Introduction

Ease of Use

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)
ISO 200 (100% Crop)	ISO 200 (100% Crop)
ISO 400 (100% Crop)	ISO 400 (100% Crop)
ISO 800 (100% Crop)	ISO 800 (100% Crop)

Focal Range

Wide-angle

Telephoto

Digital Zoom

Flash

Wide-angle - Flash Off

Wide-angle - Flash On

Telephoto - Flash Off

Telephoto - Flash On

Rear Camera - Flash Off

Rear Camera - Flash On

Selfie - Flash On

Macro

Shallow Depth of Field Effect

Night

Panorama

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

Product Images

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”.

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.

Review Roundup

Reviews of the HTC U12 Plus from around the web.

Specifications

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

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