Not just Xiaomi and iPhone. The King is back!
After a long and extremely fruitful collaboration with Google, HTC is back again with its own smartphone. U12+ was a continuation of the Taiwanese company’s own vision for 2018 flagships.
It turned out expensive, stylish and very cool. Extremely cool. And, by the way, it’s completely different from others.
Specifications
- 6-inch Super LCD6 display, 18:9 aspect ratio, Quad HD+ resolution (2880 x 1440 pixels), HDR 10 support, Gorilla Glass 5 protection;
- Snapdragon 845 processor operating at a maximum frequency of 2.8 GHz;
- 6 GB of RAM;
- 64 GB and 128 GB storage, microSD memory card slot (up to 2 TB);
- 12 MP (with HTC's UltraPixel 4 technology) + 16 MP (Sony IMX3xx sensor) main dual camera, 2x optical zoom, with f/1.5 aperture and UltraSpeed and laser autofocus. 4K video recording (HDR10 support) at 60 fps, as well as Full HD slow motion at 240 fps;
- 8 MP + 8 MP dual front camera, portrait mode, wide-angle lens, screen flash, AR stickers and HDR Boost;
- hybrid slot for two SIM cards (nano only, like HTC U11+);
- fingerprint scanner on the rear panel and Face Unlock;
- JBL speakers at the bottom, Boom Sound with Dolby Audio support;
- Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, NFC, Bluetooth 5.0;
- 3500 mAh battery with support for Quick Charge 4.0 (but only QC3.0 in the original kit);
- Sense 10 shell based on Android Oreo
Appearance
From the outside, the HTC U12+ stands out from any modern smartphone. This is not an iPhone X clone, not a Samsung clone, but an absolutely original device with a fundamentally new design.
Like many others, it uses glass (an interesting fact compared to HTC's all-metal Nexux) on a solid metal frame that extends along the edges. The glossy lid, shimmering with all the colors of the rainbow, looks simply gorgeous. But it also collects prints very well.
However, the unique solution with a horizontally positioned dual camera should be considered a serious plus. This is exactly what the back cover of a normal person’s smartphone should look like. Unless the fingerprint sensor asks to go somewhere else – although it looks cool due to the color difference.
The front panel is interestingly designed. HTC abandoned the popular flirting with a unibrow and complete framelessness, adding convenient padding at the top and bottom. Despite them, the smartphone still has a really comfortable screen elongated to an 18:9 aspect ratio. And due to the normal sides (however, increasing the dimensions), there was also a place for the front camera.
The only external drawback of the HTC U12+ is its enormous thickness. A whole centimeter, all the bloggers shout. Wait, did you know that the average thickness of a smartphone today is about 7-8 millimeters? And, since the camera does not protrude, the U12+ is even in a more advantageous position, it is simply more comfortable to hold than the notorious thin Xiaomi.
Those with small hands will have to use their second hand. Unless, of course, you use special control modes, because the Taiwanese have prepared a sensational greeting by abandoning the usual control methods.
Display
But first we need to talk about the screen. What's interesting about it? HTC developers could not or did not want to use an AMOLED matrix, opting for the usual and proven IPS. But what a matrix this is!
Firstly, the diagonal is 6 inches with an 18:9 ratio. Secondly, the already forgotten, but gorgeous 2K resolution (2880 × 1440). Thirdly, natural color gamut, expanded to the DCI-P3 standard.
Disadvantage exactly 1 – insufficient brightness. In the sun, the display frankly goes blind and the advantage in color display is lost, even if you enable the sRGB color profile in the settings. But the contrast for IPS is simply incredible - 1447:1, almost reaching OLED values.
Ease of use
Now we can talk about the secrets of controlling HTC U12+. The fact is that the developers abandoned mechanical controls. Instead, HTC U12+ offers touch-sensitive power and volume buttons with vibration feedback. Moreover, they can only be used for their intended purpose.
All fast functions are performed by compressing the body using proprietary Edge Sense technology, which uses compression of the edges of the smartphone. When you touch the edge for a long time, the smartphone displays a shortcut menu. Compression on both sides is activated by a function pre-selected in the system settings. Interestingly, the smartphone can distinguish and adapt short and long presses to the user’s hands.
That is, you can use it practically without using most of the screen. I clicked on the edge and brought up a menu in a convenient place and launched what I needed. The convenience is incredible because you don't have to reach anywhere.
In addition, sensitive edges allow the smartphone to accurately determine its position in space and adjust the screen orientation. No more random turns.
Hardware filling
The HTC U12+ processor is the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, which became standard in 2018. But with some peculiarities: the AI module is not activated and is not used.
The performance of this smartphone does not break absolute records, but it confidently ranks among the top ten best and most powerful. At the same time, the processor is extremely cold, the built-in graphics carries everything it can, and in total the smartphone solves any current and future problems.
Unfortunately, the HTC U12+ only has 6 GB of RAM, and the drive comes in 64/128 GB variants. Compared to OnePlus and other devices, with 8 GB of RAM you can’t help but think – is that enough? But, unlike all flagships, there is a microSD slot that is installed instead of a second SIM card. And you can install a memory card up to a terabyte there!
Another important point: the smartphone simultaneously works with two SIMs, each of which can be connected to LTE up to version Cat.18. That is, the device is equipped with two modems.
Other interfaces are in place: Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi 802.11a/b/g/n/ac (2.4/5 GHz), there is NFC with which Google Pay and Troika work.
Naturally, when using a smartphone as a navigator, all types of satellites are available, and a cold start takes a couple of seconds. But it’s unlikely that you’ll be able to actively use U12 in this way.
Cameras
The new flagship HTC U12 Plus became the first for the company to receive a full-fledged dual camera. They didn’t go far, borrowing the operating principle of the combination from Apple.
The main one is carried over from last year’s models (U Ultra, U11, U11+): a 12-megapixel sensor with 1.55-μm photosensitive elements and an ƒ/1.75 aperture lens.
The additional one, necessary to provide 2x zoom and the bokeh effect, received a 16 megapixel sensor and an ƒ/2.6 lens.
The first plus is immediately noticeable: the lenses do not protrude above the body, although with such thickness this is not surprising. The second is an interesting autofocus system: the U12 Plus has both laser and phase detection autofocus.
The notorious DxO rated the HTC U12+'s performance at 106 points when taking photos. Well, with a dual flash and a good HDR mode, it turned out to be a good camera.
The smartphone is equipped with optical stabilization, can shoot in RAW and has an advanced manual mode. In general, everything is like everyone else - not impressive, but you don’t need to dance with the camera to get a good shot. Will do whatever you ask.
Daytime photographs turn out very bright and juicy.
Portrait mode, unlike many modern smartphones, is extremely unobtrusive, so the smartphone itself offers to turn it on almost constantly.
Sound
HTC supported Apple by abandoning the mini-jack almost immediately. Officially - to ensure moisture resistance. In fact - to simplify the design.
The U12+ is equipped with a 3.0 port that can output analog audio. Therefore, any simple Chinese adapter for 50 rubles will do. Or any wireless headphones with aptX
In addition, the company offers HTC USonic headphones included with the smartphone, which adapt to the user’s ear. They sound much better than the popular hybrid Xiaomi ones!
But HTC U12+ has two external speakers that work with the Boomsound sound enhancement system. It will replace a small portable speaker - the sound is unexpectedly loud, spacious and of high quality.
And a system of 4 built-in noise-canceling microphones will replace not only a voice recorder - you can even record a concert.
Autonomy
HTC U12+ has a 3500 mAh battery. Therefore, the average operating time is daylight hours, about 12-16 hours with 6 hours of screen time.
And this despite the fact that devices on the Snapdragon 845 easily provide 12-16 hours of screen time. U12+ even plays video for no longer than 6 hours, which is very little.
To charge the smartphone, USB Type-C (USB 3.1) and Quick Charge 4.0 are used, so the gadget charges in an hour. But the box contains a device that complies with the Quick Charge 3.0 standard.
conclusions
Despite minor shortcomings, the HTC U12+ turned out to be an original and advanced smartphone that stands out from the general background of endless iPhone clones and numerous Huawei ones.
The only thing I'm not too pleased with is the price: for $900 it has a lot of competitors. However, let us remind you that not a single Chinese flagship cheaper, including OnePlus 6 and Xiaomi Mi8, is capable boast stereo sound, normal sound recording - and they don’t normally record 4K video learned.
In addition, HTC offers a sane design that the current generation of smartphones can only dream of. And how simple it turned out - you don’t have to copy, but make your own!
