HTC used to be a popular brand for Android smartphones, but the company seems to have fallen by the wayside as it hasn’t released a competitive flagship device in years. However, with the just released HTC Desire 22 Pro, a follow-up to last year’s HTC Desire 21 Pro, the company is likely making a big attempt at capitalizing on the so-called metaverse.
HTC has teased a ‘metaverse’ phone for a while now, promising a device focused on AR and VR functionality. Now, the company has finally launched the phone, but it’s no flagship device at all.
In terms of core specs, the newly announced Desire 22 Pro sounds like your typical mid-range proposition in 2022. There’s a 6.6-inch FHD+ 120Hz screen (presumably LCD), a Snapdragon 695 chipset, 8GB of RAM, 128GB of expandable storage, and a 4,520mAh battery with 18W wired charging.
These features come together to deliver a phone that’s more in line with mid-rangers from the likes of Motorola, OnePlus, and Xiaomi in theory. At least there’s wireless charging support and an IP67 rating as well, which are rare features for mid-rangers. You should probably consider an older flagship if you want these features on a budget, though.
As for camera capabilities, you should expect a 64MP primary rear shooter, a 13MP ultrawide camera, and a 5MP depth sensor. A 32MP shooter is available in a punch-hole cutout for selfies.
There are a couple of different aspects to the phone’s metaverse functionality. To start with, it’s designed to be the “perfect companion” to HTC’s recently announced Vive Flow VR headset and used to access Viverse, HTC’s take on the metaverse. The headset is designed to work with any Android phone, though, so it’s not entirely clear what the Desire 22 Pro offers that isn’t available elsewhere.
There’s also some NFT functionality here, with HTC’s Taiwanese site advertising that the phone includes a digital wallet to manage crypto assets, and comes with a free NFT. This appears to vary by market, however, since similar language is not present in the marketing materials on its UK site.
The HTC Desire 22 Pro is currently available on pre-order for £399 (~$490) with an August 1 dispatch date. In any event, the phone might be a disappointment for people who were expecting a flagship-level product akin to 2018’s Exodus 1 blockchain-focused phone. Even those hoping to see HTC offer more on the AR/VR front might be disappointed as the ‘metaverse’ features aren’t exclusive to the device.
