HTC looks to re-establish its smartphone cred with an AI-powered camera phone

(Image credit: HTC)

HTC may have faded to the background of the smartphone scene, but midrange models like the newly announced HTC U24 Pro may help propel the company's handsets back into the spotlight — at least if the cameras perform as advertised.

The HTC U24 Pro boasts three rear cameras — a 50MP main camera offering 4k support, an 8MP wide-angle shooter and a 50MP telephoto lens capable of a 2x optical zoom. Up front there's a third 50MP sensor to help with selfies.

But it's not the camera hardware that caught our attention; rather, it's the AI features HTC touts that come with its camera app. For instance, there's a group photo feature similar to the Best Take feature introduced with Google's Pixel 8 that lets you swap in different faces so that you wind up with the best group shot. HTC U24Pro users can also add AR stickers to their images and videos with simple hand gestures. The AI will also help to fix blur, exposure and improved brightness in dark environments when compared to the HTC U23 Pro.

As for the HTC U24 Pro itself, the phone comes with an expansive 6.8-inch screen featuring 3D curved glass. A 4,600 mAh battery promises to last a while on a charge, and when it's time to refuel, you can take advantage of speedy 60W wired charging. The phone also supports wireless charging, and there's a reverse charging feature to transfer power over to other devices with wireless charging.

A Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 system-on-chip runs the show on the HTC U24 Pro, and while that's not as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 found in Android flagships, you'll still get solid performance bolstered by 12GB of RAM and 256GB of on-board storage.

It seems unlikely that the HTC U24 Pro will be available in the United States. But U.K. users can pick up the phone for £469, which puts it in the same price range as the Pixel 8a and Galaxy A55. If the U24 Pro can keep pace with those phones, HTC won't be an afterthought in the phone market for long.

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Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer.

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