HTC didn’t bring any new smartphones to Mobile World Congress this year. But the company is jumping on the 5G bandwagon with a new multi-function device that… does a lot of things, honestly.
At it’s most basic level, the HTC 5G Hub is a hotspot/router/hub that you can use to connect up to 20 users to a 5G network whether you’re at home, at the office, or on the go.
But it also has a touchscreen display so you can use it to run Android apps without connecting to a phone, tablet, or other device. And it support video output, so you can connect it to a 4K TV to stream video or games at up to 60 fps.
The HTC 5G Hub will be available in select markets starting in the second quarter of 2019. In the US, it’ll support Sprint’s new 5G network.
While the HTC 5G Hub isn’t technically a smartphone, it basically has the guts of one. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and features a Snapdragon X50 5G modem. The system has 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, and a microSD card reader with support for cards up to 512GB.
There’s a 5 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel capacitive touchscreen display on the front, and a USB 3.1 Type-C port that you can use to charge the device or connect an external display. HTC equipped the system with a 7,660 mAh battery, so it should be able to run for a while between charges.
The device has a motion sensor, stereo speakers, and support for voice commands thanks to an always-listening microphone.
Now for the parts that set this apart from a phone. It weighs about 12 ounces and measures 5.1″ x 3.9″ x 1.7″ which makes it a bit bulky by phone or tablet standards.
The system also supports 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ad WiFi and supports up to 20 WiFi connections. HTC says in the future you’ll be able to use it to stream VR content from the cloud to the company’s Vive Focus virtual reality headset without the need for a PC or any additional cables.
Other features include support for Bluetooth 5.0 and SIM card support for select 4G LTE and 5G networks (you can find the list of supported bands at HTC’s website).
So it’s an entertainment hub, not a smarthome hub? 20 devices seems quite limiting.
I could see this would be a nice device for a motorhome.
During the past years I’ve become increasingly vary of any networked devices that connect to internet without a proper firewall. I like the idea of this product, but seriously I would want a proper firewall between the extra features and the 5G modem.
Seems good for what it is. Too bad that it’s too early for 5G for many. Not just because it’s not available in many cities but also because if it’s anything like 4G we still have to wait a while before we know what bands the different companies will be using in the looking run (unless I’m mistaken). So if you don’t REALLY need the speed it’d be best to wait until you know your phone/device will be (fully) compatible.
Or course, if you upgrade every year (though that normally goes for phones and not devices like this), them it doesn’t really matter.
Sounds like a good solution for people that don’t have access to Cable/Fibre line connection in their homes.
…if they have access to a direct 5G signal, that is.