HTC has two (mediocre) new phones, proving it's not dead just yet

Despite lackluster sales, continually declining revenue, and customer support issues, HTC, to the surprise of many, is still making new smartphones. The company has announced two new mid-range devices for its home market of Taiwan - HTC U19e and Desire 19+. This marks a move from a series-based naming system (U11 > U12) to a (presumably) year-based one, with the number 19 for devices launched in 2019 —  because obviously, product nomenclature is HTC's biggest problem right now.

HTC U19e

The U19e runs on the mid-range Snapdragon 710, housing a decently-sized 3930mAh battery and two Iris scanners as an alternative to the rear-mounted fingerprint sensor. While the specs seem pretty standard for a mid-ranger, I'm digging the look of this phone, especially the "Extraordinary Purple" variant.

SPECS


Display6.0-inch 1080p LCD (18:9, 1080 x 2160p, no notch)
CPU/GPUQualcomm Snapdragon 710
OSAndroid 9.0 Pie
Memory6GB
Storage128GB
Rear CameraPrimary: 12MP f/1.8, Zoom: 20MP f/2.6
Front Camera24MP f/2.0
Battery3930mAh with QC 4.0 fast charging
Unlock mechanismRear fingerprint sensor + Iris scanners
PortsUSB 3.1 Type-C (with Display Port), dual nano-SIM slot (dual-standy LTE), microSD card slot
Dimensions156.5 x 75.9 x 8.0 mm
Weight180 g
ColorsExtraordinary Purple, Modest Green
Here's a video showing off the U19E:

HTC Desire 19+

Image courtesy: GSMArena
The Desire 19+ is the lower-end of the two devices, with a Helio P35 processor, a slightly larger screen (albeit with a teardrop notch), and the inclusion of a ToF depth-sensing camera at the back. HTC doesn't seem to have an official page up for this device yet, so we don't have a comprehensive spec-sheet yet.

SPECS


Display6.2-inch 1080p LCD (teardrop notch)
CPU/GPUMediaTek Helio P35
Memory4/6GB
Storage64/128GB
Rear CameraPrimary: 13MP, Zoom: 8MP, Depth-Sensing: 5MP
Front Camera16MP
Battery3850mAh
Unlock mechanismRear fingerprint sensor
PortsUSB Type-C, dual nano-SIM slot
ColorsStar Can Blue, Jasmine White

Pricing & Availability

The U19E will retail for NT$14,900 ($475), while the Desire 19+ will sell for NT$9,900 ($318) and NT$10,990 ($350) for the 4/64GB and 6/128GB variants respectively. Both phones will currently only be sold in Taiwan. If they do come State-side, I can't see any reason for someone to buy these instead of a Pixel 3A, unless they really dig the look.
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