HTC U23 review
The HTC U23 Pro is a mid-range smartphone that attempts to revive the company's glory days. While it features a 120Hz OLED display, 108MP camera with OIS, and HTC branding, it falls short in other areas. The phone's build quality is decent, with a soft and velvety finish, but it collects smudges easily and feels sturdy despite being made of plastic. The IP67 rating for water resistance is a welcome feature, especially in mid-range devices. The display itself is sharp and contrasty, with vibrant colors that pop regardless of the color mode chosen. However, it lacks HDR support and has thick bezels around the screen. The refresh rate is smooth at 120Hz, but it doesn't dial down to save energy when high-refresh mode is enabled. The camera setup includes a 108MP main sensor, an 8MP ultra-wide lens, a 5MP macro camera, and a depth sensor. While the main camera produces decent photos with natural colors, finer details are soft, and contrast is narrow. The dynamic range in low-light conditions is disappointing, with noisy and soft images. The phone's battery life is underwhelming, with an endurance rating of only 83 hours. Charging times are reasonable with a 30W adapter, but no charger is included. The camera's performance is the most notable disappointment, given its high specs. In summary, the HTC U23 Pro has some redeeming features like a high-refresh rate display and water resistance, but it falls behind in other areas, such as battery life, camera performance, and build quality. Given its price, there are better options available, making it hard to recommend this phone over others in the mid-range market.
Build Quality and Design
The HTC U23 Pro's build quality is a mixed bag. On one hand, the phone has a soft and velvety finish with a slight metallic sheen that gives it a premium feel in hand. However, this tactile experience is marred by the phone's tendency to collect smudges quite easily. Despite being made of plastic, the U23 Pro feels sturdy and robust, which is commendable given its mid-range price point. However, this plastic construction may not be as durable as one would hope for a device that boasts IP67 Ingress Protection. This rating is a welcome feature in a mid-ranger like the U23 Pro, but it's still plastic. The phone's design is somewhat uninspired, with thick bezels surrounding the 6.7-inch OLED display. While the display itself is sharp and contrasty, its max brightness of 725 nits feels slightly underwhelming, especially when compared to some of its competitors. One feature that does stand out is the side-mounted fingerprint reader built into the power button, which provides a convenient way to wake up and unlock the phone. However, accuracy could be improved upon. Overall, while the HTC U23 Pro's build quality and design are not particularly noteworthy, they do the job in providing a solid foundation for this mid-range device. The plastic construction may raise some eyebrows, but it does provide a sturdy feel that is hard to complain about.
Battery Life
One of the most crucial aspects of any smartphone is its battery life, and unfortunately, the HTC U23 Pro falls short in this department. Despite boasting a large 4600mAh battery, our tests revealed an endurance rating of just 83 hours - a number that's woefully behind its mid-range contemporaries. In our testing, we found that the battery struggled to last a full day, with heavy use resulting in a significant drop in performance by evening. Even moderate use saw the battery drain at an alarming rate, making it difficult to get through a full 24 hours without needing to top up. What's more concerning is that HTC seems to be following a trend set by other manufacturers like Samsung - opting not to include a charger with the phone. This may seem like a minor inconvenience, but for many users, it's an unwelcome expense and hassle. To make matters worse, charging times were also unimpressive, taking around 1 hour and 30 minutes to reach 80% capacity using the recommended 30W charger. While this may not be the end of the world, it's still a disappointing showing from a company that was once known for its innovative battery technologies. Overall, the HTC U23 Pro's subpar battery life is a major misstep in an otherwise decent mid-range smartphone. If you're looking for a device with impressive endurance, look elsewhere - but if you're willing to settle for a compromised experience, the U23 may still be worth considering.
Display
The HTC U23 Pro is a mid-range phone that boasts a 6.7-inch OLED display, which is one of its most notable features. The screen has a 1080p resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate, making it smooth and vibrant to use. The display is protected by Victus, a scratch-resistant glass, and the max brightness of the screen is decent at 725 nits. The display's sharpness and contrast are impressive, with vibrant colors that pop regardless of the color mode chosen. However, there's no support for HDR video playback, which might be a drawback for some users. One thing we noticed was how thick the bezels around the screen are, which may not be ideal for everyone. The 120Hz refresh rate is smooth and helps to make navigation and scrolling feel seamless. However, with the high refresh rate mode enabled, it will push 120Hz whenever possible, which might drain the battery faster. Overall, the display of the HTC U23 Pro is one of its standout features, making it a great choice for those looking for a mid-range phone with a good screen. While it may not have all the bells and whistles, the display's quality makes up for some of the other shortcomings of this device.
Camera
The camera system on the HTC U23 Pro is an interesting mix of impressive features and mediocre performance. The highlight is undoubtedly the 108 megapixel main cam with optical image stabilization (OIS). However, the photos produced by this sensor are decent but unimpressive. The colors are nice and natural, but finer details look soft on many samples. The shots are a bit on the contrasty side, and the dynamic range is narrower than we would like. One of the biggest issues with the main camera is its struggle in low-light conditions. Photos taken in these situations are noisy and soft, with an overabundance of contrast that causes light sources and highlights to be blown out or clipped. This is a shame, as there's a dedicated night mode that can clean up noise and brighten things up a bit. 4K video from the main cam has good detail and low noise, but the colors could be more lively. However, electronic stabilization is only available in up to 1080p resolution, which means it's not perfect with some shakiness left behind. The ultra-wide camera produces photos with decent amounts of detail and a reasonable dynamic range, but there's noticeable noise in the frame and softness around the edges. The colors have a reddish tint, and this camera struggles greatly in low-light conditions. Turning on night mode helps somewhat, but it's still not great. One surprise is that the dedicated macro camera does an excellent job of capturing close-ups, with nice colors and good detail. On the other hand, the 32 megapixel selfie cam bins pixels to produce 8 megapixel photos, which have nice colors and skin tones. However, the detail and texture of the faces are decent but could be a bit better. Overall, the camera performance on the HTC U23 Pro is disappointing given its impressive specs sheet. While there's potential for good results in certain situations, the phone often falls short in terms of overall image quality. Given this, it's hard to recommend the U23 Pro as a top choice for camera enthusiasts.
Price and Value
Priced at a premium level, the HTC U23 Pro is a mid-range phone that promises a lot but delivers somewhat less. The device's highlight feature is its 120Hz OLED display, which is certainly impressive. However, it's not just about the screen; the phone's overall package needs to be considered. For $599, you get a phone with decent specs, including a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset and a 108MP primary camera. While these specs are nothing to write home about, they're still respectable for a mid-ranger. The real question is whether the U23 Pro offers enough value for its price. The answer lies in the competition. Other mid-range phones like Samsung's Galaxy A54 or Xiaomi's Poco F5 offer better cameras, longer battery life, and more premium builds for a similar price point. In contrast, the HTC U23 Pro feels somewhat cheap, with a plastic build that collects smudges easily. While the U23 Pro's camera is decent, it's not particularly impressive. The 108MP primary sensor produces nice-looking photos, but they lack fine details and have a narrow dynamic range. Low-light performance is also subpar, with noisy and soft images. The battery life, too, is underwhelming, lasting only around 83 hours in our tests. While fast charging is supported, it's not quite enough to make up for the phone's shortcomings. In conclusion, the HTC U23 Pro feels like a mid-range phone trying to punch above its weight class. For $599, there are better options available that offer more value and performance. Unless you're particularly drawn to the HTC brand or want a 120Hz OLED display, it's hard to recommend the U23 Pro at this price point.
Performance
In our review of the HTC U23 Pro, we took a closer look at its performance capabilities, which are crucial for any smartphone user. The phone is powered by a relatively new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, which performed decently in benchmarks, keeping pace with mid-range competition. In day-to-day use, the U23 Pro feels quite smooth, making it suitable for general tasks such as browsing, social media, and streaming content. However, our stress test revealed that the CPU throttles heavily, losing almost 50% of its performance compared to the original score. This brought it down to the level of a lower-end processor like the Snapdragon 685. As a result, the HTC U23 Pro may not be the best choice for gaming enthusiasts or users who require high-performance processing. Battery life is also an area where the phone falls short, scoring an endurance rating of just 83 hours in our tests. This puts it behind other mid-range devices on the market. One aspect that worked well was charging time, which took around half an hour to reach 60% with a proper adapter. Overall, while the U23 Pro's performance is decent for general use, its throttling and battery life issues make it less appealing compared to its competitors.
Pros
1. The HTC U23 Pro has a stunning 120Hz OLED display that provides sharp and contrasty visuals.
2. The phone features a soft and velvety finish with a slight metallic sheen, giving it a premium feel.
3. Ingress Protection rated at IP67, making it waterproof and dust-resistant.
4. A headphone jack and notification LED are available, which is rare in today's smartphones.
5. The 108MP main camera with OIS takes decent photos, especially during the day.
6. Battery life is still respectable, even if not impressive, with a capacity of 4600mAh.
7. The phone runs on a relatively new Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chipset, providing smooth performance in everyday use.
8. A microSD card slot allows for expandable storage options.
Cons
1. Battery life falls behind most other mid-rangers, with an endurance rating of just 83 hours.
2. The phone's single bottom-firing speaker lacks punch and clarity.
3. The camera performance is unimpressive in low-light conditions, producing noisy and soft photos.
4. The ultra-wide camera struggles in low light, producing very noisy and soft photos.
5. Portrait mode photos are subpar, with poor subject detection and separation.
6. No HDR video support is available, which may be a letdown for some users.
7. The phone's plastic build feels less premium than expected, despite the velvety finish.
8. Thick bezels around the screen make it feel outdated compared to modern designs.