HTC's new U series ditches the aluminium unibody design for a glass one

2:12:00 PM dickwyn 0 Comments

Taiwan smartphone maker HTC is kicking off the year with a brand new smartphone series that they are calling HTC U. Two devices under this new series are the HTC U Play and HTC U Ultra. Both devices are expected to hit the markets in both February and March respectively.

What makes the new HTC U Play and U Ultra unique is that they come in a brand new glass and metal design. This is by no means the first time we're seeing such a design but HTC's approach introduces striking color options that make it look more mesmerizing than any other glass backed smartphone out there. And to top things off, the bigger 128GB HTC U Ultra comes covered with sapphire crystal glass which is one of the most durable glass out there.

HTC U Play Key Specifications

— 5.2-inch 1080P Super LCD display
— MediaTek Helio P10 SoC
— 3/4GB RAM
— 32/64GB expandable memory
— 16MP f2.0 rear camera
— 16MP f2.0 front camera
— 2,500mAh battery
— Android 6.0 Marshmallow
— Dual SIM LTE
— 146 x 72.9 x 8mm

— 145g

— Black, Pink, White, Blue

HTC U Ultra Key Specifications

— 5.7-inch 1440P Super LCD5 display
— 2.05-inch 160 x 1040 secondary display
— Snapdragon 821 SoC
— 4GB RAM
— 64/128GB expandable memory
— 12MP f1.8rear camera
— 16MP front camera
— 3,000mAh battery
— Android 7.0 Nougat
— Dual SIM LTE
— 162.4 x 79.8 x 8mm

— 170g

— Black, Pink, White, Blue

Beyond the glitz and glamour, the new HTC U smartphones also come with a USB Type-C port which is a critical spec because HTC has not included a 3.5mm headphone jack with the device. But HTC is including a pair of USB-C earphones in the box.

Moving on to more positive aspects of the HTC U series, both devices come with a new voice unlock feature that works hand in hand with the 4 always-on microphone on the device. There's also the trusty fingerprint sensor on the front. Other than that, the HTC U series looks like a pretty compelling smartphone.

At this point we're not sure if this is HTC's flagship devices for the year as the pricing for both these devices are placed at a premium.