HTC U Play

The HTC U Play should appeal to people mainly because of its charming and recognizable appearance, its good camera features and sublime audio sound. Whether that is enough or whether the HTC U Play completely misses the mark, we will find out for you below.

Nice idea, poor execution

The HTC U Play, together with the larger (and much more expensive U Ultra), is part of the new U series that HTC says should be all about you, the customer. That sounds like extreme marketing talk to us, but it should result in a playful appearance of curved glass consisting of many layers. Light reflecting on it should give an extra beautiful effect. Sounds nice but in practice it is of course not very useful. In fact, there are also disadvantages to this choice of material. Literally in this case, because with its glass back the U Play is a true fingerprint magnet. Instead of the promised light show, we are treated to a greasy back that needs to be cleaned every so often. Another thing that doesn't work out so well in practice is the bulging camera module. As a result, the HTC U Play can't lie comfortably flat on a table and wobbles at every touch.

Main HTC U Play specifications

• Available in 32GB of storage, expandable up to 2TB with microSD card
• UltraSelfie 16-megapixel camera
• 16-megapixel main camera with optical image stabilization (OIS) and PDAFautofocus
• No headphone jack but self-scanning earbuds
• Octacore MediaTek helio P10 processor assisted by 4 GB of RAM memory
• 4G support for fast mobile internet
• Super LCD screen of 5.2 inches in size protected by tough Gorilla Glass

Personalized sound

Another point of interest is the audio sound. The HTC U Play does not have a regular headphone jack but that is made up for elsewhere. HTC actually delivers U Sonic earbuds that you have to connect via the USB C port. Yet that is not the most special thing about it. The headphones scan your inner ear thanks to sonic pulses and adjust the sound accordingly. This allows the sound to be personalized and that in turn should provide the best sound result. Nice though we would have preferred the convenience of a regular headphone jack. If only so that we then also had the ability to connect both a charger/powerbank and headphones. Now we have to choose.

One more asset left; the camera

Remains that other focal point of the HTC U Play; the camera. The 16 megapixel camera features both optical image stabilization and laser autofocus. That combination should make it rich in detail and sharp. The first pictures we saw look promising indeed. These days you just need more than good camera hardware, you also need good camera software that can convert all that information into a good photo. Unfortunately, HTC is often lacking in this respect. Whether this is also the case with the HTC U Play remains to be seen. We were not immediately positive about the sample photos that were taken indoors. We would still be able to sell it if the recommended retail price was favorable. Unfortunately, it is quite hefty and that makes the device a tough buy. You will have to be very much in love with the look to go for the HTC U Play if this is to be a responsible buy.

Pro and cons HTC U Play

• Stylish appearance of laminated glass and metal
• Ear buds adjust sound specifically to your ear
• Good camera specifications

• Fingerprint sensitive back
• No headphone jack