HTC U12 Plus Review

June 17, 2019 | Amy Davies | Rating star Rating star Rating star Rating star

Introduction

The U12 Plus is the latest smartphone from HTC. At the time of writing, it’s extremely highly rated by independent experts DxO for its cameraphone – beaten only by the Huawei P20 Pro and the iPhone XS Max.

It gets a score of 103, making it the best rated dual camera setup when it was first scored (it has since been overtaken by the iPhone XS). The U12 Plus has dual cameras on the rear, as well as dual -cameras on the front of the phone.

The rear cameras are a 12 megapixel and 16 megapixel set up, with one wide-angle lens and one telephoto lens. Other specifications include UltraSpeed Autofocus 2, the option to shoot with “bokeh effects”, HDR Boost 2, 4K video recording and optical image stabilisation.

At the time of writing, the HTC U12 Plus can be bought for around £629 sim free. A variety of different contract deals are also available.

Ease of Use

HTC U12 Plus
Front of the HTC U12 Plus

The HTC U12 Plus has a 6-inch Super LCD with Quad HD+ (2880 x 1440 pixels) resolution. We’ve been using the Translucent Blue version of the phone, but there’s also Ceramic Black and Flame Red available. The overall effect is very slick, with attractive rounded edges. Unlike many other phones currently on the market, the HTC U12 Plus doesn’t employ a notch at the top of the display. That will be good news to those who don’t like them, but it does mean you lose a little bit of the display. There’s also a fairly large bezel at the bottom of the screen, too.

To get straight to the camera app from the lock screen, you can swipe up from the bottom right hand corner of the screen. There you’ll find yourself automatically in the native camera app. If you’re accessing the camera this way, you’ll be able to see any photos you shoot in your current session, but if you want to see older photos you’ll need to fully unlock the phone.

HTC U12 Plus
Rear of the HTC U12 Plus

By default, the app loads in the standard photo option, which is what we’d recommend for taking most photos. Along the top of the screen you have a number of options to choose from, including switching the flash on or off, accessing AR (augmented reality) stickers, switching the timer on or off, choosing from four different resolutions (1:1, 4:3, 16:9 or 18:9), and switching HDR either on, off or to Auto mode.

You’ll also see that there is a “1x” in a circle – tap this and you will switch to using the “2x” telephoto lens. Alternatively, you can hold and drag the circle to zoom beyond 2x – up to 10x digital zoom is available. You can also hold and drag to zoom back out when you’re done, too. Other than that, in this mode you’re afforded very little control – you can adjust brightness by tapping an area on the screen to set the focus point, and then dragging your finger up and down the screen to increase or decrease brightness.

HTC U12 Plus
The HTC U12 Plus In-hand

At the bottom of the screen, there’s a virtual shutter release button, as well as the option to switch to video recording. You can also engage the selfie camera.

“Bokeh” can also be added in this mode. At the bottom of the app, near the virtual shutter release, there’s an icon to tap which allows you to either have no bokeh at all, to let the phone decide what bokeh to apply, or for you to manually choose more or less bokeh. After you’ve taken a shot with this effect, you can edit it, changing the point of focus, and therefore the area of bokeh, if you wish.

As the bokeh option uses both the telephoto and wide-angle lens, when it is engaged, you’ll see a tighter crop of the scene you’re photographing.

HTC U12 Plus
The HTC U12 Plus's Camera Mode

If you’d like a little more control, you can head to the “Pro” mode, which is found by tapping two lines in the top right hand corner of the camera app. Other modes found here include Panorama, Video, Hyperlapse and so on.

In the Pro mode, you’ve got a very good level of control. You can adjust white balance, exposure compensation, ISO, shutter speed, and focusing type. In order to make changes, you simply tap on each of the options, then use a slider to make your choice. Each of the options also has an “Auto” option, so you could have a mix of some parameters controlled, and some automatic. In this mode you also have the option to shoot in raw format – you can tap a raw icon to choose between raw and jpeg, though if you choose raw, then you’ll be shooting in both. The raw format is the universal DNG format, which can be opened on a number of different programs.

HTC U12 Plus
The HTC U12 Plus's Shooting Modes

You can still utilise the 2x zoom lens while in this mode, but digital zoom is restricted to just 4x. In Pro mode, you’ll still be able to access the timer, and the flash, as well as choosing between different resolutions. One thing which is missing from the Pro mode is the ability to take advantage of “bokeh” options.

Clicking a cog icon in the mode menu can change further settings. Options include switching a composition grid on or off, shutter sounds, switching on touch to capture and so on. A useful feature here is the ability to allow you to use the volume button to take a picture – as opposed to using the virtual shutter button.

Other shooting modes are on the whole fairly self-explanatory. Panorama requires you to sweep the phone across the scene to take an ultra-wide-angle shot, while there’s video options such as Hyperlapse (for creating timelapse videos) and Slow Motion (for creating videos with slow motion effects applied). You can also choose to use the front-facing camera for normal photos, videos or a selfie panorama – a fun way to put yourself at the centre of the action.

HTC U12 Plus
The HTC U12 Plus

In the video mode, you’ve got options to switch between different video resolutions (including HD, Full HD and 4K). You can also switch on the flash, adjust audio options and add AR stickers.

The HTC U12 Plus has a microSD card slot, which you can access using the special tool provided in the box. It’s next to the SIM card slot, and since it’s not something you’ll likely to want to change regularly, it’s worth picking up the biggest capacity card you can afford and just leaving it in there. Alternatively of course, you can just opt to use only the phone’s memory – but there is only a 64GB option available, so those who like to take a lot of photos and videos may find it fills up pretty quickly.

On the whole, focusing is quick and accurate, with it being rare for the phone to show either a false confirmation of focus, or to pick the wrong thing entirely to focus on.

Image Quality

All of the sample images in this review were taken using the 20 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 5Mb.

The HTC U12 Plus is capable of producing some excellent images in a range of different conditions.

In good light, colours are vibrant and punchy, but remain natural and realistic, something that some other phones on the market can sometimes struggle with. Detail is also well-rendered, especially when looking at images at normal printing and web sizes. Being able to shoot in DNG (raw format), gives you the option to extract a little more detail in post-production if you feel you need to.

In low light, the HTC U12 Plus manages a good performance, but it struggles in comparison with the likes of the Huawei P20 Pro or Mate 20 Pro, and with the lack of a dedicated night mode, your options are a little bit limited. Switching to Pro mode allows you to keep a tighter control over very high ISOs, which is worth doing, as left to its own devices, the phone can often choose to shoot at higher sensitivity settings than is probably necessary.

At such high ISOs, there’s a loss of detail, but if you can keep to ISO 400 or below, low light shots come out very well.

In general, the automatic white balance setting performs well to produce accurate colours, while exposures are also well-balanced, requiring very little adjustment on the whole.

You get the best results from the wide-angle lens, but the telephoto lens is useful for getting closer to your subject when you need to, and still produces reasonably good images. There’s also a digital zoom option, but it’s worth avoiding that unless you’re absolutely desperate to get closer.

The shallow depth of field effect option works best when shooting something well defined against an unfussy background. It’s not the best we’ve seen in the market, but it’s perfectly acceptable for use on social media sites and so on.

Noise

JPEG

RAW

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

ISO 100 (100% Crop)

iso100.jpg iso100raw.jpg

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

ISO 200 (100% Crop)

iso200.jpg iso200raw.jpg

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

ISO 400 (100% Crop)

iso400.jpg iso400raw.jpg

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

ISO 800 (100% Crop)

iso800.jpg iso800raw.jpg

Focal Range

Wide-angle

wideangle.jpg

Telephoto

telephoto-lens.jpg

Digital Zoom

digitalzoom.jpg

Flash

Wide-angle - Flash Off

whitewallwidenoflash.jpg

Wide-angle - Flash On

whitewallwideflash.jpg

Telephoto - Flash Off

whitewalltelenoflash.jpg

Telephoto - Flash On

whitewallteleflash.jpg

Rear Camera - Flash Off

selfportrait-noflash.jpg

Rear Camera - Flash On

selfportrait-flash.jpg

Selfie - Flash On

selfiecamera.jpg

Macro

macro.jpg

Shallow Depth of Field Effect

shallowDoFeffect.jpg

Night

night.jpg

Panorama

panorama.jpg

Sample Images

This is a selection of sample images from the HTC U12 Plus camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.

Sample RAW Images

The HTC U12 Plus enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some HTC RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 115Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 18 second movie is 50.7Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 25.3Mb in size.

This is a sample slow-motion movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this1 minute 38 second movie is 125Mb in size.

This is a sample timelapse movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 9 second movie is 14.2Mb in size.

Product Images

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

HTC U12 Plus

Conclusion

HTC is a phone brand that has such a small percentage of the market that it’s unlikely to be the first name that springs to mind when you’re in the market for a new phone.

However, if you’re not swayed by some of the big names currently vying for your attention, the HTC U12 Plus has some great features for photographers, making it worthy of your consideration.

The native camera app is well-featured, giving you the option to both shoot in raw format and take manual control over your shots. Being able to simply point and shoot is also helpful for beginners or those who don’t want the fuss of changing settings.

Design-wise, the phone isn’t particularly standout in either direction (it’s not overly beautiful, nor is it particularly ugly). With rounded edges and a couple of different colour ways, it’s perfectly nice enough. The lack of a notch will also be a tick in the box for those who are vehemently anti-notch.

Image quality is very good, with high performance in a range of different conditions. For low light shooting, it’s good, but not the best on the market – if you’re looking for something particularly well suited to night shooting, then the Huawei P20 Pro or Mate 20 Pro, or the Google Pixel 3 are better alternatives right now.

One of the best things about the HTC U12 Plus is its pricing. Available (at the time of writing) for just over £600, it’s got a mid-range price tag, but in terms of the camera and image quality, it’s pretty competitive with the premium end of the market. If you’re looking to save a bit of cash, it could be a good option, particularly if you can get a cheap deal via one of the networks.

Overall, for photographers the HTC U12 Plus is a solid option, with a useful native camera app and good image quality. The price being in the mid-range also makes it desirable, but there are phones out there which offer just that touch more “wow factor”.

4 stars

Ratings (out of 5)
Design 4
Features 4
Ease-of-use 4
Image quality 4
Value for money 4.5

Main Rivals

Listed below are some of the rivals of the HTC U12 Plus.

Apple iPhone XR

The Apple iPhone XR is the cheapest of the three new iPhones released in 2018, sacrificing the telephoto lens and higher-resolution screen that the XS models offer. Read our in-depth Apple iPhone XR review to find out if it's still worth considering...

Apple iPhone Xs

The Apple iPhone XS is the 2018 update of Apple's best ever selling phone, last year's iPhone X. Read our Apple iPhone XS review to find out what this latest version offers and if it's the right smartphone for keen photographers...

Google Pixel 3

The brand new Google Pixel 3 smartphone offers photographers a 12 megapixel sensor, 5.5-inch FHD+ screen, wide-angle selfies, Portrait Mode, and the clever Night Sight mode for low-light hand-held shooting. Read our in-depth Google Pixel 3 review to find out just what it's capable of...

Google Pixel 3 XL

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3XL are new flagship smartphones from Google. New features for photographers include Top Shot, which uses AI to help you capture the perfect photo every time, Super Res Zoom, which produces sharp details when you zoom, and Night Sight, which lets you take natural-looking photos…

Google Pixel 3a

Do you want the same excellent camera from the flagship Pixel 3 but at a much lower price? Of course you do! Then look no further than the brand new Pixel 3a, which features exactly the same camera module as its big brother, including the innovative Night Sight and Portrait modes, but at almost half the price. Read our Google Pixel 3a review to find out if this is all the smartphone camera that you actually need...

Honor 20 Pro

The Honor 20 Pro is a mid-range smartphone with flagship pretensions, aiming to take on £$1000 devices at a much lower-price point whilst delivering similar levels of performance, specification and quality. Does it succeed? Find out now by reading our in-depth Honor 20 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos.

Honor View 20

The Honor View 20 is a mid-range smartphone with flagship specs and performance, with a 48 megapixel sensor, a “hole punch” to house the front-facing camera, and dedicated Night, Portrait and Pro shooting modes aimed at photographers. Is this all the smartphone that you really need? Find out now by reading our in-depth Honor View 20 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos.

Huawei Mate 20 Pro

The Huawei Mate 20 Pro is simply the best smartphone for photographers that we've ever reviewed - find out why by reading our in-depth Huawei Mate 20 Pro review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P30 Lite

The Huawei P30 Lite is a new mid-range smartphone that offers a lot of features for keen photographers. It has a triple camera setup with a 48 megapixel wide-angle lens, an 8 megapixel ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2 megapixel bokeh lens. Find out if this is all the smartphone camera that you need by reading our in-depth Huawei P30 Lite review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Huawei P30 Pro

The Huawei P30 Pro is a flagship smartphone that aims to rewrite the rules of photography. The P30 Pro is equipped with a new Leica Quad Camera System, including a 40MP main camera with the HUAWEI SuperSpectrum Sensor, a 20MP ultra-wide angle camera, an 8MP telephoto camera, the ToF Camera…

Nokia 7 Plus

OnePlus 6T

The OnePlus 6T is a flagship smartphone with a 16 megapixel camera, 4K/60fps movie recording, 960fps super slow motion video, and a smaller notch design. Read our expert OnePlus 6T review with full-size sample JPEG and Raw images and videos...

Samsung Galaxy Note 9

The Galaxy Note 9 is Samsung's latest flagship smartphone, boasting a 6.4-inch screen, dual 12-megapixel cameras with dual-aperture control, 2x optical zoom, 4K video at 60fps and super slow motion video at 960fps, and internal memory up to 512GB. Take a look at our in-depth Samsung Galaxy Note 9 review to find out if this is the best smartphone camera for avid photographers...

Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus

The Galaxy S10 Plus is the best smartphone that Samsung have ever made, but is it also the best for keen photographers? Find out now by reading our expert Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Sony Xperia 1

The Xperia 1 is the first ever Sony smartphone to borrow technology from the company's successful Alpha range of mirrorless cameras, including the very popular Eye AF feature and the latest Bionz X processor. Could this be the ultimate smartphone for photographers? Find out now by reading our in-depth Sony Xperia 1 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Sony Xperia XZ3

The Sony Xperia XZ3 is a flagship smartphone with a 19 megapixel camera, 4K HDR Movie recording, 960fps Super slow motion in Full HD, and AI predictive capture.Are there enough features and performance to tempt keen photographers? Find out now by reading our in-depth Sony Xperia XZ3 review, complete with full-size sample images and videos...

Review Roundup

Reviews of the HTC U12 Plus from around the web.

techradar.com »

While we thoroughly applaud HTC for trying to be innovative with this handset, in a smartphone world that sorely needs differentiation, it doesn't mean that we have to like what's on show. In the same way that we don't need our phones to be able to also churn butter, the non-mechanical volume buttons are a pointless change. That said, this is a powerful phone with amazing audio and a half-decent camera... it's just not the best to use.
Read the full review »

trustedreviews.com »

HTC’s uncertain future has been punctuated by a surprisingly strong entrant in the flagship smartphone space for 2018. The name alone might raise questions about the existence of an HTC U12 but to put those to rest, there is no such phone, unlike the iPhone 8 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus, HTC simply jumped from the HTC U11 Plus to the U12 Plus in a matter of months.
Read the full review »

androidcentral.com »

When we first reviewed the HTC U12+ back in June, it was kind of a mess. That was almost exclusively the fault of the digital buttons: the pressure sensitive nubs that replaced the power and volume keys. More generally, the Edge Sense 2 features, which includes all the phone's pressure-sensitive capabilities, were equally wonky out of the box. Problems included ghost presses, wildly varying sensitivity, in some cases leading to the phone hard resetting itself due to ghost input.
Read the full review »

Specifications

FINISH
Translucent Blue
Ceramic Black
Flame Red
DESIGN
Height: 156.6mm
Width: 73.9mm
Depth: 8.7 mm - 9.7mm (camera height included)
Weight: 188g
73.9mm8.7 mm - 9.7mm156.6mm
*All units of measurement may vary slightly according to manufacturing tolerance
MAIN DISPLAY
Size: 6 inch Super LCD 6
Resolution: Quad HD+ (2880 x 1440 pixels, 18:9)
PPI: Pixel density at 537 ppi (pixel per inch)
Color gamut: DCI-P3, sRGB, Color personalization
HDR: HDR 10 support
Notification: Smart display
6 “
CPU
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845, 64 bit octa-core, up to 2.8 Ghz
CAMERA
Main Camera
UltraSpeed Autofocus 2 ( Phase detection + Laser autofocus)
Photos support optical zoom 1.85x to 2x and digital zoom up to 10x
HDR Boost 2
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS)
Bokeh mode
Dual LED flash
AR sticker
Self timer up to 10 seconds
Face detection
Pro mode with manual control, 32 sec. long exposure and RAW format support
Panorama
  • 12MP Wide-angle camera with HTC UltraPixel™ 4
  • Pixel size 1.4μm
  • Aperture ƒ/1.75
  • 16MP Telephoto camera
  • Pixel size 1.0μm
  • Aperture ƒ/2.6
Front Camera
Wide angle 84° field of view
Bokeh mode
AR sticker
HDR Boost
Face unlock
Screen flash
Auto Selfie
Self timer up to 10 seconds
Live make-up (beautification mode)
Selfie Panorama
  • Dual 8MP camera
  • Pixel size 1.12μm
  • Aperture ƒ/2.0
VIDEO RECORDING
Main Camera
4K video recording at 60fps
High quality audio recording, 96kHz, 24bit
Sonic Zoom, Audio Boost, and 3D Audio recording with 4 microphones
AR sticker
8 megapixel still photos while recording 4K video
Slow motion video (1080P@240fps)
Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) + Electronic Image Stabilization (EIS)
Hyperlapse
Front Camera
Full HD 1080p video recording
AR sticker
HTC EDGE SENSE 2
Squeeze to access apps or control the phone
Double tap for a mini screen for easy one-handed use, or as a back key or a navigation bar
Hold for Smart rotate and Smart dim
Customizable gestures to launch camera, voice assistant, turn on flashlight, and more.
SOUND
HTC USonic with Active Noise Cancellation
Hi-Res Audio certified
HTC BoomSound™ Hi-Fi edition
Qualcomm® aptX™ HD, LDAC™ up to 32-bit high resolution wireless audio via Bluetooth®
VOICE
Always listening support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa
Activity Reader automatically reads out SMS messages from contacts, calendar events, and incoming caller ID through your headphones. (Headphone compatibility may vary.)
*Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatibility and availability may vary by region. Please consult with your local operator.
MEMORY
Embedded
RAM: 6GB
ROM: 64GB
*Available storage is less due to phone software. Available storage is subject to change based on phone software updates and apps usage.
Expandable memory
microSD™ (SDHC™ , SDXC™) (Use SIM2)
*Available storage is less due to phone software. Available storage is subject to change based on phone software updates and apps usage.
Expandable memory limited to available microSD card size.
PLATFORM
Android™ 8.0 Oreo with HTC Sense™
*Platform may be different after software update.
WATER AND DUST RESISTANT
IP68
BATTERY AND CHARGING SPEED
Capacity - Nominal: 3500mAh; Rated: 3420mAh
Extreme power saving mode
Talk time on 3G/4G network: up to 23.8 Hours
Fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0 in box. Up to 50% charge in 35 minutes.
Power saving mode
*The battery claims herein may vary based on cellular network, location, signal strength, feature configurations, app and phone usage, and many other factors. Actual results may vary. Charging speeds may be different if using a charger other than in-box charger.
CONNECTIVITY
NFC
HTC Connect for streaming media from the phone to compatible Chromecast, DLNA™, AirPlay™, Miracast™ Devices
Bluetooth® 5
USB 3.1 Gen 1, Type-C
Wi-Fi®: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4 & 5 GHz) with MU-MIMO
Supports DisplayPort over USB type-C
LOCATION
GPS, A-GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou
*GPS system support may vary based on region.
BUTTONS
New Pressure Sensitive Buttons and a new touch feedback experience
SENSORS
Ambient light sensor
Magnetic sensor
Proximity sensor
Fingerprint Sensor
Motion G-sensor
Sensor Hub
Compass sensor
Edge sensor
Gyro sensor
HTC SENSE COMPANION
Suggestions or helpful information based on your interests and daily activities
GESTURE AND OTHERS
Motion Launch
Pocket mode
Sensor Hub for activity tracking
Flip to mute
Quiet ring on pick up
SIM CARD AND MOBILE NETWORKING
Dual Nano SIM
Cat. 18 Gigabit LTE, download up to 1.2 Gbps, upload up to 150 Mbps (up to 5CA Carrier Aggregation and 4x4 MIMO), Carrier dependent
Dual LTE (both SIM supports LTE)
2G/2.5G - GSM/GPRS/EDGE
850/900/1800/1900 MHz
3G UMTS
AWS/850/900/1900/2100 (B4/B5/B8/B2/B1); HSDPA 42, HSUPA 5.76
4G LTE
FDD: Bands B4/B12/B17/B28/B20/B5/B8/B3/B1/B7/B32/B2/B13/B66
TDD: Bands B39/B40/B38/B41
VoLTE, Wi-Fi Calling
*Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa compatibility and availability may vary by region. Please consult with your local operator.
FORMAT SUPPORTED
Audio supported formats
Playback: .3gp, .mp4, .m4a, .aac, .ts, .flac, .mp3, .mid, .ogg, .mkv, .wav
Recording: .3gp, .aac, .flac
Video supported formats
Playback: .3gp, .mp4, .ts, .webm, .mkv and HDR10 video
Recording: .3gp, .mp4, .mkv

News

The new HTC U12+ flagship smartphone has two cameras on the front and back that deliver beautifully artistic photos with DSLR-like bokeh. The U12+ has received a DxOMark score of 103, the highest rated camera in the industry for a dual camera smartphone.

The HTC U12+ will be available in Translucent Blue, Ceramic Black, and Flame Red.

HTC Press Release

TAIPEI – May 23, 2018 – In its latest showcase of cutting-edge innovation, unrivaled usability, and extraordinary design, HTC today unveiled the HTC U12+. The U12+ is HTC’s biggest and boldest flagship phone ever, including a vivid 6” display with cinematic 18:9 widescreen, yet it is also easier to use with Edge Sense 2 for intuitive one-handed interaction for snapping photos, calling up voice assistants, or virtually anything you may want to do. There is simply no other phone as big, beautiful, and easy to use as the HTC U12+.

Features of the HTC U12+ include:

  • Edge Sense 2: A new touch feedback experience turn the edges of U12+ into the easiest and most intuitive way to interact with your phone. The new Edge Sense knows which hand you are using, giving you one-handed freedom to double tap to navigate the device, hold to lock the screen orientation, or squeeze the sides for taking photos and videos, zooming in on maps, and virtually any interaction.
  • The highest-rated dual camera: Two cameras on the front and back deliver beautifully artistic photos with DSLR-like bokeh. UltraSpeed Autofocus 2 includes full sensor phase detection autofocus and new laser autofocus to ensure you never miss your shot, while HDR Boost 2 lets you take fantastic photos in any lighting condition. The main camera’s 2x optical zoom and 10x digital zoom for photos means you are always ready for a close-up, while video with Sonic Zoom lets you “zoom in” on a sound or voice so you are truly the director of the scene. And with one-touch auto zoom, it’s almost like you have Hollywood in your pocket. It’s so good, the U12+ received a DxOMark score of 103 – the highest rated camera in the industry for a dual camera smartphone.1
  • Best-ever HTC BoomSound, USonic, and Qualcomm® aptX™ HD audio: Incredible, pulse-pounding sound with louder-than-ever BoomSound speakers and USonic earbuds featuring Active Noise Cancellation to keep out unwanted distractions. USonic matches the unique structure of your ear to shape the sound perfectly for you, so you hear every high note with crystal-clear precision and every bassline with thundering power. For wireless audio that goes way beyond expectations, aptX HD is designed to support high resolution 24-bit Bluetooth audio.
  • Liquid Surface: The U12+ showcases an even more artistic design featuring ultra-thin screen borders and new pressure-sensitive buttons encased in vibrant colors unlike anything you’ve seen. A Translucent Blue color that lets you admire your phone’s beauty both inside and out, while Ceramic Black offers a gorgeously sophisticated look and Flame Red delivers extraordinary, color-shifting hues in the most dynamic look HTC has ever created.
  • Power and performance: Equipped with the Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile Platform with X20 LTE that will extend the way people see, hear, and interact with the world around them. It is engineered to shatter performance expectations and connect you at beyond Gigabit LTE download speeds without unnecessarily compromising battery life. With 6GB RAM standard and up to 128GB storage, the U12+ shatters expectations of the power and performance you can expect from your phone. The U12+ is also VR ready for the Vive Focus (where available) with phone call and notification sync, plus mirror mode to turn your smartphone into your own personal VR theater.

The HTC U12+ will be available in Translucent Blue, Ceramic Black, and Flame Red. For more information, please see the following pages or visit htc.com.

  1. Based on DxOMark ratings as of May 2018: dxomark.com/Mobiles.

About HTC

HTC Corporation aims to bring brilliance to life. As a global innovator in smart mobile devices and technology, HTC has produced award-winning products and industry firsts since its inception in 1997, including the critically acclaimed HTC U and Desire lines of smartphones. The pursuit of brilliance is at the heart of everything we do, inspiring best-in-class design and game-changing mobile and virtual reality experiences for consumers around the world. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). www.htc.com.

Preview Images

Ahead of our full review, here are some sample JPEG and Raw images taken with the HTC U12+ smartphone. The HTC U12+ currently has the highest-rated dual camera set up on DxO Labs.

A gallery of sample images taken with the HTC U12+ smartphone.

HTC U12+ Sample Images

Sample RAW Images

The HTC U12+ enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We've provided some HTC RAW (DNG) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

Sample Movies & Video

This is a sample movie at the highest quality setting of 3840x2160 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 115Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 18 second movie is 50.7Mb in size.

This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 17 second movie is 25.3Mb in size.

This is a sample slow-motion movie at the quality setting of 1920x1080 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this1 minute 38 second movie is 125Mb in size.

This is a sample timelapse movie at the quality setting of 1280x720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 9 second movie is 14.2Mb in size.

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