HTC has unveiled its new flagship smartphone, the U12+. With the slogan 'living on the edge', the device builds on the previous HTC squeeze features to allow users to control the 6-inch device with one hand touching the edges. The Edge Sense 2 system recognises which hand is holding the phone, so gestures such as squeezing the device, doubling clicking the side or holding down can launch common functions such as the camera, zooming in a map or navigating the screen.
This will be HTC's sole flagship this year. Last year it launched the U11 in February and U11+ late in the year. The U12+ will launch in the coming weeks for a recommended price of EUR 799. It will be available in a choice of red, black or blue, with the latter featuring in marketing to highlight the translucent casing exposing the inner components of the phone.
The U12+ comes with a glass casing and is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance. With no mechanical buttons, it uses the Edge Sense haptic feedback system along the edges of the phone to control the volume and turn the device on and off. Users can customise the other edge touch features with the gestures double click, squeeze or hold.
The 6-inch screen comes with an 18:9 display ratio and resolution of 1,440 x 2,880 pixels and uses the new SLCD6 screen technology. The U12+ runs the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor, 6 GB RAM and 64 GB internal storage and also supports microSD cards up to 2 TB. The Android 8 device includes a 3,500 mAh battery.
The phone comes with double cameras both on the front and the back. The back camera includes a 12-megapixel UltraPixel 4 camera sensor and 16-megapixel telephoto lens, with 2x optical and 10x digital zoom, while the front camera has two 8-megapixel lenses to help realise bokeh effects.The Sonic Zoom function allows users to zoom in on sounds or voices when recording a video. HTC also optimised the phone to work with its Vive VR devices, including a 'mirror mode' for viewing VR.
