We are about two weeks into 2017, and HTC has fired the first volley into the world of smartphone launches, with their announcement of the new HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play. These two phones represents a new direction of where HTC is heading to – alas, sans audio jack.
The HTC U Ultra is the bigger of the two, coming in at 5.7-inches, and includes a bevy of features that is comparable to flagship devices everywhere. It has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 processor, 4GB of RAM, a choice of either 64 or 128GB of storage, a 12-megapixel camera with a f/1.8 lens and large pixels for better low-light capability, a 16-megapixel front selfie camera with a wide angle lens and for the first time for a HTC device, a second screen, just next to the selfie shooter on the front. The phone also features four microphones for high quality audio recording, which can also be used for voice commands and voice biometric systems.
For something a bit smaller, the HTC U Play comes with a 5.2-inch display, the MediaTek Helio P10 processor, either 32GB or 64GB of storage paired with up to 4GB of RAM, and a 16-megapixel rear camera.
Both phones come with a new material treatment called Liquid Surface, where the glass curves to all four sides of the body, into the thin metal unibody chassis which circles around the phone. According to our editor when the phone was previewed in CES, it was smooth yet slippery to the touch.
Another new feature that HTC touts is the HTC Sense Companion, which was designed to work with the second screen on the HTC U Ultra. It is an AI with machine learning capabilities that can learn the user’s daily workflow and customise the alerts that appears on the second screen to cater the needs of the user at that time.
For audiophiles – yes the HTC U series come sans headphone jack, but instead HTC has bundled along with the phones their USonic headphones, which is said to be intelligent enough that it can customise the audio experience to fit your ear canals.
No local prices have been announced yet for the HT U series, but the global prices were shared during the announcement event online. The HTC U Ultra will be retailing for USD 749, or about RM 3340. It will be available in four colours – blue, black white or pink. The HTC U Play does not have any price tag associated to it as of yet. There will also be a limited edition U Ultra with a sapphire glass screen on the front and 128GB of storage. No price for this as well. Malaysian availability is still certain, so we will be reaching out to HTC Malaysia soon.
