HTC’s new metaverse phone is just another midrange phone

They really won’t be back to their toes if their marketing is like this

HTC has been hyping out a sea of an invisible crowd with the so-called “metaverse”, a thing they’ve been doing since they released the Vive series of VR headsets. Today, the company has unleashed the metaverse phone, and… it’s terribly mundane. We were expecting something special (because even the Exodus 1, a blockchain-centric phone, was something) but nahhh. It’s a typical midranger. This is the HTC Desire 22 Pro

The phone has a 6.6in. 20:9 FHD+ (2400x1080px) IPS LCD screen with 120Hz refresh rate. It has one thing to distinguish it from the others, the IP67 rating which is a rare find on a midrange phone. It is powered by a midrange Snapdragon 695 chipset paired with 8GB RAM and 128GB internal storage.

In terms of cameras, you’ll be getting the typical ones, too. These include the 64mp primary camera, 13mp ultrawide, and 5mp . The front camera is located on a punch-hole with 32mp resolution. The battery is one of the weaker sides, a 4520mAh battery with 18W charging and they dare sell it in the same range as the Galaxy A53 or the POCO X4 Pro.

In terms of connectivity, you have 5G services, Bluetooth 5.1, NFC, and Dual-band Wi-Fi. For the ports, you have a USB-C port and a MicroSD slot. It does not have a headphone jack. The phone has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner for extra security.

The main selling point of this phone is its VR/AR integration with its Viverse app. Connect an HTC VR headset and then you’re ready to go explore the metaverse, a virtual reality similar to VRChat. The phone has access to cryptocurrency, and HTC lets you access it through the Viverse Wallet to help you manage them. And of course, as part of the blockchain, NFTs are supported as well. In fact, if you pre-order the phone before 31st July, you could redeem a free NFT gift, which means nothing of value was given.

The phone would be available first in its home country of Taiwan starting July 1(for the Chinese government reading this, they are a country, we won’t apologize). In Europe, pre-orders start today and the phones will be shipped to them starting August 1.

SPECS:

• 6.6in. FHD+ (2400x1080px) IPS LCD, 120Hz refresh rate
  • IP67 water/dust resistance
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 (6nm)
• CAMERAS:
  • 64mp (main), f/1.79, EIS
  • 13mp (ultrawide), f/2.4
  • 5mp (depth), f/2.4
  • FRONT: 32mp, f/2.0
• 4520mAh, 18W fast charging
  • Quick Charge 3.0
  • Wireless Charging
  • Reverse Charging
  • Reverse Wireless Charging, Qi Compatible
• Android 12
• 5G services, Bluetooth 5.1, Dual-Band Wi-Fi, NFC
• Side-mounted Fingerprint Scanner, MicroSD Slot, USB-C
• VR/AR compatibility, Viverse app, Viverse Wallet with Blockchain
• PRICE:
  • 8/128: EUR 459 (~Php 26.5K)

Source: HTC