HTC Best Smartphones

2022-10-19

Overt time, however, the brand began to lose influence, and numerous failures in the release of new smartphone models led to the decision to sell the intellectual property rights in the field of mobile development. This happened in 2017, when HTC's patents and developments became owned by Google. At the same time, the brand was not liquidated and continued to produce smartphones. However, they are no longer of interest to him, as the main forces HTC now focused on the development of virtual reality devices, in particular, VR-helmets.

The last HTC smartphones were released in 2021. Below, we'll talk about them and older devices from the once prominent manufacturer.

2020-2021 models

HTC Wildfire E Lite

Processor: 4-core Helio A20, clocked at 1.8GHz
Display: 5.45 inches, 1440 x 720 resolution
Cameras (primary / front): 8 + 0.3MP / 5MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 2GB / 16GB
Battery capacity: 3000 mAh

Price: from 13,500 rubles

This is the least expensive model among the company's current smartphones. The device is frankly budget, so you should not expect much from it. But it has some nice moments.

First of all, pleases the assembly and design. The case is made of matte plastic, so it does not collect fingerprints. The color is only one - black. The screen is small, the matrix is TFT, brightness margin and viewing angles are modest. Performance is enough for the simplest tasks, it contributes to this and the light version of Android 10.

The main camera is dual, but the auxiliary sensor is nominal. However, the pictures are still not bad. There is a fingerprint scanner and dactyloscope in the phone. Among the nice bonuses are a non-combined tray and support for two Wi-Fi bands. The latter is extremely rare in a smartphone with such a low price.

Advantages:

Good camera for this price.
Non-combination slot.
Two band Wi-Fi support.
Good battery life.
Light body.

Disadvantages:

Screen with small brightness margin and bad viewing angles.

HTC Wildfire E2

Processor: 8-core Helio P22, clocked at 1.8GHz
Display: 6.22 inches, resolution 1520 x 720
Cameras (primary / front): 16 + 2MP / 8MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 4GB / 64GB
Battery capacity: 4000 mAh

Price: from 9,700 rubles

Budget 2020 smartphone Wildfire E2 is a device for basic tasks. It has a fairly small display by modern standards and a decent memory reserve for this price tag. The processor is quite old, but on it you can play simple games or solve everyday tasks without hanging up. The device has a dual camera, the pictures are not bad, but no more than that. The tray is composite, there is no NFC, but the device is equipped with the modern USB-C output.

Dignities:

Good build quality.
Lots of memory.
Modern USB-C.
Pretty good looking.
Nice camera.

Disadvantages:

Weak pixels on screen.
Low battery life.

HTC Wildfire E3

Processor: 8-core Helio P22, clock speed 2.0 GHz
Display: 6.5 inches, resolution 1560 x 720
Cameras (primary / front): 13 + 8 + 2 + 2MP / 13MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 4GB / 128GB
Battery capacity: 4000 mAh

Price: from 18,000 rubles

One of the latest smartphones 2021 is an entry-level model, which was an update of the previous device. It got a plastic body in two colors with a shimmering surface, a large display with HD resolution and an older chipset Helio P22, which is still enough to play undemanding games.

From the nice moments of this device - a capacity storage, modern USB-C and the availability of 3.5. The camera set is pretty typical for this class of smartphone, the battery is standard. No fast charging and NFC.

Disadvantages:

Cute appearance.
Quadro camera.
Lots of memory.

Disadvantages:

No NFC.
Low display resolution.

HTC Wildfire E2 Plus

Processor: 8-core Unisoc Tiger T610, clocked at 2GHz
Display: 6.82 inches, resolution 1640 x 720
Cameras (primary/front): 13 + 5 + 2 + 2 MP / 8 MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 4 GB / 64 GB
Battery capacity: 4600 mAh

Price: from 14,900 rubles

HTC Wildfire E2 Plus is one of the latest smartphones from the brand, introduced in 2021. It is a typical budget phone with a large screen, but with one interesting feature. It lies in the presence of a confidential mode, which is activated by a special switch on the body.

If you turn it on, even at low angles the image on the display is dimmed, and the outsider will not see anything. This is relevant in environments where there are a lot of people, and you do not want outsiders to see what you are doing on the smartphone.

The body of the new product is plastic, available in black and blue. Both options are glossy and very markable. Performance is represented by a fairly fresh Unisoc Tiger T610 chipset, which with 4GB of RAM will allow you to run simple games. The cameras are modest, you can take pictures on them, but cool results do not wait.

Battery lasts for 19 hours of listening to music and 11 hours of watching video, it is charged through a USB-C power supply 10W. Powered by Android 11, the model is unlocked via fingerprint or by face. No NFC.

Advantages:

Privacy mode.
Nice performance for basic tasks.
Fresh Android.

Disadvantages:

Marky body.
No NFC.

HTC Desire 20 Pro

Processor: 8-core Snapdragon 665, clock speed 2.2GHz
Display: 6.5 inches, resolution 2340 x 1080
Cameras (primary / front): 48 + 8 + 2 + 2MP / 25MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 6GB / 128GB
Battery capacity: 5000mAh

Price: from 19,300 rubles

Desire 20 Pro is a mid-priced HTC smartphone that went on sale in 2020. It has a pretty visually pleasing plastic body and a large FHD display with a neat cutout for the front. It takes great photos, by the way. The main camera got four sensors, where the additional ones are portrait, macro and wide-angle modules. Pictures are obtained for this price tag is quite good.

Fitting the device offers a fairly good performance. For this money there are more powerful devices, but it is enough to run games or work in multitasking mode. The phone pleases with a high-capacity battery, but it charges slowly. It has NFC and 3.5. The Desire 20 Pro runs on Android 10 and it is the cleanest OS possible, which brings several advantages too.

Benefits:

Good cameras.
Long battery life.
Plenty of memory.
Clean OS version.
Quality display.

Disadvantages:

Slow charging.
Combo sim tray.

HTC U20 5G

Processor: 8-core Snapdragon 765G, clocked at 2.2GHz
Display: 6.8 inches, resolution 2400 x 1080
Cameras (primary / front): 48 + 8 + 2 + 2MP / 32MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 8GB / 256GB
Battery capacity: 5000mAh

Price: from 40,200 rubles

U20 Pro is the first HTC smartphone with 5G support. It was released in 2020 and despite belonging to the flagship U line received not the most top-end parameters. However, and with the stuffing that it has, the model looks interesting, although it has a lot of competitors.

The device runs on a gaming chipset Snapdragon 765G. With 8GB of RAM, it has no problems running games. The permanent storage also looks impressive. 256GB is enough for data storage, and if necessary, you can add microSD, but the tray is combined.

The model has a beautiful appearance - the body is green in color with a matte finish. In addition to powerful hardware and a nice body, the smartphone will please you with a large screen, a high-capacity battery, support for fast charging QC 4. It has NFC, 5G support and a good camera. The U20 5G runs on Android 10.

Advantages:

Beautiful appearance.
Gaming performance.
Lots of memory.
Capacious battery with fast charging.
Big and quality display.

Disadvantages:

Huge thickness (9.4mm).
No 3.5.
Combined tray.

HTC Desire 21 Pro 5G

Processor: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 690 5G, clocked at 2.0 GHz
Display: 6.7 inches, resolution 2400 x 1080
Cameras (primary / front): 48 + 8 + 2 + 2MP / 16MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 8GB / 128GB
Battery capacity: 5000mAh

Price: from 39,000 rubles

In early 2021, the brand modestly introduced a mid-priced new product - Desire 21 Pro 5G. For its price tag it is not a top, but in general it is possible to consider for purchase. The phone is problematic to buy, but it can still be done through Ebay.

Device is available in two colors, has an IPS screen with high resolution, 90 Hz and a neat cutout for the camera in the center. It has a good processor, plenty of memory, and has 5G and NFC support. Nice features include a camera and a high capacity battery with 18W fast charging.

Advantages:

Cute appearance.
Good performance.
Plenty of memory.
High battery life.
90Hz screen.

Disadvantages:

No 3.5.
Combination tray.

Buy

Models 2019 and earlier

This is a selection of older devices from the company. You can still buy them, but it's worth realizing that the specs are in most cases no longer relevant, and the prices hardly correspond to the stuffing. We do not recommend to buy these gadgets, but we tell you about them for your reference.

HTC U Play

Processor: 8-core MediaTek Helio P10, clocked at 2GHz
Display: 5.2 inches, 1920 x 1080 resolution
Cameras (main / front): 16MP / 16MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 4GB / 64GB
Battery capacity: 2500mAh

Price:from 10,300 rubles

The HTC U Play smartphone doesn't just sound good - it sounds the way the user likes it. The gadget has a unique technology U Sonic, which is able to analyze the shape of human ear canals and adjust the sound, based on the received data. It works like this: you plug in a proprietary headset, go into the settings of the U Sonic app and run the test. Then you listen to the noise for a while and finally enjoy the sound optimized specifically for your ears - because the shape of the ear canal is as unique as a fingerprint, for example. Interestingly, "Sonar" on the HTC U Play phone can be restarted at any time.

Advantages:

Unusual design.
A quality sound with soft bass.
A powerful camera supporting UltraPixel mode increasing light sensitivity by 4 times.
High resolution front camera.
Clear FullHD display.
Large amount of RAM (4GB).
NFC support.

Disadvantages:

The battery is not enough capacity.
The much vaunted Sense Companion service so far works much better in words than in practice.

HTC Desire 12+

Processor: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450
Screen: 6 inches, 1440 x 720 resolution
Cameras (primary / front): 13 + 2MP / 8MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 3 GB / 32 GB
Battery capacity: 2965 mAh

Price:from 5 200 rubles

The HTC Desire 12+ smartphone differs from the Desire 12 model by its larger screen, which has a diagonal of 6 inches. At the time of Desire 12+ release this was the record diagonal among all smartphones of the Taiwanese company.

The screen has a modern aspect ratio of 18:9, however, except for this, the display is not particularly praiseworthy. It is made with "budget" IPS technology. HD resolution on a 6-inch screen gives a rather modest density of dots per inch - 268 PPI. In reviews, users complain about minimal viewing angles and that the Desire 12+'s matrix is seriously inferior to displays made with OLED technology in brightness and clarity.

Advantages:

Attractive design.
Clear and convenient HTC Sense interface.
Good battery life is a pleasant surprise as the battery capacity is quite modest by the numbers.
Dual camera that lets you take photos with bokeh effect.
Large frameless screen with 18:9 aspect ratio.

Disadvantages:

Does not support NFC.
Screen resolution is quite low.

HTC U11 EYEs

Processor: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652
Screen: 6 inches, resolution 2160 x 1080
Cameras (primary / front): 12MP / 5MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 4GB / 64GB
Battery capacity: 3930mAh

Price:from 13,000 rubles

The HTC U11 EYEs camera is another proof that megapixels are not the main thing. The modest 12MP camera resolution didn't stop the HTC U11 EYEs from once scoring as much as 90 points in the DxOMark ranking. This is one of the best results of 2018 - in terms of quality of shooting the smartphone "will give up" even those models that cost twice as much.

What is the focus? The wide aperture (f/1.7) and increased pixel size (1.4 microns). This allows the camera to capture more light, so pictures are of sufficient quality even when taken in poorly lit rooms. The main camera of the device also boasts that it supports both optical and electronic stabilization when shooting. It is capable of writing video in 4K format.

Advantages:

Large screen with 18:9 aspect ratio.
Face unlock system.
Lightweight camera with ultra-fast autofocus.
Active noise reduction while talking.
Excellent ergonomics and high build quality.
Good battery life.
NFC support.

Disadvantages:

No headset jack (35-Jack).
The casing is quite foul.

HTC U Ultra

Chipset: 4-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821, clocked at 2.15GHz
Screen: 5.7 inches, resolution QHD
Battery: 3000 mAh
Operating memory: 4 GB
Built-in storage : 64 GB

Price: from 18 000 rubles

HTC U Ultra its appearance can attract or repel - but it will not leave anyone indifferent. The smartphone looks absolutely alien and futuristic - and all thanks to a special coating Liquid Surface, which changes color depending on the degree of light and distorts the reflection in the glass.

HTC U Ultra is also amazing, because it is a carrier of artificial intelligence - called HTC Sense Companion. The device is able to learn the user's habits and give the user useful tips. Furthermore, the gadget is able to adjust the sound of music to the wearer based on the structure of their ear canal - U Sonic technology is supported too.

Advantages :

Extremely distinctive design.
The presence of a second screen displaying the most important information.
The presence of the USB Type-C port.
A 16 megapixel camera with UltraPixel support.
High quality sound recording - the smartphone is equipped with 4 microphones.

Disadvantages :

Lacking the standard 3.5-Jack.
The device has a small battery that runs down quite quickly.

HTC U11

Chipset: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 835, clocked at 2.45GHz
Display: 5.5 inches, QHD resolution
Battery: 3000mAh
Operating memory: 4GB
Built-in storage : 64GB

Price: from 26,000 rubles

HTC U11 like U Ultra has an unusual "shimmering" design, which is the subject of fierce debate: Supporters praise the Taiwanese for its boldness in experimentation, opponents find the U11's appearance vulgar and claim that the glossy case quickly gets covered in fingerprints (which, by the way, is true).

With the HTC U11, however, design is a secondary concern. The main feature is the innovative Edge Sense technology, thanks to which the user can control the gadget by simply squeezing it. The device detects the force of pressure and depending on the settings set, it performs some action - for example, launching a camera app or taking a screenshot. This is an amazing technology which in an updated and enhanced version is also present on the more modern U12.

Advantages :

UltraSpeed Autofocus camera.
Water and dust protection.
Non-trivial "shimmering" design.
The screen is made of 3D glass and provides a crisp and rich picture.

Disadvantages :

The body quickly gets patched.
The cost of the device is quite impressive.

HTC U12 plus

Processor: 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845, clocked at 2.8GHz
Display: 5.99 inches, resolution 2880 x 1440
Cameras (primary / front): 12 + 16MP / 8 + 8MP
Memory (RAM / built-in): 6GB / 64GB
Battery capacity: 3500mAh

Price:from 34,000 rubles

HTC U12 Plus is a classic flagship with top-end hardware, amazing performance and a mass of innovative features that are not provided for entertainment, but for real benefit. It retains the ability to squeeze control - a "feature" that surprised everyone on the HTC U11 - and adds new gestures, like double-tapping. While other companies are rearranging Animoji in their own way, HTC makes sure these smartphones are designed for left- or right-handed users alike.

One of the key accolades is the HTC U12 Plus's camera. The Taiwanese company's products are loved by respected expert agency DxOMark. In its time the HTC U11 set a record with 90 points in its ranking. HTC U12 Plus climbed much higher - it has 103 points. The device's camera boasts 10x digital zoom, super-fast autofocus, the ability to apply studio-quality effects and shoot 4K video at 60 FPS.

Advantages:

Edge Sense 2 technology that lets you use the smartphone without touching the screen.
Two voice assistants - Alexa and Google Assistant.
The rear camera is one of the best in the market.
Clear sound provided by HTC BoomSound speakers.
IP68 protection.
Face unlock system.
LTE on two slots at once.
Powerful latest generation processor from Qualcomm.

Disadvantages:

Cluttered branded operating system shell.

Conclusion

The choice of current HTC smartphones is not as great as before, and modern models no longer strike your fancy. On the one hand, the brand's unique approach to mobile phone development attracted attention - they were expected, surprised, accepted or not. On the other hand, such strategy led the company to its decline, so today new models stopped to come out altogether, and the last devices introduced to the world looked good at best, but certainly could not impose competition. Perhaps HTC can rehabilitate itself and get them talked about again, but for now the preconditions are not there. Tell us what you think about HTC's old and new smartphones.