Top to bottom: HTC Desire 12 and 12+ smartphones - pros and cons

For a long time, HTC has been producing exclusively flagship smartphones. However, difficult times can force a change in company policy. A sharp decline in revenue and the need to constantly keep extremely high performance bar, coming up with new technical solutions for processors. In addition, constantly improve the camera, display and other characteristics. All this made them try their luck in the average, although even closer to the budget segment of the market.

In March 2018, they presented two smartphones to the general public, continuing the already seemingly sunk into oblivion, the Desire line. HTC Desire 12 and its more positive counterpart HTC Desire 12+.

In this article, we will conduct a little research, analyze the strengths and weaknesses of these smartphones, and also find out if the attempt to join the middle and budget class was successful or not very good. After all, confronting such giants as Huawei, ZTE or Xiaomi is not so easy, let's see if HTC succeeded?

Equipment

Both phones are packed in a stylish black box, typical for all HTC models. The contents of the boxes for both models are almost the same, so we will arrange them in one list. So, the kit includes:

• Actually, the device itself;
• Documentation: User manual, warranty card, etc.
• Clip for a SIM card tray;
• Charger: 1.5A / 1A for HTC Desire 12+ and 12, respectively;
• USB - micro USB cable with a cord length of 100 cm;
• Headphones: regular earbuds of no interest. They will work well for playing audiobooks or listening to music, but music lovers will clearly have to look for a better option.

Design

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Its dimensions are:

• Width 70.8 mm;
• Height 148.5 mm;
• Thickness 8.2 mm.

The smartphone has a beautiful glossy mirror cover made of plastic with the HTC logo, and on top there is a camera with an LED that acts as a torch or flash. The back panel sparkles in the sun. It will definitely catch people's eyes. Until you slap your fingers on it, of course. This will happen rather quickly, because the oleophobic coating has not been delivered. Although fingerprints will not be as noticeable on such a bright glossy finish, the phone should be wiped clean with a cloth from time to time.

The phone looks light, which is confirmed by its weight of 137 grams. It is comfortable to hold in your hand, it looks stylish and solid, just like a flagship. However, it seems to us that it is too big.

The right side of the phone is occupied by the volume up / down buttons, made in the form of a rocker, and the unlock button. The left one is a 3-cell SIM card tray. The good news is that the phone offers a solution for Dual sim, and also allows you to put a micro SD card. This is an important point, since the built-in memory is not particularly large.

The bottom panel houses a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a multimedia speaker and a spoken microphone. On the front of the smartphone is the earpiece and front camera. There is no HTC logo at the bottom, which was a good decision as its absence adds elegance to the device. And also a large display with a diagonal of 5.5 inches.

12+

Dimensions:

• Width 76.6 mm;
• Height 158 ​​mm;
• Thickness 8.4 mm.

The plus version has the same attractive glossy rear panel. On top of it is a dual camera with a flash diode. In the center, a little closer to the top, there is a biometric sensor for unlocking at the touch of a finger. The smartphone itself has become larger than its younger brother, gained weight, but everything is also convenient.

From all four sides the phone is absolutely no different from the model without a plus. The buttons, connectors and speakers are in the same places. The screen has become larger. It now measures 6 inches diagonally.

Display

Both models have the same display structure. They differ only in size.

Their display resolution is 1440x720 pixels (HD +) based on an IPS matrix. The aspect ratio is 18: 9, so the bezels around the edges of the display are almost invisible. The screen has good viewing angles, high pixel density, which is why fonts look smooth and smooth, pictures lack even the slightest pixelation, which sometimes low-quality HD + displays sin.

We can only notice that the screen definitely lacks the brightness and saturation of the image. In 2018, users are already accustomed to the bright, juicy and contrasting picture provided by models with FullHD based on S-IPS matrix. But for HD +, this screen looks good. The colors are soft and pleasant to the eye, good color rendering.

In general, it would be unreasonable to demand even more from an IPS matrix with such a resolution.

Main characteristics

In the table we will show the comparative characteristics of both models. We will analyze them in detail below.

CPU

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The version without a plus is based on the MediaTek MT6739 processor, which we talked about in the review on ZTE Blade A530... This is a new solution for budget models, which on average shows about 40,000 points in AnTuTu tests. Responsible for the graphics is also a fairly new graphics accelerator Power VR.

This device gives out 47,000 on AnTuTu. This will be enough for everyday tasks like checking email or viewing content on social media. networks or videos on youtube. But playing it will be problematic. It is not intended for active games at all. For example, World of Tanks will lag heavily on it and give out a maximum of 10 FPS at minimum settings. With Injustice, things are better, you can count on at least 20 FPS, but it's still inconvenient to play. Playing PUBG mobile is also problematic. The game has a lot of sagging FPS, so it's very problematic to play even at minimal settings.

In general, a budget solution for budget functionality is implemented here. This is perhaps the best way to describe it. For games, his older brother is more suitable.

12+

In the more expensive model, the processor pleases much more. There is an 8-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 with a frequency of 1.8 GHz. It is considered the first 14-nanometer chip created for budget devices. The graphics chip Adreno 506 is responsible for the graphics in it.

On the synthetic AnTuTu test, it scores 70,000 points, which is quite good. You can already try to play on this phone. Thanks to a good graphics chip, it does a good job with toys. Taking for the test the same WoT, Injustice and PUBG mobile, you can see a clear progress compared to the younger brother of the new line.

• World of Tanks, to our incredible surprise, produces 60 FPS at ultra settings. An unexpectedly good result from a processor that is average in its parameters.
• Injustice 2 runs more than smoothly, without lags, delivering good FPS at all points in the game.
• PUBG mobile produces 30 FPS with medium graphics settings.Small lags and jerks were noticed, but this can be partly attributed to ping. You won't be able to play at ultra settings either.

As a result, we get that the processor of the more advanced version is head and shoulders above the chip of the cheaper device in the line. We think this is a pretty good reason to buy 12+.

Memory

Everything is pretty standard here. The 12th version without plus has 2 models with different amounts of RAM and internal memory 2/16 and 3/32 GB, respectively.

12+ have only one model to choose from with 3 GB of RAM and 32 GB of built-in.

As you can see, the amount of internal memory in both smartphones is very small. If not for the 3rd micro SD slot, this could be a problem. And since you can insert a card into this cell for absolutely any amount of memory, the problem disappears by itself.

Camera

Their cameras are already very different, so we will consider them separately too.

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The more budget version has a 13MP rear camera with an f / 2.2 aperture. It allows you to take pretty good photos, but it lacks sharpness and detail. But it reproduces colors well due to this, the photos are really beautiful, but of course with a discount on the cost.

But all the positive things that have been said about the camera apply only to daytime photos. When you try to take a picture in the dark, you may notice how much sharpness and detail decrease, as well as noise in the photos. Autofocus, which works well during the day, also has problems at night. Nevertheless, this will be enough for social networks.

You can record videos in 1080p (Full HD) resolution at 30 frames per second. Lower resolutions are of course available, such as HD and VGA. Which is pretty good for this price segment.

The front camera has a resolution of 5 MP with an f / 2.4 aperture. Selfies are not bad, but again, compared to smartphones of a similar price range. Video from the front-end is written in 720p resolution.

Examples of how the camera takes pictures can be seen below.

12+

He has a dual camera, one 13 MP, the second 2 MP, which traditionally serves to create the effect of blurring the image. Photo quality is not too different from the cheaper model, except for the bokeh. Also, the 12+ camera feels better at night than the 12.

You can also shoot FullHD video at 30 FPS

But the front camera of the expensive model is much better. The 8MP f / 2.2 sensor allows you to take great selfies that rival even more expensive models. In addition, it has an HDR mode. You can even shoot video in FullHD just like the main camera.

Battery

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The battery capacity is 2730 mAh. Not a very high figure, but it nevertheless allows the mobile phone to remain autonomous for the whole day. However, no more. With active use of the screen at maximum brightness, it will last about 5 hours. The display matrix, by the way, allows for good energy saving.

12+

The battery capacity is 2965 mAh. This energy source will allow the phone to live without recharging for two whole days. Even with very active use, it should last at least a day.

All this despite the huge 6-inch screen. Thanks to Snapdragon for such a long battery life. They are renowned for their energy efficiency. The IPS display matrix with HD + makes its contribution to the preservation of the battery charge. Not as bright as S-IPS FullHD matrix, it consumes less power.

operating system

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The smartphone is built based on Android 7.1 OS. Even in 2018, this firmware is still relevant, despite the release of the eighth version. The firmware shows itself well, does not lag anything, does not hang. In general, this version is quite enough for budget smartphones.

12+

If for the previous model version 7.1 was enough in the opinion of the developers, then they decided to make the version with a plus based on android 8.0. That in this price segment you will rarely find. Moreover, it is likely that update 9.0 will be available for this model.

Price

As you can see from the price tags, Desire 12 can be safely called a budget device, but 12+ claims to be in the middle price segment.

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Russia - 10,000-10,500 rubles;

Belarus - 400-410 rubles;

Kazakhstan - from 85,000 tenge.

12+

Russia - from 15,000 rubles;

Belarus - from 600 rubles;

Kazakhstan - from 110,000 tenge.

Advantages and disadvantages

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• Three-slot cell for two SIM cards and a memory card, which you can put in any volume you want. This compensates well for the lack of their own memory.
• General aesthetics of performance. The phone looks nice and bright. The purple case looks especially good.
• Ergonomic and lightweight. The excellent comfortable design of the phone allows it to lie well in the hand, and due to its low weight, it is hardly felt on the weight.

• Poor performance. Quite a weak processor for the price. Phones from Chinese companies with similar performance parameters are cheaper.
• Screen resolution. Maybe the HD screen allows you to save the battery, but it does not give such a beautiful picture, to which everyone is already accustomed, since the same ZTE installs FullHD displays even on the most budget models.
• Main camera. While the pictures are good during the day, the night pictures are not so good. In general, it does not reach the standards of 2018 here.
• Weak front camera.

12+

• Dual camera that allows you to take pictures with a blur effect.
• Excellent design and ergonomics. Despite the fact that the mobile phone is larger and heavier than its counterpart from the line, it is also convenient and beautiful.
• Battery. He has a rather tenacious battery, providing him with high autonomy.
• CPU. Snapdragon is a good solution, providing both power saving and decent performance

• Low screen resolution. If Desire 12 is forgivable for the lack of a FullHD display, then for the price they sell for 12+ this is almost a mandatory requirement. Although it may have been done again to save energy.
• Night shooting mode. The quality of night photos is still not good enough.

conclusions

Summing up, we can say that the line is average in all respects.

Desire 12 looks very nice and pleases the eye, it is also a pleasure to hold it in your hand. However, the big drawback is its low performance. Although the display is pleasing to the eye, with large viewing angles, it lacks brightness and color reproduction.

12+ with its excellent visual component and convenience also has good performance for its value. His camera, although not bad, with an application for semi-professional photographs, loses many of its advantages at night. The screen is also not very good for the middle class. But this is compensated by the long work without recharging.

In conclusion, we can say that HTC Desire 12 is inferior to its competitors in the market of budget devices in terms of a number of parameters.

But Desire 12+ is conveniently located at the bottom of the mid-price segment. Many of its shortcomings are offset by a decent price and this model can be considered as an option when buying a phone.