The competitive smartphone market is set to witness another battle for supremacy as HTC has unveiled its top-end U Ultra handset.
The HTC U Ultra boasts of impressive design and also packs in top-end features that may challenge existing smartphones, such as the iPhone 7 Plus.
Here's a look at whether the HTC U Ultra has the potential to give Apple sleepless nights.
Display
The HTC U Ultra has a 5.7-inch QHD display and a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels when compared to the iPhone 7 Plus' 5.5-inch LCD display that has a resolution of 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.
Not only does the U Ultra pack in a bigger display, it also has a higher resolution. The pixel density of the HTC smartphone is 513 ppi which easily surpasses the 401ppi of the iPhone 7 Plus.
Processor And RAM
The HTC U Ultra is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 processor, which clocks at 2.15 GHz. The iPhone 7 Plus, on the other hand, is fueled by a quad-core A10 processor, which reportedly clocks at 2.34 GHz.
The best processor can only be determined after speed tests.
The HTC smartphone, however, has an edge over Apple in terms of RAM as the U Ultra packs in 4 GB of RAM compared to the 3 GB RAM on the iPhone 7 Plus.
Storage
The iPhone 7 Plus is available in three storage options — 32 GB, 128 GB and 256 GB, whereas the HTC U Ultra only comes in the 64 GB option. However, the HTC smartphone's memory can be expanded to an additional 2 TB via a microSD card, which undoubtedly gives the handset an upper hand over the iPhone 7 Plus.
Camera
The Apple smartphone sports a 12-megapixel rear-facing dual-camera and a 7-megapixel front-facing camera. The HTC U Ultra also has a 12-megapixel camera, which supports UltraPixel 2. The selfie camera of the HTC smartphone betters that of the iPhone 7 Plus at 16 megapixel and it has BSI sensor support.
Both the handsets' secondary cameras support 1080p FHD video recording.
The iPhone 7 Plus is touted to have one of the best cameras in the business with features including the Portrait Mode adding to its popularity. It is only when the U Ultra hits the shelves that consumers and experts will be able to assess its capabilities.
Battery
The HTC U Ultra has a bigger, 3,000 mAh battery when compared to the 2,900 mAh battery of the iPhone 7 Plus. The HTC U Ultra apparently supports a talk time of about 26 hours on 3G, which betters the 21 hours supported by the iPhone 7 Plus.
Operating System
The Apple iPhone 7 Plus runs on iOS 10. The HTC U Ultra, on the other hand, comes with the latest Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box.
Price
The 64 GB HTC U Ultra is up for preorder on its official website for $749. While the 32 GB iPhone 7 Plus costs $769.
With the HTC U Ultra boasting top-end specs, such as higher storage and more RAM, the iPhone 7 Plus may have a challenger. The fact that the U Ultra is priced cheaper than the iPhone 7 Plus and offers a bigger screen could also tilt the scales in the favor of HTC.
However, whether the HTC U Ultra can convert iOS fans to Android remains to be seen.
