HTC has been overshadowed by competitors like Samsung and Apple, but the unveiling of their latest flagships could turn things around for the company (Or not). Their names? HTC U Ultra, and HTC U-Play, the all-glass smartphones imbued with artificial intelligence.
The HTC U Ultra is a phablet-sized device with a 5.7-inch display. One major feature is the second ticker display on top of the phone (It reminds me of the LG V20, but it’s a lot more useful). The display measures 2.05 inches and comes with a resolution of 160 x 1040.
Other specs include Gorilla Glass 5 protection, Snapdragon 821, 64-bit quad-core SoC, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable internal storage. A 12-megapixel HTC UltraPixel 2 OIS camera (1.55um pixel size) is placed on the back of the phone, you’ll also find a 16-megapixel snapper on the device’s front. A 3,000mAh battery is included and so is Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
While the iPhone-sized HTC U Play doesn’t come with a second ticker display but has a 5.2-inch display, along with a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset. You also get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of native storage, as well as a microSD card expansion slot. There’s an optically-stabilized f/2.0 16MP camera with phase-detection autofocus at the back. Although it is larger than the 12MP UltraPixel shooter of the U Ultra, it has smaller 1µm pixels. Finally, you get a 2,500mAh battery adorned with fast charging.
NOTEWORTHY DETAILS
The U Ultra abandons a dedicated headphone jack for a unified USB-C port. HTC has also implemented its own A.I. (Yes, they’ve joined the A.I. gang) that will be integrated with the phone’s secondary display, allowing for voice and touch interactions without powering up the primary screen. The AI (HTC Sense Companion) can also:i
Look at your calendar and predict if you can make it through the day on a full charge. If not, you’ll see a prompt to recharge your phone and an offer to disable power-sucking apps…
Offer restaurant recommendations based on your patterns…
Warn you of awful weather so you can adjust your commute or take a scarf.
The U Ultra will be available for pre-order at a starting price of $749 for the 64GB sapphire, black, white, and pink options. While the HTC U-Play is scheduled for “global markets” in early 2017, pricing has not been announced, but potential buyers should expect something between the $400 – $500 price range.
The lingering question is whether all this is enough to turn around HTC’s fortunes. I’d leave that for you to answer.
The HTC U Ultra is a phablet-sized device with a 5.7-inch display. One major feature is the second ticker display on top of the phone (It reminds me of the LG V20, but it’s a lot more useful). The display measures 2.05 inches and comes with a resolution of 160 x 1040.
Other specs include Gorilla Glass 5 protection, Snapdragon 821, 64-bit quad-core SoC, 4GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable internal storage. A 12-megapixel HTC UltraPixel 2 OIS camera (1.55um pixel size) is placed on the back of the phone, you’ll also find a 16-megapixel snapper on the device’s front. A 3,000mAh battery is included and so is Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 3.0 technology.
While the iPhone-sized HTC U Play doesn’t come with a second ticker display but has a 5.2-inch display, along with a MediaTek Helio P10 chipset. You also get 3GB of RAM and 32GB of native storage, as well as a microSD card expansion slot. There’s an optically-stabilized f/2.0 16MP camera with phase-detection autofocus at the back. Although it is larger than the 12MP UltraPixel shooter of the U Ultra, it has smaller 1µm pixels. Finally, you get a 2,500mAh battery adorned with fast charging.
NOTEWORTHY DETAILS
The U Ultra abandons a dedicated headphone jack for a unified USB-C port. HTC has also implemented its own A.I. (Yes, they’ve joined the A.I. gang) that will be integrated with the phone’s secondary display, allowing for voice and touch interactions without powering up the primary screen. The AI (HTC Sense Companion) can also:i
Look at your calendar and predict if you can make it through the day on a full charge. If not, you’ll see a prompt to recharge your phone and an offer to disable power-sucking apps…
Offer restaurant recommendations based on your patterns…
Warn you of awful weather so you can adjust your commute or take a scarf.
The U Ultra will be available for pre-order at a starting price of $749 for the 64GB sapphire, black, white, and pink options. While the HTC U-Play is scheduled for “global markets” in early 2017, pricing has not been announced, but potential buyers should expect something between the $400 – $500 price range.
The lingering question is whether all this is enough to turn around HTC’s fortunes. I’d leave that for you to answer.
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