- Analysis by Christelle Nina
While the HTC U Play is the U Ultra's smaller and more affordable cousin, the former's main camera, comparatively, is clearly the runaway winner. Upgrading from the Ultra's 12-megapixel offering, it now sports a 16-megapixel shooter 
, but without the company of HTC's low-light-friendly UltraPixel feature 
. This said feature, however, is present in its 16-megapixel front camera . In contrast to flagship devices from other brands, the U Play's front-facing shooter also seems poised to present a winning case -- helped by its ability to record 1080p videos , just like its rear counterpart.
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Its Super LCD screen has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. While this level of resolution makes appearances in a lot of semi-high-end models, the Play's 5.2-inch display, which sits in the lower end of the phablet-sized spectrum, allows the smartphone to stretch its pixel density to a promising 428DPI . Furthermore, like many similar devices, it doesn't miss out on a Corning Gorilla Glass display .
While HTC ensured that this model's imaging and display specs remained competitive, a glaring trade-off would be its 2500mAh battery . Power allocations less than 3000mAh are more frequently seen in low-end and mid-range devices. Unsurprisingly, the Play's 2500mAh battery looks a bit out of place beside those offered by comparable models. With only this much power to spare, it's not difficult to imagine how its longevity would be problematic considering its high-resolution display and powerful cameras. Perhaps as an attempt to address this issue, HTC equipped the device with two levels of power-saving -- namely, standard and extreme .
As for its performance, not a lot of pros and cons can be definitively said. Its 2GHz processor is slower than many similar models , albeit by a small difference. Also, this could be counterbalanced by the play's eight cores and 4GB RAM (at least for the 64GB version), which makes it adequately-armed to challenge even some flagship smartphones.
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Likewise, its physical features present a mix of pros and cons. Its all-around molded-glass finish looks sophisticated, but its being more on the thick side, at 7.99mm , may put off potential buyers.
With all these being said, the U Play seems to be an Android smartphone that's poised to give even higher-priced models a a tough fight -- at least on paper. Nonetheless, how all these pros and cons will come together -- and the quality of the user experience that they may impart -- remains to be an exciting prospect.
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** This phone is also known as: HTC Play
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