Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Türkçe
Svenska
Chinese
MagyarHTC U12 Life
Specifications
Secondary Camera: 13 MPix f/2.0
Pricecompare
Average of 23 scores (from 41 reviews)
Reviews for the HTC U12 Life
HTC positions the U12 Life as a smartphone with amazing camera effects to suit and satisfy everyone's artistic needs and wishes. In addition, it is also capable of 4K video recording, is supposed to feature a high-performance SoC, and long battery life. Let's find out which claims will hold up to our review and which ones will fall victim to an overly zealous marketing department.
Source: Android Authority
Archive.org versionHTC is struggling and is clearly looking anywhere it can for success, even if that means completely disregarding what it has done previously in the Life series. Taken on its own, the HTC U12 Life is a decent enough phone, but there's just too much competition that's far better for the price to recommend it.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/26/2018
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionA phone that holds more modest expectations compared to its flagship sibling, but at least it meets them.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/16/2018
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Techradar
Archive.org versionIt's not the very best phone at the price, but with its big screen and unusual finish the HTC U12 Life offers a useful alternative to the glut of glass-backed phones.
Single Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/18/2018
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionSome of the decisions made for the U12 Life seem a little odd like ditching Android One and Edge Sense. However, some of this will be to achieve it's sub-£300 price tag which make it an interesting choice in the mid-range.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 10/18/2018
Rating: Total score: 80%
Source: Gadgetspeak
Archive.org versionHTC has just announced, at a “media pre-briefing” its latest super-budget phone. Scheduled to be available late September / early October this 6 inch 18:9 FHD+ (1080 x 2160) phone will have a retail price of £299 which places it firmly on the middle ground between the premium products and the real budget phones.
Single Review, online available, Very Short, Date: 09/02/2018
Rating: Total score: 90% workmanship: 80%
Source: GSM Arena
Archive.org versionAll things considered, HTC appears to be trying to go after the popular mid-rangers of the day. Offers from Xiaomi, Nokia and a few other players, like we mentioned earlier. That, however, is probably the most competitive space to be in right now.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/31/2018
Source: Trusted Reviews
Archive.org versionFor £299, the HTC U12 Life looks to represent a good deal. It has an attractive screen, decent specs and an interesting camera array.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Tech Advisor
Archive.org versionWe might not agree with every decision made for the U12 Life, such as putting the fingerprint scanner in the shiniest part of the phone or ditching Android One. However, HTC appears to have done a pretty decent job of creating an attractive mid-range phone.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Pocket Lint
Archive.org versionOverall, the HTC U12 Life gets a whole lot right for a mid-price handset. It's updated the screen size and aspect ratio compared to its predecessor, improved the battery capacity, and doubled-down on the cameras too.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Stuff TV
Archive.org versionIf it lives up to the specs and performs as it looks like it might, it'll be a very keenly priced mid-range handset that could give the likes of the Honor 9 a run for their money.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: CNet
Archive.org versionThe HTC U12 Life will sell in Europe but not the US or Australia. It's a midprice offering that will sell for £299, which converts to about $390 or AU$535. Apart from the Pixel-like backing, the U12 Life has some pretty compelling features for a phone of its quite reasonable price. There's a large, 6-inch display, two rear cameras for portrait mode, expandable storage and a rare headphone jack. (See all specs below.)
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Android Authority
Archive.org versionHTC has often been criticised for overpricing its handsets, and often for good reason. The HTC U12 Life price is 349 euros or 299 pounds, on a par with its predecessor in Europe. You’ll have to decide for yourself if this particular constellation of additions and subtractions from the base recipe is better or worse value than the original U11 Life.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/30/2018
Foreign Reviews
Source: Area DVD
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 12/22/2018
Source: Android Mag
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/19/2018
Rating: Total score: 74% performance: 58% display: 80% mobility: 66% workmanship: 100%
Source: Tech Stage
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/18/2018
Source: Chip.de
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/14/2018
Rating: Total score: 77% performance: 83% features: 74% display: 83% mobility: 88%
Source: Android Smartphone - 6/18
Single Review, , Medium, Date: 11/01/2018
Rating: Total score: 74% performance: 58% display: 80% mobility: 66% workmanship: 100%
Source: Netzwelt
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/28/2018
Rating: Total score: 80% features: 80% mobility: 90% workmanship: 90%
Source: Curved
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: WinFuture
DE→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/28/2018
Source: Xataka
ES→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Good price. Negative: Poor display; weak hardware.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 09/04/2018
Source: HDblog.it
IT→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/24/2018
Rating: Total score: 77%
Source: AndroidPit.it
IT→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/19/2018
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Techzilla.it
IT→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/12/2018
Rating: Total score: 82% price: 85% display: 80% mobility: 90% workmanship: 85%
Source: AndroidWorld.it
IT→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/08/2018
Rating: Total score: 79% price: 65% features: 80% display: 80% mobility: 80% workmanship: 80% ergonomy: 80%
Source: AndroidPit.it
IT→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Premium design; compact size; decent hardware.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Tablets Magazine
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/21/2018
Rating: Total score: 75%
Source: Computer Totaal
NL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Short, Date: 10/04/2018
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: AndroidWorld.nl
NL→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Decent battery life; nice performance; good screen.
Single Review, online available, Long, Date: 11/01/2018
Source: AndroidPit.fr
FR→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/24/2018
Rating: Total score: 70%
Source: Phonandroid
FR→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 10/01/2018
Rating: Total score: 90%
Source: Frandroid
FR→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 09/30/2018
Rating: Total score: 85% performance: 70% display: 70% mobility: 90% workmanship: 90%
Source: AndroidPit.fr
FR→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Stylish design; solid workmanship; nice performance. Negative: Unsupported waterproof; relatively high price.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 08/30/2018
Source: Tabletowo
PL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/15/2018
Rating: Total score: 75% performance: 85% display: 85% mobility: 70% workmanship: 90%
Source: Android.com.pl
PL→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Very Long, Date: 11/05/2018
Rating: Total score: 67%
Source: The Gioididong
VN→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Beautiful design; nice gaming performance.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 11/15/2018
Source: The Gioididong
VN→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Impressive color; good price; long battery life.
Single Review, online available, Medium, Date: 11/09/2018
Source: Tek.no
NO→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/28/2018
Rating: Total score: 65%
Source: Mobil DK
DA→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 10/23/2018
Rating: Total score: 58% display: 70% mobility: 60% workmanship: 60%
Source: Mobil.se
SV→EN Archive.org versionPositive: Good price; long battery life; nice design; solid workmanship.
Single Review, online available, Short, Date: 10/19/2018
Source: Unlimited Tech
→EN Archive.org versionSingle Review, online available, Medium, Date: 01/12/2019
Rating: Total score: 80%
Comment
Model: The HTC U12 Life is a mid-range smartphone with a low-price tag, yet still offers a glass back. The highlights of the phone are definitely the big screen and the design of the phone. The size of the phone is just nice, not too big or too small. It is available in two colors, which are Moonlight Blue and Twilight Purple. The back of the phone features the HTC 3D Ultra Stripes, which is a group of 0.3 mm deep lines on its metal-like case, offering a totally fresh take on liquid surface inspired design. The stripes are pleasant to the touch and yet the phone does not lose its shine. It is also useful to have a better grip on the phone at the palm. Furthermore, it prevents fingerprint smudges, which is another advantage. There is also the fingerprint reader at the back of the phone, which works really fast. The front of the phone features a 6-inch Full HD+ screen. It is a big screen with 1080 x 2160 pixels and vivid colors, which suggests good color performance. The brightness is also good for both indoors and outdoors. The screen ratio is 18:9, which is quite commonly seen these days. For image and video capturing, the HTC U12 Life features a 16 MP rear camera and a secondary 5 MP one on the back. The secondary camera acts as a depth sensor, which is common to smartphones nowadays to have one. HTC claims that the camera is capable of capturing artistic bokeh photos. However, the camera does not have an Auto HDR mode, which is a modern camera mode most phones have. The user will have to enable and disable HDR manually. Given the price point, it is still acceptable for HTC U12 Life to have such camera specifications.
The device is powered by a Snapdragon 636. It should perform well on most applications without major issues. The processor has no multitasking troubles and is fast and effective. The Snapdragon 636 is paired with 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal memory that can be expanded via microSD. It is a good hardware specification, which should satisfy most users. As for battery life, the HTC U12 Life has a 3,600 mAh battery. It is an average battery size which is not little, but not huge either. It will last a whole day under normal usage without running performance demanding applications such as games. This U12 Life comes with a mini headphone jack, which could be handy for calls and entertainment on the go. As a closure, the HTC U12 Life is targeted to casual users who do some simple to moderate tasks on their phone. The low price point makes it ideal for buyers on a budget but still need decent hardware performance. However, this price point also puts it against many other devices from various other brands, some with greater specs and design.
Hands-on article by Jagadisa Rajarathnam
Qualcomm Adreno 509: Integrated graphics card in the Snapdragon 636 SoC based on the Adreno 500 architecture. Most likely featuring a slightly higher core clock compared to the Adreno 508.
Only some 3D games with very low demands are playable with these cards.
» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Graphics Cards and the corresponding Benchmark List.
SD 636: Mid-range octa-core SoC with eight Kryo 260 cpu cores at up to 1.8 GHz, an Adreno 509 GPU, a LPDDR4-2666 memory controller and a X12 LTE (Cat 13/12, 300 / 150 MBit) modem. Manufactured in the modern 14nm process.» Further information can be found in our Comparison of Mobile Processsors.
6.00":
It is a very small display format for smartphones. You should by no means be mis-sighted and you will generally see very little on the screen and only have a small resolution available. In return, the device should be very small and handy.
» To find out how fine a display is, see our DPI List.HTC:
High Tech Computer Corporation (HTC) is a Taiwanese manufacturer of cell phones, tablets and other electronic products.
75.71%: This rating is not earth-shattering. This rating must actually be seen as average, since there are about as many devices with worse ratings as better ones. A purchase recommendation can only be seen with a lot of goodwill, unless it is about websites that generally rate strictly.
» Further information can be found in our Notebook Purchase Guide.
