A really cool hotspot



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Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)

It's more than just an access point, but too big to be a smartphone and too small for a tablet. But none of this really matters, because with its new 5G hub, HTC has achieved the impossible and created a hotspot that deserves attention.

Typically, hot spots are a one-stop business. You turn them on, they connect to a cellular connection, then you access this data on a phone or a PC (usually by wifi). Very boring.

But with the imminent arrival of 5G networks, HTC partnered with Sprint and challenged itself to reinvent what was a hotspot if it was connected to mobile data capable of supporting speeds of 1 Gbps or more and ultra fast latency.

This is more ports than a normal access point, the 5G hub even offers two ways to charge the device (the round AC port and the USB-C port with Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0).

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So, instead of a simple washer with an on / off switch, HTC has added many features to the 5G hub, including a 5-inch screen, a lock button, a microSD card slot, an 802.11 Wi-Fi connection. ad, ports for Ethernet and USB. -C, and even a full version of Android 9 Pie. And with the 5G Hub complemented by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 processor and an X50 modem (the same chip and the same modem as those used in the new Samsung Galaxy S10 5G and LG V50 5G), the 5G Hub should be damn fast too.

The 5G Hub Screen allows you to perform standard tasks such as tracking your data usage and the number of devices connected. However, as it runs on Android and it has built-in stereo speakers, it can also be used to install all your favorite apps, stream movies and listen to music. If you wish, you can even send wireless videos to a nearby TV with the help of Chromecast, or use a USB-C display cable in case Chromecasting would not be an option.

This turns the 5G hub into a portable multimedia center and gives people forced to work in hotel rooms a way to watch their favorite shows in the background on a secondary device. And while the 5G hub has only 4 GB of RAM and 32 GB of storage, the latter can still be increased thanks to the microSD extensibility of the hub.

For the purposes of the demo, HTC had to simulate a 5G connection because real 5G networks are not yet available.
Photo: Sam Rutherford (Gizmodo)

At the MWC, I also tried one of the more distant use cases of the 5G Hub, which was to transfer a VR-hosted Superhot VR session to a nearby VR headset via WiGig. It was the first scenario where the idea of ​​playing on the 5G cloud pleased me, because when I travel, I do not want to hang around a laptop or a desk powerful enough to play reality games Virtual. And with the 5G Hub, it's no longer a problem.

HTC has even equipped the 5G Hub with a 7,660 mAh battery with charge in reverse, so you can use its extra power to charge other devices. The hub can not provide ultra-fast data to your devices, it can also power them. The only thing I would like HTC to improve a bit is the 5-inch screen of the hub, which only offers a resolution of 1280 x 720. It's not even high enough to be qualified as full HD.

It's also worth noting that, compared to pocket hot spots, like a Verizon Jetpack, the 5G Hub will be significantly larger, if it's still portable.

As Sprint's 5G network will not be activated until this spring (probably in May), there is still no official information on price or availability. But with traditional 5G phones that should be very expensive, HTC's 5G Hub could be the best way to discover 5G networks in 2019 without having to completely revise all your mobile devices.

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