HTC exited the smartphone market a couple of years ago and prioritized where it had more success, virtual reality. The HTC Vive series is still popular and growing steadily, yet it seems like HTC isn’t ready to give up on its smartphones just yet. The company just unveiled the new HTC U23 Pro midranger, and at first glance, it seems like a pretty solid smartphone at an affordable price.
The new HTC U23 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, coupled with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is also expandable via the microSD card slot. It’s rare to see expandable storage on a midrange device, but some companies still offer it for the small niche.
The U23 Pro has a large 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display with 20:9 aspect ratio. It has 120Hz refresh rate, and the glass is protected by no other than the Gorilla Glass Victus. It has a centered punch hole cutout that houses the 32MP f/2.4 front-facing camera, and there’s a small chin on the bottom.
Design-wise, it looks stylish and minimal, and it appears to borrow a lot of design elements from the recent Motorola smartphones. It has flat sides, and a slightly curved back panel with a large camera island on the top right corner. Speaking of the camera, the HTC U23 Pro has four of them. There’s a 108MP f/1.7 primary, an 8MP f/2.4 ultrawide, a 5MP f/2.2 macro, and a 2MP f/2.4 depth sensor. We wish there were a telephoto sensor with at least two or three times the optical zoom, but there’s got to be a place where the company sacrifices to keep the costs low.
Going back to the device and build, the U23 Pro is IP67 certified, meaning that it can withstand water and dust. There’s also a USB-C port on the bottom and a fingerprint sensor embedded in the power key. There’s also Bluetooth 5.2, and NFC. The phone has a 4,600 mAh battery, and it supports 30W wired charging. It also supports 15W wireless and 5% reverse wireless charging.
Additionally, the HTC U23 Pro is the latest smartphone in the company’s lineup that aims to boost the compatibility of HTC’s VR headsets and software. Naturally, the phone supports HTC’s Viverse platform, and it’s designed to work with the Vive XR Elite headset that uses the phone’s power to provide the VR experience.
I’m glad to see HTC still making smartphone, and the new U23 Pro genuinely looks like a great smartphone. However, it’s hard to predict how well the device will be maintained in the future, given that HTC isn’t widely available in stores in the UK or in Europe anymore.
If you’re interested in the HTC U23 Pro, you can pre-order it from HTC. It’ll be available in the UK for £499.99.
Some of the best midrangers in 2023 you can buy right now
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Google Pixel 7a
$450 $500 Save $50
The Pixel 7a is the new affordable smartphone from Google, featuring much-awaited features such as a 90Hz responsive display, a more powerful camera setup, and support for wireless charging. The Pixel 7a is powered by the Tensor G2 chipset, and it’s the best device in the A series yet.
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Samsung Galaxy A54 5G
The new Samsung Galaxy A54 5G comes with a two-day battery life, an excellent triple camera setup, and support for 25W fast charging, It has a compact design and a 6.4-inch Super AMOLED display and a microSD expansion slot to store your apps and photos.
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Nothing Phone (1)
Phone 1 is Nothing’s first-ever smartphone. It comes with a 6.55-inch 120Hz OLED display with slim bezels, Qualcomm’s custom-tuned Snapdragon 778G+ processor, LEDs on the back, Dual 50MP camera sensors, and more. Check out all the deals on the device using the links given below.
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Apple iPhone SE (2022)
The latest iPhone SE 2022 comes with 5G and the A15 Bionic Chip, the same SoC that powers the iPhone 13 series of flagship devices. The new iPhone SE is the most affordable iPhone in Apple’s lineup, and it comes with new camera features and improved battery life.
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Google Pixel 6a
$299 $449 Save $150
If you don’t care about high refresh rate, wireless charging, a glass back, and a few other tidbits, this should be your phone. It’s a Pixel that features the same chipset as the last year’s Pixel 6 series but less expensive. Check out all the deals on the device using the links given below.
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Moto G Power (2023)
Moto G Power is the company’s latest budget 5G Android smartphone that features an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 930 processor, a 6.5-inch FHD+ 120Hz display, a 50MP camera, and a big 5,000 mAh battery. Additionally, it also offers multidimensional sound with Dolby Atmos and stereo speakers.
