HTC U Ultra review: Plans | Pricing | Specs

Where to buy

You don’t call a phone "Ultra" unless you’re really ready to bring it into the massively oversaturated phone market. At first glance, the HTC U Ultra seems to fit the bill, with a stunning design and essentially the same specifications that made the HTC-built Google Pixel and Pixel XL a hit. Deeper examination finds a phone that doesn’t quite live up to its name.

Design

• Liquid design really stands out.
• Rear case is a fingerprint magnet.
• Lacks headphone socket.

• Read more on the HTC U Ultra design

  HTC has shifted away from the near-standard metal body that most premium phones love to ship with, instead opting for a plastic and glass mix on the HTC U Ultra. It’s certainly eye-catching and a real revelation after the Pixel and Pixel XL’s rather dull style. We reviewed the snazzy Sapphire Blue model, which is the real looker of the bunch, although the Brilliant Black and Ice White models also have their appeal. Measuring in at 162.4x79.8x8mm, the HTC U Ultra is certainly a handful, but that’s to be expected for a phone with a screen this large.

  The glass back on the HTC U Ultra gives it a lovely pearlescent shine in the right light, although it’s not without a few challenges. It’s one of the most fingerprint-smudge-happy phones we’ve tested for a long while. Nothing makes a premium phone look shabby quite like some fingerprint grease. We quickly shifted to using the supplied clear plastic back protector on the phone, partly to save it from drops but mostly to save us from the constant reminder of our own grubby digits.

  HTC has lifted the textured power button from the HTC 10, which sits just below the volume rocker on the right-hand side. There’s no headphone socket at the base. All you get is a single USB-C socket that does triple duty as an audio, data and power source. The combined nano SIM and microSD card reader pops out from the top of the phone.

  Apple went there first with the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus, but HTC was the first premium Android manufacturer to decide to eschew the 3.5mm headphone socket. In Apple’s case it argued that allowing it to drop the port gave more space for other features including battery capacity, but the HTC U Ultra’s battery life and capacity is already pretty mediocre. As such, removing the headphone jack, even with the inclusion of USB-C headphones, is more annoying than innovative.

  The use of a mostly plastic assemblage on the HTC U Ultra gives it a curious lack of heft in the hand. It doesn’t feel quite as solid as the metal bodies of most premium phones and that makes it seem a little cheaper. Conversely, that plastic frame means it’s considerably lighter than many phones its size, weighing in at 170 grams. If you struggle to hold larger phones or you're worried about dropping them, this could be a plus.

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Camera

• Decent camera performance.
• Slow focus.

• Read more on the HTC U Ultra camera

  HTC equips the HTC U Ultra with a rear f/1.8 12MP camera and front-mounted 16MP camera. The rear camera is an "ultrapixel" model with larger sensor sites that measure in at 1.55μm, while the front camera simply has an "ultrapixel mode" that emulates the same kind of functionality.

  Overall, the HTC U Ultra camera performs well, but we’d expect that of any premium phone. The biggest issue we had with it was that the focus, which HTC says should be assisted by Phase Detection Auto Focus (PDAF), just wasn’t that fast. Tapping to select focus works well, but if you’re shooting from the hip, compared to other premium phones it’s just not that quick.

  HTC U Ultra sample photos

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Performance

• Acceptable performance for a phone its age.
• Second screen works well.
• Annoying touch sensitivity.

• Read more on the HTC U Ultra performance

  The HTC U Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 821 SoC. That’s the same internals as the HTC-built Pixel and Pixel XL, as well as the LG G6.

  It’s not quite in the same power bracket as the Snapdragon 835, which powers the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Sony Xperia XZ Premium, as well as the HTC U11, but it’s a very capable contender.

  Matched up with 4GB of RAM, the phone rarely missed a beat in ad hoc testing across a range of productivity and entertainment apps. The HTC U Ultra did score marginally lower than similar devices in our standard benchmark tests, but not to a level where it appeared problematic against similar hardware.

  The Snapdragon 821 is still outclassed at a benchmark level by devices using Apple’s A10 Fusion processor or Samsung’s Exynos processor, but it’s a good premium performer for a device of its age nonetheless.

  Handset	Geekbench 4 CPU Single Core (higher is better)	Geekbench 4 CPU Multi Core (higher is better)
  Huawei Mate 9	1925	6068
  Apple iPhone 7 Plus	3374	5649
  Apple iPhone 7	3452	5599
  Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	1359	5333
  Samsung Galaxy S7	1378	4718
  Apple iPhone SE	2449	4171
  Google Pixel XL	1629	4051
  Motorola Moto Z	1477	3853
  HTC U Ultra	1648	3848
  Sony Xperia XZ	1636	3604

  In graphics performance, the HTC U Ultra is particularly impressive, edging out other competitor devices, excluding Apple’s current run of iPhones:

  Handset	3DMark Ice Storm Unlimited Result
  Apple iPhone 7 Plus	37956
  Apple iPhone 7	37717
  HTC U Ultra	29968
  Apple iPhone SE	29276
  Samsung Galaxy S7	28903
  Google Pixel XL	28458
  Huawei Mate 9	28457
  Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	28402
  Sony Xperia XZ	26279
  Motorola Moto Z	25629

  The HTC U Ultra borrows a trick from the LG V20 (and in some ways, Samsung’s S7 Edge and Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+) in that it features a second display screen.

  You’ll find it at the top of the primary 5.7-inch display, to the right of the front-facing camera lens. Like most secondary screens, it’s essentially a notifications portal that pops up to display emails and other incoming messages, as well as optional notes, music playback and quick contacts access. HTC hasn’t reinvented the secondary display, but its use in the HTC U Ultra is as good as we’ve seen it anywhere.

  There was a time when Android overlays provided by manufacturers were a thing of horror, taking over the whole experience and leaving you in a buggy mess. Thankfully, those days are long behind us, with HTC’s Sense overlay giving just a few tweaks here and there and not taking too much of a performance hit with it.

  The HTC U Ultra doesn’t come with Google Assistant. HTC has gone its own way with its own "Sense Assistant" feature. It's largely still the same core idea of matching up your tracked activities and interests in order to provide you with tips, analytics and suggestions based on your lifestyle.

  It’s one of those systems that should grow smarter the more you use it, but our early examination of the feature suggests that while it’s no smarter than other competing solutions, there’s certainly the prospect of it enhancing your phone usage. That’s as long as you’re happy with HTC having that kind of data in the first place.

  The HTC U Ultra’s fingerprint sensor, which also acts as its home button, is a little thin, but we had few problems getting it to register our touches. The same can’t be said for the capacitive back and app list buttons. All too often we’d try to hit them only to find they didn’t register and we’d have to try again. Maybe it’s the positioning size against the U Ultra’s frame or maybe it’s finding the sweet spot to get them to register every time. Either way, it’s annoying.

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Battery life

• 3,000mAh battery fails to impress.

• Read more on the HTC U Ultra battery life

  The HTC U Ultra packs in a 3,000mAh battery into its frame. For a phone of this size, that’s a little on the skimpy side, especially given the power needs of running that gorgeous display.

  In anecdotal testing we could mostly get a full day’s use out of the HTC U Ultra, but not by much. With many phones in the larger "phablet" space offering near two-day battery life that feels like a letdown. Sadly, our benchmark testing laid this quite bare, showing the HTC U Ultra to be an under-performer against its contemporaries in a sustained battery test:

  Handset	Geekbench 3 Battery Test Duration	Geekbench 3 Battery Score
  Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	11:55:00	7150
  Apple iPhone 7 Plus	11:11:20	6713
  Samsung Galaxy S7	10:01:20	6013
  Google Pixel XL	9:14:20	5543
  Huawei Mate 9	9:00:30	5330
  Sony Xperia XZ	8:24:20	5042
  Apple iPhone 7	7:50:10	4701
  HTC U Ultra	7:25:40	4456
  Motorola Moto Z	6:38:10	3981
  Apple iPhone SE	4:27:10	2671

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Verdict

• Only worth comparing if you can get it at a bargain price.

• Read our full HTC U Ultra verdict

  At the time it was launched, the HTC U Ultra was a stunning looking phone that just couldn't keep up with its contemporary competition and as such was only advisable if you really loved the style.

  That's an observation that's still true today, with the added caveat that you absolutely should seek out a bargain if you're keen on the HTC U Ultra. Android phone prices erode over time and at the right price, while it would no longer qualify as a true premium handset, it would represent a solid purchase option.

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Pricing and availability

• Price: RRP $1199
• Where to buy: Amazon Australia | eBay | Kogan

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