Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer HTC kicked off its 2017 by announcing two new smartphones: the U Ultra, and the U Play. The new devices step away from HTC's long running love for aluminium - and other than a metallic rim - are all glass.
While both the U Ultra and U Play share the same design language, they're quite different devices. The U Ultra is a flagship grade phablet with a secondary display, whereas the U Play is more of a "premium midrange" device (at least, based on its specifications).
There are a few similarities though.
Firstly, both ship with HTC's new artificial intelligence solution, Sense Companion. Rather than trying to build an artificial intelligence that replaces Google Now, Sense Companion is more so designed to provide suggestions based on how you use your phone and your day-to-day actions. HTC Product Marketing Director Thomas Dexmier says Sense Companion "learns more from you ever single day that you use it".
Dexmier suggested that Sense Companion - based on the times you typically leave and come back home - might tell you to should charge your phone before you go, as otherwise it will run flat before you make it home. Sense Companion can also provide restaurant recommendations, or alert you to the fact it's raining, which could mean you need an umbrella or to leave for work earlier.
Sense Companion also interacts with the U Ultra's secondary 2.05-inch display that sits above its more traditional 5.7-inch screen. If you're using the second screen to provide shortcuts to favourite contacts, it might suggest you swap out Craig because you haven't talked to him weeks, and replace it with Jon, who've you've spoken to everyday. Sense Companion will also prioritise the notifications displayed on the secondary display.
When the U Ultra is sleeping, the secondary screen will raise on wake, and provide quick shortcuts, like access to the flashlight. The second screen can also be used for pinning apps and reminders.
In order to better facilitate conversations with your phone, the U Ultra is kitted out with four long-range microphones that provide 360-degree coverage.
"You don’t have to yell at the phone for it to understand you," Dexmier told WhistleOut.
The microphone configuration can also be used to record 360-degree audio, which Dexmier suggests could then be used for virtual reality projects.
Neither phone has a headphone jack. Instead, you'll have to make do of the USB Type-C headphones HTC bundles in the box. Fortunately, these are said to be based on the ones that came with the HTC 10 last year, which we found to be great. The move to USB Type-C has allowed to fill its headphones with smarts. Dubbed USonic, the headphones will analyse the shape of your inner-ear with a "sonar-like pulse", and adapt sound based on the reflected tones. This tech will also adapt to the noise level of the environment you're in.
Key specifications for the U Ultra include a 5.7-inch Quad HD display, a Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor, a minimum of 64GB of expandable storage, 4GB of RAM, a fingerprint reader, a 3,000mAh battery, a 12MP rear-facing camera, and a 16MP front-facing camera.
Key specifications for the U Play include a 5.2-inch 1080p display, a MediaTek Helo P10 eight-core processor, a minimum of 32GB of expandable storage, at least 3GB of RAM, a fingerprint reader, a 2,500mAh battery, and 16MP cameras on both the front and back of the phone.
Pricing and availability for either phone has yet to be confirmed, but we're expecting to learn more soon. The U Ultra and U Play will be available in white, black, or blue.
Alex Choros
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