Introduction
Some trends are better left for others to follow, and we'll be doing our own thing. This is what high-ranking HTC operatives must have said at some point during the development of the company's latest high-end smartphone. So here we have the HTC U12+ with a tall 18:9 display, no headphone jack and a dual camera with 2x zoom. Wait, all these are very much current trends, so what was that first sentence all about? You see, there's no notch on the U12+.
Going by the numbers, the notchless display is the same as last year - a 6-inch Super LCD6 with QHD+ resolution in an 18:9 ratio. This time, however, it's got a tick in the HDR10 compliance box and should also display the DCI-P3 and sRGB color spaces. So it's not the same then.
The U12+ is actually HTC's first modern-day global flagship with a dual camera, and this time it's a proper one. After its pioneering efforts in the field (the One (M8) and its depth-only second cam) didn't exactly take off at the time, HTC is now playing catch up, sort of.
Building on top of the already excellent U11 12MP shooter, the U12+ adds an extra 16MP telephoto module for 2x zoom and the all-important faux bokeh (yes, the One (M8) could do that too, back in 2014). Not content with its trailing dual-camera position, HTC out-dualed the other big names and fitted a pair of cams on the front as well - two 8MP ones.
The default Android flagship chip for 2018 can be found inside the U12+ - Qualcomm's Snapdragon 845, and with 6GB of RAM and at least 64GB of storage (which is also expandable), you won't be strapped for gigabytes. Oddly enough, battery capacity has been reduced compared to the U11+ - it's now 3,500mAh (vs. 3,930mAh on the outgoing model).
HTC U12+ specs
- Body: 'Liquid Surface' glass back; IP68 rating; 156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7 mm, 188g
- Screen: 6.0" 2880x1440px (18:9) Super LCD 6, 537ppi; DCI-P3 and sRGB color space coverage; HDR 10 compliance
- Chipset:Â Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, octa-core CPU (4x2.7GHz Kryo 385 Gold & 4x1.7GHz Kryo 385 Silver), Adreno 630 GPU
- Memory: 6GB RAM, 64GB/128GB of storage, microSD slot
- Rear camera: Primary 12MP, 1.4µm pixel size, f/1.75 aperture, OIS; Secondary 16MP, 1.0µm pixel size, f/2.6 aperture, OIS; phase-detect + laser autofocus; 2x zoom. 2160p/60fps, 1080p/240fps slow motion
- Front camera: 2x8MP, 1.12µm pixel size, f/2.0 aperture; fixed focus; 1080p video
- OS: Android 8.0 Oreo with HTC Sense
- Battery: 3,500 mAh non-removable, QuickCharge 3.0 charger bundled
- Connectivity: Single-SIM, Dual-SIM available in certain markets (hybrid slot); LTE-A, 4-Band/5-Band carrier aggregation, Cat.18 (1.2Gbps/150Mbps); USB Type-C (v3.1); Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac MU-MIMO; GPS, GLONASS, Beidou, Galileo; NFC; Bluetooth 5.0.
- Misc: Rear-mounted fingerprint sensor, BoomSound dual speakers; pressure sensitive buttons; HTC Edge Sense 2 - customizable squeeze gestures
With the U12+ HTC has taken further strides in its attempts to make squeezing your phone cool. Edge Sense 2 it's called, and we'll need to spend more time with it to fully appreciate it, but non-clickable buttons? Hmm.
Anyway, HTC was kind enough to invite us to spend some time with the U12+ and we're not really known for declining such offers. We went, we touched, we took photos, we'll be sharing them now.
HTC U12+ hands-on
Finally someone's done it - HTC made a transparent-backed phone. Well, partially so, and only in one of the colors, but it's something. Here it is.
Obviously other colors are available too, and all of them come with what HTC calls 'Liquid Surface' finish. It could just as easily be called 'surface, where fingerprints come to stay', but we'd be the first to admit it doesn't have quite the same ring.
There's no denying the mirror back of HTC U12+ looks flashy and eye-catching. Put a Galaxy S9+ next to it, an otherwise attractive handset, and it all but disappears in the presence of the U12+.
HTC U12+ next to the Galaxy S9+
HTC has been doing the Liquid Surface thing for a while now, starting with the U Ultra and the U Play early last year. The U11 then followed, adopting the same design, but don't just take our word for it - here are the two side by side.
HTC U12+ next to the U11
HTC was among the first to explore multiple cameras back in the day (some 4 years ago), but the U12+ is in fact the first global flagship from the company with a true dual camera setup, as opposed to the depth sensing secondary module of that One (M8).
On the U12+ you'd be getting the proven 12MP main shooter from last year, though the specs now state an f/1.75 aperture instead of the f/1.7 on the U11/U11+. On top of that, or rather right next to it, there's an extra 16MP telephoto camera with an f/2.6 aperture lens.
We're not entirely sure we love the arrangement of all the bits and pieces on the back - there's just too much stuff, and it's a bit scattered. The dual LED flash is below the camera assembly, the laser autofocus emitter and receiver are to the left, a mic is on the opposite side, and the fingerprint reader is further below. And there's even an extra mic all the way down.
Over at the front, things are much cleaner - no notches, no logos. Not even rounded corners actually - just a fully rectangular 18:9 QHD+ Super LCD 6 panel. There's now even an always-on display with a clock and notifications - the usual stuff.
HTC has even trimmed the bezels, if only ever so slightly - the new phone measures 156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7 mm so that's a full millimeter narrower, and almost 2mm shorter compared to the U11+.
The marginally smaller forehead is now home to not one but two front-facing cameras. The two are the same, so no telephoto selfies (like anyone asked for those), but also no ultra wide ones - large groups of friends and scenery to put your mug into context are two use cases that come to mind. The earpiece also serves as one of two onboard speakers.
Nothing below the display • A couple of selfie cams on top
What you won't find on the HTC U12+ is a headphone jack, but that shouldn't be a surprise - HTC did away with it on the U Ultra, and there's no going back. This was justified with the noise-cancelling USonic buds that HTC threw into the bundle - a unique feature to have out of the box.
There will be a USB-C to 3.5mm adapter included (still) for connecting your legacy wired headphones. You'll find yet another mic on the bottom, as well as the primary speaker of the BoomSound pair. The fourth and final mic is the only thing on the top edge of the phone.
Microphone, USB-C port and primary speaker • Yet another mic on top
On the right side of the phone is where the power and volume buttons are. Are they really buttons if they don't click though? Debatable, but the point is the controls are pressure sensitive and the phone reacts with a buzz of the vibration motor - think iPhone's non-button home button. HTC says it went through some extensive testing to determine the exact pressure point, and some of us found the buttons too sensitive, others thought it was just right - you really can't please everyone.
Perhaps the best bit about the U12+'s buttons is the fact that they don't introduce structural weaknesses to the phone - no buttons means no holes, means no bending.
The buttons aren't the only pressure sensitive thing about the U12+ - in fact, most of the U12+ is pressure sensitive and you can squeeze it to make it do stuff for you. It's called Edge Sense 2.0, the feature differentiates between a quick press and long press, and double tapping either edge will trigger a one-handed mode with the interface shrunk towards that side.
A feature at least one of is super excited about - if you're holding the phone in portrait and you're touching both edges, the interface won't go into landscape if you lie down and rotate the phone. No more switching the auto rotate on and off when in bed. Also, if for example you're on Google Maps and navigating your way around a city, the U12+ won't go into standby while you're holding it. These are all optional and can be switched off, of course.
First impressions
In as few words as possible, we kinda like it, the HTC U12+. It's by no means radically different from the U11+, but we've learned not to expect major changes, and no notch is always a welcome lack of change. With dual cameras front and back, the new model is no longer underequipped to fight the competition in the faux bokeh area, and the edge squeeze features can actually be useful, sometimes, maybe.
Of course, we'd need to spend more time with a review unit running final software to see if 'kinda like it' can turn into a recommendation. As it stands right now, we're just cautiously optimistic. Stay tuned for more!
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