The HTC U Ultra is one of the company’s latest handsets in the high-end segment. It sports an all new design language, and boasts a spec sheet that is mostly what you would expect from a device at this category.
Design
Photo: gsmarena
HTC has done away with their classic all metal design. and has now opted for a more eye-catching glass+metal construction. Their so-called “Liquid Surface” treatment makes it even more of a visual treat, which I like.
There’s nothing that unusual about the other elements of the design, except that now, someone thought, “Maybe we’ll sell well without a headphone jack.” so they didn’t include one.
Now i’m for innovation and moving with the times, but personally, i’m not so sure about this move. I just can’t think of an alternative that could match the convenience of having the headphone jack, without compromising sound quality.
Another thing is the protruding camera at the back of the device. Not only does it destroy what would’ve been a seamless design, but it also makes the rear panel uneven. This means the phone won’t be able to lay flat on the ground, which can cause some issues when playing games that require you to consistently tap portions of the screen.
U Ultra also has a secondary screen much like the LG V10 and V20, used mainly for notifications, media, and contacts. It’s actually quite a good idea, so long as more and more apps can take advantage of it.
Display
Photo: gsmarena
The U Ultra has a 5.7-inch QHD display. That means almost any type of content should look better and more eye candy in general. We’ll have to see how it affects battery life though.
Performance
HTC U Ultra Specs
- 2.15GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Quad-Core processor
- 4GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD Card (Up to 2TB)
- 5.7-inch QHD display, Gorilla Glass 5 protection
- 12MP Rear Camera, f/1.8 Aperture, OIS, Laser and Phase Detection AF
- 16MP Front Camera
- Dual SIM, LTE
- USB Type-C, DisplayPort interface
- 3000mAh battery
- Quick Charge 3.0 Support
- Android 7.0 Nougat with HTC Sense
- Sensors: Ambient light, Proximity, Motion G-sensor, Compass, Gyroscope, Magnetic, Fingerprint, Sensor Hub
The U Ultra is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which is still very relevant, but is bound to get left behind when manufacturers start to shift into using the newer Snapdragon 835. I guess it’s just a matter of whether you can live with that or not.
There’s 4GB of RAM which is more than enough for multi-tasking and 64GB of internal storage expandable via MicroSD card.
Camera
Photo: gsmarena
As most of us have learned by now, a higher MP count doesn’t always equate to better photos. The Ultra in particular has a 12MP camera with an aperture of f/1.8 and OIS, so we can probably expect that it would be more suited for low light shots. There’s also a 16MP front camera, which more or less translates to decent selfies.
Battery
Photo: gsmarena
At first glance, a 3000mAh battery may be deemed too small for a phone of that has a 2K screen display and such a powerful processor, but we’ll have to run a dedicated test to see how long it could last.
Initial Thoughts
The HTC U Ultra is shaping up to be a great device and a stepping stone for the company’s return to the Philippines. The new design looks eye candy, and the internals are precisely what you expect from a flagship.
The missing headphone jack may annoy a bunch of people, but who knows? maybe HTC made the right choice. Apart from that, there’s just one more thing that it needs to set a foothold: A proper price.
Emman has been writing technical and feature articles since 2010. Prior to this, he became one of the instructors at Asia Pacific College in 2008, and eventually landed a job as Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Integrated Open Source Solutions for almost 3 years.
