Fixing Common Problems with HTC U Ultra

First of all let me send my sincerest sympathies to you. You fell for the latest HTC scam that is called HTC U Ultra and now you’re stuck with a subpar device that has a slew of hardware-based problems. I can go on and ask why you purchased it but that would be kind of rude, kind of like kicking a man when he is already down. Suffice to say HTC U Ultra is universally hated for being a midrange disaster that is priced as a flagship.

Now that you have already gotten HTC U Ultra, and I sure hope it was a gift and you didn’t consciously purchased the smartphone. You don’t like certain aspects of it, like the camera, the display, the battery life, the lack of headphone jack, or why it is so big. We’ll try to address some of the issues here and try to fix common problems with HTC U Ultra with hardware-based solutions. Don’t get me wrong, the HTC Android 7.0 skin is pretty amazing, is just that the smartphone has so many bad design choices that it simply boggles my mind that it even got green light.

1. Lack of Headphone Jack

Despite being a gigantic smart phone, HTC decided not to include a standard 3.5 MM headphone jack on the HTC U Ultra. I would’ve forgiven it if the smartphone’s insides were properly utilized but I have seen how badly they were managed. I highly recommend checking out Jerry Rig Everything’s video about HTC U Ultra on YouTube to grasp how badly the internals were placed.

Solution:

• Thankfully HTC bundles USB type C earphones with the smartphone and they are of pretty good quality. So, if you are just looking for a good sound experience, they should suffice. I understand that you may want to charge your smartphone while listening to some tunes on the earphones but that is not yet possible. I’m sure some 3^rd party manufacturer is already cooking up a USB type C adapter that can not only charge your smartphone but also has a 3.5 mm headphone jack.
• Or you can easily purchase a USB type C to 3.5 mm adapter. They are quite inexpensive and can be easily purchased on Amazon. This allows you to use your trusty 3.5 mm headphones with your HTC U Ultra without any problems. Only problem that remains is that you cannot charge your smartphone while listening on them.

2. Bad Battery Timings

The HTC U Ultra is a big smartphone. However, despite having a large size, there is not a bigger battery inside. The smartphone comes with a 3000 mAh battery that is nowhere near enough to last you a full day. With moderate usage the device can deliver 3 ½ to 4 hours of screen on time. This is shame for a device that had the room to include a bigger battery but didn’t.

Solution:

HTC has included a power saving mode on the Android skin they made for HTC U Ultra. I recommend that you turn it on when you are not going to use your smartphone for a long period of time. For example, you should turn on the battery saver when traveling and driving. Similarly you can turn on this mode during meetings or classes. This will allow the device to conserve the battery and last you a bit longer.

If that is not working out for you, you can easily opt for a third-party battery saver app for Android. We made a list of them and most of them worked great in not only extending the battery life but also closing apps that are draining the power constantly.

The solution can be a bit cumbersome but it is one of the best ones around. If you want to use your smartphone to the fullest, like you should, a battery saving mode will hinder the performance. Therefore, we recommend that you invest in a good power bank. We have made lists about some awesome power banks for Android smartphones, so make sure you check that out as well.

3. Too Big To Handle

There are many large smartphones out in the market and a lot of people actually prefer them over the smaller size form factor. However, the HTC U Ultra is big for no reason at all. While companies like Huawei make large phablets include bigger batteries and headphone jacks, HTC decided to include none of that jazz on their latest flagship. That’s not all, the smartphone is not easy to handle. It may look beautiful but once you start using it, you’ll realize that it is very slippery to hold in just one hand.

Solution:

It’s almost like HTC knew about this problem and I’m not simply pulling out these facts out of a hat. They knew that there device is going to be hard to handle that is exactly why they include a silicon case with the smartphone. I know that smartphone manufacturers make official smartphone covers for their devices but this is perhaps the first time I’m seeing it as a necessity. So, if your smartphone is feeling slippery and hard to handle, it’s time that you use the freebee silicon transparent case included in the packaging.

Another positive thing about this smartphone is the included one-year protection plan called Uh Oh. It’s quite generous of HTC to provide a free replacement the first time you break the screen of your smartphone. So, if you drop your phone accidentally, you can easily replace it.

4. The Camera Issues

There is no denying that the 12 megapixel shooter included on the HTC U Ultra is a capable one. However, there are some quirks that need to be ironed out both on the hardware as well as the software side. Some people are reporting that the photos they take are blurry while the others are complaining about the huge camera bump on the back of the smartphone.

Solution:

For the first problem, I recommend that you turn off the HDR mode. Sometimes in lowlight situations the HDR mode takes a little while to take a photo. So, try turning it off and see if the pictures are crisper. If it still not working as intended, you can check out the best camera apps for Android to see if it’s a stock camera app issue or not.

As for the bump on the back of the smartphone, I recommend using a case or cover to protect the beautiful looking smartphone. This way the camera bump will even out and it won’t stick out as much. Plus, you’ll also get the added protection of a cover.

Conclusion:

These are some of the common problems with the HTC U Ultra. I really hope that HTC bring their A game when designing their next flagship smartphone. This is a midrange smartphone that is priced like a flagship and not many people are going to fall for it. The HTC U Ultra is almost universally panned by critics as well as customers, so I think HTC has to take drastic measures in the design department if they want to capture lost glory. As for those who have already bought the device, I sincerely hope that you like the design because otherwise it is hard to understand why you haven’t sold it yet.