HTC Corp. earlier this week unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the 5.2-inch HTC 10. Thanks to multiple leaks leading up to the launch ( here, here, and here, to point out a few) there was very little we didn’t know about the HTC 10 already.

Regardless, HTC still managed to unveil a rather impressive Android flagship — one that goes head-to-head with the Samsung Galaxy S7, the LG G5, and the Huawei P9 (set to make its way to the U.S. later this year).

Below we take a look at the HTC 10’s standout features and see how it compares to its rivals — on paper at least.

Design

HTC 10 design and layout

The 5.2-inch Quad HD display is encased in a full-glass front combined with an all metal unibody with chamfered edges — not a groundbreaking design but makes for a very sleek looking package.

Camera

HTC 10 12-UltraPixel rear camera

HTC claims the HTC 10 sports the best smartphone camera available right now, and also the first smartphone to have optical image stabilization on both the rear and front cameras. A DxOMark test ranks the HTC 10 in joint first place with the Samsung Galaxy S7’s camera — confirming that bold claim.

The rear shooter is 12 UltraPixel unit with a large f1.8 aperture lens combined with 2nd-gen laser autofocus. The Ultra Selfie camera is a 5MP unit with a wide angle lens and screen flash for brighter selfies. Serious photographers will be happy to now that a range of manual controls and RAW format are supported.

You can see a series of real-world images shot using the HTC 10 by mobile photographers at Grryo. 

Audio

Capable of shooting 4K video, the HTC 10 also features stereo, 24-bit, Hi-Res audio recording that captures 256x more sound detail than standard, across double the frequency range.

Audio output is also Hi-Res with a headphone amp that has double the output of conventional units and the ability to upscale from 16-bit to 24-bit audio. A new Personal Audio Profile creates a unique listening profile that HTC says dynamically adjusts specific sound frequencies to each ear. Listening without the headphones should also deliver exceptional sound thanks to two HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers.

Performance

A glance at the technical specifications below may lead you to think there’s not much difference between the HTC 10 and its competitors. Real-world testing and benchmarking is yet to take place, so in the meantime, we’ll have to rely on HTC’s claims.

According to the company, apps launch twice as fast, the Quad HD display is 50 percent more colorful and also 50 percent more responsive than its predecessor, the HTC One M9.

The fingerprint sensor unlocks the phone is just 0.2 seconds and will even learn to recognize the user’s finger faster over time thanks to a clever algorithm.

The HTC 10 is powered by the same Snapdragon 820 CPU found in the Galaxy S7 and LG G5, but HTC’s Boost+ optimizes memory use to speed up the phone and auto detects and shuts down power-hungry apps to improve battery life by 30 percent for an impressive two days battery life.

Sadly, it seems that the 64GB version of the HTC 10 will not be available in the U.S., as confirmed by a tweet from HTC’s Senior Global Online Communications Manager Jeff Gordon:

The US is getting HTC 10 in 32GB (with expandable Flex Storage) in Carbon Gray or Glacier Silver (with black front). https://t.co/1A2sTe5Kov

— Jeff Gordon (@urbanstrata) April 12, 2016

Fewer duplicate apps, Freestyle Layout

HTC 10 has only best apps from Google and HTC

HTC says it’s eliminated duplicate apps and bloatware, keeping only the best HTC apps and Android apps from Google — one for each task, instead of doubling up as handset makers are wont to do. Let’s hope the wireless carriers don’t undo all this good work by adding their own bloatware.

The company’s also done away with the traditional grid-style screen layout. A new Freestyle Layout lets users arrange icons in any way they want.

The HTC 10 is available for pre-order now. Find out here how you can get your HTC 10 and what it will cost you.

HTC 10 vs. Galaxy S7 vs. LG G5 vs. Huawei P9: Tech specs

Images via HTC Corp.