HTC is heading downright towards the loss and is on the verge of a collapse. However, thankfully, the U12 Plus at least seems like the smartphone that could bring them on the right track.
Despite carrying a similar body to last year’s U11, the phone comes with some modern changes. It has a new 18:9 screen with fewer bezels both at the top and bottom. The phone’s also now IP68 rated preventing it from water and dust. Likewise, it has got a 6-inch Super LCD6 QHD+ screen (1,440 x 2,280 pixel) that supports HDR10 and DCI-P3. It’s quite pleasing to see that HTC is one of the few companies to not go on to the latest “notch” route.
Similar to what the U11 had, the U12 Plus also comes with an Edge Sense technology. It is pressure sensitive and responds to your squeeze gestures. Interestingly enough, this time, the company has also implemented a double tap feature — i.e. double tap the rims and the phone brings you your desired application as programmed.
Last year’s model had a great camera and it looks like the HTC U12 Plus has a similar gene. The device has a dual-camera setup at the back. The setup consists of a pair of 12MP ultra-pixel sensor and a 16MP companion that offer 2x optical zoom. The former has a f/1.8 aperture and supports OIS, PDAF, and laser autofocus.
Moreover, the front also carries a dual-camera setup either. For selfies, it has a two 8MP sensor.
Focusing on the internals, the HTC U12 Plus now has a Snapdragon 845 chipset. The powerful chipset is accompanied by 6GB of RAM and 64/128GB of internal storage which can be expanded. The whole phone will boot Android 8.0 Oreo out of the box, while HTC has made an assurance that they will update it to Android P.
Like every flagship, the HTC U12 Plus also has its own quirks. Despite the glass back, the phone misses out on wireless charging. And to top it off, the phone comes with a downgraded battery of 3,500mAh.
However, features like stereo speakers, high-res audio and the translucent Gorilla Glass 5 back still makes this phone a unique thing in today’s market.
As for the pricing, the 64GB variant of the phone will go on sale for $799, whereas the 128GB one is priced at $849.
