In this industry, trends tend to be the determining factor for smartphone companies who aren't sure which direction to take. Of course, in this case, the trend we're referring to in the controversial notch that Apple has blessed the smartphone industry with. Not HTC though, although it hasn't brought a notched display onto its flagship this year, it has followed a couple of other trends in the past couple of years.
Source: https://www.gsmarena.com/htc_u12_plus_review-review-1783.php