Htc U Play Review

• Overview
• Design and Build Quality
• Display
• Performance
• Software and User Interface
• Camera
• Battery Life
• Connectivity and Networking
• Additional Features
• Comparison with Other Related Phones
• Pros and Cons
• Conclusion

Overview

The HTC U Play is a smartphone that was announced in January 2017 and released to the market in February of the same year. This phone is also known as the HTC Alpine and was designed to cater to the mid-range market. With its sleek design and decent specifications, the HTC U Play is a phone that has been well-received by users and reviewers alike.

Design and Build Quality

The HTC U Play boasts a sleek and modern design that is both stylish and functional. The phone features a glass front with Gorilla Glass protection, a plastic back, and a plastic frame. The dimensions of the phone are 146 x 72.9 x 8 mm (5.75 x 2.87 x 0.31 in), making it a compact and easy-to-use device. The phone weighs approximately 145g (5.11 oz), making it lightweight and comfortable to hold.

The U Play has a hybrid dual-SIM card slot, which is convenient for users who travel frequently and need to switch between SIM cards. The phone is available in four different colors: Brilliant Black, Cosmetic Pink, Ice White, and Sapphire Blue.

The phone's ergonomics are excellent, with a comfortable grip and easy-to-use buttons and controls. The U Play is also quite durable, with a sturdy construction that can withstand everyday wear and tear. The plastic back of the phone is not as premium as some other phones in its price range, but it does not feel cheap or flimsy.

Overall, the design and build quality of the HTC U Play are impressive, with a sleek and modern look that is both functional and stylish. The phone's durability and comfortable grip make it a great choice for users who are looking for a reliable and attractive device.

Display

The HTC U Play boasts a 5.2-inch Super LCD display with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 pixels, offering a pixel density of about 428 PPI. The display is protected by Corning Gorilla Glass, though the specific version is unspecified.

The screen size and resolution make for a vivid and sharp display that is perfect for watching movies, browsing social media, and playing games. The color accuracy is excellent, and the display produces vibrant colors that pop. The brightness is also impressive, making it easy to read even in bright sunlight.

The touch sensitivity and responsiveness of the display are excellent, making for a smooth and seamless user experience. The screen also supports multi-touch, which is handy for gaming and other applications that require multiple points of contact.

Overall, the display on the HTC U Play is a standout feature, offering a great viewing experience with excellent color accuracy, brightness, and touch responsiveness. It is a great addition to an already impressive device.

Performance

When it comes to performance, the HTC U Play falls within the mid-range category of smartphones. It is equipped with a Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 chipset and an octa-core CPU consisting of four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 2.0 GHz and four Cortex-A53 cores clocked at 1.1 GHz. This processor configuration is coupled with a Mali-T860MP2 GPU, which is capable of handling most graphics-intensive tasks.

The HTC U Play comes in two different storage and RAM configurations: 32GB internal storage with 3GB of RAM, and 64GB internal storage with 4GB of RAM. Both models are equipped with eMMC 5.1 storage, which is not as fast as the UFS 2.0 storage found in some high-end smartphones, but it still provides decent read and write speeds.

In terms of real-world performance, the HTC U Play can handle most day-to-day tasks with ease. Multitasking is smooth, and apps load quickly. However, when it comes to gaming, the performance is somewhat lacking. While it can handle most games, it struggles with more demanding titles, and you may experience some lag or frame drops.

In benchmark tests, the HTC U Play scores reasonably well, but it falls short of some of its competitors in the mid-range segment. In the Geekbench 5 test, it scores 674 in single-core and 2549 in multi-core tests, while in the Antutu benchmark, it scores around 53,000 points. These scores are not bad, but they are lower than some of its competitors, such as the Xiaomi Redmi Note 10 Pro or the Samsung Galaxy A52.

Overall, the HTC U Play provides decent performance for its price point, but it may not be the best choice for heavy gamers or power users. However, for everyday use, it is more than capable of handling most tasks without any significant issues.

Software and User Interface

When it comes to software and user interface, the HTC U Play runs on Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) with HTC's Sense UI on top. While this version of Android is not the latest, it still provides a smooth and responsive experience. HTC's Sense UI adds some useful features, such as the ability to customize the layout of the home screen and the app drawer.

One downside is that the U Play comes with some pre-installed apps that cannot be uninstalled, which may be frustrating for users who prefer a more minimalist experience. However, the overall user interface is intuitive and user-friendly, with easy-to-navigate menus and settings.

HTC has also promised software updates for the U Play, which is a reassuring factor for those who want to ensure their device stays up-to-date with the latest security patches and features.

Overall, while the U Play's software may not be the most cutting-edge, it still provides a solid user experience with helpful features and regular updates.

Camera

The HTC U Play boasts an impressive rear camera setup, featuring a 16 MP sensor with an aperture of f/2.0, 28mm wide angle lens, PDAF, OIS, and dual-LED dual-tone flash. The camera produces high-quality images with excellent detail and accurate colors, even in low light conditions. The camera also has a panorama mode for wide-angle shots and supports Full HD video recording at 30 frames per second.

The front-facing camera is equally impressive, with a 16 MP sensor, an aperture of f/2.0, and a 27mm wide angle lens. It also supports Full HD video recording at 30 frames per second, and includes an Auto-HDR feature for improved dynamic range. The front camera performs exceptionally well, producing sharp and vibrant selfies with accurate skin tones.

The camera app itself is user-friendly and easy to navigate, with a variety of modes and settings to choose from. The Pro mode allows for manual control of settings like ISO, shutter speed, and white balance, giving users more creative control over their shots. The camera also includes features like face detection, touch focus, and geo-tagging.

Overall, the HTC U Play's camera is one of its strongest features, producing stunning images and videos that rival some of the best smartphones on the market. Whether you're a professional photographer or just someone who enjoys taking photos and videos, the U Play's camera is sure to impress.

Battery Life

Connectivity and Networking

The HTC U Play offers a range of connectivity and networking options that provide users with the ability to stay connected and productive. The phone offers GSM, HSPA, and LTE network support, ensuring that users can stay connected to the internet and communicate with friends and family no matter where they are. Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, dual-band, Wi-Fi Direct, and DLNA support provide strong connectivity options for browsing the web, streaming videos, and sharing files.

The phone also features Bluetooth 4.2 and A2DP, making it easy to connect to other devices such as headphones, speakers, and other smartphones. NFC support allows for easy contactless payments, making transactions a breeze. GPS and GLONASS support ensure that users can navigate with ease, while the fingerprint sensor provides an additional layer of security.

While the HTC U Play does not feature a headphone jack, it does feature a USB Type-C 2.0 port for charging and data transfer. Overall, the phone's connectivity and networking features are well-rounded and provide users with a range of options for staying connected and productive on the go.

Additional Features

The HTC U Play boasts a number of impressive additional features that set it apart from other smartphones on the market. One of its standout features is its water and dust resistance, making it the perfect companion for those who enjoy outdoor activities. It is also equipped with expandable storage options, allowing users to increase the storage capacity of the device with the use of a microSD card.

In terms of audio quality, the HTC U Play does not disappoint. Although it does not feature a traditional 3.5mm headphone jack, it comes with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm adapter, ensuring that users can still enjoy high-quality audio through their favorite wired headphones. The device also features a loudspeaker, which is powerful and clear, making it perfect for music playback and hands-free calling.

The HTC U Play also comes with a number of other unique features, such as a front-mounted fingerprint sensor for added security, and various motion gestures that allow users to quickly access certain functions on the phone. Overall, the additional features of the HTC U Play combine to create a versatile and user-friendly device that is sure to impress.

Comparison with Other Related Phones

When comparing the HTC U Play with other related phones in the market, it is essential to consider the competition within its price range and features. The phone falls under the mid-range segment, where it competes with devices like the Moto G5S Plus, Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime, and the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4.

Compared to the Moto G5S Plus, the HTC U Play has a higher resolution display and a better front-facing camera. However, the Moto G5S Plus has a more powerful processor and is more affordable than the HTC U Play.

Similarly, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime has a larger battery capacity and better rear camera performance than the HTC U Play. Still, it has a lower resolution display and a less powerful processor.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 4, on the other hand, has a larger battery capacity and more RAM than the U Play but has a lower resolution front-facing camera and lacks NFC support.

Overall, while the HTC U Play does not have any stand-out features, it offers a well-rounded experience for its price range and competes well with other mid-range devices.

Pros and Cons

XI. Pros and Cons

Conclusion

In conclusion, the HTC U Play is a solid mid-range smartphone that offers a great combination of features and performance. Its sleek design and sturdy build quality make it a pleasure to hold and use, while the 5.2-inch Super LCD display delivers sharp and vibrant visuals. The octa-core processor, along with 3GB or 4GB of RAM, provides smooth and responsive performance for everyday use, and the camera setup produces impressive results in most lighting conditions.

While the battery life may not be the best in its class, the U Play's fast charging technology helps to mitigate this issue. Additionally, the lack of a headphone jack may prove to be inconvenient for some users, but the phone's audio quality and speaker performance are still impressive.

Overall, the HTC U Play is a great option for those looking for a mid-range smartphone that delivers strong performance and a sleek design. Its competitive price point also makes it a worthy contender in the market. While there may be other phones with similar features and specs, the U Play's combination of design, performance, and value make it a solid choice for anyone in the market for a new device.