Characteristics of the HTC U Play smartphone: features, photos, review

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The beginning of 2021 was also significant for the HTC brand, which presented two new devices to consumers: U Play and Ultra. The first is distinguished by its budget focus, the presence of stable hardware and accessibility for the average Android user. The second option is cooler - a bunch of bells and whistles and an additional screen will tear up any Instagrammer or fan of playing the new Asphalt. In this article we will conduct a short review of the HTC U Play - an excellent option for the money invested.

The main feature of new smartphones is the unique “Liquid Surface” design or, in cultural terms, Liquid Surface. The point is this: the surface is completely glass with a shimmering effect; The level of protection of such a panel is not “artisanal”, but Corning Gorilla Glass 5. We’ll talk about this and many other parameters further.

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HTC U Play specifications

Design

The smartphone from the NTS company was released as an absolute “classic of the 21st century”. It has a metal frame and rounded edges. As mentioned earlier, the back has 5th generation Corning protection.

Users rate the phone as a nice device, modest and without flaws, although it was not considered by the company as the most popular and best-selling model in the future.

The dimensions are standard for its class - 14.5x7.2 cm, thickness only 7.99 mm. Although the phone could have been made thinner, given the small battery of only 2500 mAh.

The device fits comfortably in the hand - its weight of 145 g and rounded edges contribute to this.

Screen

HTC U Play has a rather modest 5.2-inch screen: IPS+Full HD resolution.

When you first turn it on, you get the impression of a bright and colorful phone, but not in the sun - the problem of a dim screen immediately catches your eye.

What's from memory

This article reviews both the 32 GB version and the HTC U Play 64 GB. The phones also differ in RAM – 3 and 4 GB, respectively. Not much for a smartphone in 2021, but we’re content with what we can.

Plus - the ability to install a memory card up to 2 TB. With this volume, the phone will not burn out, don’t worry. However, the 64 GB version is enough for the average user.

Iron

The smartphone has an 8-core processor from Mediatek under the shell. Such processors were in demand on budget models in 2018-19.

It is noticeable that even with 70-100 percent core load, the smartphone does not overheat. The main feature that everyone praises is Sense Companion. This is an add-on that is designed to remember your actions throughout the day. In short, this is a kind of assistant-advisor: what to wear in a snowfall or how to quickly avoid traffic jams.

The virtual advisor recognizes the owner’s voice even when the equipment is locked - with just one sound you can dial a number or send an SMS.

In the future, the developers are going to introduce a system of complete analysis of user actions to give the best advice and simplify life. Cool stuff. I wonder what will happen next.

Camera

For those who like to take pictures, everything is not so colorful - the main camera and front camera are designed for 16 megapixels. During the daytime it is still possible to take more or less adequate pictures, although there are not many opportunities for this.

Regarding the overall quality of the photos, they have noticeable noise and detail is below average. A plus is the fast focusing, which also does not always fall into the right place. In general, the camera is worth getting used to.

Night time has more disadvantages than positives. The noise is off the charts - the developers were probably asleep while setting up the night mode.

But the front camera works like clockwork: there is enough pixelation to take high-quality selfies. The video is shot in Full HD in average quality.

Conclusion

The characteristics and price of the equipment indicate that savings had to be made somewhere in order to provide the consumer with a more or less usable smartphone. The design is not for everyone, and the camera is definitely not for experienced photographers. But the price of 10-12 thousand rubles helps to turn a blind eye to the shortcomings.