HTC U Ultra and HTC U Play, the smartphones that learn from the man. Photo

The Taiwanese company has officially presented the HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play, and there was no shortage of surprises. Starting with the personal assistant

After dozens of rumors that tried to predict the features of the new HTC smartphones, the Taiwanese company has finally presented the HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play. And as expected, there were no shortage of surprises: of the three smartphones that were to be launched, in the end the Taiwanese company presented only two.

The expectations around the new HTC devices were very high, especially after the publicity battage with which the company had presented the event. With the new U series, the Taiwanese company hopes to recover some of the ground it has lost in recent years in the smartphone sector. Those who were expecting a new smartphone with the Snapdragon 835 inside will be disappointed: the HTC Ultra U, the top of the range presented, only mounts the Snapdragon 821. The HTC U Play, on the other hand, mounts a MediaTek SoC and is dedicated to a lower price range. Let's find out together.

HTC U Ultra, the technical specifications

(Taken from YouTube)

The HTC Ultra is a phablet with a 5.7-inch display with 2560 x 1440 resolution with Gorilla Glass protection (in the 64GB version) or sapphire glass (in the 128GB version). Compared to the latest rumors appeared online that gave for certain the use of the Snapdragon 835, the HTC U Ultra will only mount the Snapdragon 821, a chipset less powerful and that consumes more battery. The hardware compartment is completed by 4GB of RAM and 64GB or 128GB of internal storage (depending on the version chosen). The photographic compartment consists of a 16-megapixel front camera with special features dedicated to selfies and with a 12-megapixel rear camera. To complete the smartphone a 3000mAh battery.

HTC Sense Companion

Up to here it would seem a normal smartphone, but there are other features that make the HTC U Ultra special. On the front, the smartphone has a second color screen that allows you to quickly check notifications, settings and the most used applications. Another very interesting feature is the new personal assistant HTC Sense Companion that learns the habits of the users and suggests when to put on heavy clothes, take the umbrella or prepare the charger if you have to face plane trips. HTC's new artificial intelligence has been developed to make the smartphone special. In addition, the device does not feature the 3.5mm audio jack and uses the USB Type-C output to connect earphones. Inside the package are the HTC USonic headphones that analyze the user's ear and adapt the sound. The operating system used is Android Nougat 7.0.

Price and release date

The HTC U Ultra will be available for pre-order from mid-February on HTC's website. The price for the 64GB version will be 749 euros, while for the 128GB model there is no information available.

HTC U Play, the features

Along with the HTC U Ultra was also presented the HTC U Play, a mid-range smartphone with quite interesting features. The device mounts a MediaTek Helio P10 SoC, 3GB or 4GB of RAM and 32GB or 64GB of internal storage (which you can expand up to 2TB with a micro-SD card). The display is 5.2 inches with a 1920 x 1080 resolution and curved glass. The camera compartment features a 16-megapixel front and rear camera, with special features for taking selfies and professional-quality pictures.

Like the HTC U Ultra, the HTC U Play also supports the HTC Sense Companion personal assistant that allows you to use the device to its fullest. The audio jack is replaced by USB Type-C output and HTC USonic earbuds are included in the package. The smartphone will be available for pre-order on HTC's website from mid-February at a price of €449.