{"id":139,"date":"2016-04-18T09:41:37","date_gmt":"2016-04-18T14:41:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/?p=139"},"modified":"2016-04-20T14:50:45","modified_gmt":"2016-04-20T19:50:45","slug":"htc-10-is-it-the-savior-for-htc-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/?p=139","title":{"rendered":"HTC 10.. Is it the savior for HTC?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/HTC-10.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-126\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/HTC-10-300x242.png\" alt=\"HTC 10\" width=\"300\" height=\"242\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/HTC-10-300x242.png 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/HTC-10-150x121.png 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/HTC-10.png 498w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>So HTC has put out their new phone. \u00a0The HTC 10. \u00a0The question is, is this phone going to be the savior for HTC? \u00a0Or is HTC going to continue to keep sliding.<\/p>\n<p>To be honest I don&#8217;t know. The new look is super nice. \u00a0Much better than the M9. \u00a0I also like the fact that they have toned down their overlay known as Sense. \u00a0But what remains to be seen is if the new camera, which is being dubbed &#8220;Ultrpixel 2&#8221;, will be a shining star or a complete failure. \u00a0Unfortunately for HTC , there can&#8217;t be a middle ground. \u00a0People are either going to love or hate the camera. \u00a0No one will say &#8220;Meh, it was okay.&#8221; You can see some initial thoughts on the camera <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=KT6o8TChmD0\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Also new for this phone, is the loss of the front facing speakers. \u00a0While this is at first glance a slide in the wrong direction, there seems to be a big &#8220;<strong>*<\/strong>&#8221; that goes on the end of that. \u00a0There is a speaker on the bottom of the phone, and a front facing speaker at the top. \u00a0It is split into two types of speakers. \u00a0The top is handling the tweets and the mids and the bottom is handling the bass. \u00a0Now, why is this important? \u00a0We will get to that shortly. \u00a0But from what some people are saying, the speaker set up works pretty good. \u00a0You can see that video <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ZdIcWWhRI-8\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Of all the new things that HTC has put into the phone and done to the phone, these two things, will be what separates them from the heard. So let&#8217;s dive down into the two things.<\/p>\n<h2><strong>The camera<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>So right off the bat, let&#8217;s talk about the specs. \u00a0Because everyone wants to know that. \u00a0But I&#8217;m only going to show the important ones. \u00a0You can go <a href=\"http:\/\/www.htc.com\/us\/smartphones\/htc-10\/\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> for the full spec list of the camera and the phone.<\/p>\n<p>12MP (HTC UltraPixel<sup>\u2122<\/sup> 2 with 1.55\u03bcm pixel)<br \/>\nBSI sensor<br \/>\nOptical Image Stabilisation (OIS)<br \/>\n\u0192\/1.8 aperture and 26mm focal length (80<sup>deg;<\/sup> wide angle)<\/p>\n<p>So we are going to go over each of these 4 things and explain what they are and why they are important.<\/p>\n<h4>BSI sensor<\/h4>\n<p>First is the BSI sensor. \u00a0BSI stands for\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>B<\/strong><\/span>ack\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>S<\/strong><\/span>ide-<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>I<\/strong><\/span>lluminated. How this works is something that you think camera sensor makers would have started utilizing years ago. \u00a0While they had the idea and concept, the cost is what kept this type of sensor from hitting main stream \u00a0It wasn&#8217;t until about 2009 or so that it became cost effective enough to mass produce. \u00a0You will see just about every digital camera out there has this type of sensor. \u00a0Which is a good thing. \u00a0It means that the sensor captures more light, and it captures it more efficiently. \u00a0So better efficiency and more light, mean less noise and crisper and sharper pictures.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sensor.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone  wp-image-130\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sensor-300x153.jpg\" alt=\"Sensor\" width=\"522\" height=\"266\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sensor-300x153.jpg 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sensor-150x77.jpg 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Sensor.jpg 580w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 522px) 100vw, 522px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">As you can see from the picture above, what they have done is to take the Substrate and the Metal wiring and flipped them over. \u00a0So the\u00a0<strong>back side<\/strong> or bottom of the substrate is now getting the light directly from the lenses, instead if the light having to go through all the Metal wiring. \u00a0So this is a direct shot of light and not a dulled one. \u00a0Which again makes for better pictures with a heck of a lot less noise.<\/p>\n<h4>Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)<\/h4>\n<p>OIS or\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>O<\/strong><\/span>ptical\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>I<\/strong><\/span>mage\u00a0<span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\"><strong>S<\/strong><\/span>tabilization is a\u00a0<strong>MECHANICAL\u00a0<\/strong>means of keeping the sensor or the lenses pointed at the target. \u00a0 To give you a good example of how OIS works, look at the GIF of a chicken and it will make some sense.<\/p>\n<h2><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-133\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Gyro-chicken.gif\" alt=\"Gyro chicken\" width=\"275\" height=\"205\" \/><\/h2>\n<p>See how the chicken&#8217;s head remains stable and on target as the entire body is moved around. \u00a0That is exactly how OIS works. \u00a0this helps keep the target in focus and also helps to keep the &#8220;shutter&#8221; or &#8220;shaky&#8221; effect reduced to a minimum. \u00a0This means more stable pictures. \u00a0As well as, more stable videos. \u00a0So those selfies and videos of you doing stupid stuff are much better! \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.picturecorrect.com\/tips\/optical-image-stabilization-explained-in-under-4-minutes\/\" target=\"_blank\">Here<\/a> is a more in-depth article and video on OIS.<\/p>\n<h4>Aperture and Focal length<\/h4>\n<p>Aperture and focal length are important in so far as how the image is coming into the lenses and then hitting the sensor. But first, let&#8217;s get the definitions for both out of the way.<\/p>\n<p>Aperture:\u00a0In optics, an <b>aperture<\/b> is a hole or an opening through which light travels. More specifically, the aperture and focal length of an optical system determine the cone angle of a bundle of rays that come to a focus in the image plane. The aperture determines how collimated the admitted rays are, which is of great importance for the appearance at the image plane.\u00a0If an aperture is narrow, then highly collimated rays are admitted, resulting in a sharp focus at the image plane. If an aperture is wide, then uncollimated rays are admitted, resulting in a sharp focus only for rays with a certain focal length. This means that a wide aperture results in an image that is sharp for things at the correct distance. The aperture also determines how many of the incoming rays are actually admitted and thus how much light reaches the image plane (the narrower the aperture, the darker the image for a given exposure time). In the human eye, the pupil is the aperture. \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0Source: <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aperture\" target=\"_blank\">Wikipedia<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Focal Length:\u00a0The focal length of the lens is the distance between the lens and the image sensor when the subject is in focus, usually stated in millimeters (e.g., 28 mm, 50 mm, or 100 mm). In the case of zoom lenses, both the minimum and maximum focal lengths are stated, for example 18\u201355 mm. \u00a0 \u00a0 Source: <a href=\"http:\/\/imaging.nikon.com\/lineup\/dslr\/basics\/19\/01.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Nikon<\/a><\/p>\n<p>So now that that is out of the way, let&#8217;s talk about both in a more easier to understand way. \u00a0The aperture is just an opening that let&#8217;s the light in. \u00a0Nothing more than that. \u00a0So in camera speak, the bigger the hole the smaller the number that represents it.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/462px-Aperture_diagram.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-136\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/462px-Aperture_diagram-300x119.png\" alt=\"462px-Aperture_diagram\" width=\"300\" height=\"119\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/462px-Aperture_diagram-300x119.png 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/462px-Aperture_diagram-150x60.png 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/462px-Aperture_diagram.png 462w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">As you can see, the larger the \u0192 figure the smaller the hole. \u00a0Now I&#8217;ll admit, that is pretty freaking stupid. \u00a0To have the smaller number represent a larger hole. \u00a0But that number is based on a mathematical formula.<\/p>\n<dl>\n<dd><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mwe-math-fallback-image-inline tex\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/math\/5\/4\/0\/54055628046244c1d76d9f7f52e9455a.png\" alt=\"N = \\frac{f}{D} \\ \" \/><\/dd>\n<\/dl>\n<p>Where <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mwe-math-fallback-image-inline tex\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/math\/8\/f\/a\/8fa14cdd754f91cc6554c9e71929cce7.png\" alt=\"f\" \/> is the focal length, and <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mwe-math-fallback-image-inline tex\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/math\/f\/6\/2\/f623e75af30e62bbd73d6df5b50bb7b5.png\" alt=\"D\" \/> is the diameter of the entrance pupil (<i>effective aperture<\/i>). It is customary to write f-numbers preceded by f\/, which forms a mathematical expression of the entrance pupil diameter in terms of f and <i>N<\/i>.\u00a0For example, if a lens&#8217;s focal length is 10\u00a0mm and its entrance pupil diameter is 5\u00a0mm, the f-number is 2, expressed by writing &#8220;f\/2&#8221;, and the aperture diameter is equal to <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mwe-math-fallback-image-inline tex\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/math\/9\/9\/f\/99faecbf69ad8c4f78a47d65fa9cfeff.png\" alt=\"f\/2\" \/>, where <img decoding=\"async\" class=\"mwe-math-fallback-image-inline tex\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/math\/8\/f\/a\/8fa14cdd754f91cc6554c9e71929cce7.png\" alt=\"f\" \/> is the focal length.<\/p>\n<p>So in the case of the HTC 10 the aperture is at \u0192\/1.8. \u00a0The typical camera on a phone is usually around \u0192\/2 or \u0192\/2.2. \u00a0Which means the camera can let in more light than those other cameras and thus give you sharper and cleaner pictures. \u00a0If you want a more in-depth article to read then go <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/F-number\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. But be prepared to have to think through that read&#8230; just saying.<\/p>\n<p>Now on to focal length. \u00a0Where as it isn&#8217;t important to understand the math on how focal length is figured, for smart phone cameras,or any cameras for that matter, \u00a0the number is inversely proportional to the viewing angle. \u00a0So the smaller the focal length the wider the viewing angle. \u00a0And thus the longer the focal length the narrower the viewing angle. A good example of this would be a focal length of 100mm would be watching an old tube tv. \u00a0And a focal length of 26mm would be looking at a 16:9 screen.<\/p>\n<p>This is why on the HTC 10 you see an &#8220;(80\u00b0 wide angle)&#8221; So if HTC had used a longer focal length, then the angle of view (80\u00b0) would have been smaller. \u00a0And this is important. \u00a0Because with the advent of wide angle selfie cams, the focal length becomes even more important. \u00a0This is why on a wide angle front facing selfie camera, you can be relatively close to the phone and yet still get great shots of people in the background. \u00a0In this case the fact that HTC utilized a smaller focal length means the user can get more in the shot and also with the greater aperture, means that the user can get a shaper shot as well. If you don&#8217;t believe me, then look at the specs for the front facing camera. \u00a0You will see it has a focal length of 23mm and a viewing angle of 86\u00b0. So smaller focal length, wider angle of view.<\/p>\n<p>All that is well and good. \u00a0But if you have a crappy sensor, then none of that really matters. \u00a0So let&#8217;s get on to the last item, the actual sensor and what those numbers before the \u00b5 (micron) symbol.<\/p>\n<h4>Pixels and micrometers&#8230;..the same (sort of)<\/h4>\n<p>Okay, this is going to hurt your head a little bit. I&#8217;m not going to lie. \u00a0This one part is probably the most important part of the camera. \u00a0Yes all the other stuff does matter, but it is where the &#8220;rubber meets the road&#8221; that makes the difference. \u00a0And we start with an explanation of what \u00a0a pixel is and also how it is sized up.<\/p>\n<p>A pixel, is one very tiny element that represents one part of the whole picture. \u00a0So for example, when we see a blown up view of the screen on our phones, we can see the actual pixel that is making that image.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Closeup_of_pixels.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-medium wp-image-146\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Closeup_of_pixels-300x240.jpg\" alt=\"Closeup_of_pixels\" width=\"300\" height=\"240\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Closeup_of_pixels-300x240.jpg 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Closeup_of_pixels-150x120.jpg 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Closeup_of_pixels.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Each pixel has the three primary colors Red, Green and Blue. \u00a0Sometimes referred to as RGB lighting. It is the combination of these three colors that make up our entire color gambit. \u00a0Now that is an example of a pixel that produces a part of the picture. \u00a0But pixels also take in a part of the picture and then display that part internally. \u00a0That is how photography sensors work. \u00a0To give you a different example. Let&#8217;s look at film. \u00a0You have the light behind the film and it projects the picture on the wall. \u00a0You put the light in front of the film and it captures that image.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So in digital camera we are using the pixels to capture the image versus viewing the image. \u00a0So to help your brain get even more flustered, on digital cameras that image that is being captured by the pixels in the sensor is also being displayed on the electronic view finder. \u00a0So the sensor is doing double duty. \u00a0Yay! \u00a0But that is also why there is a lag between what you see and what is actually captured. \u00a0The EVF is letting you see what <strong>HAS<\/strong> happened and not what <strong>IS<\/strong>\u00a0happening. \u00a0Because the light is coming in the sensor isn&#8217;t going out at the same speed. \u00a0Thus a very small lag. \u00a0Cameras have gotten better with this, but it isn&#8217;t quite the same as a camera that has an optical view finder.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now if you look up at the picture of the BSI picture, that is actually representing a single pixel. \u00a0That is the side view. \u00a0But if you think about looking at it from the top and seeing the lenses, then you will have an idea of what a pixel physically is. I&#8217;m going to be honest, size does matter here. \u00a0The bigger the pixel the better the image quality is.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So let&#8217;s talk about the size of the pixels. \u00a0This is a big thing to think about. \u00a0The size of the pixels has a direct correlation of how good a picture is. The bigger the pixel that more light that it can gather, the sharper the image. \u00a0Are you starting to see a pattern here? \u00a0it&#8217;s all about the amount of light that is hitting the sensor. \u00a0The pixel size is actually measured in micrometer(\u00b5m). \u00a0This measurement is the width of the pixel. \u00a0So a 1.2\u00b5m pixel is going to be smaller that a 1.55\u00b5m pixel. See picture below.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/112-micron-vs-115-micron-pixel-size-comparison.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-149\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/112-micron-vs-115-micron-pixel-size-comparison.png\" alt=\"112-micron-vs-115-micron-pixel-size-comparison\" width=\"155\" height=\"155\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/112-micron-vs-115-micron-pixel-size-comparison.png 155w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/112-micron-vs-115-micron-pixel-size-comparison-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 155px) 100vw, 155px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So the size of the pixels that HTC is using is bigger, but why is it that the HTC M7 and M8 only had 4MP sensors and this one is 12MP. \u00a0Well that has to do with the actual physical size of the sensor. \u00a0It is a much bigger sensor. \u00a0So here&#8217;s the math on how to find out how big the sensor is on the HTC 10 versus the M7 &amp; M8<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">First we are assuming that the aspect ratio for the sensor is 4:3. \u00a0We can get that figure by dividing the length of the sensor by the height of the sensor. \u00a0So 6.17\/4.55 = 1.35. which roughly equates to a 4:3 aspect ratio. \u00a0I got those numbers by looking up the average size of a 1\/2.3&#8243; sensor. \u00a0Now bear in mind, unless HTC gives us the exact dimensions of the sensor all this is just speculation.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now that we know the aspect ratio we can then calculate the pixel count of the sensor. \u00a0So get ready.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Take the MP number and multiply it by 1,000,000. \u00a0So 12 * 1,000,000 = 12,000,000<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Next get a horizontal to vertical and vertical to horizontal ratio. \u00a0So 4\/3 = 1.3 &amp; 3\/4 = .75<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Next multiply the pixel count by the ratios. \u00a0So 12,000,000 * 1.3 = 15,600,000 &amp; 12,000,000 * .75 = 9,000,000<\/li>\n<li style=\"text-align: left;\">Next take the square root of each one of those. So \u221a15, 600,000\u00a0= 3949.68 rounded up to 3950 &amp; \u221a9,000,000\u00a0= 3000<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So our pixel dimensions for our sensor is 3950 x 3000. \u00a0Multiply those together and you get 11,850,000. \u00a0Or 12MP.<\/p>\n<p>So now let&#8217;s look at the sensor size as if it was the old 4MP using the same steps above. \u00a0Ready???<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>4 * 1,000,000 = 4,000,000<\/li>\n<li>Using the same aspect ratio of 4:3 So 4\/3 = 1.3 &amp; 3\/4 = .75<\/li>\n<li>4,000,000 * 1.3 = 5,200,000 &amp; 4,000,000 * .75 = 3,000,000<\/li>\n<li>\u221a5,200,00 = 2280.35 rounded to 2280 &amp; \u221a3,000,000\u00a0= 1732.05 rounded to 1732<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So our pixel dimensions for our older M7 &amp; M8 are around 2280 X 1732. \u00a0So a much smaller sensor size over all. \u00a0Smaller sensor means the smaller amount of pixels that are able to fit on a given sensor. \u00a0Which means you can do much less with them. \u00a0But here, and only here is where the actual MP number matters. \u00a0Because it is only giving us the amount of pixels on the sensor. \u00a0That has nothing to do with the size of the pixels.<\/p>\n<p>So now that we have that out of the way. \u00a0Let&#8217;s talk about pixel size. This is what matters more than the MP count. \u00a0So let&#8217;s look at our new 12MP sensor that is in the HTC 10. \u00a0It has a pixel dimension of 3950 X 3000. \u00a0Now I&#8217;m going to do a very simple calculation to determine the total sensor length in \u00b5m. \u00a0This is totally bogus but helps drive a point across. \u00a0I&#8217;m going to take width and multiply\u00a0that by the pixel size of 1.55. \u00a0That will give us the total length in \u00b5m. \u00a0Then I&#8217;m going to do the same calculation using the 1.12\u00b5n size sensor.<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>3950 * 1.55 = 6122.50<\/li>\n<li>3950 * 1.12 = 4424<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>So even though we have the same number of sensors, you have a lot less actual sensor width. \u00a0Which is pretty simple to figure out. \u00a0But, what does this mean for us? \u00a0It means that we have less amount of actual space to utilize. \u00a0Since the 1.12\u00b5m is physically smaller you will get less light into the pixel. \u00a0In order for the 1.12\u00b5m sized sensor to equal approximately what the 1.55\u00b5m sensor is accomplishing you will need a sensor about 5467 x 4152. \u00a0That is a 22.7 or 23 MP sensor. \u00a0That is the difference a larger pixel can make. And a much larger sensor would be needed for that. \u00a0Which means you would get a huge camera bump on the back of the phone. \u00a0Aka..Nokia Lumia.<\/p>\n<p>By increasing the size of the pixel on the sensor, HTC has allowed a smaller sensor to do more efficient work and produce better pictures and videos. \u00a0The larger pixels reduce noise, increase the amount of light that is introduced into the sensor, increases the sharpness of the pictures and allows the CPU behind the scenes to do less work. \u00a0Thus making the camera and the phone more efficient. \u00a0And this saves battery!<\/p>\n<p>I hope you got all that. \u00a0So in conclusion, a better sensor, optical stabilization, a wider aperture and smaller focal length, combined with much larger pixels, on paper makes for a great camera. \u00a0But only when we are able to see examples of pictures will we be able to tell if they got the camera right this time. You can see some sample video and photos <a href=\"http:\/\/www.androidcentral.com\/htc-10-initial-photo-and-video-samples\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a>. \u00a0As we all should know, there is a difference between theory and practicality.<\/p>\n<h2>The speakers<\/h2>\n<p>So let&#8217;s talk about Boom Sound baby! \u00a0Just you and me&#8230; And all the good things and bad ones as well.<\/p>\n<p>In the M7 HTC introduced front facing speakers and something called &#8220;Boom Sound&#8221;. \u00a0This was one of the best things that came from them. \u00a0I love the way my M8 sounds. \u00a0It&#8217;s perfect for sitting up on the desk and using it to stream music or movies on. Don&#8217;t get me wrong, they aren&#8217;t super quality like a pair of high end headphones or ear phones. But they are good enough to where you don&#8217;t have to hold the phone up to your ear to hear what the hell is being said.<\/p>\n<p>But this year on the HTC 10, they have done something a bit different. \u00a0They have changed how the speakers are oriented and also what their function is. \u00a0So let&#8217;s dive down into what changes they have made.<\/p>\n<p>So far, from what I\u00a0have heard and read, is that the top speaker is doing the job of producing the highs and mids. \u00a0So it&#8217;s a tweeter and a mid range speaker. \u00a0And the bottom speaker, which is on the bottom of the phone, is producing the low end, or the bass side of the sound. \u00a0It is put in the same place as most of the other phone speakers are. \u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.androidcentral.com\/pictures-htc-10\" target=\"_blank\">Here<\/a> are a few pictures for you to view so that you can get a reference for what is about to come.<\/p>\n<p>So the first thing we have to do is understand how sound itself works. The sound we hear is made up of airwaves that are traveling at a certain frequency. \u00a0Now I know what your saying, but how can air be sound. Well let&#8217;s look at that real fast. \u00a0So a simple rule is that there is no sound in a vacuum. \u00a0The reason for this, is that there is nothing for the sound to travel on\/in. \u00a0So without air, which is what a vacuum is, you can&#8217;t have sound. \u00a0So thus, sound is the air around you, and thus sound is made up of airwaves traveling at certain frequencies. Now, to further expand on this, air is the medium that the sound is traveling in. \u00a0So it is this medium that is moving that allows us to hear sound. But a medium can be anything, water, copper pipes, even a wall.<\/p>\n<p>Now sound is represented by sinusoidal (sine) \u00a0waves. \u00a0There are two parts to a sine wave for sound. \u00a0First is the time and the second is the pressure. See the two pictures below.<br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-183 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg-300x187.jpg\" alt=\"The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg-300x187.jpg 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg-150x94.jpg 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/The_Elements_of_Sound_jpg.jpg 680w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-184 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg_-300x100.png\" alt=\"1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg\" width=\"300\" height=\"100\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg_-300x100.png 300w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg_-150x50.png 150w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg_-1024x341.png 1024w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/1920px-Sine_waves_different_frequencies.svg_.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In the first picture, you can see how Pressure is expressed\u00a0by the height of the wave, while Time is expressed by the space between each peak of the wave. \u00a0So the higher the pressure, the taller the wave. This is also known as the amplitude. So the higher the amplitude, the more pressure you have. \u00a0And thus louder sound.<\/p>\n<p>The faster the time, the closer the peaks get to each other. \u00a0If you look at the second picture, you can see that the wave on top, aka bass, has a very long time between each peak of the wave. \u00a0Where as the one on the bottom\u00a0has a much smaller space between the peaks of the wave. \u00a0Now this time is measured in Hertz. \u00a0This is the number associated with how many &#8220;waves&#8221; are in a given second. \u00a0So 60Hz, means that you will see 60 peaks in a second. \u00a0This is also known as the frequency. \u00a0So the higher the frequency the closer the peaks are together.<\/p>\n<p>This length of waves also has an effect on how sound travels through whatever medium it is in at the time. \u00a0The lower the frequency the more penetrating the sound is. \u00a0The higher the frequency the harder it is for the sound to move through dense mediums. \u00a0A good example of this is, if you are driving a long and a car has a lot of bass playing. \u00a0You can hear that just fine, but you can&#8217;t hear what the rest of the music is playing. \u00a0That is because the lower bass frequencies are able to penetrate better than the higher frequencies. \u00a0One other example is, if you are in a pool and someone screams, you can barely hear it. \u00a0But if someone put a bass speaker in there, you can hear that sucker all the way across the pool.<\/p>\n<p>If you want to really get into sound and all the fun stuff. \u00a0You can go <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Sound\" target=\"_blank\">here<\/a> and read it till your brain implodes.<\/p>\n<p>Now that we have a brief understanding of how sound works, let&#8217;s talk a little about speakers. \u00a0So speakers are really very simple machines that convert an electrical signal to a mechanical one. \u00a0That converted signal is called sound. \u00a0So below is a great simple diagram of a speaker.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Speaker-design.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-188\" src=\"https:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Speaker-design.jpg\" alt=\"Speaker design\" width=\"250\" height=\"161\" srcset=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Speaker-design.jpg 250w, http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/04\/Speaker-design-150x97.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 250px) 100vw, 250px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So you have the (1) cone, then you have a (2) electromagnet and a (3) permanent magnet. \u00a0 So what happens is the signal for the frequency comes through the wiring and go around the electromagnet. \u00a0This as an effect of ether being attracted to or repelled by the permanent magnet. \u00a0It is this back and forth movement at the frequency of the sine wave that allows the cone to push air out of it at the frequency of the sound. \u00a0So it&#8217;s a direct 1:1 copy of the signal coming in. \u00a0The higher the frequency, the faster that cone vibrates to make the sound. \u00a0The lower the frequency the slower the cone moves.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Now I know what your thinking, what the hell does all this have to do with the speakers on the HTC 10? \u00a0Well I&#8217;m getting to that. \u00a0So the reports that I have heard is that each speaker has it&#8217;s own dedicated amplifier. \u00a0This is a very important thing. \u00a0Remember how I spoke of pressure a bit earlier? Well the amplifier takes the signal that is coming into it, and makes it greater. \u00a0It\u00a0<strong>amplifies<\/strong> or increases that signal so that it is stronger going into the speaker. \u00a0This gives you a greater pressure and thus greater power to drive that electromagnet. \u00a0By doing this, you can utilize less initial power and create a speaker that has greater output without sacrificing sound quality.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So one of the biggest issues with cell phone speakers is that when you have just one, or sometimes two they are having to handle all the frequencies that you are throwing at them. \u00a0So they are having to generate the highs, mids and lows. \u00a0This is very hard for a speaker to do. \u00a0Because music and hell, human speech is so complex, it really is a tough thing to get right. \u00a0This is the reason why high end speaker companies separate the highs, from the mids and the lows. \u00a0So each one get&#8217;s it&#8217;s own dedicated speaker. \u00a0When you do that, the sound that comes from that speaker is much cleaner and clearer. \u00a0And now we turn it full circle to HTC 10.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">What they have done is give the highs and mids their own dedicated speaker and amplifier. \u00a0And given the bass it&#8217;s own speaker and amplifier. \u00a0This in theory will give you better sound quality and also better depth of \u00a0sound. \u00a0Now what I mean by better depth of sound, is that you should be able to hear more differences in frequencies and this is the nuances to music and sound.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">So all that to get to this conclusion. \u00a0By splitting up the speakers, and allowing them to work on just a certain aspect of the sound, HTC has, in theory, given us a better speaker system. It should produce cleaner, crisper sounds. \u00a0Sounds with less distortion and also sound that has more power and comes out stronger that it would normally. \u00a0So you can turn up the volume and even though you have increased the amplitude, you haven&#8217;t decreased the sound quality. \u00a0<strong> IN THEORY.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4 style=\"text-align: left;\"><strong>In Conclusion<\/strong><\/h4>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I honestly won&#8217;t know more until I get my hands on a HTC 10. \u00a0HTC has given us a better camera. \u00a0They have given us, hopefully, better speakers, and better just about everything on this phone. \u00a0That doesn&#8217;t mean that it is going to be better. \u00a0All these things have to work in conjunction with each other. \u00a0They all must play their small part for the greater good of the phone experience.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">I can tell you this, if the HTC 10 performs as good as it looks on paper, then HTC might be out of trouble. \u00a0But if it fails, then the HTC that we know today, just might be gone in a couple of years.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>So HTC has put out their new phone. \u00a0The HTC 10. \u00a0The question is, is this phone going to be the savior for HTC? \u00a0Or&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"more-link-wrapper\"><a class=\"more-link\" href=\"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/?p=139\">Continue reading<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">HTC 10.. Is it the savior for HTC?<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mobile","category-phones","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=139"}],"version-history":[{"count":47,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":932,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/139\/revisions\/932"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/byrondoss.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}