With the HTC U12 Plus officially debuting, we’ve been putting it up against the best Android flagships. Let’s see how it does up against the Pixel 2 XL.

Calling the U12 Plus and Pixel 2 XL different is a bit of a understatement. HTC and Google went in completely separate directions, one sticking to an industrial design and the other experiment with vibrant and buzzy design. We could argue which one is better, but it just depends on your taste. There are also clear differences in specs as there is in software, but that’s expected given the Pixel 2 XL is seven months into its lifespan.

Down below is a spec breakdown between the U12 Plus and Pixel 2 XL. Decide for yourself which one is better.

HTC - U12 Plus Google - Pixel 2 XL
Display Size 6-inch, 1440 x 2880 pixel display (537 ppi) 6-inch, 1440 x 2880 pixel display (537 ppi)
Resolution X 1440 1440
Resolution Y 2880 2880
Display Type Quad HD+ Super LCD 6 QHD+ pOLED
Operating System Android 8.0 (at launch) Android 8.0 (at launch)
Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 Qualcomm Snapdragon 835
RAM 6GB 4GB
Storage
  • 64GB
  • 128GB
  • 64GB
  • 128GB
External Storage Yes No
External Storage Specs
  • microSD up to 2TB
Main Camera (Back) 12MP 12.2MP
Secondary Camera (Front) 8MP 8MP
Networks
  • 2G/2.5G GSM/GPRS/EDGE: 850/900/1800/1900
  • 3G UMTS: AWS/850/900/1900/2100
  • 3G UMTS: HSDPA 42, HSUPA 5.76
  • FDD: Bands 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 12, 13, 17, 20, 28, 32, 66
  • TDD: Bands 38, 39, 40, 41
Bluetooth Bluetooth 5.0 Bluetooth 5.0 LE
Battery 3500mAh 3520mAh
NFC Yes Yes
Connectivity
  • USB Type-C
  • USB-C
Sensors
  • Ambient light
  • Fingerprint
  • Gyroscope
  • Magnetic
  • Motion G
  • Proximity
  • Accelerometer
  • Ambient light
  • Barometer
  • Hall
  • Magnetometer
  • Proximity
GPS
  • AGPS
  • BeiDou
  • Digital compass
  • Galileo
  • GPS
  • GLONASS
  • GLONASS
  • GPS
Height 156.6 mm (6.17 inches) 6.2 inches (15.75 cm)
Width 73.9 mm (2.91 inches) 3 inches (76.2 mm)
Depth 9.7 mm (0.38 inches) 0.3 inches (7.6 mm)
Weight 188 g (6.63 oz) 6.2 oz (176 g)
Colors N/A Black, Blue, White
Supported Audio Formats N/A N/A
Supported Video Formats N/A N/A