For HTC, it’s all about “U” as has been signified through the much anticipated release of the HTC U Ultra. A name that seemingly takes inspiration from Sony, its design and specifications are different stories altogether. Expected to hit the shelves by mid-February 2017 with an expected launch price of 76,000 rupees, the smartphone is poised to challenge the very best in the smartphone food-chain.

Vintage HTC design, no?

The U Ultra features a design different to what HTC has cooked up throughout its history. Nothing like the HTC 10 or any of the Desires’, this smartphone has its own identity encapsulated by two glass panels at its front and back. The 64GB internal storage version features Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection while the 128GB variant is guarded by the all new Sapphire Crystal Glass.

Its dimensions are a tad more than what the doctor ordered with an 8mm width and 170 g weight but if you’ve used the Galaxy A7 2016, you’ll feel just at home with this baby as well.

A display you’ll kill to own

It seems as if HTC has thrown all it could when manufacturing the U Ultra’s display and we’re not at all surprised by how fitting the display seems on paper. Featuring a large 5.7 inches Super LCD5 capacitive touchscreen with a mammoth 513ppi pixel density, the smartphone has already made a strong statement. Not only is the pixel density very high, the all new Super LCD5 further elevates its prowess to newer levels and quite expectedly, the display supports a 1440p HD resolution.

If that wasn’t enough to quench your thirst, you’ll absolutely love to hear that the U Ultra features an LG V20-esque second screen as well. This feature gained immense popularity through the aforementioned device and in recognition of what it means to the masses, HTC has followed suit by including it in its 2017 flagship. The secondary display is a small 2 inches strip present just above the main display with the primary aim of bringing those commodities much closer to you which you access more frequently.

Say cheese, oh wait! Say Ultra!

HTC’s cameras have always stepped-up to the plate when it mattered and the U Ultra’s cameras seem like they’re already on it. The primary camera whole-heartedly symbolizes HTC’s camera manufacturing prowess as it contains all that’s necessary to make it a force to be reckoned with. In depth, the smartphone features a 12 Ultra-pixel sensor with mighty features that include OIS, laser and phase detection autofocus with a dual-tone LED flash. Its other customary features include 1/2.3 sensor size, geo-tagging, touch focus, face detection, Auto-HDR and panorama.

When speaking in terms of raw-power, the smartphone’s selfie camera out-foxes even its primary counterpart due to its mind-boggling 16 megapixel sensor. What more could you ask for?

Heavy-metal power!

The smartphone is powered by a hybrid Quad-Core processor with an additional 4GB of RAM. Both of these enable the U Ultra to run the heaviest of apps with considerable ease while the built-in Android Nougat happily resides atop the smartphone’s hardware. The smartphone is marketed in two internal storage variants with plenty of storage that’ll take some guts to fill-up. By housing all modern-day features that include a fingerprint scanner, USB-type C port, Quick Charge 3.0 and a large 3000 mAh battery, the HTC U Ultra Symbolizes a true 2017 caliber smartphone. However, one of the downsides of being a 2017 smartphone is sometimes losing a headphone jack. Unfortunately, the U Ultra does just that. 

Pros:

• Lag free performance atop the Android Nougat 7.0
• An adequately sized 5.7 inches display with supreme graphics and attention to detail
• A secondary display that smartly or manually highlights what you access most
• Two tremendously overpowered camera sensors with all features you could wish for
• Excellent build quality and design
• Base 64GB internal storage model meaning you’ll at-least get 64 gigs worth of storage with the U Ultra
• 4 new and fitting color schemes
• All modern day features such as fingerprint, fast charge etc.

Cons:

• No 3.5mm earphone jack
• No charging and listening to music at the same time
• Slightly thick considering it features no dust/waterproofing and no 3.5mm headphone jack