HTC U11 Life

Decent battery life ; Screen is mostly good

Terrible software ; Irritating notification light

The U11 Life is a decent mid-range handset let down by software issues

Great camera HDR ; Good screen ; Clean Android software

Mediocre battery life ; Plastic shell ; No headphone jack

The HTC U11 Life is a smart trimming down of the HTC U11 that gets you most of the highlights at a lower price, but other phones offer more for a similar amount of money.

Attractive design (especially in blue) ; Dust and water-resistant design adds a point of difference to other mid-rangers ; Android One means pure Android operation ; Reasonably good gimmick-free camera

Battery life is quite poor ; Rear panel is a fingerprint magnet ; The Edge Sense "squeeze" control feels unnecessary ; Quite expensive given the strong competition ; Not compatible with USB-C-to-3.5mm converter

Overall, the HTC U11 Life is a logical mid-level reflection of its already very capable flagship bigger brother. It's more attractive than some of its nearest competition, such as the Moto X4, while offering dust and water-resistance that few others...

Great mid-range screen ; Decent camera ; Stock OS

Mediocre battery life ; No headphone jack ; Expensive for Android One

An affordable way to get stock Android 8, with a capable camera and great design to boot – although battery life could be better

Premium features, mid-range price ; Eye-catching design ; Android One benefits

Weak gaming performance ; Average cameras ; Small battery

The HTC U11 Life does a respectable job of emulating its flagship forerunner, making good on the promise of hitting the majority of the standard U11’s key selling points whilst also sporting some obvious cutbacks that don’t undermine the overall...

The HTC U11 Life is like a cheaper Pixel 2 with its squeezable sides. It's attractive, affordable, fully water-resistant and has decent midrange specs.

Camera quality is hit or miss and battery life is on the short side.

HTC's U11 Life is a decent midrange phone, but the Moto G5 Plus shoots better photos for a little less.

Luscious design ; Phenomenal selfie camera ; Android One experience

No 3.5mm headphone jack ; Lackluster performance ; Too expensive

The U11 Life could have been a bit of a damp squib - a cut-down version of the HTC U11 without that phone’s great camera, top performance, battery life and big screen - but it’s got a lot going for it.

The one thing I haven’t covered so far is the price. It's a highly reasonable £349 but, at that price, there is some pretty strong competition. Phones like the Honor 9, the Motorola Moto Z2 Play and the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2017) all offer strong...