HTC U Ultra Gets More Expensive Region-Exclusive Variant; Ups Price for Fancy Screen

Taiwanese company HTC recently released a new version of their current HTC U Ultra smartphone, despite hopes of a new flagship device to follow the HTC 10. With many unhappy with the performance of the HTC U Ultra, questions about the added features to the limited edition sapphire screen variant are being raised, especially on its price point.

Announced through HTC Taiwan's Facebook page as an "unexpected surprise," the Taiwan-only variant of the HTC U Ultra also packs 128GB storage on top of the sapphire screen, a material not widely used in current smartphones. Android Central reports, however, that the "surprise" has been revealed by the company during last January's Consumer Electronics Show or CES.

As for the price, the limited edition HTC U Ultra's asking price is NT$28,900, or around US$945, roughly $150 higher than the standard HTC U Ultra packing a 64GB storage. The Verge points out that as the market is filled with smartphones that offer the same or better performance that costs a lot less than the new sapphire-screened HTC U Ultra, it seems quite impractical to purchase the device.

Released in early 2017, the HTC U Ultra has received generally mixed reviews, with the major points being its performance and price. The 5.7-inch device does its best to be noticed with some aesthetic features like the liquid surfaced back panel that bends light, which unfortunately smudges a lot. Underneath the fancy back panel, the HTC U Ultra packs a Snapdragon 821 chip and a 4GB RAM, complimented with the 64GB storage, a 12-megapixel back camera, and a 16-megapixel front camera. It also has good audio, though like the iPhone 7, no earphone jacks.

For a flagship-priced smartphone, however, many reviewers have pointed at the lack of flagship features it has. Trying to look like its fancier competitors, it pales in comparison with HTC's last successful device, the HTC 10.