We all know large phone like those 6-incher are never good for one-handed operations, but this newest offering from Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC wants to change that. Announced midweek, the HTC U12+ features Edge Sense 2 that will let you snap photos, call up voice assistants, or whatever you want to do with just one hand. In addition, HTC is hopeful to win over snap-happy consumers with its a dual camera that boasts a DxOMark score of 103.
Here’s what Edge Sense 2 can do:
“A new touch feedback experience turn the edges of U12+ into the easiest and most intuitive way to interact with your phone. The new Edge Sense knows which hand you are using, giving you one-handed freedom to double tap to navigate the device, hold to lock the screen orientation, or squeeze the sides for taking photos and videos, zooming in on maps, and virtually any interaction.”
Camera-wise, the dual cameras on the front and back promised to deliver the current mobile photography rage, the DSLR-like bokeh effect. In addition, it has UltraSpeed Autofocus 2 that includes full sensor PDAF, as well as new laser AF. Interestingly, in addition to 2x optical and 10x digital zoom for photos, the device also touts Sonic Zoom that lets you “zoom in” on sound or voice, plus a “one-touch auto zoom,” so you can get to the subject, so to speak, and take the shot quicker.
HTC U12+ is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform with X20 LTE that promised “beyond Gigabit LTE download speeds,” but without sucking the life out of the battery.
Other key highlights include 6 GB RAM, up to 128 GB storage, VR ready for Vive Focus with call and notification sync, personal VR theater via mirror mode, “best-ever” HTC BoomSound, Qualcomm aptX HD audio with support for high-res 24-bit Bluetooth audio, custom fit USonic earbuds with Active Noise Cancellation, Liquid Surface with ultra thin borders, pressure-sensitive buttons, and IP68 rated for water and dust resistance.
U.S. residents can find HTC U12+ on HTC website, retailing for $799 and $849 for the 64 GB and 128 GB model, respectively. Oh that, btw, is a pre-order. Skip ahead for the spec summary.
| OS |
| Android 8.0 Oreo with HTC Sense (upgradeable to Android P) HTC Edge Sense 2: - Squeeze to access apps or control the phone - Hold for Smart Rotate and Smart Dim - Double tap for a mini screen for easy one-handed use, or as a back key or navigation bar - Customizable gestures to launch camera, voice assistant, turn on flashlight, and more |
| Chipset |
| Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Mobile Platform 64-bit octa-core, up to 2.8 GHz |
| GPU |
| ? |
| Display |
| 6.0-inch, Quad HD+ (2880 x 1440, 18:9, 537ppi) Super LCD 6 Corning Gorilla Glass DCI-P3, sRGB, color personalization HDR 10 support Smart display for notifications |
| Memory |
| RAM: 6 GB ROM: 64 GB or 128 GB Extended: microSD™ (SDHCTM, SDXCTM) expansion supports additional memory cards up to 2TB with Flex Storage (optional cards not included) |
| Network |
| 2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE - 850/900/1800/1900 MHz 3G UMTS - AWS/850/900/1900/2100 MHz - HSDPA 42, HSUPA 5.76 4G LTE - Single Nano SIM - FDD: Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 32, 66 - TDD: Bands 38, 39, 40, 41 - Supports Cat 18 Gigabit LTE: downloads up to 1.2Gbps, uploads up to 150Mbps; up to 5CA and 4x4 MIMO (where supported) VoLTE and WiFi calling (where supported) |
| Camera |
| Rear: 12MP wide-angle camera with HTC UltraPixel 4 (1.4µm pixel size, f/1.75) 16MP telephoto camera (1.0µm pixel size, f/2.6) UltraSpeed Autofocus(phase detection + laser autofocus) Photos support optical zoom 1.85x to 2x and digital zoom up to 10x HDR Boost Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) + Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS) Bokeh mode in real time Dual LED flash AR stickers Self timer Face detection Pro mode with manual controls,second long exposure, and RAW format support Panorama Front: Dual 8MP camera (1.12µm pixel size, f/2.0) Wide angle with 84° field of view Bokeh mode in real time AR stickers HDR Boost Face unlock Screen flash Live make-up Auto Selfie Voice Selfie Self timer up to 10 seconds Selfie Panorama |
| Battery |
| 3000 mAh up to 24.5 hours talk time on 3G/4G network up to 14 days standby time on 3G/4G network Power saving mode Extreme power saving mode Quick Charge 3.0 3,500 mAh up to 23.8 hours talk time on 3G/4G network Power saving mode Extreme power saving mode Fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0 charger in box – up to 50% charge in 35 minutes |
| Connectivity |
| 802.11a/b/g/n/ac dual-band (2.4 & 5 GHz), Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, USB 3.1 Gen 1 Type-C, DisplayPort Streaming media from the phone to compatible Chromecast, DLNA, AirPlay, Miracast devices 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band (2.4 & 5GHz) with MU-MIMO, Bluetooth 5.0, NFC, USB 3.1 Gen 1, Type-C, DisplayPort over USB Type-C HTC Connect for wirelessly streaming media from the phone to compatible multi-room audio systems, TVs, portable speakers and home entertainment systems Streaming media from the phone to compatible AirPlay, Chromecast, DLNA, and Miracast devices |
| Sensors |
| Ambient light sensor, Edge Sensor, Proximity sensor, Motion G-sensor, Compass sensor, Gyro sensor, Magnetic sensor, Fingerprint sensor, Sensor Hub for activity tracking |
| Positioning |
| GPS, AGPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou |
| Audio/Video |
| HTC USonic with Active Noise Cancellation HTC BoomSound Hi-Fi edition Hi-Res Audio recording Hi-Res audio certified Qualcomm aptX HD, LDAC up to 32-bit high resolution wireless audio via Bluetooth Voice Assistants Always-on listening support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa (where supported) Activity Reader automatically reads out SMS messages, calendar events, and incoming caller ID (where supported; headphone compatibility may vary) |
| Dimension |
| 156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7-9.7 mm, 188g |
| Others |
| Always-on voice commands, Notification LED, Motion Launch, Quiet ring on pick-up, Pocket mode, Flip to mute, IP68 rated |
All images courtesy of HTC.
