Smartphone HTC U12 life and U12+: advantages and disadvantages

Gadgets in the modern world are being improved and updated so quickly that sometimes even the biggest fans of new products miss worthy devices. And one of the fastest growing areas in 2019 is the development of mobile devices, the leader among which, undoubtedly, are smartphones.

Today, due to their huge potential and a large number of functions, they are the main helpers of a person. This review will show two market novelties - the HTC U12 life and U12+ smartphone, the advantages and disadvantages of which can become a serious topic for discussion. And who knows, perhaps these devices will be able to push the popular models of industry titans off the pedestal.

HTC U12 life - bring HTC back to life?

It's no secret that the Taiwanese company knows how to make high-quality devices, but at the same time its golden years are left behind. A series of bad decisions, bad marketing and savings on the work of designers almost led one of the former market leaders to a complete collapse. However, despite all the difficulties and decreasing sales, HTC still remains in the market and releases new models in the hope of regaining its former glory.

HTC U12 life is a mid-budget smartphone that has a good chance to dispel the established opinion that HTC can't do anything other than flagships.

For the first time in years, the company put forward an extraordinary design decision, the impetus for which could serve as the worst financial quarter in recent years.

Spied on competitors and made their own

These words can describe the design of the new smartphone. There is in it something from famous American brands, but still it is impossible to talk about copying. As a result, a rather original and interesting body has turned out. The key features can be safely called engraved (and this is very good, because the phone will lie better in the hand, and the pattern will not be erased over time) on the bottom of the strip. Above them, already on a smooth surface, there is a fingerprint scanner, nothing revolutionary here. The body material is plastic, not glass, as it might seem at first glance, but contrary to popular belief, this can hardly be called a minus (plastic is really of high quality and aesthetic). In the corner, to the left of the scanner, there is a dual camera, which is not very convenient.

But the design of the front part is difficult to call unique - it is quite standard for all smartphones in the budget and mid-budget segment.The frames have not disappeared anywhere either: on the top with an offset to the right is the front camera, to the left of it is the microphone. The power and volume buttons are located on the right side.

Features: pleasant embossed coating (0.3 mm), not very convenient location of the main camera, high-quality plastic. Models are currently available in two colors: Moonlight Blue (close to the moonlit night sky) and Twilight Purple (twilight with a purple tint).

Simplified version

Often, an ordinary model differs significantly from the flagship, and the manufacturer proudly calls it a “stripped version” (to the point that only a name remains from the older brother). This trend has not bypassed the U12 Life - the only thing it can boast of is a longer battery life. However, this is not surprising - Life was equipped with almost the same battery, but at the same time much less productive iron.

Characteristics:

• Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 (eight cores at 1.8 GHz). Excellent modern processor - inexpensive, powerful and functional. It is the price-performance ratio that makes it one of the most sought-after smartphones on the market.
• GPU: Adreno 509. This graphics is average in performance and is a fellow traveler of the same Snapdragon 636. Nothing outstanding, however, it performs its functions, giving excellent fps in modern games.
• Memory: 4/64 GB. The very thing that a modern “middle peasant” needs is a little more than what is required for comfortable use, but it is not designed for the long term.
• Cameras: main: 16 MP + 5 MP; front: 13 MP. Not bad cameras, however, in such a device I would like to see more worthy characteristics.
• Diagonal: 6 inches.It may seem cumbersome to some, however, contrary to all expectations, this is not so.
• Screen resolution: 2160×1080. A beautiful and lively picture is provided.
• Battery capacity: 3600 mAh. A little and a lot - enough for an active working day, and with moderate use for a couple of days
• Interface: USB Type-C. Nothing else was expected here.
• Technologies: Bluetooth: 5.0, NFC, A-GPS, GPS, Wi-Fi. Necessary wireless technologies in a smartphone of this class should be mandatory.
• Operating system: Android 8.1 Oreo. The current version, which is currently used by more than 20% of users.
• Dimensions: 5 x 75.4 x 8.3 mm, weight - 175 g. The weight is slightly overestimated, but this is not critical.
• Communication: dual sim Nano-SIM format, GSM, 3G, 4G (LTE) standards. Everything is good here from the modern card format to LTE support.

In general, apart from the price (which ranges from 330-350 euros) and the prevailing opinion about the company, the smartphone is not even bad. The power of this device should be more than enough for many games (at medium graphics settings) and it should perform the main functions perfectly (there is enough RAM, as well as useful wireless technologies). But lovers of photography and selfies may not be satisfied, the camera here is not bad, but it doesn’t reach the general level (and how well this model takes pictures at night is an open question). Otherwise, the device is no worse than its closest competitors. For those who are wondering where it is profitable to buy HTC U12 life in 2019, there is good news - the smartphone will be officially sold in Russia.

• Design;
• Profitability (it is impossible to call the device super-autonomous, but the power consumption of the processor and graphics is quite economical);
• Practicality (reliable plastic and comfortable corrugation make the phone really comfortable and durable);
• For games (of course, not at maximum settings, but quite enough for a camphor pastime);
• Price quality.

• Camera; Two points at once - an inconvenient location (this is more individual) and image quality (which does not reach the class of the device).

Conclusion: making a rating of high-quality smartphones, it would be very difficult to determine the position for HTC U12 life. On the one hand, this is a solid gadget, on the other hand, minor flaws pop up, and competitors have something to offer. The model was also ambiguously perceived by the public - someone scoffed at the similarity with the Google Pixel, someone praised the new solutions. But discarding all prejudices, opinions and competitors, we can safely say that HTC managed to make a quality product, it remains only not to repeat the age-old problem and conduct a successful marketing campaign.

HTC U12 Plus – are these pluses enough?

Unfortunately, the question was formed after getting acquainted with the flagship and the answer turned out to be extremely ambiguous. But first things first. Flagships are the elements of HTC, it was they who brought the company that popularity, which was subsequently mercilessly lost. And although things are better with the “plus” than with the previous attempts by the Taiwanese, some mistakes could not be avoided, and when you pick up a smartphone, you don’t get the feeling that this is the “same” HTC. But, despite this, not everything is so bad - a number of moments will definitely please fans of the brand.

Attractive design

Made of glass and aluminum body, also available in three colors (blue, red and black), looks very interesting.And HTC's own development of "Liquid Surface" (the surface looks like a liquid) is really good and adds mystery and nobility. Variations in black and red were especially distinguished. The first allows you to see the "inner world" of the smartphone (antenna, battery, cables), the second resembles flames when moving. True, the glass surface spoils all the impressions - fingerprints quickly collect on it, which makes the smartphone seem dirty.

Did not take root in U12 Plus and "unibrow". However, this is far from the most important thing, but the touch sensations and ergonomics are at a high level. The smartphone fits comfortably in the hand, nothing interferes and does not stick out (the camera and the fingerprint scanner are in a comfortable position), and at the same time everything is easy to find intuitively.

Features: high-quality and pleasant to the touch case, aesthetic appearance, intuitive layout of buttons and sensor, a variety of color variations, fits comfortably in the hand.

Perfection flaws

The flagship received very good characteristics, interesting design solutions were implemented, but even here the manufacturer managed to distinguish itself with several “jambs”.

When the display is turned on, it is immediately noticeable how realistic the matrix transmits colors (images are juicy and clear). But this is followed by disappointment - the brightness of the screen is clearly not enough to realize the potential of the matrix. And if you can close your eyes to this indoors, then on the street (especially in sunny weather) it is simply impossible to see anything on the screen.

But the ability to switch the device to a four-inch mode with one movement (double-click on the device) (the real diagonal is 6.2 inches) will definitely appeal to girls and people with small palms.It is worth saying that one-handed control in this mode is quite convenient and does not limit the user's actions.

Having dealt with the main points, you can start examining the hardware, but even a cursory glance is enough to understand that the HTC U12 Plus is a productive smartphone with good potential.

Characteristics:

• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 (eight cores at 2.6 GHz). The processor power is enough for any modern games, not to mention the work of standard applications.
• GPU: Adreno 523. A fantastic picture without signatures for active games is provided.
• Memory: 6 RAM, 64/128 GB. RAM will be enough for the most demanding applications in terms of storage, that is, there is an option to purchase a model with 64 or 128 GB, depending on the needs of the user.
• Cameras: 12 MP + 16 MP main, 16 MP front. A definite plus of the model is high-quality cameras with a good aperture and zoom, which will notice the smallest details. And an example of photos taken by U12 Plus at dusk can surprise you with a small amount of noise and excellent detail in low light conditions.
• Diagonal: 6.2 inches. The large size of the display may put off some users, but in practice the device is quite comfortable.
• Screen resolution: Image clarity with good viewing angles will please with its realism.
• Battery capacity: 3500 mAh. And here is a significant blunder - thanks to the huge performance, the phone cannot show a long battery life.
• Interface: USB Type-C. Standard for models of this class.
• Technologies: GPRS, EDGE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v 5.0, NFC, DLNA. All necessary technologies are present.
• Operating system: Android 8.0.
• Dimensions: 156.6 x 73.9 x 8.7-9.7 mm, weight - 188 grams. Big but comfortable.
• Communication: dual sim Nano-SIM format, GSM, 3G, 4G (LTE) standards. The smartphone is capable of showing download speeds (LTE) up to 1.2 Gbps.

After studying the above characteristics, the question of how to choose a powerful smartphone, the average price of which lies within 60,000 rubles, simply disappears. And fans of plus photography will also like it, because the camera in it is excellent (many popular models show terrible results at night, which cannot be said about the HTC flagship). True, for those people whose main selection criteria are the autonomy and suitability of a smartphone for outdoor use (and it will not be easy to quickly read SMS on a dark “plus” screen), it is clearly not suitable. Yes, and the price is clearly too high, new competitors at a lower cost (slightly) do not have such problems.

• Power;
• Camera;
• Housing materials;
• Protection IP 68 (from dust and moisture);
• RAM (at the moment six gigabytes is more than enough).

• Autonomy (battery capacity would be enough for a device with an economical processor like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, which is equipped with the younger model, but not the productive Snapdragon 845);
• Maximum brightness.

Conclusion: the luxury model has not only a high potential, but also a price tag. Characteristics, appearance and functionality are at a decent level, but minor flaws (which are quite realistic to prevent) put the Taiwanese flagship one step below the competition. It can be seen that HTC decided to revise its policy and the first attempts can not be called a failure, but so far the company still has room to strive.In the meantime, potential buyers of this device are people who are ready to pay not only for quality and power, but also for the brand.

Phone Summary and Comparison

Below is a comparison table:

Even the best manufacturers make mistakes. Fortunately, HTC does not give up and continues to try to regain its former popularity, and although HTC U12 life and U12+ can hardly be called market leaders, these models definitely deserve attention. And since there are still a lot of brand fans to this day, with successful and timely advertising, a couple of stylish and powerful smartphones may well expect commercial success.