The long-awaited HTC U12+ is finally here. HTC unveiled the new phone today at an event at its headquarters in Taipei. The phone’s design and its features align with most of the rumors that have been shared, but there are a few details which haven’t been shared until today.
The phone’s specs align perfectly with what we’ve seen from other 2018 flagship devices. The HTC U12+ has a 6-inch QHD+ Super LCD6 display and is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC with 6GB of RAM and 64 or 128GB storage options. Like the Huawei P20 Pro, the U12+ also have 4 cameras, but its splits them evenly between the front and back of the phone. The main dual-camera setup on the back is comprised of a 12MP main sensor and 16MP secondary sensor which features a 2X-zoom lens and allows users to take portrait-style photos with a blurred-out background. HTC has also added laser autofocus and improved image quality with HDR Boost 2. DXO Mark has given the phone a score of 103 which is the second highest score in its ranking.
The front-facing camera also uses the same technology and can take portrait photos as well. And to make sure it’s not falling behind the times, HTC is also emphasizing that its phone also has face unlock.
The design of the HTC U12+ isn’t much different from the HTC U11+ with an 18:9 aspect ratio display up front, a metal frame and glass back with HTC’s signature Liquid Surface finish. The hero color for this year is Translucent Blue which is semi-transparent towards the top, revealing some of the phone internal components. One unique design feature is the lack of physical buttons on the U12+. While it looks like there are power and volume buttons on the right edge of the device, they don’t actually move like traditional buttons. Instead, the virtual buttons are pressure sensitive, just like the edges of the phone.
Edge Sense has been bumped up to version 2 which added several new features. The phone can now sense which hand is being used to hold it, allowing it to trigger specific actions when sensing a double thumb tap on the side of the phone or keeping the screen from auto-rotating when held sideways in bed.
As for power, the phone uses a 3,500 mAh battery which should be enough to keep the device running for 10-12 hours. It supports Quick Charge 4.0, but HTC is only including a Quick Charge 3.0 charger in the box. HTC claims that the included charger can deliver a 50% charge in just 35 minutes.
At $799, the 64GB HTC U12+ isn’t exactly cheap, but you’ll only need to spend $50 more if you want the 128GB model. In the UK, the phone carries a £699 price tag while our friends up in Canada will have to part with $1,099 CAD for the base model. Pre-orders of the phone start today with the first round of deliveries set sometime in early June.
