HTC have just finished their live press event announcing their new series of smartphones under the new brand U. The U Ultra and U Play are HTC’s latest form of smartphones that start with design and stress the AI and companion aspects of smartphones that give a more personal touch for your device.
U Play
While the U Ultra is the flagship device launching under the new series, the U Play is the more affordable cousin that will include a 5.2-inch 1080p display with Gorilla Glass.
Inside we have a MediaTek Helio P10 Octa-Core processor with 3GB of RAM (4GB in some markets) and 32GB storage (64GB in some markets) with MicroSD slot for expandable memory. The smartphone weighs 145g and measures 146mm x 72.9mm x 7.99mm.
The U Play includes a 16MP sensor with f/2.0 aperture and 28mm focal length on the rear, and 16MP sensor with UltraPixel mode and same f/2.0 aperture with 28mm focal length. Other specs for the U Play includes HTC USonic sound, Dual Microphones, USB type-C, Fingerprint sensor , and 2,500mAh battery. The U Play does not have a 3.5mm headphone hack, and will usb USB Type-C for audio.
U Ultra
The U Ultra of course takes things up a notch and features a 5.7-inch Super LCD 5 display with 2,560 x 1,440 resolution. It also has the latest Gorilla Glass 5 from Corning. There will be a Sapphire Glass edition of the device later in the year, that will also include 128GB of storage.
The device sports a secondary display above the main display aimed at personal notifications and messages. The smaller display is 2.05-inches and has a resolution of 160 x 1,040.
The design of the devices all falls behind what HTC are calling a Lquid Display. Which features glass molded and bent in every direction to fit the natural curve of the device. The phones weighs 170g and measures 162.41mm x 79.79mm x 7.99m
Inside the device we have the Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 chipset with quad-core CPU clocked at 2.15GHz and 4GB of RAM. Storage space is standard 64GB with MicroSD slot (128GB Sapphire edition to arrive later)
Rear camera side of things we have a 12MP UltraPixel sensor with 1.55μm pixel size, f/.1.8 aperture, and both laser and phase detection focusing. The camera supports 4K recording and HDR video. Front facing camera is a 16MP sensor with UltraPixel Model and support for Full 1080p video.
HTC are known for their stereo speakers and Boom sound, and the U Ultra is getting some sound lovin too. The device will features HTC’s BoomSound HiFi edition, and the new USonic feature for better sound quality using earphones using ultrasonic tech to analyse your ears to provide better sound suited directly for you. Since we have no 3.5mm jack, we’re talking USB type-C earphones for the device, unless using an adaptor.
The device also includes a 4 microphone array with support for 3D audio recording, but HTC also explained the added microphones will be used for voice control and biometric voice security for unlocking your smartphone. Lastly, the U Ultra also includes a USB Type-C connection, Fingerprint sensor (rear) and a 3,000mAh battery.
The U Play will be avaialble on March 1st in Brilliant Black and Sapphire Blue, with the U Ultra avaialble to pre-order today directly from HTC and will be avaialble in Brilliant Black, Sapphire Blue and Ice White. We will hopefully be able to get you a review of the new devices as quickly as possible.
