Alongside the flagship HTC U11 which was announced yesterday, as part of the company’s return here in the Philippines, another noteworthy smartphone has been introduced. The HTC U Ultra is a massive 5.7-inch smartphone with secondary 2.05-inch display at the top of the main screen. This feature is to have an easy convenient in getting notifications such as reminders, missed calls, messages and to show your most favorite apps.
The glass back of the phone had a classy feel but it’s very prone to smudges. Another thing, it is not good in one-handed operation.
The side of the phone, between the back and front comes with an aluminum frame, of which, we can find the power and volume buttons, the USB Type-C port (the 3.5 mm jack has been removed but there is an adapter included in the retail package), and the loudspeaker grille. The fingerprint sensor is embedded on the home button.
At the back of the phone is the 12-megapixel lens with f/1.8 aperture and a large 1/2.3″ sensor, same size as former flagship, HTC 10. The front camera has an UltraPixel mode on its 16-megapixel lens, a great feature for posting amazing selfies on social media sites like Facebook and Instagram, especially in low-lighting situation.
On the software side, the HTC U Ultra will ship on Android v7.0 “Nougat” with Sense UI. It powers a Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 Kryo quad-core chipset, boasted at 2.15Ghz with large 64GB storage and 4GB RAM. A microSD card is shared on the hybrid second SIM slot that supports up to a whooping 2TB.
The battery comes with a 3,000 mAh capacity, a bit smaller considering the size and the secondary screen, nevertheless, the processor that is power-efficient will help to optimize it.
For audiophile, the legendary BoomSound Hi-Fi speakers are still there, but of course, with a new design and improvements in sound quality. It also allows to record an astounding 360 degrees in live footage, using four high-sensitivity omni-directional mics. The HTC U Sonic is a new feature on the smartphone. It analyze or scan our inner ear to determine on how will it adapt on its best sound level (using HTC USonic earphones), most especially in noisy environment like public places.
Note: The HTC USonic earphones can be used only in USB Type-C adapter.
HTC U Ultra key specs:
5.7-inch QHD Super LCD5 display; 2560 x 1440 resolution
Secondary 2.05-inch display; 1040 X 160 resolution
Corning Gorilla Glass 5 panel
2.15Ghz 64-bit Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor
Adreno 530 GPU
64GB storage
4GB RAM
MicroSD slot that supports up to 256GB
12-megapixel rear camera, f/1.8 aperture with phase detection auto-focus, Sapphire lens and dual-LED flash
16-megapixel front camera, UltraPixel sensor and Auto-HDR
4K video recording with 3D Audio, slow motion up to 720p at 120 fps
Dual-SIM, Dual standby
3G HSDPA, 4G LTE-A (Category 11) connectivity
WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, A-GPS, USB-OTG, NFC
Fingerprint sensor
Android 7.0 ‘Nougat’, Sense UI
3,000 mAh non-removable battery
Quick Charge 3.0 support
162.4 x 79.8 x 8.0 mm
170 grams
Colors: Brilliant Black and Sapphire Blue
Availability
The HTC U Ultra is now available thru Lazada via Gadget World store, with a suggested retail price of P26,990 and comes with 1-year official warranty. Based on what we had seen in the event, a clear case is included in the retail package.
