[HTC U11+ Real Life Review] Galaxo60:
I was originally intended to buy the U11+ since I heard the rumors about its existence and that it was meant to be the Pixel 2 XL, so I was curious about what kind of device was this.

For things of life, I finished buying the Pixel 2 XL with a nice discount like 3 weeks ago.

Since the first time I turned on the device, I knew I was not going to be happy because of the screen and the annoying blue tint. I think people out there who diminished the problem is because they are not used to good screens or they are blind, and moreover, when they tell you "I look the phone straight forward", is bull5sh1t as well, because I faced plenty of situations when I couldn't see the phone straight forward and it was annoying.

People can say you can have the best camera, the best software updates, unlimited space for photos and videos, no lag, etc, but let me tell you that all of those "selling points" for the Pixel are not that good:

Best camera - Honestly, I made a photo comparison between the U11+ and the Pixel 2 XL, and in 7 of 10, the HTC was better and with more detail, text was more legible and forms were sharper. I think that HTC learned something after making every Pixel so far, but when I show the pictures, people just blame me and say I'm crazy. Video on Pixel was horrible and the audio extremely poor. The difference in aperture indeed makes a difference, even when it seems a small one.

Software updates - Yes, you have them, but guess what?, it breaks compatibility sometimes with apps. With the Pixel 2 XL I had a lot of force close applications, so what's the point of having the latest release if Google is not obligating developers to update their applications timely?. Yes, 3 years of software updates, but honestly, who stays with the phone for 3 years?.

Photos and video - I don't use Google or any other storage service to have all my photos and videos. I'm old school, and I put everything is a hard drive. I think is safer, besides, I don't like that certain things of my private life are around in the internet.

But the screen is not the only issue, I faced a lot of other hardware and software issues along the way, and thanks to the extremely bad quality control from LG and Google, the device you are getting is overall mediocre quality. I was expecting to receive a device with no serious bugs and well built because it a phone directly from Google, but the reality is totally another one.

Overall, I faced the following issues that made me return this phone:

Blue tint

Slow fingerprint sensor

Super slow "fast" charge (taking no less than 3 hours)

Bluetooth issues while streaming music

Problems with Android Auto

Banding while recording video

Awful sound and video quality

Coming from the Mate 9 Pro, one of the finest devices I have ever had, was a big hit for me to change to the Pixel 2 XL because all of these issues. Each time I saw the screen, it just made me sad and made me wonder: why a €1K phone have these kind of issues?, and moreover, what kind of idiot am I to buy and accept something like this with all these flaws?. Google is not getting my money this year, and believe me when I say that I'm a Google fan, but quality and product overall is not in pair with what most flagships are offering.

Still I see why people is buying and defending the Pixel, and in the moment I was packing it to return it, I felt bad, like if I was betraying Google or the ideology. At some moment I felt fear to return it and better keep it and accept the flaws, but that makes me no different from all the iSheeps you see out there that buy everything that comes with an Apple logo in the back, something that I clearly hate, because we are becoming zombies instead of intelligent consumers.

I have the U11+ for a week now and I can say I feel home again, is like having my old Mate 9 Pro, but with Android stock, and I haven't faced any issues AT ALL, just perfect, smooth and awesome behaviour. I can highly recommend the device.

;)

P.D.: Sorry for the long post.