HTC will launch a new top model shortly that has a very interesting history. The upcoming HTC U11 Plus was in fact originally intended as Google’s Pixel 2 XL!

HTC manufactured the first Pixel phones on behalf of Google. The Taiwanese company was then acquired by Google, and the two firms jointly developed the second generation Pixel 2. The Verge claims that Pixel 2 XL, back then known under the code name Muskie, was supposed to also be manufactured by Google. However, LG was somehow chosen as the manufacturer of the Pixel 2 XL phone. Muskie isn’t dead according to The Verge as it has become the new HTC U11 Plus.

Why was LG chosen instead of HTC?

Why did Google decide to move the production to LG instead of keeping HTC? One possible explanation is that the battery on Pixel 2 XL is larger, and it’s possible that HTC couldn’t incorporate such a large battery. Furthermore, LG was capable of supplying an OLED screen instead of the LCD screen employed by U11+. Interestingly, Pixel 2’s screen has come under scrutiny recently and it’s debatable whether Google instead should have opted for HTC’s LCD screen in order to avoid problems.

HTC U11 Plus Specs

U11+ is an upgraded version of U11. The aspect ratio remains unchanged at 18:9, which means that the phone’s height is double the width. The screen covers a large portion of the front size and impresses at a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440 pixels. The new Snapdragon 835 SoC combined with 6 GB of RAM memory guarantee a speedy phone. There’s 128 GB of storage space available. The battery capacity of 3,930 mAh is also quite large compared to many other phones. A selling point is that the phone runs the latest Android Oreo OS.

Availability

Pre-orders start from the 20th of November at Noel Leeming. There are three colour options to choose from: the exotic sounding amazing silver, ceramic black, and translucent black. No pricing information is available at this stage. Interested consumers should also keep an eye out for the mid-range phone HTC U11 Life.