photos and videos look good right out of the phone.”

“The HTC U11’s very low noise and excellent detail preservation also allow for sharing and printing larger-sized images than with most other phones,” the review concludes. The HTC U11 DxOMark review is at this link, while the Galaxy S8 review can be found here.

Chris Smith Senior Writer

Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2008. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he brings his entertainment expertise to Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.

Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming almost every new movie and TV show release as soon as it's available.