HTC U Play vs Xiaomi Mi 9 Explorer

Compare recorded specifications, size and practical differences.

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Key differences

Calculated from recorded specifications using minimum difference thresholds. These are differences, not an overall ranking. For three phones, numeric highlights compare the two extremes.

  • Display technology

    OLED versus LCD

    U Play:
    LCD
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    OLED
  • Weight

    U Play: 28 g lighter

    U Play:
    145 g
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    173 g
  • Width

    U Play: 1.8 mm narrower

    U Play:
    72.9 mm
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    74.7 mm
  • Screen diagonal

    U Play: 1.19 in smaller diagonal

    U Play:
    5.2 in
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    6.39 in
  • Chipset

    U Play:
    Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 (28 nm)
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
  • Rear camera layout

    U Play:
    Single
    Mi 9 Explorer:
    Triple

Physical size

Relative size, not calibrated actual size. Front and side outlines share one scale and a bottom baseline. Generic outlines use recorded body dimensions, excluding camera bumps.

  1. 1. U Play

    Height:
    146 mm
    Width:
    72.9 mm
    Depth:
    8 mm
  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    Height:
    157.5 mm +11.5 mm versus U Play
    Width:
    74.7 mm +1.8 mm versus U Play
    Depth:
    7.6 mm

Weight

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. U Play

    145 g

  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    173 g

    +28 g versus U Play

Screen size

Approximate rectangular screens calculated from recorded diagonal and aspect ratio at one relative scale. Rounded corners and cutouts are not subtracted. These are not phone outlines or calibrated actual sizes.

  1. 1. U Play

    Screen diagonal:
    5.2 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    16:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    74.5 cm²
  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    Screen diagonal:
    6.39 in
    Aspect ratio (height:width):
    19.5:9
    Approximate rectangular screen area:
    100.2 cm²

Mi 9 Explorer has approximately 34.5% more rectangular screen area than U Play.

Memory variants

Each row compares the same storage capacity. Cells show recorded RAM alternatives, not combined maxima. Not recorded does not mean unavailable in every market.

No unambiguous storage/RAM pairings are recorded. See the original specifications below.

U Play: Original memory entry

64 GB · 4 GB RAM 32 GB · 3 RAM

Mi 9 Explorer: Original memory entry

256 GB · 8/12 GB RAM

Practical features

Explicit Yes and No values are shown directly. Qualified or regional records retain their details. Unknown means the record is missing.

1. U Play

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
No
Memory card support:
See details microSD · up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)

2. Mi 9 Explorer

NFC:
Yes
Headphone jack:
No
Memory card support:
No

Battery capacity

Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.

Recorded battery capacity

Bars start at zero and share a scale within this chart.

  1. 1. U Play

    2500 mAh

  2. 2. Mi 9 Explorer

    3300 mAh

    +800 mAh versus U Play

Specifications

Open a section for more detail. On narrow screens, swipe sideways or use Left/Right arrow keys while the table is focused. Unknown means missing data, not No. Recorded zero values are shown as recorded.

1. U Play2. Mi 9 Explorer

Everyday essentials
Everyday essentials — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Dimensions (HxWxD)
  • 146 Х 72.9 Х 8 mm
  • 157.5 Х 74.7 Х 7.6 mm
Weight
  • 145 g
  • 173 g
Technology
  • Super LCD
  • Super AMOLED
Screen size
  • 5.2" inch
  • 6.39" inch
Screen resolution
  • 1080 x 1920 px
  • 1080 x 2340 px
Internal memory Recorded storage / RAM variants. Entries are alternatives, not a combined maximum. Ambiguous formats stay as recorded.
  • 64 GB
  • 4 GB RAM 32 GB
  • 3 RAM
  • 256 GB
  • 8/12 GB RAM
Memory card support
  • microSD
  • up to 256 GB (uses SIM 2 slot)
  • No
Battery Capacity is not battery life. No endurance test is implied.
  • 2500 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Ion
  • 3300 mAh
  • Non-removable Li-Po
Operating system OS
  • Android 6.0 (Marshmallow)
  • Android 9.0 (Pie); MIUI 10
Chipset
  • Mediatek MT6755 Helio P10 (28 nm)
  • Qualcomm SDM855 Snapdragon 855 (7 nm)
NFC
  • Yes
  • Yes
Headphone jack
  • No
  • No
Display
Display — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
  • capacitive touchscreen
Display colors
  • 16M
  • 16M
Screen area
  • 73.2 cm2
  • 100.2 cm2
Screen format
  • 16:9 (height:width)
  • 19.5:9 (height:width)
Screen to body ratio
  • 68.7%
  • 85.2%
PPI /points per inch/
  • 428 PPI
  • 403 PPI
Screen protection
  • Corning Gorilla Glass (unspecified version)
  • Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Camera and Video
Camera and Video — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Rear camera, main
  • 16 MP
  • Single
  • 48 MP
  • Triple
Camera specs
  • 16 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 28mm (wide)
  • 1.0µm
  • OIS
  • PDAF
  • 48 MP
  • f/1.5 (12GB RAM model) or f/1.8 (8GB RAM model)
  • (wide)
  • 1/2"
  • 0.8µm
  • PDAF
  • Laser AF - 12 MP
  • f/2.2
  • 54mm (telephoto)
  • 1/3.6"
  • 1.0µm
  • laser AF
  • 2x optical zoom - 16 MP
  • 13mm (ultrawide)
  • 1/3.0"
Functions
  • Auto-HDR
  • HDR
Video
  • 1080p@30fps
  • 1080p@30fps
Front camera, selfie
  • 16 MP
  • Single
  • 20 MP
  • Single
Specifications
  • 16 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 27mm (wide)
  • 1/3.1''
  • 1.0µm
  • 20 MP
  • f/2.0
  • 0.9μm
Performance

Scores marked * are historical catalogue entries. Test conditions are unspecified; no new testing is implied.

Performance — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Processor CPU
  • Octa-core (4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A53 & 4x1.1 GHz Cortex-A53)
  • Octa-core (1x2.84 GHz Kryo 485 & 3x2.42 GHz Kryo 485 & 4x1.8 GHz Kryo 485)
Graphics processor GPU
  • Mali-T860MP2
  • Adreno 640
Antutu 7 score *
  • 49782
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Single Core *
  • 740
Unknown
GeekBench 4 Multi-Core *
  • 2755
Unknown
GeekBench 4 RenderScript *
  • 1977
Unknown
General specs
General specs — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Release date
  • 2017
  • January
  • 2019
  • February
Colors
  • Brilliant Black
  • Cosmetic Pink
  • Ice White
  • Sapphire Blue
  • Transparent Black
Historical recorded price Legacy catalogue value; date unknown. Not a current offer.
  • 150 EUR
  • 530 EUR
Battery life
  • Stand by time- Up to 427 h (3G) Talking time- Up to 15 h (3G)
Unknown
Body build
  • plastic body
  • Back glass (Gorilla Glass 5)
  • aluminum frame (7000 series)
Communication and Connectivity
Communication and Connectivity — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
SIM card
  • Hybrid Dual SIM (Nano-SIM
  • dual stand-by)
  • Dual SIM (Nano-SIM
  • dual stand-by)
Network
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1900 / 2100 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 3(1800)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 20(800)
  • 28(700)
  • 38(2600)
  • 40(2300)
  • Show all network frequencies: -2G - GSM 850 / 900 / 1800 / 1900 - SIM 1 & SIM 2 CDMA 800 & TD-SCDMA -3G - HSDPA 850 / 900 / 1700(AWS) / 1900 / 2100 -4G - LTE band 1(2100)
  • 2(1900)
  • 3(1800)
  • 4(1700/2100)
  • 5(850)
  • 7(2600)
  • 8(900)
  • 12(700)
  • 17(700)
  • 20(800)
  • 28(700)
  • 38(2600)
  • 39(1900)
  • 40(2300)
Speed
  • HSPA 42.2/5.76 Mbps
  • LTE-A (2CA) Cat6 300/50 Mbps
  • HSPA
  • LTE-A
GPRS
  • Yes
  • Yes
Edge
  • Yes
  • Yes
Wi-Fi
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • dual-band
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • DLNA
  • hotspot
  • Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac
  • dual-band
  • Wi-Fi Direct
  • DLNA
  • hotspot
GPS
  • Yes
  • with A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • Yes
  • with dual-band A-GPS
  • GLONASS
  • BDS
  • GALILEO
  • QZSS
USB
  • 2.0
  • Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
  • 2.0
  • Type-C 1.0 reversible connector
  • USB On-The-Go
Bluetooth
  • 4.2
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • 5.0
  • A2DP
  • LE
  • aptX HD
Music and Audio
Music and Audio — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Radio
  • No
  • No
Others
  • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
  • HDR10 -DCI-P3
  • Active noise cancellation with dedicated mic
Other features
Other features — specifications for U Play, Mi 9 Explorer.
SpecificationU PlayMi 9 Explorer
Dop
  • Sensors Fingerprint (front-mounted)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass - Fast battery charging - Also known as HTC Alpine
  • Sensors Fingerprint (under display)
  • accelerometer
  • gyro
  • proximity
  • compass
  • Infrared port - Fast battery charging 27W (Quick Charge 4+) -Fast wireless charging 20W - Also known as Xiaomi Mi 9 Transparent Edition