Exclusive HTC U 11 production tour! HTC hosted a media tour of their facilities that included the factory, Design Studio, and R&D Lab to some influencers on Monday, May 15, 2017. After seeing first hand of what goes into making HTC devices, I have new appreciation of the company and process of making a device! Their facilities are top notch and this post is going to give you a glimpse of what I got to see.

First of all, seeing the new HTC U 11 in production was impressive! The phone launch event is May 16th and being able to see it before it hits the streets was really cool. Not to mention much of what I saw was confidential information and even other media has not seen parts of what the group saw. This was the first time letting folks like myself into the Design Studio!

The Factory

The tour started off with the factory. This is where we got to see employees assembling, inspecting, and producing specifically the new HTC U 11. The stations varied from cpu, cameras, housings, and all the components that make up a phone, the HTC U 11.

The part that impressed me the most with this tour was the meticulous tests and inspections that goes into each component of the phone. The last step of the work flow is what made this element stand out the most. There was a room full of workers taking their time making sure everything about the phone is perfect, just before the devices ship out.

The Design Studio

This is where it starts. The ideas and visions of what becomes a device. We actually got to see some concepts from years ago, along with the evolution of what has been produced. The building itself is quite fascinating. It is a green structure. Meaning it has many designs that are earth friendly. The elevators uses it’s own energy to power itself. The air is circulated in a way that they don’t have to actually turn on the A/C. Water is recycled. The list goes on. Really cool tech and design to reduce pollution and energy.

A Design Lab representative explained to us the inspiration of the new glass backs of this year’s flagship and from the HTC U Ultra. The design is inspired from water. Each color has a unique characteristic and inspiration. Such as the Cosmetic Pink. It’s not your average pink because it derives colors from a pink flower with yellow accents. It’s truly a beautiful color. My favorite was the Glacier White, which in my opinion looks just like a pearl. Each color is fantastic!

R&D Lab

SCIENCE! This part of the tour was my favorite and is what really gave me the appreciation of the development of making a new phone. HTC is known for BoomSound, U Sonic, and camera quality. These are features that make HTC stand out from the rest. So much so, many other manufacturers tried to copy the BoomSound type of audio tech with front facing speakers, etc.

The anechoic chamber was mind blowing! It’s a sound deafening room that has absolutely no echo at all. As a matter of fact just standing in the room was eerie… For a moment I felt a little of what motion sickness is like. Crazy, right? In the anechoic chamber they test out audio like call quality.

Well, you might be asking that doesn’t really give real world results when we have so much noise around us, so how does HTC test real world environments?

The next room simulates various types of noises. Such as road noise, offices, etc. The audio is tested for calls, recording, video, and more.

Lastly, the camera was another area we got to tour. In this lab engineers demonstrated how they calibrate the camera for white balance, colors, and those types of elements to give great photo and video results. They also had a demo of testing OIS (optic image stabilization). Next to the HTC device was an iPhone without OIS and there was a very noticeable difference between the phone with OIS vs without.

HTC Quietly Brilliant

HTC was able to demonstrate a great tour experience. Something I will never forget. Again, a new appreciation of what goes into making a smartphone. It’s like art to me. Being able to see where an idea comes to reality is inspiring to keep creating.

For more info about the HTC U 11 launch event click here. Stay tuned for more coverage! Be sure to subscribe to the YouTube channel and follow on social media for more content on the HTC U 11. Links below!

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Images provided by HTC. This was an exclusive look at HTC facilities.