A newly launched smartphone has just outranked the Huawei P20 on DxOMark. The HTC U12+ scored 103, making it the best dual-rear-camera phone on the camera-ratings site. It mates a 12-megapixel 1/2.55-inch primary sensor with f/1.75 27mm-equivalent lens to a 16-megapixel 2x telephoto module with an f/2.6 aperture.
HTC’s 2018 flagship phone is six points behind the Huawei P20 Pro with triple-rear-camera setup. The top 10 ranking currently looks like this.
Top 10 smartphone cameras on DxOMark as of May 26, 2018
In the photo test, the HTC U12+ was praised for its fast auto-focus; pleasant color and accurate white balance; on-the-mark exposure and wide dynamic range; good detail and texture preservation; and natural and attractive bokeh simulation.
When taking videos, the handset supposedly delivers effective stabilization; decent tracking and accurate auto-focus; great white balance and vivid color; good exposure and dynamic range; and generally low levels of noise.
SEE ALSO: Huawei P20 review: Compact flagship to beat in 2018
There are some areas that DxOMark doesn’t include in all its tests, and one of them is the performance of the front-facing cameras. Which means the score the HTC U12+ got didn’t take into account its two 8-megapixel front cameras with 1.12micron pixels and f/2.0 apertures. Keep that in mind when using DxOMark lists as references when looking for selfie phones.
As good as a flagship phone gets
At the heart of the HTC U12+ is Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 845, the chip of choice of many flagship mobile devices. The 845 is paired with 6GB of RAM and either 64GB or 128GB of expandable memory.
The Quad HD+ screen is huge at 6 inches but should still be easy to hold because of its slim bezels and tall, 18:9 aspect ratio. There’s no notch here, mind you. The battery is rated at 3,500mAh, and the OS is based on Android 8.0 Oreo and is upgradeable to Android P. The device’s IP68 rating gives it a bit of resistance to water and dust. The company’s BoomSound speakers are still present as well.
READ ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S9, Galaxy S9+ vs. Huawei P20, P20 Pro
On the sides of the U12+ are pressure-sensitive buttons that play to HTC’s new Edge Sense 2 system. It should know which hand you are using, “giving you one-handed freedom to double-tap to navigate the device, hold to lock the screen orientation, or squeeze the sides for taking photos and videos, zooming in on maps, and virtually any interaction.”
HTC U12+: Official product video
The handset boasts what the company calls Liquid Surface design. It may not be for some, but we like it a lot, fingerprint marks be damned. There’s always the good ol’ cleaning cloth for them.
Three color variants are available: Ceramic Black, Flame Red, and Translucent Blue. We’re torn between the latter two. The color-shifting hues of the Flame Red model is not something you see on a regular phone. The Translucent Blue version, on the other hand, offers that sense of geekiness, letting you see its internals.
READ ALSO: Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S is the cheapest Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 phone in the Philippines
We don’t know if we’ll ever see the HTC U12+ being offered officially in the Philippines, though, considering that the Taiwanese manufacturer looks to be out of the local market — again. What a pity. You can just risk it and buy the phone abroad; the base model is priced at $799 (around P42,039) while the higher-specced unit costs $849 (P44,670).
HTC U12+ specs
- 6-inch LCD display, 2,880 x 1,440 resolution, 18:9 aspect ratio, 537ppi
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor
- 6GB RAM
- 64GB/128GB expandable storage
- MicroSD card: up to 2TB
- Rear cameras: 12 megapixels, 1.4µm UltraPixel 4, f/1.75 + 16 megapixels, 1.0µm, f/2.6 50mm zoom
- Front cameras: 8 megapixels, 1.12µm, f/2.0
- 3,500mAh battery
- IP68 rating
- Fingerprint sensor (rear-mounted)
- Android 8.0 Oreo, planned upgrade to Android 9.0 P
Main image via The Verge
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