My Review on the HTC U Ultra

[Tsepz_GP]

Great review!

I have been wondering when this will land here in South Africa, but knowing HTC, it will be months. I'm sad to here it does not have a 3.5mm jack, HTC were many years ago the anti-Apple of Android OEMs while Samsung were creating iPhone look alikes with the 1st Galaxy S.

Now HTC seem to want to do everything Apple does and it is not helping them at all.

I've had mine for a while now. The only downside for me is the lack of a headphone jack. Considering that it won't work with any of the USB-C adapters I tried, this is a fatal flaw. Other than that it's pretty much the same as the LG G6 hardware wise and has the exactly same price. While 749$ isn't exactly cheap, it seems that all manufacturers have together decided to hike the prices this year. I believe the U Ultra will end up being one of the more moderately priced phones this year. The Huawei P10 Plus costs more, the S8 and the Sony XZ Premium will both be considerably more and the new iPhone will likely go for over a grand. The problem with the U Ultra is that it's fairly mainstream. It's the same device as the LG G6 and the Huawei. So why would anyone buy the one without the headphone jack if the others all have it and cost the same?

The 821 processor is a non-issue by the way. Early benchmarks of the S8 with its 835 are fairly discouraging. The S8 is barely faster than the S7. The 821 might actually turn out to be the better choice as it's quite low power and runs very cool.

The battery in the U Ultra isn't huge, but it lasts a full day and charges extremely fast.

The question remains: why buy this one rather than, say, a Pixel XL or an LG G6? Since they're all the same, it really doesn't matter. The second screen is very gimmicky and really does absolutely nothing for me. The lack of a headphone jack and no adapter available plain sucks. If it were priced 100$ less, it'd probably sell OK, but as it stands now, this will be a failure for HTC, IMO. One that could easily be fixed, though: make it a bit cheaper and send the buyers an audio adapter.

Early S8 benchmarks? The phone and is not even announced let alone released, the Snapdragon 835 is still not in final form either even the Sony Xperia XZ Premiums at MWC were nowhere near production products, so i imagine any benchmark of the 835 would be crap as:
1. No benchmark has been updated to fully​ support the SoC
2. The phones being run on these benchmarks are on Beta Software at best, lol , of course the benchmarks will be horrible.

People make this same mistake every year, and the 1sr reaction is that the new SoC is bad, and then it's benchmarked in a retail device and blows everything out the water.

 

[zipro]

Great review!

I have been wondering when this will land here in South Africa, but knowing HTC, it will be months. I'm sad to here it does not have a 3.5mm jack, HTC were many years ago the anti-Apple of Android OEMs while Samsung were creating iPhone look alikes with the 1st Galaxy S.

Now HTC seem to want to do everything Apple does and it is not helping them at all.

Early S8 benchmarks? The phone and is not even announced let alone released, the Snapdragon 835 is still not in final form either even the Sony Xperia XZ Premiums at MWC were nowhere near production products, so i imagine any benchmark of the 835 would be crap as:
1. No benchmark has been updated to fully​ support the SoC
2. The phones being run on these benchmarks are on Beta Software at best, lol , of course the benchmarks will be horrible.

People make this same mistake every year, and the 1sr reaction is that the new SoC is bad, and then it's benchmarked in a retail device and blows everything out the water.

Benchmarks aren't everything. The U Ultra fares worse in Geekbench than the S7 EDGE and the iPhone 7 Plus, yet in real-life use it just feels a lot zippier than either one of these.

 

[Tsepz_GP]

Benchmarks aren't everything. The U Ultra fares worse in Geekbench than the S7 EDGE and the iPhone 7 Plus, yet in real-life use it just feels a lot zippier than either one of these.

Indeed, that is the other argument.

We can't judge anything strictly on benchmarks, i personally don't even look at them anymore, I am not even sure what the new standard scores are in AnTuTu or Geekbench, some of these benchmarks even go out of style, LOL, remember Quadrant!!? That thing was thee benchmark in the Gingerbread days.

All I am saying is that we can't judge a device that has to even be announced or released, especially with figures achieved on devices are not even final.

The other argument is can we even compare iPhone and Android benchmark scores when the 2 OSs work so differently!? It all gets rather messy.

 

[cert15z]

It's curious that they sell an adapter for the Bolt but if you look for accessories for the U Ultra it's described as "coming soon" (or was yesterday). Genuinely different adapters, or a bookkeeping error?

I just received the U Ultra 3.5mm adapter. It is the same adapter as the Bolt.

 

[bhatech]

I just received the U Ultra 3.5mm adapter. It is the same adapter as the Bolt.

Is this something you can buy of Amazon or it needs to be this particular one. I assume any USB C to 3.5 mm Jack should be fine and I rather buy from Amazon with fast prime shipping than direct from HTC.

 

[cert15z]

Is this something you can buy of Amazon or it needs to be this particular one. I assume any USB C to 3.5 mm Jack should be fine and I rather buy from Amazon with fast prime shipping than direct from HTC.

I ordered this one form HTC. It was under the Ultra accessories section. I don't know if any other will work. I am actually waiting for my Ultra to come Monday to make sure this one works.

 

[zipro]

I ordered this one form HTC. It was under the Ultra accessories section. I don't know if any other will work. I am actually waiting for my Ultra to come Monday to make sure this one works.

If it works, would you be willing to buy one and forward it to me in Switzerland if I PayPal you the amount in advance? I'm kind of bummed (and desperate) because HTC doesn't offer an adapter in Europe and third party ones don't seem to work. Also, sorry for asking you so bluntly :-/

 

[cert15z]

If it works, would you be willing to buy one and forward it to me in Switzerland if I PayPal you the amount in advance? I'm kind of bummed (and desperate) because HTC doesn't offer an adapter in Europe and third party ones don't seem to work. Also, sorry for asking you so bluntly :-/

Yes I will. I will let you know if it works tomorrow.

 

[zipro]

Yes I will. I will let you know if it works tomorrow.

Thank you!

More reviews in now - largely confirm my impression: battery life is fine. Light bleed seems to be present on all of them and seems to have to do with the secondary screen construction. To be honest, it's a very minor issue (and I'm quite fussy with my screens) and compared to the very often present color casts and tint issues on AMOLED screens, it's nothing.

Other observations: it's fast, fast, fast. Very much like the Pixel - absolutely no lag whatsoever, extremely fast app open time and excellent memory management.

Also, Google Assistant now working like a charm, I can even control my Samsung Smartthings devices with it.

 

[cert15z]

If it works, would you be willing to buy one and forward it to me in Switzerland if I PayPal you the amount in advance? I'm kind of bummed (and desperate) because HTC doesn't offer an adapter in Europe and third party ones don't seem to work. Also, sorry for asking you so bluntly :-/

I got my phone today. This adapter work great. When I plugged the adapter into the phone, it immediately gave an update message. After the update, I got another message letting me know that the adapter is using the phone as an power supply.

 

[Charles Collins]

All fair points made. I love my Ultra though. By all reasonable measurements this isn't a phone I should love but (for me) it is the story of the sum exceeding the parts. I've sold my OP 3T and my Mate 9 is for sale; that's how much I like my Ultra.

The battery is and always will be a concern. Perhaps One will finally allow Android to challenge iOS in lingetivity but until then my iPhone 7 Plus will remain the only device I own that doesn't make me battery anxious.

My only other concern is updates, already I'd want a newer security patch as I'm still on January.

 

[Morty2264]

Glad the camera is functioning well, and that users are enjoying it! I've always had a soft spot for HTC.

 

[petvas72]

I got the Ultra yesterday and I am still in the honeymoon phase with it, but here are my first thoughts:

What I like:

• The design is amazing. I have the black version and it is absolutely stunning. Fingerprints are not an issue and the device feels great in the hand. Much better than the HTC 10
• The second display is not a gimmick. It is very useful for notifications, and for quick shortcuts to contacts and apps. I use it a lot in these two days. Of course, important is to see what happens with usage when the novelty wears off. I really like it so far
• The fingerprint sensor works very well, better than on the HTC 10
• Battery life: The press has been complaining about the 3000mAh battery of the Ultra, but it lasts the whole day with no issues. It is interesting that the same press doesn't have a problem with the Samsung S8 and its battery capacity..I wonder why is this happening (bias or money from Samsung)
• Audio quality is great. The speakers are really good and the sound through the usb-c speakers very very good
• The camera is great, better than on the HTC 10.
• The UI: Typical Sense, very fluid
• The display is amazing. Very good brightness and sunlight visibility

What I don't like:

• The device is very big. 90% of the time I don't mind that, but some people might have issues with the size of the device.
• The capacitive buttons could be placed better, more central.
• The Sense companion is useless so far. That might change in the future, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. We will see.

Overall, this is a top device and the press is just flat out lying about it. I understand that HTC doesn't have the marketing power of Apple or Samsung, but the press should try to be more objective. I watched the review video of the S8+ from Android Central and I was really mad. It was like a marketing pitch from Samsung. I wonder why this is happening..
Android Central and other members of the press are not treating all manufacturers in the same way.

Let me give you some examples:
The S8 has a small battery for its display size? No problem. It is a Samsung device so this regression is not important.
The HTC U Ultra has a small battery? All hell breaks loose. HTC didn't deliver

The S8 hat a badly positioned fingerprint sensor? It's ok, don't worry. It's a non issue..If other OEMs did that, the press would punish them hard.

The S8 has an Edge display which causes a lot of trouble because people might accidentally press the sides/edges of it.
The S8 has a UI which drops frames and is not as fluid as the Pixel or other devices (just read Ars Technicas review).

Why Android Central? I understand that you are a company that needs to make money, but you should be more objective.
No device is perfect, but when you present the same topic differently, depending on the device you are testing. Very sad.

Anyway, the HTC U Ultra is a great flagship and it deserves much better sales..

 

[Dogmann]

Hi all,
I had my M8 for a little over 3 years and loved it but decided I wanted a new phone and at first was drawn to the Pixel XL but there was something that just didn't feel right about it to me really not sure what it was but it was there. Also I really don't like AMOLED screens despite what the majority seem to feel so that was another thing that drew me to the U Ultra. I also have no light bleed anywhere on the screen and have to say I have mine on full brightness nearly all of the time and tend to use dark wallpapers so if it was there it would of shown up by now and the screen is absolutely brilliant being bright and clear. I managed to get an awesome deal on a 2 day old Black U Ultra although I think I would of still got one even if I had to pay full price to me HTC just build awesome phones and this one doesn't disappoint on build quality. I am finding the 2nd display to be really useful and a good addition and also don't get all the negative reviews and general hate that so many are giving for this phone. I chose this over any of the other so called flagship phones and have no regrets at all and seriously don't get all the fuss made about only having a Snapdragon 821 as I really think the differences between it and the 835 are going to be so slight as to not really be worth worrying about. Same goes for the battery size non issue IMO as I'm sure everyone would be complaining about how much heavier the phone would be with a larger battery and the fact it has fast charging sort of negates this issue to IMO plus it easily lasts me a day anyway. So despite what so many claim I actually think the U Ultra is a great flagship smartphone/phablet and can and will hold its own against the usual suspects but of course others are free to disagree.

Marc

 

[Eggmundo]

I got the Ultra yesterday and I am still in the honeymoon phase with it, but here are my first thoughts:

What I like:

• The design is amazing. I have the black version and it is absolutely stunning. Fingerprints are not an issue and the device feels great in the hand. Much better than the HTC 10
• The second display is not a gimmick. It is very useful for notifications, and for quick shortcuts to contacts and apps. I use it a lot in these two days. Of course, important is to see what happens with usage when the novelty wears off. I really like it so far
• The fingerprint sensor works very well, better than on the HTC 10
• Battery life: The press has been complaining about the 3000mAh battery of the Ultra, but it lasts the whole day with no issues. It is interesting that the same press doesn't have a problem with the Samsung S8 and its battery capacity..I wonder why is this happening (bias or money from Samsung)
• Audio quality is great. The speakers are really good and the sound through the usb-c speakers very very good
• The camera is great, better than on the HTC 10.
• The UI: Typical Sense, very fluid
• The display is amazing. Very good brightness and sunlight visibility

What I don't like:

• The device is very big. 90% of the time I don't mind that, but some people might have issues with the size of the device.
• The capacitive buttons could be placed better, more central.
• The Sense companion is useless so far. That might change in the future, but I wouldn't keep my hopes up. We will see.

Overall, this is a top device and the press is just flat out lying about it. I understand that HTC doesn't have the marketing power of Apple or Samsung, but the press should try to be more objective. I watched the review video of the S8+ from Android Central and I was really mad. It was like a marketing pitch from Samsung. I wonder why this is happening..
Android Central and other members of the press are not treating all manufacturers in the same way.

Let me give you some examples:
The S8 has a small battery for its display size? No problem. It is a Samsung device so this regression is not important.
The HTC U Ultra has a small battery? All hell breaks loose. HTC didn't deliver

The S8 hat a badly positioned fingerprint sensor? It's ok, don't worry. It's a non issue..If other OEMs did that, the press would punish them hard.

The S8 has an Edge display which causes a lot of trouble because people might accidentally press the sides/edges of it.
The S8 has a UI which drops frames and is not as fluid as the Pixel or other devices (just read Ars Technicas review).

Why Android Central? I understand that you are a company that needs to make money, but you should be more objective.
No device is perfect, but when you present the same topic differently, depending on the device you are testing. Very sad.

Anyway, the HTC U Ultra is a great flagship and it deserves much better sales..

Thanks for this.

What do you mean by USB C speaker?? Is it not the same speaker setup as in the 10?

Is audio as good or better than on the 10, both through headphones and through the speakers?

How do you compare the Ultra to the current hype jobs overall?

Also, what is Sense Companion?

 

[petvas72]

I meant USB-C earphones and not speakers.
I think that the Ultra is a bit louder but I would say that both devices deliver a very good audio experience.
Sense Companion is HTC's AI, like Google Assistant, but it works by making suggestion according to your lifestyle (apparently). I am not getting a lot of value from Sense Companion for the moment, but I don't mind since all AI are not very useful..
The Ultra is a top device and if this were a Samsung device everyone would rave about it. The press concentrates on things that are not really important. The press is forgetting the value of a really fluid user experience, a great design and overall package.

 

[Eggmundo]

I meant USB-C earphones and not speakers.
I think that the Ultra is a bit louder but I would say that both devices deliver a very good audio experience.
Sense Companion is HTC's AI, like Google Assistant, but it works by making suggestion according to your lifestyle (apparently). I am not getting a lot of value from Sense Companion for the moment, but I don't mind since all AI are not very useful..
The Ultra is a top device and if this were a Samsung device everyone would rave about it. The press concentrates on things that are not really important. The press is forgetting the value of a really fluid user experience, a great design and overall package.

I agree completely with your last sentence.

It's as if it's a crime to make a smooth, tasteful and well thought out experience, gimmick free.