[SIZE=6]HTC’s U12+ shows a smartphone company in free fall[/SIZE]
David Ruddock
15 hours ago
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It’s no secret that HTC, as a smartphone company, is hard up. And while the relative success of its Vive VR unit has warded off active ‘death watch’ speculation to date, there’s little doubt that HTC’s days as a smartphone maker are winding down. The company’s release schedule has become haphazard: it announced a “U Ultra” smartphone in early 2017 seemingly out of nowhere - that ended up being a complete flop. Six months later it revealed the U11 to largely positive reviews, but little in the way of consumer response. The “light” version of that phone, the U11 Life, wasn’t even worth a second glance, and now it seems HTC won’t even release a proper mainstream premium phone in 2018 at all.
Instead, we’re getting the U12+: a super-premium glass and metal slab with all the charm of its bill of materials as printed, in Times New Roman, on Papyrus’ finest white cardstock. I’ve been using it the last few days, and I’m just totally at a loss for a reason to like this phone.
Three cameras? Why not four? Hardware volume and power buttons? That’s so 2017 - let’s replace them with pressure sensors! Face unlock, bokeh selfies, a new processor, 6GB of RAM, and a big wide-aspect screen! And, to be fair, the U12+ does tick some important boxes: IP68 waterproofing, Qualcomm Quick Charge 4.0 (with USB-PD) support, Verizon compatibility, and stereo speakers are all appreciated. But the U12+ feels like the kitchen sink smartphone, with HTC throwing everything it can into a single product. But hey, an iPhone X costs $200 more, and all you get for that is a lousy notch, right?
https://www.androidpolice.com/2018/06/01/htcs-u12-shows-smartphone-company-free-fall/