Solar Red HTCU11: Iron Man Edition?

The HTC U11 is the Taiwanese manufacturer’s flagship for 2017 and comes in a range of colors, but what if there was an edition that took on the colors of a popular superhero? An… Iron Man Edition? Well, it might look a little like the Solar Red HTCU11.

Back when the HTCU11 was announced in Taiwan, I went up close and personal with all the colors and while all look amazing in their own way, the one that stood out the most was the unique Solar Red. The best colors are usually worth the wait and the Solar Red edition only made it to market a few weeks ago.

Red smartphones aren’t new but the unique light-shifting design of the HTCU11 means the Solar Red color is unlike any other smartphone color. What makes it truly different is the way the U11 color can shift and change depending on the angle of the light or how you’re looking at it and the red U11 combines this with a stunning color with a striking effect.

As the name suggests, the Solar Red HTCU11 offers up a bright red finish but the design of the U11 means you’ll see shades of yellow or gold depending on how you’re looking at it. In fact, it reminds me of something else that has a lot of red and gold: Iron Man. Given that HTC previously hired Robert Downey Jr on a two-year commercial campaign, and given the color of the Solar Red U11, it could have been a great tie-in for the company to call it the Iron Man Edition. Considering that an Iron Man Edition phone sold for over $90,000, it could also have provided an interest revenue stream for HTC.

Unfortunately, this isn’t a special edition of the phone and color aside, this is a regular HTCU11. That means it comes with the latest hardware that the regular HTC11 does, including a 5.5-inch QHD Super LCD5 display protected by Gorilla Glass 5, IP67 dust and water resistance and a 12MP rear camera. The entire package is powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 processor with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of storage, or 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

While the 12 MP rear camera is certainly on par with other flagships, the front 16 MP camera is one of the largest on a smartphone and 24-bit/192kHz audio playback and stereo recording means the HTCU11 is a top pick for media playback. The whole package is supported by a somewhat measly 3,000mAh battery, albeit with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 which helps to ensure a fast top up if you do run short, or empty.

It’s not all perfect but we ranked it an impression 9 out of 10 in the HTC U11 review, meaning HTC’s flagship ranks as highly as any other smartphone this year. You’ll have to get used to a very slippery phone that attracts fingerprints and lacks a headphone jack, but if you can get past these shortcomings, you’ll have a phone that offers a vibrant display, fantastic audio experience, excellent camera and solid build quality.

If you’re looking to pick up the HTC U11, I recommend getting it in Solar Red as, not only is it a fantastic color, but you’re also not likely to see other people with one meaning it will definitely stand out. I think it’s awesome that HTCis trying to stand out with unique colors and finishes on their phones and I’d really love to see other manufacturers do something similar because when it comes to smartphones we could always use a little more color. 

What do you think of the Solar Red HTCU11 and do you plan to buy one? Are you a fan, or not a fan? Do you think they should have called it the Iron Man Edition? What’s your favorite smartphone color? Let us know in the comments below!