HTC U20 5G Review: Yes They’re Still Alive!

POSITIVES

✓ Solid build quality

Well made and doesn't feel cheap

✓ Fantastic battery life

Enormous battery that lasts a long time

✓ Performance

Not the fastest, but handles all jobs well

NEGATIVES

✘ Bad Palm Rejection

An incredibly sensitive touch screen

✘ Disappointing speaker

Hollow single bottom firing loudspeaker

✘ Average design

A dime a dozen mid-ranged candy bar looking phone

Purchase Price: $459.00

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During the course of my month with the HTC U20 5G as my everyday smartphone, I came across a wide spectrum of reactions from people. Most people were curious as to what phone this was and surprised that HTC made phones at all as they were only acquainted with the VR business. Then there was also a shocking group of people who had never even heard of HTC as a company. As someone who has had a long affinity for HTC as a brand (G1!), I was initially ecstatic to test out the current highest end phone from HTC. While that enthusiasm did eventually wane as I got to know the U20, it still showed me enough to say that I want HTC to retain a spot in the modern smartphone world.

A fall from grace

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It’s easy to say that the HTC U20 5G is not a flagship phone. It’s also not a very unique phone by design, but there’s also nothing offensive about the look of the U20 either. This is simply a mid-ranged candy bar phone that is a dime a dozen on the market; a far cry from the innovative years of the One M line and their impressive BoomSound. I will give HTC credit that for a mid-ranged phone, I do like the quality in build material they decided to use. The back is a plastic matte material that is smooth to touch but efficient in masking fingerprints. A fingerprint scanner occupies space in the rear above the iconic HTC logo. It works fine for what it is. The volume rockers and power button are nice and clicky to help maintain a surprisingly premium vibe to the overall experience of the U20. I have the U20 in the white color which in some positions actually gives off a blue tint. There honestly isn’t anything intrinsically bad about the HTC U20 as a phone that other devices don’t share. It’s a bit too long to fit comfortably in a pant pocket thanks to the 20:9 aspect ratio of the display. It’s a bit too slippery thanks to the width being slightly larger than my hands would comfortably be able to wrap around. It’s a bit of a hazard device as there really aren't any case makers for HTC phones worldwide (why would they?). All of these issues are also issues shared with many other devices where this candy bar shape has stalled in evolution.

Phantom Touches or bad Palm rejection?

The most damning thing about the U20 is the touch screen. We’re looking at a 6.8 inch 1080 x 2400p IPS display that has a 387 ppi density. That’s fine and dandy as the viewing quality is quite good. The display is sharp from a multitude of angles. Colors are well reproduced albeit a bit cooler in tone than I’d prefer. All in all, it’s an enjoyable screen to watch content on. The annoyance that comes into play is in regards to the actual touch screen aspect. I can’t elaborate enough how frustrating it was to navigate around Android 10 thanks to the sheer sensitivity that causes an abundance of ghost touches. It’s eerily as if the U20 has a mind of its own and wants to steer me in another direction. Now I’m not 100% certain if these are true ghost touches or if the palm rejection is inadequate for a phone of this length. The U20 5G is just an awkward phone to swipe through and to type with. Frustration immediately sets in when the keyboard is out and I’m compiling a sentence, only for all the progress to be lost as the OS swipes back to the home screen or the previous app. This is most likely due to my Android settings that use gesture navigation instead of the traditional three button layout. However, I’ve fully transitioned over to this method of navigation since Google introduced it to Android in 2019 and have not struggled like this on any other phone I’ve reviewed.

I’m also disappointed with the single bottom firing loudspeaker. It’s hollow and just downright depressing to listen to; especially when you recall HTC’s legendary reputation with mobile sound. It isn’t an exaggeration to say HTC changed the way audio quality was perceived on smartphones back in the 2010’s. This is a drastic fall from grace. Phone call audio is also horribly bad. The person on the other side has complained to me about how distant I sounded more often than I’d care to admit. The best way to explain it is as if the earpiece was flipped with the loudspeaker. That’s what it feels like to hear me on this phone.

Performing to expectations

Honestly, other than that huge issue with navigating the phone around ghost touches or the lackluster palm rejection, there isn’t much else to dislike about the Taiwanese designed phone. The phone runs perfectly fine thanks to a Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset that gives access to 5G capabilities (doesn’t have USA bands though). This model has 8 GB of ram and 256 GB of storage with additional storage capabilities thanks to microSD access. It’s all rather standard affair here for an upper-mid tier smartphone. All the games and apps I’m currently running, effectively work at a reasonable rate where I don’t miss using a phone with the Snapdragon 888. It’s close enough in performance for tasks that are important.

The battery longevity is fantastic. If you need to plug the U20 5G to charge the enormous 5,000 mAh battery before the day ends, you’re most likely having a super long day with dramatic twists and turns because this battery does not die. On a typical day, I’d go through all the chores of collecting and questing for my mobile games, along with the remedial task of responding to work emails and using various apps to get things done. This occupies about 3 hours of screen on time and roughly 6 hours of battery life off the plug. This only takes up 25% of the overall battery life. Yes, we’re still at 75% with a majority of the workday completed. This is fantastic battery life and one that should be applauded. Not that you’ll ever need it, but the U20 5G also has 18W fast charging.

Shot on HTC U20 5G

Thoughts on the Camera

Four camera sensors occupy a neat strip on the left side of the rear body (right side when you’re holding it facing you). I’m right handed so this irritates me every time I need to touch something in the peripheral of the sensors. Unlike some other companies who stack the sensors to make a square, HTC’s decision to make it one strip downwards, extends the range of the sensors to reach where the rear fingerprint sensor is. I’ve smudged the cameras with my fingers almost daily due to this design choice choice.

Product Specs +

• 6.8 inch 1080x2400p IPS display (387 ppi)
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G processor
• 8 GB ram/256 GB storage w/microSD
• 5,000 mAh battery

Camera Specs +

Rear Cameras

• 48 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 1/2.0", 0.8µm, PDAF
• 8 MP, f/2.2, 118˚ (ultrawide), 1/4.0", 1.12µm
• 2 MP, f/2.4, (macro)
• 2 MP, f/2.4, (depth)

Selfie Cameras

• 32 MP f/2.0 front camera

In terms of image quality, the U20 5G would rank in the acceptable category. While the cameras are serviceable and fluid to operate to catch a quick shot, it’s best utilized as a personal Instagram shooter where quality isn’t important to a brand image. I say this because there is a noticeable over processing of images in HDR that I don’t see with phones like the Google Pixel 4A or higher rated shooters with reputations like the iPhone 12 lineup. Too often do pictures look artificial on the U20. The surprising thing the camera does well though is how the AI determines what to expose. I’m actually very impressed with how it handles foreground and background exposure. Ultimately there is just a lack of warmth and sharpness behind the photos for me to comfortably want to use this as my main smartphone shooter.

Final Thoughts

Even though HTC is long past their heyday, I’ve always felt like there was still a place for this legacy OEM if they truly invested time to create a product that makes sense. The U20 5G has some of that HTC pride from yesteryear, but fails to carve out a responsible reason for its existence. Even if this phone was readily available in the USA (it kind of is through Amazon), I’d still have a difficult time recommending this in the mid-level market. With that said, I would love to see a U21 and then a U30 and many more HTC’s down the line. The smartphone world could certainly find a spot to keep HTC around.

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