HTC U24 Pro White 512GB

The HTC U24 Pro is a nostalgia-fueled powerhouse for practical users, packing 512GB of expandable storage, a headphone jack, and stellar battery life into a water-resistant body. Its Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip is solid but not flagship-grade, which stings a bit at the $1,199 price. The display and cameras are good, but they get outshined by similarly priced phones from Google and Samsung. Buy this if you need massive, flexible storage and a 3.5mm jack above all else; otherwise, look at the Pixel 9 Pro XL or OnePlus 13.

The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 inside the U24 Pro is a solid mid-to-upper-range chip, and in our database, it lands in the 73rd percentile for overall performance. That's firmly in "strong" territory. Day-to-day stuff feels snappy, apps open without a fuss, and the 12GB of RAM means you can keep a ton of them in memory. It's not going to set any benchmark records against the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite or A18 Pro chips, but for 95% of what people actually do on a phone, you won't feel like you're missing out.

Gaming is where you'll see the gap. The Adreno GPU in the 7 Gen 3 can handle most titles at high settings, but it won't push the 120Hz display to its limit in demanding games the way a flagship processor would. Think smooth, not blistering. The UFS 3.1 storage is quick for loading apps and large files, though it's not the latest UFS 4.0 standard you'd find in a Galaxy S25. For a phone that's not trying to be a gaming beast, the performance is well-judged and efficient, which helps explain that excellent battery life.

Stacked against the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, the U24 Pro feels like a deliberate throwback. The S25 Ultra has a vastly superior display, a much faster chip, a more versatile camera array, and Samsung's long software support promise. But the HTC fights back with that expandable storage and headphone jack, two things Samsung abandoned years ago. If you want the best screen and camera, the Galaxy wins easily. If you want a phone that acts like a portable hard drive with a great DAC, the HTC has a weirdly compelling case.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is another tough competitor. Google's camera processing is still the best in the business, and the Pixel's display is brighter and more color-accurate. The U24 Pro's camera scores are respectable at the 78th percentile, but it can't match the Pixel's computational photography magic. Where the HTC pulls ahead is raw storage and battery endurance. And then there's the OnePlus 13, which offers a flagship Snapdragon chip and insanely fast charging for a similar price, making the U24 Pro's mid-range processor feel a bit out of place at this price point.

Value is the trickiest part of the U24 Pro story. At $1,199, it's not a budget phone, and it's not trying to be. You're paying for that massive 512GB of storage, the unique combination of a headphone jack and IP67 rating, and the sheer flexibility of dual SIMs with expandable memory. If you actually need half a terabyte of onboard storage and plan to throw in a 1TB microSD card, the price starts to make more sense. You'd pay a lot more for that much storage from Apple or Samsung.

But if you don't need all that space, the value proposition gets shaky. A OnePlus 13 or a base Pixel 9 Pro XL gives you a much faster processor, a better camera system, and a brighter display for similar money. The U24 Pro's value hinges entirely on how much you prize its specific party tricks: the storage, the jack, and the expandability. For the right person, it's a bargain. For everyone else, it's a tough sell.

HTC is back, and they're not messing around with the U24 Pro. This is a phone for people who miss the days when HTC meant something, and for anyone who wants a big, capable Android slab that doesn't follow every single trend. You get a massive 6.8-inch 120Hz OLED, a Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip, a whopping 512GB of storage that you can still expand with a microSD card, and yes, a headphone jack. It's like HTC looked at what flagship killers used to be and said, "Let's do that, but make it 2024."

Who's this for? Honestly, it's for the practical power user. Someone who wants a ton of built-in storage, the flexibility of dual SIMs and expandable memory, and a clean Android experience without paying the absolute top dollar for a Galaxy or Pixel. The spec sheet reads like a wish list from a few years ago, and that's not a bad thing. The IP67 rating means it can handle a dunk, the 60W charging is properly fast, and that 3.5mm jack will make a certain crowd very happy.

But at $1,199, HTC is asking for real money here. This isn't a budget nostalgia play. It's priced right up against some seriously heavy hitters from Samsung, Google, and OnePlus. The question isn't whether the U24 Pro is a good phone on paper, it's whether it does enough to pull you away from the established giants. And after digging into the numbers, the answer is a bit more complicated than a simple yes or no.

If you're a mobile photographer first and foremost, skip the U24 Pro. The camera is good, but a Pixel 9 Pro XL or iPhone 16 Pro Max will give you noticeably better results, especially in challenging light. The same goes for display snobs. The 6.8-inch OLED is fine, but its 60th percentile ranking means it's not as bright or color-accurate as the panels on a Galaxy S25 Ultra or OnePlus 13. If you spend all day watching HDR content outdoors, you'll notice the difference.

Gamers should also look elsewhere. The Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is efficient, but it's not a gaming chip. For the same $1,199, a dedicated gaming phone or a OnePlus 13 with a flagship Snapdragon chip will push high frame rates much more consistently. The U24 Pro is a utility player, not a specialist, and if your needs are specialized, there are better tools for the job.

If you're a media hoarder, a dual-SIM road warrior, or someone who simply refuses to give up their wired headphones, the HTC U24 Pro is one of the most interesting phones you can buy right now. The battery life is genuinely excellent, the storage situation is best-in-class, and the build quality feels solid. It's a phone that prioritizes practical, everyday usefulness over benchmark bragging rights, and we respect that.

For everyone else, the recommendation gets softer. The display is just okay, the cameras are good but not class-leading, and the processor, while capable, doesn't match the price tag. If you don't specifically need the expandable storage or the headphone jack, a Pixel 9 Pro XL or OnePlus 13 will serve you better in almost every other way. The U24 Pro is a niche masterpiece, but it's a niche nonetheless.