The HTC U12+: A Phone That Defies Convention

At first glance, the HTC U12+ may look like an ordinary phone. However, as soon as you press on the buttons, squeeze it, or tap the sides, you'll know that something is different. The first clue might be the back of the blue version, which lets you take a peek into its innards. But the second you try to turn the phone on or off or raise the volume, you'll realize that something isn't quite right.

The buttons on the side don't actually press in; they sense your pressure and buzz with haptic feedback to let you know that the volume has been adjusted or that the phone is powering on. This heavy-handed touch can be a bit jarring, sending chills up and down my spine. However, HTC assures us that it will update the software in a couple of weeks to make the haptic feedback feel more natural.

Fortunately, some of the phone's other features are more successful. For instance, the Google Pixel 2 phones and last year's HTC U11 have squeezable sides that you can customize in any number of ways to launch apps like Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, or perform tasks within an app like your camera or a game. Additionally, a new feature keeps the screen from dimming or rotating when you hold the device, which is useful when you're reading laying down or reclined.

A double tap on the pressure-sensitive sides can also shrink the screen for one-handed use, pull out the shortcuts menu, and go back and so on. As for the rest of the phone, it's a flagship model that has Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 processor inside it, running the current version of Android with HTC software on top.

However, I'm not a fan of the outdated look and feel of the HTC Sense software. Battery life is also on the leaner side, like most phones, so you'll need to charge it once a day. The dual camera setup features 12 and 16 megapixels, which more than holds its own against top-tier players. While colors couldn't come out a little bit darker with fewer distinct details, you can adjust the lighting in the shot and edit after the fact to improve the picture.

On the front, the phone has an eight-megapixel camera, which does leave a bit of my hair intact when taking a portrait selfie. The six-inch Super LCD screen is larger than expected, just about the size of the Samsung Galaxy S9+. While it's water-resistant

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthe HTC you 12-plus looks like an ordinary phone but don't be fooled you'll know the second you press on the buttons squeeze it or tap the sides that HTC is trying to do something different the first clue might be the back of the blue version which lets you take a peek into its innards but the second you try to turn the phone on or off or raise the volume you know something isn't quite right the buttons you see on the side don't actually press in they sense your pressure and buzz with haptic feedback to let you know that the volume has been adjusted or that the phone is powering on to me this is a heavy-handed touch that frankly it feels weird enough to send chills up and down my spine however HTC says it's going to update the software in a couple weeks to make the haptic feedback feel more natural luckily some of the phones other features are more successful like Google pixels two phones and last year's HTC u11 this phone has squeezable sides that you can customize in any number of ways to launch apps like google assistant or Amazon Alexa or perform tasks within an app like your camera or a game a new feature keeps the screen from dimming or rotating when you hold the device which is useful when you're reading laying down or reclined and a double tap on the pressure-sensitive sides can shrink the screen for one-handed use pull out the shortcuts menu go back and so on as for the rest this is a flagship model that has qualcomm snapdragon 845 processor inside it runs the current version of android with HTC software on top I'm not a fan of the outdated look and feel of the HTC Sense software and battery life is on the leaner side like most phones you'll need to charge it once a day the 12 and 16 megapixel dual camera more than holds its own against the top tier players colors couldn't come out a little bit darker with fewer distinct details but you can adjust the lighting in the shot and edit after the fact to improve the picture on the front to eight megapixel cameras left more of my hair in tact when taking a portrait selfie with its six inch Super LCD screen the u12 plus is a larger device just about the size of the samsung galaxy s 9 plus it's water-resistant but it has no headphone jack and doesn't support wireless charging the u 12th plus does come with you sonic earbuds that have a USBC connection but you will need to get yourself a dongle if you want to use your own wired earbuds there's also a clear case that comes with the phone I like the creativity that HTC is bringing to its phones but I think it takes a certain type of person to make the most out of tapping and squeezing the u12 plus in everyday lifethe HTC you 12-plus looks like an ordinary phone but don't be fooled you'll know the second you press on the buttons squeeze it or tap the sides that HTC is trying to do something different the first clue might be the back of the blue version which lets you take a peek into its innards but the second you try to turn the phone on or off or raise the volume you know something isn't quite right the buttons you see on the side don't actually press in they sense your pressure and buzz with haptic feedback to let you know that the volume has been adjusted or that the phone is powering on to me this is a heavy-handed touch that frankly it feels weird enough to send chills up and down my spine however HTC says it's going to update the software in a couple weeks to make the haptic feedback feel more natural luckily some of the phones other features are more successful like Google pixels two phones and last year's HTC u11 this phone has squeezable sides that you can customize in any number of ways to launch apps like google assistant or Amazon Alexa or perform tasks within an app like your camera or a game a new feature keeps the screen from dimming or rotating when you hold the device which is useful when you're reading laying down or reclined and a double tap on the pressure-sensitive sides can shrink the screen for one-handed use pull out the shortcuts menu go back and so on as for the rest this is a flagship model that has qualcomm snapdragon 845 processor inside it runs the current version of android with HTC software on top I'm not a fan of the outdated look and feel of the HTC Sense software and battery life is on the leaner side like most phones you'll need to charge it once a day the 12 and 16 megapixel dual camera more than holds its own against the top tier players colors couldn't come out a little bit darker with fewer distinct details but you can adjust the lighting in the shot and edit after the fact to improve the picture on the front to eight megapixel cameras left more of my hair in tact when taking a portrait selfie with its six inch Super LCD screen the u12 plus is a larger device just about the size of the samsung galaxy s 9 plus it's water-resistant but it has no headphone jack and doesn't support wireless charging the u 12th plus does come with you sonic earbuds that have a USBC connection but you will need to get yourself a dongle if you want to use your own wired earbuds there's also a clear case that comes with the phone I like the creativity that HTC is bringing to its phones but I think it takes a certain type of person to make the most out of tapping and squeezing the u12 plus in everyday life\n"