HTC U23 Pro review

It's been a hot minute since we saw an HTC phone at the GSMArena office. The U23 Pro is an intriguing device that's worth looking into not just out of nostalgia reasons, but also because it's got some promising midrange specs. Check out our video review to learn ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW about the phone's top features, build and screen quality, battery life, performance, and camera image quality.
▶ Read our detailed text review
www.gsmarena.com/htc_u23_pro-...
▶ Check out the full phone specs
www.gsmarena.com/htc_u23_pro-...
▶ Meet our host Will: • Video
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*******************
00:00 - Intro
00:36 - Design and build quality
01:24 - Display quality test
02:07 - Speaker quality test
02:19 - Side-mounted fingerprint scanner & Storage options
02:34 - Android 13
03:00 - Snapdragon 7 Gen 1
03:18 - Thermals chart
03:31 - Battery life and charging speed test
03:59 - Camera specs
04:10 - Main camera samples
05:20 - Ultrawide camera samples
06:01 - Macro camera samples
06:09 - Selfie camera
06:21 - Conclusion

[@123whatsYOURname]

They should make the HTC One m7/m8 with modern specs. Make them bigger to accommodate a bigger battery too.

[@elzed0112]

The build quality of the M7/M8 phones were really impressive. I'd like to see them reboot that design as well

[@felipen.630]

I loved that phone

[@ardonjr]

But please, without the pink fade of the camera. Other than that I loved that phone

[@123whatsYOURname]

@@ardonjr Of course! Even if the cameras were "decent" back in their prime. It's 2023 now and nobody should settle for ~2014 phone cameras.

[@ardonjr]

@123whatsYOURname that was not really what I meant. Those cameras were fine back then. But they faded and eventually only had a pink fade over each and every photo. Eventually, you could only take pink clouded pictures. That's the only reason I changed the phone after two years, because otherwise, I was very happy with the M7, but I couldn't take a decent picture with it anymore.

[@ekemboik]

Used to be a huge fun of HTC. Glad it's back.

[@official_NelsonR]

Still got my HTC tilt, tilt 2 and HTC one m9

[@DarkPa1adin]

But U23 Pro shows that HTC isn't competing

[@kodaph]

​@@DarkPa1adin nah they ain't, it's just saying "Hi, we still exist"

[@liberty0758]

Back? With this embarrassment? Lol... U11+ from few years ago is still way better than this crap.

[@NoobKing-lz2hb]

​@@liberty0758it's not, stop being stupid

[@MisterWhatWhat]

Glad to see HTC back. I wish they made a true Pro or Ultra model with a bigger battery, better display, camera, smaller bezels, and stereo speakers. We need something else besides Apple and Samsung in the US.

[@burlhorse61]

Tend to have more options outside the US

[@xyarte9524]

Once I read, htc sold desire brands to Chinese companies, to continue selling phones. So htc now is not truly htc like before 😅 don't expect to much guys

[@mmoportal.official]

What OnePlus is cooking seems promising 👀

[@ILLRICARDO]

I will Never forget the abomination that was the htc u ultra.

[@mezykin]

Google: notice me senpai

[@DesBischoff]

I think giving a midrange phone the name "Pro" should be punishable by law....

[@THE_FOOL2000]

Lol yeah 😂

[@acupoflmaonade]

just ban all china phones then 😂

[@michaelking7874]

😂😂 hear he hear he

[@benblarney]

Lol 😂😂😂

[@Garrettdx1988]

Or any phone for that matter

[@jamiel0985]

If HTC ever make a proper flagship class phone again I will be first in line to buy.

[@krtkks]

There won't be a line

[@samuelinikori607]

Same as me

[@user-bm9ie5tx6m]

​@@krtkksthey had some cool hacks you could do I had one I hacked and it had infinite hotspot that was the bomb

[@mikenator863]

I would be second in line... Had the Incredible,rezound,DNA,M7,M8,M10...

[@semirhuskic8028]

​@@krtkkshahahahah

[@theredstormer8078]

I've gotta say I really like the phone finder feature on the website. This was the only phone I could find with a headphone jack, 8+gb ram, 256gb storage, a microsd slot, and a 108mp camera with OIS. Coming from a BLU G91 max this is a bit pricey for the specs but it's the only thing that fits my requirements!

[@austinetheridge3743]

I'm planning on getting it as well because I want a headphone jack, SD card slot, wireless charging and don't care much about taking photos or playing games. I'll likely keep refresh rate lower as well for battery life. Just not a lot of options that fit those things.

[@austinetheridge3743]

Also, I had the Blu F91 5g, which also had all those options and, honestly, I frickin loved it! But I dropped it face down on concrete and busted the screen. I considered just buying another one of it, but it only has android 11 and doesn't get updates.

[@theredstormer8078]

@@austinetheridge3743 yeah I think I saw the F91 before, but it doesn't have the same camera quality or OIS. I'd also prefer a newer version of android of course. I have an HTC u23 now and I really like it. My only complaints so far are that you can't open the camera from the lock screen, and the headphone jack is on the top which is just kinda weird. Other than that it's great!

[@JP_Lopez_]

I love their smartphone finder, very reliable.

[@royolaniye6643]

Tecno, Infinix and Xiaomi phones do all of that, and better

[@jdicctv]

HTC first to add skins in android, first to implement dual camera, first to implement metal body, first to implimemt 3d camera add loads of features to camera that no company are able to implement till date. First to built smart phones It was really a innovation a company I need it back

[@Cydia0]

100% I want HTC to make a come back too, loved HTCs Google Nexus One, HTC Desire and the HTC One.

[@Krakatorn]

Just wanted to point out that the screen does do HDR, and accepts HLG input fro KZbin. It also has stereo speakers, the main one shown in the video, and the phone receiver one, just above the selfie camera, so it does do stereo sound.

[@yonaniagreece]

Did you buy it ?

[@ThijsKoevoet]

Do you have it? And do you know if it has video out over usb c?

[@ZalienZemei]

I wish they offered the BIG digital clock like they did on the Vivid. It was my favorite feature on the htc. Also loved how the weather would come over your screen and lock screen. Like if you had rain in your area, your lock screen or wall paper would show rain and thunder and you could see the water droplets on the screen itself 😂 or when you open the phone, clouds would come over the screen for a second. Mannnn I still think about to this day

[@EELTEJIV]

I still use hTC U11 for my daily device in 2023😍

[@I_JUST_MADE_THE_LIST]

Same here😊

[@prasadmankar7650]

Man i uesd to use it until last year till i start getting network & wifi connection. After using for 5 years I faced a problem where my wifi stopped connecting and then my mobile network stopped working then my phone didn't restart properly and when it did was asking for some password to move forward. I then searched on google and found that there was a modem chipset problem in u11. Many users experienced this in their 1st or 2nd year of use but I got it after using for 5 yrs. Due to this i had to purchase Nothing phone 1 which is just fine but my unit restarts like 8-10times a day :( . I really miss using my u11 in red color. I still have it along with my m7 & desire (bravo from 2011).

[@mukkilaan]

Since 5 years same here

[@AnothaVurld]

Same here & in 2024

[@aaroniousairlines9087]

What carrier are you on? I tried getting my U12+ back on T-Mobile but it wouldn't work.

[@GFourGadget]

Oh how I've missed the glory days of HTC One M8 🥺 Now all they do are some midrange and budget phones.

[@gastontwo]

Unfortunately

[@brighteduful2353]

WOW!!! HTC I am definitely getting one welcome back

[@yasssbitch3999]

When you buy an HTC phone, you're buying a high quality product. These phones rarely, if ever, have any issues. They're built to last and perform smoothly for a long time. I've had my Desire 20 Pro for over 3 years now, and it works just as well as it did on day 1. The only difference being that the battery does last a little less than it used to, but that's to be expected after 3 years or heavy use.

[@janglipilla164]

I brought Asus Zenfone Max Pro M1 4year ago @13k INR... changed battery and installed Custom ROM... working smoothly

[@apollokidd8273]

I'm still using my U11, still works flawlessly. I haven't seen someone using flagship phone from 2017

[@yasssbitch3999]

@@apollokidd8273 YES!! My U11 Life also works very well, I just don't use it daily anymore. HTC's phones are built to last, even with the lack of software updates.

[@lizt.3859]

I love HTC. Sadly my U11 only lasted 2 years, due to a sudden bug with Internet connection and not recognising my sim card. I still have an old HTC one and it still works pretty good!

[@vasmacs]

Still using M9 (2015) 🙂

[@passion8gamer759]

Nice comeback... Welcome buddy once again🎉

[@isaiah123456wp7]

OMG!!! An HTC review? It's been many moons

[@suryakantsoni20]

They shouldn't have dropped the Sense UI. It was so good.

[@trickyster]

when i was in college htc was my dream phone. glad to see htc ! but we expect different and something new as they used to do in past!

[@subir_643]

Are you from West Bengal?

[@Mors_Umber]

This is obviously not the old HTC but I for one would like some variety back in the smartphone market. There used to be many players back in the day but now it's just Samsung and Apple or the Chinese brands. There's not a whole lot of options to choose from if you decide to buy a good phone.

[@parvez0564]

As usual a genuine review.... Gud job bro.....

[@gauthambinu]

Glad u guys gave some exposure to HTC ...

[@RwynLsofficial]

whoaw ! they are back !

[@imcyborg]

Once a legend. Misssing those days..

[@urosmijajlovic]

I can't wait to buy! I love HTC. ❤

[@Alex-gt1wy]

Need this smartphone, hope HTC brings their smartphones to Spain and the rest of Europe 🥰

[@ominiekwe7241]

They banned HTC from entering Europe

[@hafizbakheet1625]

Good Channel to Review Thank you So much ⚘

[@D0Mlas360]

Welcome back to the game HTC, we've missed you.

[@georgios9384]

Great review, thanks! It is disappointing nowadays how low the smartphone specs are compared to 3 years old devices like the OnePlus 8 Pro.

[@TheSkyrimps3]

What are you talking about… phones top to bottom are better than they’ve ever been

[@stanradanov428]

I remember my htc one (M8)- it was such a good device

[@brownnomad20malone41]

The icon is back!

[@arieszodiakboxing6669]

Wow!!!Yesterday I was just having a conversation about HTC because I had 2 HTC phones years ago & I don't hear any news about them anymore...Hopefully their product does well...

[@kijar]

I love HTC. Wish them well

[@conradbo1]

I always loved HTC. Please bring back the brand to the mainstream.

[@kings_chronicle592]

The legends are returning rebranding like motorola just churning out the mid rangers until the flagships

[@rofalmatt]

WOW their back !

[@Trajectoree]

Ah man I remember my first phone was an HTC Cha Cha 😭 I felt like such a cool kid back then. Glad to see HTC resurface

[@AH6man]

I've owned many phones because i use two and HTC has given me the least issues. Out of the non iphones they were always my favorite and customer service the one time I used it for my HTC was s tier. Considering this as my travel phone since it's relatively affordable

[@kalorie7079]

Really come back new HTC 🎉

[@ionhob4795]

I'm more amazed with the new haircuuuuuuut! 😍😉

[@manwithaplan135]

Will got a fresh cut with the shwoop

[@fk301094]

I still remember my first smart phone htc sensation xl

[@cristisun184]

I still hope for a HTC flagship with HTC Sense and HTC weather/weather clock.Maybe next year.

[@user-rl6nu9cp2l]

Nice Review ! Intro Music ? :D

[@gauthambinu]

Had the M7 , M8 , M9 amd U11 absolutely monster mobiles ... competition was way off

[@tredfxman]

True Words! Had my M7 until 5 years later. Didnt switch because it broke,coz it still works, but as to keep my promise: I will not buy another phone until 5 years later. U12+ was my next.

[@Sol1dSun]

i still got the HTC U11 ;D

[@Makkaukekek-xh9kt]

Welcome back HTC ! 🎉🥳

[@Yoriichi_Sengoku]

I hope HTC changes their design. I mean, they are trying to copy the current competition, rather than stand out from it. Iphone continues its iconic look, some android phones are slightly deviating away from Samsung's design, Pixel created it's own new look by its 6 series. HTC should atleast create a new look for its smartphones. Why? Because it's the first thing people see. I know HTC can definitely improve in terms of specs. My dad had an HTC phone way back 2015 and he loved it. I really thought the company 'died' but it's a good thing it's making a comeback! (just like Nokia, but Nokia has a long way to go)

[@theantikaren]

HTC didn't die, Google stole two of it's main designers (and more of their team) in 2018, so the company stopped making phones for a couple of years and focused on virtual reality systems and accessories (The Vive) instead. The early Pixels in particular were basically just rebranded HTC phone designs. And I don't know why you think they are trying to copy anyone, especially since they are one of the few who offers an earbud plug and extended storage with a micro SD slot. I recently had the U23 Pro in my hands and it is pretty much like the U11 and U12+ in looks and feel. Two classic flagship HTC phones that were gorgeous and I'm still using (and I drop a lot of stuff).

[@mohammedsiaka6089]

Woo HTC is back big and better

[@Lampiono69]

Good review. Is there FM radio chip enable in this U23 pro, as for the HTC Desire 22 pro? It’s a great feature.

[@74Ljay]

cool review 🙌🏾 what the name of the basketball game?

[@mdshopon100]

my dream phone

[@fuckinhot339]

my man is looking BUFFED WTF , Angie left him and he's going crazy in gym

[@hellopo]

ikr

[@hayatevo]

Finally you got a hair cut! You look better this way and a lot younger too!

[@boispad]

Nice intro, nice phone , have a nice day

[@muhammadihwanudin]

A legend brand I think. Love to see this brand come back

[@ashraffar-rayyan9869]

legend is back

[@doomnationalist]

One of my first phones was an HTC One M8, god they used to be the industry leader.

[@ilubtotoro]

Damn htc and gsmarena. Brings me back 😭

[@HimachaliKauwa]

Only EIS in the video is really a turn off for 549 euro

[@rondeaubenoit]

Thanks for this test Wil ! Are we waiting for a real flagship from HTC or is this a still dream? By the way, I watched your test with my headphones. The sound is very good, but I noticed that your last comment when you say "Thanks for watching guys..." was different and seemed to come from my screen and not the headphones! Impressive spatialization! How do you do that? - Thanks a lot!

[@johnmatrix-qf4jd]

HTC m7 was the only phone I’d describe as beautiful

[@oneshotguy6372]

M8,M9?

[@theantikaren]

The U11 with its glass back is gorgeous in any of the colours it was released in. Got mine in 2019 and still using it. It only runs Android 9 though so things are starting to get a bit glitzchy. I'm getting the U23 Pro (in red), but am hanging onto the U11. Will get around to rooting it at some point and upgrading the OS. I have both the M7 and M8, but in comparison, the U11 wins in my opinion. The size is great, not too small, and not too big, and solid in the hand. I love it's front bottom fingerprint button -- very easy to access with either hand as if you were just using the keyboard. In the five years that I've been using the phone, it has not failed me once, even if my finger was damp. Also one of the last HTC phones that used their Sense UI -- which is why I initially bought HTC to begin with in 2007. Have tried all of the others, and when I no longer am able to use an HTC phone, then that is the day I'll stop using cell phones. I just don't have the patience for the drama the others present. One really good thing about the U23 Pro though is that even though it doesn't have Sense UI, it does have only the stock Android 13 installed, so no bloatware from Google, Samsung, etc; always demanding to be patted on the head for just doing its stupid job. I initially ordered it in black, but sent it back to get the red instead (waiting now), but the few hours I did have playing with it, gave me a lot of confidence in the phone. The OS was very clean and smooth to setup and use. Even the larger size, which initially worried me, was workable. I'm female with medium sized hands, and it fit my hand okay.

[@Sarfu1]

Lots of love ❤ from India 🇮🇳

[@Im_Z_4747]

🧡🕉️🛕 Love from Bangladesh

[@patriayvida69]

Love from the moon 🌙

[@joserescelsancaisido3438]

HTC Wildfire! My very first android phone. ❤❤❤

[@OledBurnInKing]

I wish htc made a new htc one max with upgraded specs, brighter display, boom sound front facing speakers, hifi dac, headphone jack, better finger print scanner, micro sd card slot and usb c with a larger battery. I still have my htc one max but the gold pins on the sim card reader broke when I was trying to take out the sim card since the sim card got stuck in the phone when I was using a sim card adapter. I even have my htc one m9 as well. I really like the size of the htc one max and the metal back on my htc one max with a latch on the side of the phone to access the sim card slot and micro sd card slot.

[@stefanjavorac]

The quality HTC used to have on their phones was top notch, no one could come close. Both them and LG are missing in the phone industry. Buuut it seems like HTC still hasn't figured out where to put focus :/ perfect example of what team of people can do to such a huge and successful company. The "I'm older I know better " mentality,

[@porter29]

Good to see htc coming back

[@aflatoonff5033]

HTC is alive wow

[@venicevhien8637]

is this unit still worth buying? cos i love the camera, wayback old models.. does it have a better camera than the old ones?

[@ZeronicMatrix]

I wish you would go more in Depth about the 3.5mm and test the the Internal DAC.

[@cyberorbit]

ahhhh.... good memories... I had the desir x awesome phone

[@user-xm5wr8ly9v]

I've got the A54 8gb 256gb. Brilliant mid ranger. One of the best

[@memo7658]

im very happy with it, 🎉🎉

[@_gelon]

The HTC Shift (not exactly a phone) was light years ahead of any other mobile device when it was released. Windows Vista on the go, baby.

[@DagdaSimon]

Wonderful,incredible .Powerful. The Best of The world smartphone

[@Zombies8MDingo]

New HTC phone?! ❤

[@mngkarea7131]

My favourite ❤ brand

[@akshaymykar5569]

HTC without thier Htc sense skin and thier innovative iconic design and a unique feature felt like a body without a soul.That's the same mistake nokia did so please don't repeat that mistake.

[@xcript123]

Heavily agree with you sir.

[@dolevwajsbrot6356]

That's a very good looking phone...I miss my One X :)

[@Mark__A]

I miss my original Desire and M7/M8. Those were the days...

[@shetkari_raja1001]

Love you HTC

[@anvmelia]

love the new haircut

[@dragonseye00]

I how they crank up a bit. I liked the brand, HTC desire was my first smart phone, and it was a great phone compared to others in the market back then

[@AchwaqKhalid]

Thumbs up for SD card support 👍

[@NotIvanPavlov]

nice haircut, tho! 💥🥳

[@ProtoDeVNan0]

Considering how much it costs in my country. I'd rather buy 3 SD865/870 phones for the same price. Especially after seeing the thermal stress test and camera quality.

[@mallupagan]

What ? HTC still alive 😮

[@VibnWavez]

Immediate tears of sadness for my One M7 & M8 and to a lesser extent my U11 😢

[@_ronpl]

will is so fine with his haircut

[@lawrenceoppong6946]

Htc is back❤

[@kiwictor3752]

thx :)

[@imrankhalil9779]

Starting Sound Amazing Nice information my first comment

[@deleqtronica8733]

The camera bump reminds me of the s20/a51 series

[@mathrania]

HTC is still living in 2019

[@ArunG273]

HTC needs to make another one lineup with good cameras and metal body.

[@raimimar4488]

Now days in smartphone market have better brands like Apple Huawei Samsung

[@ArunG273]

@@raimimar4488 htc is better than those brands.

[@milkkolaj]

@@raimimar4488Better not exactly HTC is almost the only manufacturer from Taiwan which mostly provides more sustainable technology and pays close to attention quality in the long run

[@theantikaren]

​@@raimimar4488 - I recently bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab A7 Lite SM-T220 tablet (8.7" screen), and even with 6 GB of RAM, it is the slowest piece of crap I've ever had the misfortune of owning. Not only that but the amount of Samsung bloatware on it is disgusting, and invasive! In order to access your Samsung account, they demand you supply a phone number -- despite that the tablet only has WiFi. I have to keep reminding myself that I don't have the money to buy another tablet so I don't take a hammer to it. I've been repairing and upgrading computers for the last twenty years and and mobile devices for the last fifteen, so it really takes a lot to make me lose my patience like this. I wish my old Asus tablet could be unlocked so I could root it and install something newer than Android 7 on it. Even with Google bloatware on it, it ran circles around the Samsung garbage I now have. The flipping thing takes about 5 minutes to reboot, probably because of all of the bloatware I can't remove from it. I will never waste money on a Samsung mobile device again! And although I always use Mac computers, I can’t stand the dumbed down iOS of iPhones and iPads.

[@pettigrew95]

To this day, the HTC One M8 is still my favorite phone of all time

[@rizalix9]

If they make phone like m7-m9 again with proper specs, good camera, compact size (under 6.1) and affordable (under 500), i will definitely buy it

[@vista1456786]

They still make phones? or is this he firs phone they have made in years? I am using the HTC one (I think M7 is the name, the on before the M8), and it works surprisingly well in 2023 (bought it for £30 at a pawn shop), so I am very curious about this U23.

[@theantikaren]

Yes, they made the U11 in 2017, and the U12+ in 2018, until Google bought (aka stole) their main design team (for a crap load of money though). Then in 2020, they released the HTC Desire 20 Pro, and the HTC Desire 22 Pro in 2022. The U23 Pro was released in 2023. No Sense UI on the phones unfortunately though since the U12+ in 2018 (their last with the original design team). But the U23 Pro I spent a couple of hours with last week, had only stock Android 13, no bloatware, and I didn't miss the Sense UI interface as much as I thought I would. It was very smooth to operate. I ordered one in red and just waiting for it to arrive.

[@memo7658]

I buyed this today for 529 euros. I hope it has still beats by dre function.

[@VibraniumDetector]

How is it doing for you?

[@memo7658]

@@VibraniumDetector in dutch: ik ben er heel tevreden mee. hij is snel batterij gaat 2 dagen mee. alleen de camera is matig, beelden zijn niet scherp.. speakers ok. bluetooth oordopjes met jet audiio plus is perfect heftige bass alsof je subwoofer aan je oren hebt. kortom geweldige telefoon voor die prijs.

[@VibraniumDetector]

@@memo7658 Dat is geweldig. Bedankt voor je eerlijke mening.

[@Musclesnaturalway]

I have the Htc desire 21 pro 2 years zero problem ! Has a great camera. The night picture amazing !! I gonna buy this phone for sure

[@ApachePieman]

Any word on how many years of update support we'll get? If it gets to at least android 16 I'd consider buying.

[@mcreo]

Yoooo HTCs back?

[@dannyboyZ87]

HTC needs to come back 🔥🔥🔥