HTC U Ultra evaluates the struggle of Xishan

IT 168 evaluation in June 2008, a mobile phone code-named Dream came to this world with a system with a small green robot Logo, announcing the arrival of the Android era. In September 2009, a "hero" with an upturned chin appeared in London, England with a brand-new attitude, becoming the most popular smartphone of that year; Since then, with the touch pad Desire G7, Senasation, the controversial first dual-core processor, has brought us many classics in the peak years of HTC, and also left some people with initial nostalgia for Android phones.

Since then, HTC has gradually fallen behind due to the weariness of mechanical warfare, the competition in the high-end market and the impact from "Internet mobile phones". Although HTC One(M7) was launched, "The One" failed to become the savior and help HTC make a comeback. Time has passed, and today's HTC is no longer brilliant. Just when people think that HTC is drifting away like Nokia and Moto, it is finally forgotten in the rivers and lakes. /kloc-at the beginning of 0/7, HTC returned to everyone's sight with the new series of HTC U Ultra. Double screen, brand-new glass body technology, standard flagship hardware configuration, and even the attached accessories are a pair of sonar headphones. After experiencing the HTC 10 "processor" storm, HTC U Ultra seems to be returning with HTC's sincerity, and whether HTC U Ultra can win back the hearts of the public in the fierce market is the purpose of our evaluation.

Overview of hardware configuration

Last year, HTC's flagship HTC 10 caused a stir because of the problems of two versions of processors. It can be seen that everyone is still very concerned about the hardware configuration of the flagship. HTC will naturally not make the same mistake again this year. At first glance, the configuration of Snapdragon's 82 1, 2K resolution SuperLCD dual screen,12 million+16 million front camera is basically the greatest sincerity that HTC can come up with at present.

Basic parameters of HTC U Ultra

Screen characteristics

Main screen: 5.7 inches 1400*2560, and sub screen: 160* 1040.

Fuselage size

162.41x79.79x7.99mm.

Fuselage weight

170g

processor

Snapdragon 82 1, the main frequency is 2. 15GHz.

Network mode

All netcom

Body memory

64GB

Random access memory

4GB

Camera characteristics

Rear120000 pixels/front160000 pixels

Characteristic part

Dual screen, sonar headset, artificial intelligence, BoomSound.

Battery capacity

3000mAh lithium polymer battery (fast charge and disassembly-free)

operating system

HTC China Sense is based on 7.0

Fuselage color

Black/white/pink/blue

retail price

5088 yuan

The biggest highlight of HTC U Ultra is the dual-screen (primary and secondary screen) design. The main screen is a 5.7-inch 2K resolution SuperLCD screen, and the auxiliary screen is a 2.03-inch resolution 160* 1040 bar screen, which is located at the upper right of the main screen. This sub-screen is called "the second screen" by HTC, which can display some customized applications such as music and calendar without occupying the big screen. You can browse information more conveniently and quickly while focusing on the big screen content. Regarding this sub-screen, some netizens also asked about its practicality, and we will experience it later in the article.

As can be seen from the parameter table, HTC U Ultra is equipped with Snapdragon 82 1, 4+64GB memory, which is also the specification of UFS 2.0+LPDDR4, ensuring the memory transfer speed; The camera adopts12 megapixel UltraPixel camera with F/ 1.8 aperture and single pixel area of1.55μ m. It is equipped with laser focusing, phase focusing and OIS optical image stabilization. Basically, HTC U Ultra still shows HTC's sincerity for this product from the hardware part.

Design:

Overall satisfaction but still regret.

HTC U Ultra uses a 5.7-inch main screen and a 2.05-inch auxiliary screen. The whole body is not slim. Because there is a screen on the forehead, HTC U Ultra is about 5mm longer than other 5.7-inch mobile phones and looks wider. The width of 79.79mm and the thickness of 7.99mm are not much different from other mobile phones of the same level. Moreover, HTC U Ultra adopts a 3-axis symmetry around the R angle, and it is not very laborious to hold it with one hand. Moreover, in my opinion, the length of the mobile phone will not affect the actual tactile experience, but the increase of the secondary screen can improve the operating efficiency of the mobile phone in some scenes, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

In terms of fuselage material, HTC U Ultra adopts a brand-new design of seamless connection between double glass and metal frame. Speaking of HTC, perhaps what people think most of is HTC's accomplishments in metal materials, especially HTC One(M7) launched in 13, which was the peak of the technical difficulty of smart phones at that time. After that, HTC's flagship basically followed the metal process. When I arrived at HTC U Ultra, I replaced it with a glass body, but it remained the same. This is the pursuit of technology.

The glass body of HTC U Ultra adopts 3D curved surface, supplemented by four corners and three axisymmetrical design. Although it is unrealistic to operate with one hand on this level of screen, this design still provides a good grip for HTC U Ultra. And the 3D glass with multi-point symmetry on the back looks round and full. Frankly speaking, although HTC's mobile phone business is no longer brave, its accomplishments in industrial design are still there.

On the glass of HTC U Ultra, the latest color mixing technology is adopted. Simply put, it is to inject colors into different glass layers. Under direct light, you can see the color of the fuselage from different angles, and the transition changes delicately. And the glass surface is polished, which makes the fuselage colorful. However, you can't have your cake and eat it. For the camera, this design is easy to become a fingerprint collector or scratch, and the surface of the fuselage is smooth.

In detail, HTC U Ultra adopts a special treatment of high pressure and high heat at the junction of glass, frame and corner, and the seam feels smooth and there will be no feeling of cutting hands. The power button and the volume button are on the same side, and the power button has a texture. The key strokes of the two keys are moderate, but the feedback strength is relatively stiff, and it is a bit laborious to press them.

On the back of the fuselage, HTC U Ultra adopts an UltraPixel camera with12 million pixels, with an aperture of F/ 1.8 and a single pixel of 1.55μm, and is equipped with laser focusing, contrast focusing and optical image stabilization functions. From the hardware point of view, the camera level of HTC U Ultra is still the flagship level, but the big bump looks a bit like the design level two years ago, which is the only place where I am dissatisfied with the appearance of U Ultra.

At the bottom of the fuselage, HTC U Ultra uses an inductive fingerprint identification module, which cannot be pressed. The whole fingerprint identification module is relatively long and narrow, and its position is somewhat low, which leads to the low visual center of gravity of the whole machine, but it will not affect the use. There seem to be back and multitasking buttons on both sides. And today's Sense has got rid of the multi-chin design that was spit out in the past, which is quite refreshing.

Generally speaking, HTC U Ultra still has a certain skill in the choice of fuselage material and processing technology, even in today's flagship, it is a first-class level, but it is a little regrettable to grasp some details.

System experience:

As one of the elders who grew up with the Android system, when the Android system was not mature, HTC's Sense system the legendary swordsman. Then, with the rise of a large number of third-party OS in China, such as MIUI, many brands headed by HTC are gradually lagging behind in experience because of insufficient system localization. It seems that HTC is also aware of this problem. In 15, HTC Sense was renamed as ChinaSense, and products sold in the Mainland will be pre-installed with ChinaSense. In this part of the article, let's take a look at the system experience of HTC U Ultra.

Dual screen:

The biggest highlight of this HTC U Ultra is that it is equipped with dual screens, and there is a 2.05-inch secondary screen on the upper right of the main screen. Like the LG V20, the display content is separated from the home screen. For this screen, HTC hopes to become the "second space" for users. In terms of functions, this sub-screen can view important information and notifications, add calendars, common contacts, display weather, play music Weiget, and quickly open various custom applications. Because the content and operation of the secondary screen are separated from the main screen, I guess the two screens also have different IC controls.

▲ The secondary screen can only carry six functions at present.

For this secondary screen, many netizens are very concerned about its practicality. At present, the secondary screen of HTC U Ultra can only support the above six functions for the time being, and the display order can be customized. So this actually shows that this split screen has different practicability for different users. For example, users who often need to check the weather, like listening to songs, have heavy mobile phones and often switch between different applications, then this split screen still has a good experience and practicality. And if you just don't have any demand for these operations and functions, and the mobile phone is used to make phone calls, send WeChat online and watch TV series, then the value of this secondary screen to you may lie in the information display in the off-screen (main screen) state (similar to the AOD function of various families).

In addition, this sub-screen is different from LG in that it cannot always emit light (AOD). The solution given by HTC is to double-click the screen or raise your hand to light the screen. In my opinion, this design should be aimed at the optimization of battery capacity. After all, whether it is reading materials or operating, the gesture of raising your hand to light up the screen is basically the same as the operation itself, and it will not appear redundant.

For heavy users of mobile phones like the author, because the operation between the main screen and the auxiliary screen is independent, the biggest function of the auxiliary screen is to improve the operation efficiency, which is equivalent to a one-step weakened version. Remember how Lao Luo introduced one step at the press conference: how many steps does it take to copy a text from WeChat to other applications? The same is true for the secondary screen. In several common application ranges (HTC gives six custom options), it takes several steps to switch applications. Most mobile phones need 2-3 steps, while HTC U Ultra only needs one step. Of course, you can also say that I am not afraid of trouble, but isn't the progress of science and technology serving efficiency (productivity)?

Sensory experience:

In terms of system appearance, the new Sense UI simplifies the complexity, cancels the bloated application drawer, and only keeps the first-class desktop. All applications and games will be presented on the desktop, and the icon style will be gradually refined and flattened. Although many interfaces continue the native Android design, the unique Senseweather plug-in SenseHome plug-in is still intact.

In addition, the localization function of ChinaSense is mainly divided into two aspects: one is the basic function, such as the most commonly used function such as the first letter search on the dial keyboard; Compared with the previous version, ChinaSense has made a lot of progress, such as supporting the initial inquiry of dial-up interface, and even adding very localized functions such as WeChat multi-opening. But there are still some regrets, such as not doing a global search.

The second is to expand functions, such as music, application store and other services: in this regard, HTC chose to cooperate with third-party applications such as Netease Cloud Music and Tencent Security Manager, which is also the form commonly adopted by mobile phone manufacturers at present. Especially for non-mainland mobile phone brands like HTC, although there may be no domestic OS grounding gas in personalized service, it is also the fastest way to directly hit the target. The difference between them is: Yes, it's 1, no, it's just a 0.

Hardware performance:

This time HTC U Ultra uses Snapdragon 82 1 processor, just like Google Pixel. The main frequency of the large core is 2. 15GHz, and the main frequency of the small core is 2GHz. Here, we also want to explain that the so-called "full blood version" and "performance version" mainly focus on the difference of core frequency. If different processors are cut on different dies, and the physical characteristics are not exactly the same after complicated and precise processing, and finally different processors can maintain different main frequencies after the same voltage test, then processor versions with different main frequencies will appear. Except for the main frequency, there is no difference in other performances such as connectivity, DSP, ISP and so on.

▲ The upgrade of Snapdragon 82 1 compared with 820.

With regard to Snapdragon 82 1 processor, after the use of various flagships throughout last year, I believe everyone has a better understanding. Here's a brief review: Snapdragon 82 1 can be regarded as a comprehensive and stable upgraded version of Xiaolong 820. Its architecture is still Kryo micro-architecture developed by Qualcomm, and the main frequencies of both large and small cores have been improved, mainly due to the technological evolution of Qualcomm, which can steadily improve the performance under the condition of unchanged technology and architecture, and the power consumption will not be significantly different from the previous generation. This is the comparison between Snapdragon 82 1 and Xiaolong. In the actual performance test, we also mainly test the performance of this "performance version" Snapdragon 82 1 through running scores and actual game tests.

In the running link, HTC U Ultra Antu Bunny runs 137922, which is basically the same as Google Pixel, between Xiaolong 820 Normal Edition and GeekBench4' s 82 1, with a single-core score of 1655 and a multi-core score of 4 100, which is close to other 82/kloc-. In addition, in the GFXBench test, 1080P Manhattan is 40Fps off screen, and 1080P Tyrannosaurus rex is 75Fps off screen, which is not behind Xiaolong 82 1 standard version.

In the actual test, HTC U Ultra runs an Fps game similar to the glory of the king for half an hour, during which the frame number of the game can be stabilized at 29-30Fps, and there is no phenomenon of unstable frequency frame.

In addition, HTC U Ultra supports QC 3.0 fast charging, and the original charging head is 9V2A, with a maximum of 18W. According to the official statement, it takes 30 minutes to charge the mobile phone 50%. After our test, the full-speed charging period can be around 17W, gradually reduced to 13W, and it is around 7W when trickle charging. The whole charging process is from 1% to 90%, and it takes 1 hour for 25 minutes.

Photo experience:

HTC U Ultra is equipped with the second generation UltraPixel camera,12 million pixels, F/ 1.8 aperture, which supports laser focusing and phase focusing, and has optical anti-shake function. The maximum resolution of the picture is 3072*4096, and the area of a single pixel can reach1.55μ m. The concept of UltraPixel was first applied by HTC on One. At that time, due to technical limitations, the maximum pixel of the main camera could only reach 4 million, but the resolution was lost to Samsung S4 with130,000 pixels in the same year. Today, with the gradual improvement of technology, UltraPixel is no longer troubled by pixels, so I won't say much. Let's take a look at the photo strength of HTC U Ultra through proofs.

First of all, in the outdoor scene with sufficient light, HTC U Ultra grasps the exposure control properly, and restores it more accurately on the white signboard that is easy to be overexposed, and the overall picture is very transparent.

In the scene of insufficient light, HTC U Ultra has a realistic grasp of color. Brown wooden doors and bright red paper create a quaint artistic conception. In addition, it can be seen that HTC U Ultra camera also has a certain tolerance, and it also has reservations about the dark details of the picture.

In the pre-meal drug test, the performance of HTC U Ultra is still stable in the restaurant with slightly dim light, and the blur caused by the aperture of F/ 1.8 is too natural, while the UltraPixel with large pixels shows advantages in recording the details of the picture. Zooming in to the details, there are slight sharpening marks on the physical surface, which also improves the texture of the picture within a completely acceptable range.

In terms of night scene, when UltraPixel comes into the scene, the size of a single pixel 1.55μm does bring a relatively high light intake and good image quality. The purity of the sky background is relatively high, and there is almost no noise, while the brightness of the main body of the picture is relatively high. It can be seen that HTC U Ultra has also done a good job in the anti-glare part, which has improved the brightness of the picture without bringing all kinds of messy light. However, at night, the white balance of HTC U Ultra is slightly warmer, and it tends to be red whether it is stuck on the wall or on the ground.

Summary:

From the product point of view, HTC U Ultra is still the flagship hardware configuration, although there is still room for improvement in details. But for HTC, which is no longer at its peak, in my opinion, U Ultra is still the most sincere product that HTC can show at present.

For many people, it feels like Nokia, Moto, maybe BlackBerry and Apple. As an editor who has been paying attention to smart phones since Android, he still remembers the HTC Hero and HTC Sensation he bought with the saved living expenses and lucky money when he was a student, and he still remembers that he was excited to burn the midnight oil to beautify the machine and bought the first mobile phone HTC One after attending work. Ups and downs, human nature, through its peak, but also accept its trough.