Tales of HTC’s demise are ahead of themselves because the struggling former “King of Android” has just announced a new mid-range handset which focuses on the metaverse. There’s nothing like preparing for low sales than developing a new phone for VR, a nice segment if ever there was one. Although it will probably be more popular than a certain crypto-tragic phone that was announced earlier this week. Anyhow, HTC’s new phone is the Desire 22 Pro and it’s already up for pre-order in the UK.
Let’s forget about the Metaverse tag that hangs around the Desire 22 Pro’s head like an anchor and take a look at its hardware. Priced at a very reasonable £399 (~$325), the Desire 22 Pro packs in 5G connectivity and a 6.6-inch FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, with the grunt provided by a Snapdragon 395 processor. There’s 8GB of RAM, 128GB of built-in storage, and you’ll be pleased to learn that it supports MicroSD cards too.
NFC, Bluetooth 5.1, and USB-C charging are present, as is an IP67 rating and a 4,250mAh battery. There’s support for 18W wired charging and you’ll be pleasantly surprised to learn that it also features Qi wireless charging, an unusual feature at this price point.
The 64MP main rear camera is accompanied by a 13MP ultra-wide lens and a 5MP depth sensor, with a 32MP selfie camera housed in the punch-hole on the top left corner of the display. The Desire 22 Pro even runs Android 22 out of the box. As you can see, when you remove the metaverse tag, the Desire 22 Pro looks like a tidy little mid-ranger from a former favorite brand.
But wait, why has HTC associated the Desire 22 Pro with the metaverse?
Well, as Engadget China reports, the Desire 22 Pro will feature a ‘Viveverse’ app that allows the handset to create virtual avatars as well as manage their cryptocurrency and NFTs in the ‘Vive Wallet’. The good news is that you do not have to use the ‘Viveverse’ app if you don’t want to. There’s no need to sully the the Desire 22 Pro’s credentials with the metaverse tag, for £399 it looks like a viable option for those looking for an affordable mid-ranger.
The Desire 22 Pro is available to pre-order in the UK for £399 with orders slated to begin shipping on August 1st. There’s no word on if or when it will be released in the US.
