It’s been a while since we’ve seen any significant market presence from HTC, at least as far as smartphones are concerned. Many years ago, the Taiwanese electronics giant won the hearts of many Android fans with its M-series devices, and even gained a cult following with its X-series handsets. However, the company’s 2016 entry – the HTC 10 – was a sign that the once successful Android player was now at odds with emerging market forces, in an ever-changing market.
So it was a bit of a surprise when we saw a couple of affordable HTC-branded devices launch a while back, although these weren’t exactly the big “comeback” that hardcore fans were expecting. That all changes now though, with the launch of the HTC U23 Pro, a mid-range device which does come with some rather compelling hardware. Priced to take on the likes of the Pixel 7a and Samsung Galaxy A54, the U23 Pro was finally announced to the public today. What does it bring though? Let’s take a look.
External Design and Display
In terms of design, the U23 Pro plays it safe – you won’t find the bold camera design seen on Google’s Pixel phones, or the circular camera modules that’s been popular on a number of Chinese Android brands. Instead, HTC has designed the U23 Pro to look a bit more “standard,” with a rear camera island that resembles a number of recent Galaxy S-series flagships. This setup does come with an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance, which is a nice bonus. The phone also comes with a 3.5mm headphone jack, a rarity nowadays. There’s also a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, in lieu of an under-display solution.
The phone’s OLED display measures in at 6.7 inches wide, with a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1080×2400 pixel resolution, and 20:9 aspect ratio. For protection, the display comes with a layer of Gorilla glass Victus.
Internal Specs and Cameras
The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1, working in tandem with an Adreno 644 GPU. This is also supported by up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of internal storage. Despite the “Pro” name it seems that HTC intends the phone primarily for midrange buyers, and the 7 Gen 1 is evidence of that. The phone comes with a 4,600 mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging speeds, 15W wireless, and even 15W reverse wireless charging.
The phone comes with a quad camera setup, consisting of a 108MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, and a couple of 2MP depth and macro sensors. The front meanwhile houses a 32MP front-facing camera for selfies and video calls. The main camera does support optical image stabilisation, and can record video at a maximum of 4K resolution at 30fps.
Pricing and Availability
If you’re in the United Kingdom and are looking to get your hands on the U23 Pro, you can now order the device at a price of £499. The U23 Pro comes in a “Coffee Black” variant, which ships out on 5th June, and a “Snow White” version that ships out on the 18th of June. Early buyers will also get a free bundled-in pair of HTC wireless earbuds along with their purchase.
