HTC’s AirPlay-supporting, UltraPixel-touting HTC 10 isn’t the only smartphone the Taiwanese company announced at its flashy press event this morning. It also debuted the HTC 10 Lifestyle, a cheaper, lower-specced handset of the same new device family that’s launching in developing nations.
The HTC 10 Lifestyle is by all outward appearances identical to the HTC 10. It’s got the same 5.2-inch QHD Super LCD display with a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440, plus the same lightweight (161g) and thin (145 x 71.9 x 9.0 mm) aluminum frame that defines its pricier counterpart. It inherits the front-facing f/1.8, 5-megapixel sensor with a 1.34μm pixel size and optical image stabilization (OIS) too, plus the HTC 10’s headlining 12-megapixel UltraPixel 2 f/1.8 shooter with a 1.55μm pixel size, laser autofocus, dual LED flash, OIS, and support for RAW capture. (That last bit’s a particularly good bit of news; well-regarded camera review blog DxOMark recently gave the HTC 10’s camera one of the highest scores of any smartphone sensor it’s reviewed.)
And the similarities don’t end there: the Lifestyle even retains the HTC 10’s stellar BoomSound audio tech, 3,000mAh battery, and support for Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 rapid charging spec.
The software’s another dead ringer. The HTC 10 Lifestyle, like the HTC 10, features the HTC’s new Sense UI and compatibility with Apple’s AirPlay standard, a first for an Android smartphone. It’s also got a theme engine with hundreds of customization options, and software support for the smartphone maker’s new translucent “Ice View” protective cases.
Things aren’t quite as similar under the hood, unfortunately. The HTC 10 Lifestyle trades the HTC 10’s Snapdragon 820 for the decidedly weaker Snapdragon 652, and drops the RAM from 4GB to 3GB. In addition, the Lifestyle’s only capable of Cat.6 LTE speeds (300Mbps down/50Mbps up) as opposed to its high-end cousin’s Cat.7 (450Mbps/50Mbps). And unlike the HTC 10, the handset will only be available in a single storage configuration: 32GB. Still, considering the amount high-end hardware the Lifestyle doesn’t omit, those silicon sacrifices seem relatively minor.
The HTC 10 Lifestyle’s only been officially announced for India, but a broader launch down the road’s probably a safe bet. HTC’s yet to announce specific pricing and availability info.