TechPhonesThe HTC U23 Pro could be a better buy than the Pixel 7aHTC may not be the Android king any more, but its latest phone is an interesting rival to Google’s budget phoneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
TechPhonesThe HTC U23 Pro could be a better buy than the Pixel 7aHTC may not be the Android king any more, but its latest phone is an interesting rival to Google’s budget phoneWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
HTC may not be the Android king any more, but its latest phone is an interesting rival to Google’s budget phone
When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.
(Image credit: HTC)
(Image credit: HTC)
If you’re considering one of thebest affordable phonesor possibly buying aPixel 7a, it’s worth checking out the latest HTC phone first. The HTC U23 Pro comes with a decent specification and a price tag of just £499 – and if you pre-order through HTC.com you can get a free pair of HTC True Wireless Earbuds Plus.
Will this phone change that? Probably not, but you’re getting a lot of phone here for not a lot of money. The display is a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED with 120Hz variable refresh rate and a 20:9 aspect ratio, and inside there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of extendable storage. So far so good. But the real draw here is the camera.
What camera does the HTC U23 Pro have?
The rear camera assembly is a quad-camera setup. The main camera is 108MP with f/1.7 aperture and optical image stabilisation, and the other three are 8MP, 5MP and 2MP respectively. The selfie shooter on the front is 32MP with f/2.45, 1080p video and a beauty mode. The battery here is 4,600mAh with 30W fast charging and 15W wireless charging.
The HTC has a bigger screen than the Pixel 7a, and it has a faster refresh rate too. The camera setup is considerably higher resolution thanGoogle’s mid-ranger, which is 64MP, although Google’s Tensor G2 and firmware may still give it the edge when it comes to everyday photography; as ever, there’s more to a camera than its megapixels. And if you haven’t been converted to thebest wireless earbudsyet or need your phone to have an audio out, the HTC has a headphone jack. Remember them? You can also stream TV and film to a Vive XR Elite VR headset without issues as the HTC U23 Pro supports HDCP2.2 content protection.
The HTC is £50 more expensive than Google’s phone, although the bundled noise cancelling earbuds have an RRP of £69 so it’s pretty much equal. That promotion ends on the 4th of June, though. Pre-orders are open now on the HTC website.
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