HTC 5G Hub (Sprint)

HTC 5G Hub

HTC's 5G Hub for Sprint is a hotspot from the future. Masquerading as a mobile hotspot, it's really a home or office modem for people who intend to use Sprint's 5G network as their primary internet connection.

Wedge Shape

The Hub measures 5.08 by 3.94 by 1.70 inches (HWD) and weighs 12 ounces. That's perfect for a desk, but not great for a pocket.

This Hub Runs Android

The Hub runs a full copy of Android 9.0. You can run video services on it and cast them to Chromecasts or Chromecast-supporting TVs. You can run arbitrary music services and use the Hub as a speaker. Or you can install Pocketshare and use the Hub as a NAS.

Handsome Design

With a 5-inch screen and gray fabric surround, the Hub looks attractive and professional. It has a large, built-in 7,660mAh battery and a big, chunky power adapter to charge it with.

Wi-Fi Management

For Wi-Fi management, you're either stuck or gifted with Android's built-in tools, depending on your point of view. You can kick the hotspot offline at certain times of day, do MAC filtering, attach a hotspot, or switch your DNS. For parental controls, you'll need to download and try third-party Android apps.

MicroSD Card Slot

The Hub has 32GB of onboard storage, 10GB of which is taken up by system files. You can add a microSD card for additional storage.

HTC Hub Ports

On the back, there are both a USB-C port and a full-scale Ethernet port that can even attach to external routers.

About Our Expert

Sascha Segan

Former Lead Analyst, Mobile

My Experience

I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also wrote a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsessed about phones and networks.

My Areas of Expertise

US and Canadian mobile networks
Mobile phones released in the US
iPads, Android tablets, and ebook readers
Mobile hotspots
Big data features such as Fastest Mobile Networks and Best Work-From-Home Cities

The Technology I Use

Being cross-platform is critical for someone in my position. In the US, the mobile world is split pretty cleanly between iOS and Android. So I think it's really important to have Apple, Android and Windows devices all in my daily orbit.

I use a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 for work and a 2021 Apple MacBook Pro for personal use. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, although I'm probably going to move to an Android foldable. Most of my writing is either in Microsoft OneNote or a free notepad app called Notepad++. Number crunching, which I do often for those big data stories, is via Microsoft Excel, DataGrip for MySQL, and Tableau.

In terms of apps and cloud services, I use both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive heavily, although I also have iCloud because of the three Macs and three iPads in our house. I subscribe to way too many streaming services.

My primary tablet is a 12.9-inch, 2020-model Apple iPad Pro. When I want to read a book, I've got a 2018-model flat-front Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. My home smart speakers run Google Home, and I watch a TCL Roku TV. And Verizon Fios keeps me connected at home.

My first computer was an Atari 800 and my first cell phone was a Qualcomm Thin Phone. I still have very fond feelings about both of them.

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