HTC is alive in 2020. The HTC U20 5G certainly sounds like it should be a flagship, but is it enough to restore the brand to its former glory? Well, no.
HTC emerged from the shadows today to announce two new phones: the HTC U20 5G and HTC Desire 20 Pro.
The Desire 20 Pro is exactly what you’d expect; a basic budget phone with a mildly impressive (on paper) quad camera and a middling SoC. The U20 5G, though… well, that U moniker instantly raises the stakes.
Is this a true follow-up to the HTC U12 Plus? Is this the rumored 5G flagship that will see the former Android giant finally show at least a slither of ambition once again?
Let’s quickly rewind to last October. HTC CEO Yves Maitre was in full confession mode and talked candidly about the company’s near-fatal missteps in the smartphone market. Maitre cited a lack of innovation for its failures while promising that HTC would return to the premium space, presumably with a device that addresses said criticisms.
The rumors began to swirl. A 5G-ready phone was in the works that could prove there was life in the old dog even after Google poached much of its talent back in 2017. A device that could play with the Android big boys was coming.
Instead, what we have to kick off this mooted U-turn is a basic mid-range phone paired with a couple of questionable hardware choices. Set to retail at NT$18,990 (~$640), the specs, design, and target price suggest this isn’t the “flagship” phone Maitre teased eight months ago. Even judged on its own merits, however, we still have a relatively uninspired comeback phone for the venerable brand.
Aesthetics are always subjective, but the U20 5G is a far cry from the industrial boldness of the One M7 and One M8, or the curved plastic cool of the One X. Even the slightly too in-your-face see-through glass of the U12 Plus and that weird blockchain phone were at least distinguishable from the crowd. The best the U20 5G can do in terms of visual flair is a garish yellow ring around just two of the four camera sensors in the putrid green (not the official name) colorway, or a marginally less obnoxious light blue accent for the silver variant.
