Sprint HTC 5G Hub available on May 31: Fast speeds on an Android-powered media center
We are starting to see pockets of 5G light up in the US and one way to experience this new network is through a dedicated 5G device. The HTC 5G Hub will be up for pre-order starting tomorrow from Sprint with availability slated for 31 May.
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5G will be available on the HTC 5G Hub in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Kansas City at launch with Chicago, LA, New York City, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C., in the new few weeks. The HTC 5G Hub will cost $12.50 per month for 24 months with a $12.50 per month credit applied, or $600 full price. Service starts at 100GB for $60 per month. In areas without 5G support, the HTC 5G Hub will also share a LTE connection with up to 20 devices.
In addition to serving as a 5G mobile hotspot, the HTC 5G Hub can function as a media center to stream 4K content to a second screen or even play back content on the 5 inch display. It has an ethernet port too so you can connect your small business computers to it for safe and secure access, including through a corporate VPN.
Specifications of the HTC 5G Hub include:
- Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 octa-core with Snapdragon X50 5G modem
- Display: 5inch, 720x1280 pixels resolution touch screen
- Operating system: Android 9.0 Pie with HTC Sense for HTC 5G Hub
- RAM: 4GB
- Storage: 32GB internal with microSD expansion card slot
- Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ad, Bluetooth 5.0
- Sensors: Gyro Sensor
- Battery: 7,660 mAh non-removable with Quick Charge 3.0 support
- Dimensions: 129 x 100 x 43 mm and 340 grams
A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to hold one of the HTC 5G Hubs and it has excellent build quality, good looking display, and plenty of options for connectivity. A future update will add the capability to support VR content streaming from the Hub to VIVE headsets with no PC required.
Smartphone manufacturers are starting to release phones with 5G capability, such as the Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and LG V50 ThinQ 5G (also coming to Sprint with the HTC 5G Hub), and it seems to me that it may be a more conservative option for businesses to look at something like the HTC 5G Hub that can provide the service and share with existing laptops, tablets, and phones.