THE HTC U23 Pro is a mid-range product that is positioned in the highly competitive smartphone segment for under 600 euros. For example, there is the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G, the Google Pixel 7a, the Honor 90 and the Motorola Edge 40 Neo. So many references with which we will compare the HTC U23 Pro in this test.
HTC U23 Pro price and release date
The HTC U23 Pro is available in black or white for a recommended price of 549 euros, but at the time of writing it can also be found for less than 450 euros.
Buy the HTC U23 Pro
design
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The HTC U23 Pro is a large smartphone that keeps its weight (205g) under control thanks to its sturdy plastic design and doesn’t show too many fingerprints. The frame is made of aluminum. Thanks to the IP67 certification, the phone is water and dust resistant, which is a good point for a mid-range product.
The presence of an RGB LED to see notifications at a glance is also positive. A trait that used to be common but is now rare.
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente 
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente 
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente 
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The 3.5 mm mini jack socket is located on the top edge. The fingerprint reader is located on the power button, which is placed on the right edge. It’s hard to ignore the rather large black borders around the screen and especially the “chin” at the bottom.
However, the quality of the plastic buttons did not convince us. These tend to sink in a little too easily. In addition to the 256 GB of internal storage, there is the option to expand the storage using a microSDXC card.
Screen
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The screen is 6.7 inches and offers 1080p resolution, 120Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection. Like the Galaxy A54, the colors on the U23 Pro’s screen are very vibrant, regardless of the color mode you choose. The OLED technology used gives the phone deep blacks and infinite contrast.
Screen: The HTC U23 Pro faces the competition
Refresh rate Color fidelity (average Delta E 2000) Screen brightness
We measured an average screen brightness of 680 cd/m2, which is a decent value, although lower than its direct competitors. The refresh rate is not variable. You must therefore choose between 60, 90 or 120 Hz in the display settings.
Performance
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The smartphone’s performance is powered by a Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 chip from Qualcomm, which was released last year. Enough to benefit from more than sufficient performance for everyday tasks and to run all games on the Play Store in correct conditions.
AnTuTu: The HTC U23 Pro faces the competition
AnTuTu Benchmark 9 result AnTuTu Benchmark 9 CPU AnTuTu Benchmark 9 GPU AnTuTu Benchmark 9 MEM
Geekbench: The HTC U23 Pro faces the competition
Geekbench 6 multi-core Geekbench 6 single-core
As you can see in our 01Lab tests, the HTC U23 Pro’s chip is in no way inferior to the competition. With a temperature range of just 14.6°C and a stability value of 99.2%, the phone manages to maintain a good level of performance even under heavy load without heating up too much.
GFXBench: The HTC U23 Pro against the competition
GFXBench 1440p Aztec Ruins Vulkan (High Tier) Offscreen GFXBench Car Chase GFXBench T-Rex
3DMark and temperature: The HTC U23 Pro faces the competition
3DMark Wild Life Best Loop Score 3DMark Wild Life Stability Amplitude
Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 20.7°C Motorola Edge 40 Neo 17.8°C
Battery life and charging
With its 4600 mAh battery, the HTC U23 Pro cannot compete with the competition. It has the lowest streaming battery life and overall battery life among the five phones listed below. Enough for a whole day, but not much more.
Battery life and charging: The HTC U23 Pro compared to the competition
Battery capacity Video streaming battery life Versatile battery life Charging time
HTC U23 Pro 4600 mAh 1 hr 11 min Samsung Galaxy A54 5G 5000 mAh 1 hr 26 min Google Pixel 7a 4300 mAh 1 hr 59 min Honor 90 4900 mAh 2 hr 14 min Motorola Edge 40 Neo 5000 mAh 50 mins
The smartphone supports 30W charging, but there is no battery included. With a compatible charger, it regenerates the battery to 50% in 21 minutes and to 100% in 1 hour and 11 minutes. This makes it the second fastest device in our comparison of the day, behind the Motorola Edge 40 Neo.
interface
The HTC U23 Pro user interface – © 01net.com
The phone runs Android 13 with an almost “stock” no-frills interface. The additions are minor but well thought out, such as the shortcut to take a screenshot when you’re multitasking.
Some HTC applications are pre-installed, such as those for virtual reality, an area in which the brand has made a name for itself with its “Vive” branded headsets. The applications are grouped in the same folder and can be easily uninstalled.
Audio
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The HTC U23 Pro is equipped with a single speaker. The latter is powerful, but the quality it delivers is not very good. We recommend you use the 3.5mm mini jack instead to enjoy better sound quality.
Photo and video
© 01net.com / Guillaume du Mesgnil d’Engente
The phone’s photo configuration is quite classic for this price range:
- A 108 Mpx wide angle, f/1.7 aperture, phase detection autofocus, optical stabilization;
- An 8MP ultra-wide lens with f/2.4 aperture;
- A 5MP macro, f/2.2 aperture;
- A 2 Mpx sensor for depth;
- 32MP front camera.
Wide angle, ultra wide angle and zoom
Photos taken with HTC U23 Pro: Ultra wide angle on the left, wide angle on the right.
By default, the main sensor (wide angle) takes photos with 12 Mpx using pixel binning (here 9 in 1). The photos are accurate, but far from impressive.
The colors are natural, but the lack of detail is clearly visible on the sides, like the leaves in our photos. The contrast is quite high, but dynamics is not the strong point of the HTC U23 Pro, which struggles to highlight details in the darkest areas.
Photos taken with HTC U23 Pro: Ultra wide angle on the left, wide angle on the right.
The ultra wide angle is disappointing. It takes decent photos in good lighting conditions, but the 8 MP sensor is too small to provide good detail. In addition, the quality quickly drops when you get into the corners.
Zoom
© Photo taken with the HTC U23 Pro: 2x digital zoom
The x2 digital zoom picks up on the qualities and shortcomings of the images taken with the x1 wide angle. This is rather good news for those who appreciate the 50mm focal length, which is the closest thing to what the human eye sees.
macro
Macro mode photo taken with HTC U23 Pro – © 01net
To our great surprise, the macro module manages to take good photos despite its low resolution. The focusing distance is short enough to get a little closer to the subject and highlight some interesting details.
Night
Night shots taken with HTC U23 Pro: Ultra wide angle on the left, wide angle on the right.
Of course, we used night mode for night shots. The result is correct in the wide angle, but the dynamics are not good and the shadow areas are completely hidden. At night you can immediately forget about the ultra wide angle as the omnipresent digital noise spoils the experience.
Portraits and selfies
HTC U23 Pro: without portrait mode on the left, with portrait mode on the right.
Despite the presence of a dedicated depth sensor, the smartphone cannot properly separate the subject from the background, which leads to approximate cropping and the appearance of unsightly artifacts.
Selfie photos without portrait mode on the left, with portrait mode on the right.
The 32 MP front camera takes 8 MP photos (4-in-1 pixel binning). The colors are a bit dull, but the skin tones are natural. The level of detail is right.
Buy the HTC U23 Pro