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GSMArena team, 20 March 2017

All that glitters


HTC U Ultra review: All that glitters

  • Comments (80)
  • User reviews
  • U Ultra

1. Introduction
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. 360° spin, hardware
  3. 3. Display, connectivity, battery life
  4. 4. Secondary screen, Sense Companion, user interface
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Telephony, messaging, loudspeaker, other apps
  7. 7. Multimedia apps, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera
  9. 9. Final words
  10.  
  11. HTC U Ultra specification
  12. User opinions and reviews
  13. Review comments (80)

HTC Android

Introduction

The One couldn't reinstate HTC as the King of Android, so will U be able to? The HTC U Ultra sets off on a new path of design but stays on the familiar footing of high-caliber camera and audio. A Dual Display makes a surprise appearance as the stalwart headphone jack is left behind.

HTC U Ultra review

The main screen is a 5.7" Super LCD5 panel covered in Gorilla Glass 5 or, for the fancier 128GB model, Sapphire crystal glass. The supplementary screen adds 2.05" worth of space for vital notifications and reminders, but we didn't see any apps make use of the extra room for additional controls.

HTC U Ultra key features:

  • Glass back with a "liquid surface"
  • 5.7" Super LCD5 with 1,440 x 2,560px resolution (513ppi)
  • 2.05" secondary screen with 1,040 x 160px resolution (Always on)
  • Snapdragon 820 chipset - 4x Kryo (at 2.15GHz/1.6GHz), Adreno 530; 4GB of RAM
  • Android 7.0 Nougat with HTC Sense UI and Sense Companion
  • 12MP main camera, f/1.8, OIS, Laser and Phase detection AF, dual-LED flash
  • 2160p and 1080p videos at 30fps; 360° sound or High-Res audio (24-bit FLAC)
  • 64GB storage, microSD slot (hybrid dual-SIM slot); 128GB version available later
  • LTE Cat. 11 - 600/50Mbps; Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac, Bluetooth 4.2, NFC, USB-C (USB 3.0, DisplayPort)
  • 3,000mAh battery (sealed)

Main shortcomings:

  • More expensive than similar phones
  • Secondary screen is underutilized
  • No headphone jack
  • Battery capacity smaller than 10 evo's (despite Always on screen)
  • 4K video capture capped at 6 minutes

The U Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon 821 chipset, which coupled with the QHD resolution of the main screen leads to HTC's other passion - VR. The Viveport app comes pre-installed, which currently serves to augment the HTC Vive experience but does not have VR capabilities of its own... though HTC has expressed interest in mobile VR, so we'll see how that goes.

Back to the real world, you'll be able to capture spectacular photos and videos of it thanks to the 12MP camera that we first saw on the HTC 10. It boasts a large sensor (and, as a result, large pixels), a bright aperture and high-res audio recording for the 2160p videos.

HTC U Ultra official images - HTC U Ultra review HTC U Ultra official images - HTC U Ultra review HTC U Ultra official images - HTC U Ultra review HTC U Ultra official images - HTC U Ultra review
HTC U Ultra official images

Speaking of audio, the HTC U Ultra supports both BoomSound and USonic. The first tunes the stereo speaker experience - for either music or videos - while the second personalizes the headphones experience. You will need USB-C headphones, though, preferably ones from HTC as those are the only ones (for now) to support USonic.

Next Page » 2. 360° spin, hardware
1. Introduction
  1. 1. Introduction
  2. 2. 360° spin, hardware
  3. 3. Display, connectivity, battery life
  4. 4. Secondary screen, Sense Companion, user interface
  5. 5. Performance
  6. 6. Telephony, messaging, loudspeaker, other apps
  7. 7. Multimedia apps, audio quality
  8. 8. Camera
  9. 9. Final words
  10.  
  11. HTC U Ultra specification
  12. User opinions and reviews
  13. Review comments (80)

Reviews HTC U Ultra review
  • Comments (80)
  • User reviews
  • U Ultra

HTC U Ultra review: All that glitters - Reader comments

J
  • Jetze
  • S3%
  • 31 Jul 2019

It is sooo cheap now. I boight it for 188€!!!

  • Reply
K
  • KKV
  • hc%
  • 11 Feb 2019

Does HTC U Ultra still makes sense to buy now? If yes, Why? If no, pls suggest some good phone under 25k. Preference priority is 1.camera, 2.battery 3. hardware & performance. 4, rest (3.5mm jack, flash charge, notch, etc.)

  • Reply
K
  • Kriegsherr
  • AVV
  • 27 Dec 2018

I am an avid hTC user since long. My first one was htc wildfire then i bought a htc evo 3D. Recently my wife had two htcs. One M8 and now she is using U Ultra. To me all are awesome phones. The M8 had very short battery life but other than that it w...

  • Reply
  • Read all comments
  • Post your comment
Total reader comments: 80

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