Following the Vive XR Suite release, HTC announced its first 5G phone at an event in Taipei, Taiwan. The U20 5G is the successor to last year’s U19e and is joined by the Desire 20 Pro, an updated version of the Desire 19+.
For many years, HTC settled a top pick in the Android phone market and even delivered the iPhone a good run for its money, thanks to a mixture of beautiful, well-built hardware, complemented by a classic, bloat-free custom Android skin with useful features and neat touches throughout, a bit like OnePlus’ Oxygen OS of today.
The company’s golden era peaked around six years ago when the One M8 came out with its premium unibody design and punchy BoomSound speakers. Sadly, it all went downhill from there, and neither Google’s acquisition of most of HTC’s assets nor the latter’s more interesting ideas of late have managed to save it from smartphone oblivion.
The Taiwanese brand is now looking to make a comeback in its home market with the launch of its first 5G phone, the mid-range U20. Powered by the Snapdragon 765 5G SoC, the device features a 6.8-inch FHD (2,400 x 1,080) LCD, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal storage, expandable via microSD.
The exterior isn’t exactly unique like the HTCs of old and could be mistaken for any recent Android phone. It has a quad-camera array on the back with a 48MP main lens, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and 2MP depth sensor, alongside a dual-LED flash. There’s also a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a USB Type-C connector on the bottom.
The front, meanwhile, has a punch hole cut out for the 32MP selfie cam with the huge display around it running Android 10 underneath. It’s all powered by a sizable 5,000mAh battery that supports Qualcomm’s Quick Charge 4.0 for 18W fast charging.
Pre-orders for the HTC U20 5G are said to open on July 1. The phone will be available in Quartz Green or Crystal White and cost $640.
The company’s second handset for this year is the Desire 20 Pro. This model uses Snapdragon’s 665 chip and has 6GB of RAM with 128GB internal storage expandable via microSD. The display is a smaller 6.5-inch FHD LCD panel with a 25MP selfie cam.
The rear borrows the U20 5G’s quad-camera array and fingerprint scanner but looks slightly more interesting due to its striped pattern design. It also has the same 5,000mAH battery as its bigger sibling but is rated for 15W fast charging with Quick Charge 3.0.
Other specs include USB Type-C at the bottom, alongside a 3.5mm audio jack and Android 10 out of the box. This model will be available in Crystal Black and Clear Blue colors with a price tag of $300 for when preorders go live next month.
