by: adminPosted on:

HTC U24 Pro meets phone sadist Zack Nelson; will it collapse like a gambler with bad cards?

Exactly two months ago today, HTC released a new mid-range Android phone, the HTC U24 Pro. The phone is powered by the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 Application Processor (AP) and features a 6.8-inch OLED panel with 1080 x 2436 (FHD+) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate. It comes with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, expandable via microSD card, and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance.

The triple camera setup on the back includes a 50MP main camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 50MP telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. The periscope is popped out on this phone; in other words, this model does not have a periscope lens. The HTC U24 Pro has a 4600mAh capacity battery with 60W fast charging support. And the device has a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Will the HTC U24 Pro survive Zack’s dreaded bend test?

HTC was once considered one of the best smartphone manufacturers with such big hits as the HTC Touch Pro, Sony Ericsson Xperia X1, T-Mobile G1 (the first Android phone in the US), HTC Droid Incredible, Google Nexus One, and HTC One (M8). But HTC lost its way after the One (M8) and has released some forgettable phones since then. And that's a shame considering the One (M8) is my favorite phone of all time.

Video thumbnail

If you browse the HTC U24 Pro's spec sheet, you'll find the 50MP front-facing camera for selfies, the microSD slot, and the 3.5mm headphone jack. Interesting? Yes. Flagship? No. The phone is clearly mid-range. Would it survive the durability test (read: torture test) that Zack Nelson conducts for his “JerryRig Everything” video series?

The fingerprint scanner under the display of the HTC U24 Pro brought back bad memories for me

The device has an aluminum frame and the paint is pretty easy to scratch off. The back is plastic, allowing Zack to show off his sense of humor as he carves a tombstone that perfectly matches the iconic HTC logo that is embedded into the back. The video was a trigger for me, though, as Nelson couldn't get the under-display fingerprint sensor to work, which reminded me of the days when I rocked my Pixel 6 Pro. After 15 attempts, the sensor still didn't work.

And the test everyone has been waiting for, the dreaded bend test, the HTC U24 Pro survived in one piece. Zack said that HTC phones used to be very difficult to take apart and repair. Nelson didn't seem to have as much trouble taking the U24 Pro apart.

I'd love to see HTC try their hand at a flagship model and wouldn't mind if they copied the design of the One (M8). But I get the feeling that the Taiwan-based company isn't very confident that it can compete with Samsung and until it can come up with a design that rivals the Galaxy S series, HTC will be content to sit back and make inconsequential mid-range smartphones at a price that appeals to the budget buyer. This is not the HTC many of you remember, which is actually quite sad.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *