HTC U12 Plus color comparison: Ceramic black, flame red, and translucent blue

The HTC U12 Plus launched with some impressive specs and three all-glass, liquid surface color options, including another translucent model. Each model is begging to get into your pocket.

Android Authority had some hands-on time with all three color options — titanium black, flame red, and translucent blue — in a series of pre-briefings. The titanium black color is actually called “ceramic black” in North America. All are available at the same price point and specs, so you have plenty of options. All of them are highly polished and shiny devices, with no notable design differences between models other than general look and feel.

HTC went for a custom Corning Gorilla Glass solution on the front and back, noting that the company wanted a harder compound than Gorilla Glass 5. That means the final glass is somewhere in between Gorilla Glass 3 and 5. This harder glass should mean fewer scratches, too, and the glass choice should be useful for LTE reception.

Don’t miss: HTC U12 Plus hands-on

Here’s all the info and images for the three HTCcolor options.

HTC U12 Plus ceramic black (or titanium black)

The titanium black option from HTCprobably scores the least cool points but the most practical points. It’s a shiny, reflective, and polished glass option and it looks similar to the HTC U11 Plus ceramic black option that came before it — although the U12 Plus now has dual cameras on the front and the back.

The titanium black option will come with 6GB of RAM, with 64 or 128GB storage, and with a microSD card slot to support up to 2TB of expandable storage.

HTC U12 Plus flame red

The flame red makes a return and is a real eye-catcher. At any point, the color can shift from a deep red all the way to a gold look, with warm touches of yellow and orange flaring through, depending on viewing angle and lighting. It will remind you of a color-shifting paint job on a car. While we weren’t able to compare on the spot, it’s also quite similar to the solar red edition that came a little later to the HTC U11.

The flame red has the same polish and finish of the black option. On a personal note, I usually go for the standard black rather than the off-color options, but the flame red had some real appeal which is unusual.

Fans of Iron Man ought to like it. Also, shout out to fans of the NBA’s Cleveland Cavalier Audios — this is as close as you can get to home-team colors on your device.

Again, the flame red will be offered with 6GB of RAM, with 64 or 128GB storage on board, and the microSD card slot for expandable memory.

HTC U12 Plus translucent blue

The translucent blue in this year’s HTCis definitely a unique and enjoyable look that stands out. The blue option is just as shiny as the flame red and titanium black but has a graduated frosted look that allows you to clearly see the internals of the device, including the stripes of the battery, fingerprint sensor chip and cabling, and other tiny electronics. The HTCU11 Plus translucent black from last year had the nice-looking NFC charging coil at the back, and with that no longer present in the phone, you get a different look.

Again it’s an all-glass device, but it hides fingerprints far better than the other two models if you’re looking to go without a case. The same specs apply: 6GB RAM, 64/128GB storage, with expandable memory.

What’s different with the U12 Plus?

Last year we saw the HTCU11 Plus had a silver-blue color called amazing silver, but that’s been replaced by the flame red. That also marks a return to the similar solar red released a generation or two before with the U11.

One last note. HTCsometimes doesn’t bring every color to every region for reasons they know and we don’t. We’ll keep this post updated for any news on that front as the phone hits the shelves.

Check out more HTCU12 Plus coverage here:

• HTC U12 Plus: Everything you need to know
• Our top 5 HTCU12 Plus features
• HTC U12 Plus price, availability, and release date