HTC U12 Plus will be the company’s only high-end smartphone to hit the market in 2018. (Image of HTC U11 for representation)
HTC’s U12 Plus will be the only flagship smartphone the company plans to launch this year. The information comes from “a trusted source” speaking to HTC Source. It’s being claimed that HTC wants to streamline its product portfolio and has apparently dropped its plans to launch another flagship that’s supposed to come out later this year. The U12 Plus is expected to make its debut in May.
We’ve been hearing that HTC will launch fewer smartphones in the market this year. DigiTimes had previously reported that the struggling smartphone maker will launch a limited number of phones in 2018. The report said that the company’s R&D and marketing efforts will be centered around a single flagship and a few mid-end smartphones. Earlier last week, HTC launched the Desire 12 and Desire 12 Plus smartphones. The smartphones don’t necessarily impress in the spec department, but they certainly boast intriguing designs.
Most recent leaks have confirmed that the U12 Plus will feature a 5.99-inch QHD+ display, a Snapdragon 845 processor, up to 256GB internal storage, and up to 6GB RAM. The device will come with a 16MP+12MP configurations, an 8MP selfie camera, and a 3420mAh battery. The phone will run Android 8.0 Oreo with Sense 10 atop and the Face Unlock feature. HTC U12 Plus is likely to undercut Apple’s iPhone X and Samsung’s Galaxy S9 when it comes to the price.
Once ranked among the world’s top smartphone manufacturers, HTC lost to Apple, Samsung and Chinese companies like Xiaomi. Back in September, Google announced that it’s acquiring a team of engineers from HTC for $1.1 billion. The search giant not only got access to HTC’s most talented employees but also to its intellectual property. HTC manufactured the first-generation Pixel and Pixel XL, which were designed by Google.