While the HTC U11's impressive camera that dethroned the Google Pixel in the DxOMark rankings made the headlines, the feature that really stuck is its Edge Sense, but the consensus on that is it's merely a gimmick.
Now the company is calling the right shots, looking to change the not-so-good impression it left on consumers by opening up customizations to users.
More Reasons To Squeeze Your HTC U11
In plain English, users can now customize the HTC U11's Edge Sense, and that means they can set it up for functions and commands they'd actually use.
Through the settings, users can designate spots on the screen where they want a single or double tap to occur whenever they squeeze their phones.
For instance, the Spotify app can play and pause at a squeeze of a phone when a tap is properly set up on its, well, play and pause button.
HTC also threw in some presets in the mix, including but not limited to one that lets users zoom in and out on Google Photos and Google Maps. That's not much of a surprise, though, as the company already showcased that function in a video titled "What's Next from Edge Sense" back in June.
The Right Move
Arguably, this is just what the HTC U11 needed to shake off that gimmicky feel to it. From what can be seen in the update, which is still in beta, there are a ton of possibilities in store.
Want to pull up a new draft on Gmail without touching the screen? Give it a squeeze. Like to take a quick picture on, say, Instagram with no taps at all? Go ahead, give it a squeeze again.
While that sounds nifty and all, the thing is, it's not revolutionary. In other words, it won't exactly take the mobile user experience to the next level, but at the end of the day, it's still pretty interesting and, in some ways, useful.
To boil things down, when this new option to customize Edge Sense steps out of the beta phase without a hitch, the HTC U11 will likely no longer be known as an outstanding phone boasting powerful performance, an efficient battery life, and a top-notch camera with a gimmick but a device on par with the forerunners among the current brood with a handy feature. Take note it's not that durable, though.
For the record, the Edge Sense update is already rolling out to U11 owners via the Play Store.
