HTC U12+ first impressions

The HTC U12+ is the official successor to the HTC U11 from 2017. If you’re simply looking at the spreadsheet, the new device hits all the right marks – and then some. It has a 6-inch 18:9 aspect ratio display, the latest Snapdragon 845 processor, 6GB of RAM, 64GB and 128GB storage options, a dual-camera on the back, a decently-sized 3500 mAH battery and a metal and glass body.

Since those features are pretty standard for 2018, HTC added a few more to set its phone apart. For starters, it has not one, but two 8MP cameras up front, allowing you to capture better selfies while also blurring out the background. Sure, the Pixel 2 can do the same thing with only one sensor, but HTC is definitely ahead of the competition if you want a device that takes selfies seriously. The image quality seems on point and the fake bokeh effect worked as advertised. I wasn’t also to test the selfie cameras out in low-light, but I have a feeling that the results will be better than what we got with the HTC U11.

The second unique feature that the HTC U12+ has to offer is Edge Sense 2. We were introduced to the tech last year with the U11 and HTC even licensed it to Google to use on the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2XL, but Edge Sense 2 has a handful of new features which make it dramatically more useful than it was in the past. The phone can now literally sense (pun intended) how you’re holding the phone. If you’re holding it in your right hand, you can double tap the right edge to shrink the display so that you can reach the far corners with just one hand. Same for the left. But that action won’t be triggered if you’re holding the phone with your left or right hand at tap the opposite side. What’s even cooler is that it will also detect your grip and stop the phone’s screen from rotating if you’re using your phone while laying down. If you change your grip to adjust to watching a video, the phone will then switch the orientation.

HTC took its Edge Sense tech one step further and used it to replace the physical buttons on the phone. That’s right, the buttons on the right edge of the U12+ are not buttons at all. They’re simply bumps on the metal frame with pressure sensors beneath them. I didn’t notice this until it was pointed out by someone in the room ten minutes after I started testing the phone. It felt like the buttons were simply more rigid than usual, but I hadn’t given it a second thought since my presses registered as intended, turning the screen on and off and adjusting the volume without issue.

While these features are truly unique to the HTC U12+, they’re hardly true selling points. What’s disappointing is that the phone doesn’t have wireless charging, there’s no 3.5mm headphone jack and HTC hasn’t really updated its software in over two years. HTC Sense feels extremely dated and needs a complete overhaul. Since Google is adding gesture navigation support to Android P and changing up how Recents/Multi-tasking works, we would see some improvements to the UI when the next version of Android comes out, but that’s at least 6-8 months out.

There’s a lot to like about the HTC U12+, but HTC needs to double down on its marketing campaign for this phone if it wants it to be a success – especially since it doesn’t have any carrier partnership lined up in the US. If you’re using a device that’s over a year old, the U12+ is likely a great choice for you. But if you’re using something newer or simply aren’t quite convinced yet, I suggest waiting a bit longer for my full review.