While 5G connectivity still isn’t as widely available as we would want it to be, carriers and OEMs are already preparing devices that would give us easy access and support to this supposedly super fast technology. At the Mobile World Congress, HTC didn’t unveil a 5G smartphone but rather a mobile smart hub called the HTC 5G Hub. But more than just a mobile router, it actually comes with a smart display and can also serve as a battery pack in case your devices run out of juice.
It seems like smart displays like Google Home Hub and Amazon Echo Show will have to watch out for this device as it can function like them and bring other things to the table as well. First and foremost, it is a mobile router that will give you 5G high-speed networking and a mobile hotspot that can connect up to 20 users. You get fast connectivity either at home or in the office or wherever you want to use it (as long as the carrier has good signal in the area of course).
But it’s also a smart hub with a 5-inch 1280 x 720 touchscreen and is powered by the Snapdragon 855 chipset with a Snapdragon X50 5G modem. But it is also compatible with 4G LTE in case 5G fails you. It runs on Android 9.0 with HTC Sense. You can stream 4K videos on the screen or on a second screen (smart TV, tablet) and play games on an ultra-low-latency and 4K resolution.
The HTC 5G Hub is mobile but still a bit heavy because it has a 7,660 mAh battery inside. But that also means it can last a long time and you can even charge your smartphone with it if you need a bit of extra juice. It has a microSD slot and you can use up to 512GB cards. You can access Android apps on it and also use your Google Assistant since it has always-on microphone support.
The device will, of course, be only as good as its network. It will partner with Sprint, Telstra, Three UK, Deutsche Telekom in Germany, Sunrise in Switzerland, and Elisa in Finland. No news yet as to the price of the HTC 5G Hub but it will hit the market by the second quarter of 2019.
SOURCE: HTC
