Gadget review: HTC U12 Life

Why the smartphone is for just about anyone from any walk of life

Remember the U12+, HTC's most recent flagship? Well, they threw everything they had in that spec-rich, innards-exposing device (it has a partially-transparent back cover), and that showed in its price (Dh3,499 at launch).
Now, in a bid to entice more users, they've decided to offer a more affordable version of the U12+, and it has an interesting name: the U12 Life. Though it is the successor to last year's U11 Life, I'll still make references to the U12+, since a) I never reviewed that phone, and b) I don't want to make blind comparisons, to be fair.
Like its bigger brother, the U12 Life has a more conventional design: while the side bezels are slim, its forehead and chin are a bit on the thicker side (about a centimetre each), and it has no notch. While they do share the same screen size at six inches, I think the U12+ has a brighter screen - though that doesn't mean you won't enjoy content on the U12 Life because it still radiates pretty well.
As for the build, the U12 Life goes down to plastic (from the U12+'s glass and aluminium frame), though I love the dual finish at the back: the upper portion - where the responsive fingerprint sensor is located - is solid and glossy, while below is a ribbed surface. It dons a USB-C port, and the 3.5mm audio jack is back, something missing from the U12+. Overall, it doesn't look or feel cheap, which is an added bonus.
You will also be pleased to know that it retains a dual-lens main camera system - but, of course, with lower specs: both lenses - now arranged vertically - clock in at 16MP and 5MP, compared to its elder bro's 12MP and 16MP. Photos taken with it are decent, but the darker your situation, the more grain you'll get.
Yet, there's a solution to that: the U12 Life's camera app comes with an HDR function, meaning you can brighten up any scene, and it works fairly well when dealing with dimly-lit environments. One drawback, though: when using HDR, it will take some seconds (up to four during my takes) before it can process the image - leaving you with no room to take another snap immediately. But this I can say: the HDR function packs a punch and is very useful - though it would've been better if the phone had auto HDR, in other words, if it could detect when it needs to be used. The camera can also take a while to focus, so it's important to have a steady hand.
The 5MP front camera, meanwhile, is down to a single lens (the U12+ had a dual system up front as well), and it seems that there's no real difference between this and the U12+'s. Selfies are bright, but don't expect any portrait-esque function. If you want some touch of bokeh on your shots, use the main camera: it has a depth effect function that can result in some satisfying blur effects.
Here's where the U12 Life handily beats out the ol' one: battery life. In our standard one-hour YouTube-at-full-brightness test, the U12 Life had only 9 per cent of power gone - that beats even the likes of Apple's iPhone XS devices and the Samsung Galaxy Note9, and I thought it even posed a threat to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro's 6 per cent yield early on during my test. That also easily obliterated that head-scratching 23 per cent we saw lost on the U12+.
As for use, I didn't have any problems: with mixed use starting at morning, I noticed that I had to reach out for its charger the following afternoon on a consistent basis. There's only a 100mAh difference between the batteries of the U12+ and U12 Life, but the improvement shown by the latter in our tests is a real pleaser. Apps, though, tend to lag, and they don't open in a buttery-smooth way.
One last thing: the HTC has never given any official durability rating for the U12 Life; the U11 Life had an IP67 rating.
AND SO.
For a mid-ranger, the HTC U12 Life ticks a lot of boxes, and I am particularly impressed with its battery life. A software update could do the trick for its camera, but if productivity is what you look for in a smartphone of its class, then this deserves a good look.
THE LOWDOWN
CPU: Qualcomm Snapdragon 636, octa-core 1.8GHz
Memory: RAM - 4GB; storage - 64GB, microSD up to 512GB
Display: 6" FHD+, 18:9, 402ppi
Camera: Main - dual 16MP + 5MP, f/2.0, HDR, bokeh, 4K; front - 13MP, f/2.0
Platform: Android 8.1 Oreo, HTC Sense
Connectivity: WiFi, Bluetooth 5, NFC, GPS; USB-C, 3.5mm audio; dual nano-SIM
Battery: 3,500mAh
Price: Dh1,299
Pros: Excellent battery, bright screen; good design; fair price
Cons: Slow HDR mode; app lags
Author's Rating: 4/5
alvin@khaleejtimes.com

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