HTC held a special sitting on January 12 and used this event to unveil two new phones – the HTC U Ultra flagship and a midrange HTC U Play.
HTC has had turbulent years lately, with the HTC 10 expected to change the Taiwanese company’s fortunes. But it failed, hence the new HTC U Ultra. So, what has changed or rather what does the new phablet bring to the table?
Here’s a look at the top 5 features that can make the HTC U Ultra a real force in the highly saturated smartphone world.
Secondary ticker display
Although not unique to the HTC U Ultra, you get a secondary ticker display screen similar to the LG V20 but slightly smaller in size at 2 inches compared to the 2.1 inches of the latter. The screen appears on top of the main screen, which has is a 5.7-inch QHD panel. This secondary ticker display helps users check things like notifications, contacts, time, and so on.
World-class cameras
Not so many major names have had the chance to use huge selfie lenses on their handsets’ selfie shooters. LG was bold enough to use a dual-lens setup on the V10 while Samsung and OnePlus have also been doing the same with their latest handsets. OnePlus 3T has a 16MP selfie sensor – same as Samsung Galaxy C Pro series as well as Galaxy A5 2017 and Galaxy A7 2017.
However, the new HTC U Ultra takes this to the next level by packing a 16MP UltraPixel snapper that is up to four times more sensitive to light as compared to using the phone in normal mode, thus ensuring you get better photos even when in dark rooms.
Interestingly, the phone has a 12MP UltraPixel 2 snapper on the back, but this doesn’t make it a poor performer just because it has fewer megapixels. In fact, this is the same snapper that appears in the Google Pixel XL, which industry analysts DxOMark have ranked at 89, the best so far in the industry. Whether the new HTC U Ultra will beat this ranking is still unknown, but we should know this very soon after real world tests.
Impressive audio features
HTC is known for its qualities when it comes to audio features of phones and as it is, the U Ultra doesn’t disappoint at all. You will come across the trademark BoomSound Hi-Fi speakers that come with a tweeter and a woofer. The phone also comes with four high-sensitive microphones that promise enhanced positional sounds when recording.
However, despite all these, the HTC U Ultra takes after the HTC Bolt in dropping the 3.5mm headphone jack, meaning users will have to depend on either wireless headsets or the USB-C port. If you want to keep using your old earphones, there is no other option other than getting an adapter for the same. Still, HTC will also be offering USB-C USonic earphones together with the flagship.
HTC Sense Companion
If you love what the Google Assistant and Apple Siri are doing with the Google Pixel and iPhone 7 devices, well, the HTC U Ultra has its own Sense Companion. This is just another AI-assisted digital assistant that is meant to make this phone smarter than you may imagine. The Companion will keep learning more from your actions with the phone and in the long run, you will for sure wonder how you previously used HTC phones successfully without the assistant, unless it turns out to be a huge gimmick. Like Google and Apple’s assistants, the Sense Companion will also be able to take in voice commands in a bid to execute different actions.
Sleek glass and metal design
Samsung took the world by storm when it debuted the glass and metal design and apparently, many OEMs are taking this route. HTC U Ultra is the latest member to join this growing glass-back family of smartphones, leaving behind the metallic designs it has been using on its previous flagships. The glass has been perfectly molded around the phone’s edges, giving it a more premium look than the HTC 10 ever looked. You have the option to choose from Ice White, Sapphire Blue, Cosmetic Pink and Brilliant Black color variants.
The HTC U Ultra is already available for pre-orders via the official HTC USA website and is valued at $749. Being a GSM model, only T-Mobile and AT&T are supported. Sorry Verizon and Sprint users, hopefully, a CDMA variant comes in sooner than later.
What do you think about the HTC U Ultra flagship? Let us know your thoughts via the comments box.