-
We've seen some great phones in recent months, including the Huawei Mate 9 and Google Pixel XL but not one that we could call perfect. We're not going to suggest that this might be what we've been missing - it doesn't have a headphone jack. We're blaming Apple for that one.
But just look at it. We've felt for many years that HTC has produced many of the best-built phones and now here we have a (Sapphire) Blue metallic finish that oozes class in much the same way as the Jet Black iPhone 7.
There's also a second screen above the main one - for extended notifications and shortcuts. We've seen that fail on Samsung Galaxy phones before now, but will it be useful?
We'll publish our full, in-depth review in the next few days, but here are some cool pics and our first impressions... -
The box with its rainbow metallic lettering is pretty sweet.
-
You get a free protective case - clear so you can still see the great chassis. HTC also includes some of the best ear-buds on the market to go with its high resolution audio features.
-
Gorgeous. But will the protruding camera be a problem?
-
It's not quite as shiny with the case on but it's not bad. The case is *slightly* less of a fingerprint magnet.
-
The front, when off, is as black as a Spinal Tap album cover.
-
The second screen resides above the main screen. It can show weather, notifications and contacts and is activated when you lift up the phone.
-
It's so purdy. But don't touch it without gloves or it will get marked.
-
Another good thing about the chassis is that it is easy to hold unlike the similarly-shiny Samsung Galaxy Note 7, which was very slippery.
-
A USB-C connector at the base and... no earbud jack. Grrr. At least HTC supplies a decent pair of high-quality earbuds with a USB-C connector.
-
Nothing on the left.
-
On the right we have a power button and volume rocker. We find having the power button in the middle can interfere with our grip sometimes. We'll see how we fair with this.
-
We injected some more colour into the front. We had to remove them when we were charging the phone, though - it was getting very warm!
HTC U Ultra: unboxing, hands on review and detail shots
13 Photos
Is this the best looking Android smartphone of all time?