HTC’s Desire 12+ bargain smartphone is now available in the UK

If the thought of splashing out nearly a grand on a smartphone makes your wallet scream, point your eyes towards HTC’s Desire 12+ (£199), now out in the UK. Available in Cool Black and Warm Silver, it mimics the flagship U12+‘s eye-catching ‘liquid surface’, albeit on the cheap with acrylic. Cost-cutting’s evident elsewhere, too, not least with the 6-inch display only offering a 1440×720 resolution. But before you start thinking this sounds more ‘leaves a lot to be desired’ than your heart’s desire, this budget phone’s still packed with decent tech for the price: Android Oreo; HTC Sense Companion with smart alarms and charging reminders; 3GB RAM; dual 13MP+2MP camera; fingerprint sensor; and a headphone jack. (And, lo, suddenly even iPhone X and Huawei P20 owners feel a pang of jealously for your two-hundred quid handset…)

Craig Grannell Contributor

About

I’m a regular contributor to Stuff magazine and Stuff.tv, covering apps, games, Apple kit, Android, Lego, retro gaming and other interesting oddities. I also pen opinion pieces when the editor lets me, getting all serious about accessibility and predicting when sentient AI smart cookware will take over the world, in a terrifying mix of Bake Off and Terminator.

Areas of expertise

Mobile apps and games, Macs, iOS and tvOS devices, Android, retro games, crowdfunding, design, how to fight off an enraged smart saucepan with a massive stick.