HTC launches U Ultra with dual screen and AI assistant

And no headphone jack

Apple had introduced the idea that headphone jacks are relics of the past. Well, HTC has just followed the suit as its new U lineup has ditched the iconic 3.5mm headphone jack.

HTC unveiled two new smartphones revealing the new U lineup - HTC U Ultra and the HTC U Play.



The two new smartphones follow a Liquid Design language, unlike the aluminium unibody that previous HTC models carried. The "symmetric" smartphones have a curved glass body on both sides now with metal running along the edges.



"Hold it up and you’ll appreciate the phone’s symmetrical construction, and the way it transforms light as you turn it," the company said at a media event on Thursday.

Here are some of the specs:

HTC U Ultra

• 5.7-inch QHD (2560x1440 pixels) display with a secondary 2-inch display (of screen resolution 160x1040)


• Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor


• 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage


• 3,000mAh battery


• 16-megapixel rear camera with HTC UltraPixel technology


• 12MP HTC UltraPixel shooter Front camera


• Android 7.0 Nougat

HTC U Play

• 5.2-inch full-HD (1920x1080 pixels) display


• MediaTek Helio P10 processor


• 3GB of RAM (with another variant carrying 4GB of RAM)


• 2,500 mAh battery


• 16-megapixel Front and Rear camera with HTC UltraPixel technology


• Android 7.0 Nougat

PHOTO: HTC

Apart from the specs, HTC has focused on HTC Companion skin, an AI-driven feature that studies user's interactions to make the phone experience better and seamless.



For the HTC U Ultra, this works in conjunction with the secondary display. While you can add shortcuts to apps and get weather readouts on the 2-inch display that is right next to Ultra’s front camera, but HTC is counting on artificial intelligence to make that second screen useful.

Headphone jack are things of the past

Following Apple’s lead, HTC also removed the standard 3.5mm headphone jack from their latest devices. Instead of the standard audio jack, users will have to make do with the USB Type-C port. HTC also touted HTC USonic earphones, which will ship with the phones. According to the company, the USonic earphones "analyse your inner ears with a sonic pulse, and then adapt to you".



In terms of colour, both the devices will be available in Brilliant Black, Cosmetic Pink, Ice White and Sapphire Blue colour variants. For pricing, the HTC U Ultra will be available for $749 with shipping in mid-March and the price for the HTC U Play is still being kept under wrap.



Will the new HTC smartphones be able to compete in the market? Analysts believe pricing the phones aggressively maybe the key for some markets.

"When it comes to design HTC is still in the game," according to Tarun Pathak, senior analyst at research firm Counterpoint while speaking to Mashable.

"Only thing it needs to do is play more aggressively in mid-end segment and leave premium market to partners like Google (which sells Google Pixel)."