Pixel and iPhone had a baby, and it’s called the HTC U12 Life

Copying a smartphone from a different manufacturer is so last year. The latest trend, it appears, is copying two different smartphones and rolling that design into one. 

Ahead of the IFA trade show in Berlin this week, HTC launched the U12 Life, a mid-range phone that looks like a cross between the Apple iPhone X and Google Pixel 2. 

I mean, just look at it. The vertically oriented dual camera with the flash in the middle is a dead ringer for the one on the iPhone X, while the circular fingerprint sensor combined with a two-tone back is a distinctive Pixel feature. 

If you disregard the similarities to other, more famous phones, the HTC U12 Life doesn’t look half bad. On the front, though, it’s just a generic Android phone, with pretty big bezels (for today’s standards) on both top and bottom.

In terms of specs, the HTC U12 is a 6-inch phone with a FHD+ (2,160×1,080 pixels) resolution, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 processor, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage and a 3,600 mAh battery. The dual-camera on the back is a 13/6-megapixel combo that can do bokeh shots, and on the front you’ll find a 13-megapixel selfie camera. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack, which is interesting as HTC’s U12+ flagship doesn’t have one. Software-wise, the HTC U12 Life will come with Android 8.1 and HTC’s Sense UI. 

The HTC U12 Life will be available in twilight purple and moonlight blue. It’ll cost 299 pounds ($389) when it hits Europe in September.