The HTC U12 Life is set to feature a notch

HTC has reportedly thinned down its planned smartphone lineup for the year to just the one flagship and a handful of mid-range and budget devices. The company has already released three devices so far, though—the U11 Eyes, Desire 12, and Desire 12+. We may be set to see another mid-ranger soon, the U12 Life, and it could very well feature a notch.

The U11 Life was released in H2 2017, so we're unlikely to be getting its successor for a few months at least, especially since the U12—or U12+, depending on who you ask—is yet to even be announced. The U11 Life was an Android One device, and while we had issues with its pricing, it still offered a decent overall package, scoring an impressive total score of 85 in our review. The U12 Life will likely follow in its footsteps, albeit with improvements across the board. 

The U12 Life featuring a notch doesn't exactly come as a surprise. The past few months have seen a flurry of notched devices released, with the race to "notchland" culminating in the launch of the Huawei P20 devices tomorrow. HTC hasn't released a notched device yet, though, and there have been no reports claiming the U12 will feature one.  Sadly, it would seem that the Taiwanese company is trying to play according to market trend rules, regardless of how divisive the notch is. We'll see how successful this move—if it does, indeed, happen—is in a few months.