Gadgetory

the HTC u ultra is the newest high-end flagship device from HTC with a premium price tag to match its premium look but is it durable the HTC 10 was my choice for the most well built phone of last year let's see if this flamboyant sibling follows in the same footsteps the scratch test is first i pre-ordered the normal HTC U with Gorilla Glass 5 covering the screen HTC did promise the USA a sapphire variant of this phone with real sapphire covering the screen later this year it will be interesting to see if this actually happens or if it was just some kind of marketing to help promote the phone at launch sapphire crystal is very difficult to manufacture so I won't be surprised - the sapphire version never shows up you can see that this Gorilla Glass 5 scratches at a level 6 real sapphire would resist scratching until a level 8 or 9 if HTC does release a sapphire screened variant of this phone in the United States I'll be here to check the scratch resistance of that as well the fingerprint scanner pad is covered in a slick rubberish plastic layer that will not scratch easy during normal use but my razor blade does leave a mark iPhones in the nokia 6 I tested a few days ago do have scratch proof fingerprint scanners so they do exist luckily for the ultra though it still functions even with the extra damage the front-facing 16 megapixel camera is protected by that same front screen glass so no worries about scratching here HTC was one of the few companies to use plastic on their camera lenses back with the HTC m9 so I'm glad they stopped doing that the abnormally small earpiece lot feels like it's made out of that same lightweight fabric that's a Nokia 6 head in it but unlike the Nokia 6 the fabric does not come out when told it would have been nice if they toss some larger speakers in there though it does seem like they have the room now on to the back of the phone this thing is definitely a fingerprint magnet I'll just clean it off a little bit much better it's time to see what this phone is made of the glossy jet-black iPhone 6 was made from aluminum and while this phone mimics that same reflective mirror-like finish this ultra is made from glass so my razor blade doesn't leave any marks on the back channel nor does my razor affect the logos so those won't be wearing off at all either the rear 12 megapixel camera is scratch proof as well and yes there are less megapixels on the back camera than there are on the front weird I know but HTC has always done weird things with their camera megapixels the camera bump is made from metal the flash is plastic and try not to scratch the black plastic portion or it could mess up your autofocus I always have a few comments on every video wondering what happens if I take a level 9 pic to the glass of a phone remember a level 9 pic is one step below 8 diamond so let me tell you a story about a little guy that lives in a blue world and all day and all night and everything he sees is just blue like him inside and outside blue his house with a blue little window and a blue Corvette and everything is blue for him and himself and you want to know why this little guy is blue because there's no headphone jack on this song on this supermassive thick device HTC did not want the scrounge together the extra opinions it takes to add a 3.5 millimeter headphone jack to the exterior and that decision alone helps plop this device in the list of phones that I will not be using as a daily driver someday the time will come for no headphone jacks but today is not that day let me know in the comments would you buy a phone with no headphone jack maybe I'm alone in my decision if we move to the frame of the phone the top is definitely made for metal and we can follow the metal sides all the way down to the base default near the USBC charging port they stick with the metal theme down here as well so at least all the materials are premium all the way around the device even the volume and power buttons are metal the 5.7 inch 1440p IPS LCD lasted about 10 seconds under the heat from my lighter I'm positive to this test someday we'll be relevant at some point but until then we can just appreciate that the IPS pixels recover completely from the flame and now the bin test remember the HTC 10 with the winner of my smartphone durability Awards last year I can tell right away though that the ultra is not going to follow that same rigid path the ultra has more relation to the soft iPhone 6s it's important to note that the back glass would not be cracking right now the only reason it is cracking is because I directly introduced the flaws by scoring the glass my level 9 pick but it's also important to notice that the glass on the HTC U does not contribute anything to the structural integrity of the device the glass is resting on top of the frame unlike the galaxy s7 where the back Samsung glass is inside the metal frame helping make the phone more rigid so while this phone survives the bin test overall it still flexes like a soggy Twinkie and will not be in the running for the 2017 durability Awards it's a pretty good looking device I do like the color but as for me and myself it is not the daily driver material that I'm looking for I hope you enjoyed this durability test I'll just be listening to music while I pulled bits of glass out of my fingers for the next ever thanks for watching I'll see you around yo listen up here's the story about a little guy the limit no boo well