Once a top Android phone maker, HTC hasn't launched a notable phone in a while. But that could change soon, as the company just took the covers off its first 5G handset: the HTC U20 5G.
Rather than take on high-end flagships like the Galaxy S20 and iPhone 11 Pro, the HTC U20 5G is more of a mid-range handset that looks set to clash with the OnePlus Nord (or OnePlus Z).
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Sporting a 6.8-inch LCD display with a FHD+ resolution, a Snapdragon 765G chipset matched with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, and a 5,000 mAh battery, the HTC U20 5G has a thoroughly decent middle-of-the-road spec. But it also sports a quad-camera array on its back, which could make it stand out in the mid-range arena.
The camera setup comprises a 48MP main camera, an 8MP wide-angle camera, a 2MP depth sensor and a 2MP macro sensor. That gives the HTC U20 5G a fairly comprehensive rear-camera array that should allow for a range of phone photography modes, from expensive wide shots to serious close-ups courtesy of the macro lens.
Like the upcoming Pixel 4a, the HTC U20 5G makes use of a punch-hole selfie camera — which sports a 32MP lens — to enable the display to be near bezel-less. That allows for a rather attractive looking handset with a curved back that’s not dissimilar to the OnePlus 8 Pro. Speaking of the rear, there’s a fingerprint scanner on the back, showing that HTC doesn’t seem interested in under-display fingerprint sensors.
The HTC U20 5G has only launched in Taiwan so far, meaning we have no US or UK price for the phone, or indeed if it will come further west. But if it does, it’s likely to lock horns with another upcoming phone.
The OnePlus Nord has a rather similar specification, as it's expected to come with the Snapdragon 765G as well as 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. That puts it roughly on par with the HTC U20 5G, though some rumors have pointed towards the OnePlus Nord having up to 12GB of RAM.
The rear camera array is also expected to be similar, with the OnePlus Nord sporting a 64MP main lens, and likely a 16MP ultra wide-angle camera and 2MP macro lens. And the selfie camera is set to be 16MP. While there are differences in megapixels, the camera setup is still pretty similar and a lot of the performance such a setup delivers will be down to the software the phones use for their photography.
Where the OnePlus Nord might have the edge is with its 6.4-inch AMOLED display that uses a punch-hole selfie camera and could come with a 90Hz refresh rate. And while it has a smaller battery, the OnePlus Nord is expected to come with Warp Charge 30T charging, which promises to fill up the battery at a significantly fastest speed than other normal phone chargers.
The OnePlus Nord is tentatively expected to arrive in July. So if the HTC U20 5G arrives at the same time, we could see a new fight happen in the min-range Android arena.
