HTC's latest smartphone meant for the metaverse is here

When they announced that they were coming up with a phone meant for the metaverse, they created a lot of buzz. At this point, metaverse,Crypto, and Web 3.0 are buzzwords that most people are using to appear relevant. HTC's'metaverse' smartphone, called Desire 22 Pro, has been launched in Taiwan. It has a 6.6 inch Full-HD display 1080 x 2412 pixels with a 120 Hz refresh rate and a 20: 9 aspect ratio. HTC claims that this large display will help provide an immersive experience of the metaverse in conjunction with the Vive Flow headset. The budget devices don't have a 32 MP camera housed in a punch hole and a massive chin. A 64 MP primary camera is on the back, along with a 13 MP ultra-wide lens and a 5 MP depth sensor.

The HTC Desire 22 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 695 paired with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of internal storage. The device will be launched in only one configuration - the 8 GB 128 GB. Under the hood, there is a 4,520mAh battery with support for wireless and reverse charging. The HTC Desire 22 Pro comes with an IP 67 rating for water and dust protection.

The HTC Desire 22 Pro supports 5 G, WiFi and Bluetooth connectivity, in order to stream content from the Vive Flow headset. The phone is going to run Android 12 out of the box.

The HTC Desire 22 Pro looks like a regular Android device. Why is HTC calling it a smartphone meant for the metaverse?

The company has put in a dedicated Viveverse app on the HTC Desire 22 Pro that will allow users to easily access the metaverse. This will allow you to stream the 300-inch large screen from the Vive Flow headset to the HTC Desire 22 Pro.

The Viveverse app can be used to create Vive avatars, manage your digital assets like NFTs, etc. With the Vive wallet, you can store cryptocurrencies and conduct transactions. HTC's Taiwan website has a free NFT, but it appears that this is not available across markets.

The HTC Desire 22 Pro is the perfect companion to the Vive Flow VR headset to browse through the Viveverse, according to the company. The Vive Flow Headset is designed to work with pretty much any Android smartphone, so it is not clear what extra HTC Desire 22 Pro brings to the table.

It appears that the HTC Desire 22 Pro doesn't have much to offer except for some decent specs, and your foray into the metaverse can happen if you have HTC's headset. It is understandable why the company wants you to buy the headset.

The HTC Desire 22 Pro is priced at NT $11,990 Rs 31,800 approx and will be available in two colors - Wave Gold and Starry Night Black. There is a Metaverse Early Bird package that will give you the HTC Desire 22 Pro and Vive Flow headset for NT $23,490 Rs 62,300 approx. The company has not announced when the device will be available in India.

If you are impressed, don't worry.