There’s plenty to love about the HTC Jetstream, at least on paper. It boasts one of the most impressive spec sheets found on a tablet computer, with features such as a 10.1-inch WXGA touchscreen display, 7300 mAh battery, and 4G LTE network support. It’s really quite feature-rich, and provides good value all around. Is it truly worth choosing over other tablets from more popular brand names in the worldwide tablet market, though?
The Jetstream is kept running with a 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm processor with 1GB of RAM and 32GB of onboard storage space. It also supports up to 32GB microSD cards, and features Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 3.0, GPS with A-GPS, and quad-bandGSM network support. HTC had to deliver it with only Android 3.1 Honeycomb pre-installed, so if you’re looking to get a tablet with the latest flavor of Android pre-installed, you’ll have to look elsewhere.
HTC decided to deck this tablet out in an aluminum casing, which makes it extremely nice to hold without much heft at all. And when it comes to camera performance, you’ll heve two choices for snappers. There’s an 8-megapixel camera at the back and a 1-megapixel camera for backup right up front. Again, it's filled with a lot of goodness and looks like an absolute must-have on paper. Unfortunately, HTC seems to be asking too high of a price, even if it were running the latest version of Android at launch.
For reference, the Nexus 7, with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, costs a mere $199 for the base model with 8GB of storage. The HTC Jetstream may be bigger, louder, and better in certain areas, but the Nexus 7 still manages to show it up in some the most important areas of consideration: CPU, software, and battery life. At $700, this tablet costs nearly 4x more but still fails in certain aspects. If you really need to have an 8-megapixel camera on your LTE-enabled 10-inch tablet, it might be one of your options. Try your best to find it priced lower than $700, though.
Need To Know: HTC Jetstream
1. Support for HSPA+ data along with 4G LTE networking ensures fast browsing speeds in areas where there is network coverage. (The Good)
2. Dual-core Qualcomm processor is powerful enough to run built-in software with ease. (The Good)
3. Pre-installed software—Android 3.1 Honeycomb—is outdated. (The Bad)
4. Priced too high for its own sake, even with carrier promo bundles. (The Bad)
What the Critics Are Saying...
- Brent Rose, GizmodoWell, it's only... wait $700?! Are you kidding me?! With a two-year AT&T contract?! Ahhhhh! No. Just no. Nonononononono.
- Joseph Volpe, EngadgetOn paper, the Jetstream talks a tough spec game, boasting a 10.1-inch WXGA display, dual-core 1.5GHz processor, 1GB RAM, 32GB of storage and an 8 megapixel rear shooter capable of 1080p video. Add to that list 4G LTE capability and you'd easily topple the Honeycomb competition in a side-by-side comp...
- Sascha Segan, PC MagazineThe HTC Jetstream, AT&T's first 4G LTE tablet, is overkill. It was designed with something to prove, but that thing doesn't seem to involve anyone buying it. Sure, it's the most powerful Android Honeycomb tablet ever, but its 25-ounce weight and $699-$849 price, combined with difficulty finding...
- Jon Rettinger , TechnoBuffaloAt its cheapest, the HTC Jetstream is offered at $699 with a two year contract and $849 without – no, that is not a typo. That alone is enough to turn away consumers, and it’s unfortunate because the wonderful build quality, HTC Sense UI and Scribe technology make it a solid device, albe...
- Daniel Howley, Laptop MagThe HTC Jetstream is a sleek Android tablet with a friendly interface. Unfortunately, its main draw, the HTC Scribe pen, doesn't work as well as advertised. But our biggest issue is the Jetstream's price. For $699 you get the tablet, as well as a two-year 4G data plan with AT&T. That's $70 more...
Prices (Where to Buy)
Resources
Manuals / User Guides
- HTC Jetstream Quick Start Guide (PDF)
- HTC Jetstream Manual (PDF)
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